Sarah Lawrence courses in the humanities consist of small seminars supplemented by individual tutorials. Through discussions and research projects, students acquire a deep understanding of key aspects of Italian history and culture while increasing their facility with the Italian language. The humanities curriculum is further enhanced by visiting scholars conducting workshops such as screenwriting and creative writing.

All of the program's faculty members are Italian academics, and most have been involved with the program for years. They enjoy the opportunity—unique to the Sarah Lawrence program—of working one-on-one with students. The biweekly tutorials enable them to share a love of their subjects, and student interest in return brings out a warmth and generosity that truly inspires.

What Is a Tutorial?

Tutorials are scheduled individual meetings between the professor of a course and his or her students. In Sarah Lawrence seminars, the tutorials take place strictly on a one-on-one basis every other week for one half-hour. In the University course, tutorials may be with one or two other students.

The purpose of a tutorial is twofold. First, it enhances a student's understanding of the course. The professor can be sure that the material is understood, and that it is situated in a general context that is both rich and accurate. The professor can guide the students in research necessary for class work and provide them with information on constructing arguments, organizing thought, and presenting knowledge in both written and spoken form. While these last elements are also essential in the U.S., the professor can give true insight into the ways in which Italian requirements may differ from what students are used to at home.

Second, the tutorial may encourage independent research similar to a conference at Sarah Lawrence College. However, most professors are particularly concerned with the points outlined above, and they may feel there is less time to base the tutorial solely on research. (This will be especially true for the University course.)

Students who are already familiar with a tutorial system in their home institutions should not underestimate the impact of the linguistic element, and should expect the difference to be proportional to their level of Italian.

Academic Seminars: A brief introduction

ART HISTORY

Art in Florence and Northern Central Italy: A survey from the 13th to the 16th Century

The course will focus on Florentine and Tuscan Art between the 13th and 16th centuries (from early Christian Art to Michelangelo) including a survey on the origins and early medieval development. Particular attention will be dedicated to examining and understanding images and style of the different artists, which can be considered the "syntax" of a visual language. Throughout the year we will be focusing on the sociological and philosophical values of these images in Western society starting from Byzantine icons until the late Renaissance -- a period that we will cover in the second semester.

The course will include discussions on the use of different techniques, iconography and patronage; it will also involve visits to churches and museums, which will allow direct viewing of many of the important works discussed in class. There will be special lectures on Medieval, Renaissance as well as Modem Italian art.

HISTORY AND ANTHROPOLOGY

Italian Civilization from the end of the 5th century to the beginning of the 14th century

The fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 represents a crucial watershed in the history of European civilization. Nevertheless, the patrimony of ideas of pagan antiquity survives and continues to inspire political and religious beliefs. The course starts with a brief survey of the principle events that shaped this complex period and introduces some of the key lines of cultural history from the Middle Ages.

A great transformation was later represented by the phenomenon of the re-birth of cities. In fact, around the 11 century, demographic and economic factors produced a real urban revolution in some areas of Europe, and this turning point actually represents the transition from the feudal system to the late medieval civilization. The city-republics, the family, the daily life, the economy, the religious beliefs and above all the mentality of the people will all be discussed in the effort of reconstructing the features of medieval urban civilization. This complex universe, expressed through a particular architecture (such as city walls and gates, towers, public palaces, market squares, workshops, cathedrals and monasteries) permits one to reconstruct the environment of late medieval civilization. Particular emphasis will be given to the age of Dante, a period in which Central and Northern Italian cities were at their apogee and of which Florence was one of the largest and most powerful.

HISTORY OF ITALIAN CINEMA

The first part of the course is dedicated to the masters of Neorealism, mainly Rossellini, Visconti and De Sica, whose different styles contributed to a new aesthetic of cinema. Some of these celebrated pictures deeply influenced generations of filmmakers, in Italy and abroad, and their legacy is still visible in recent productions. This is the reason why, together with an analysis of the socio-political trends in the Italian culture of the time, we will also consider those films particularly informed by Neorealist principles (the films are in VHS format or DVD and are either dubbed in English or subtitled). The course will provide students with the basic tools for the critical reading of a visual text, including some basic film terminology and syntax and also, through the analysis of scenes and shots from selected clips. Moreover, you will be asked to expand your background in Italian history and to actively participate in class discussion, developing both oral and written skills in film criticism.

ITALIAN LITERATURE

The course introduces you to Italian Literature from the Medieval, Renaissance and Modern periods. Part I of a two-part course aimed at an introductory presentation of Italian literature in the Medieval, Renaissance and Modern periods. In the first semester, we will examine three texts: Dante's Divina Commedia, Petrarchs Rime sparse and Boccaccios Decameron, arguably the most influential works of the Italian literary canon. During the course, we will read and discuss selections from each of these texts as they relate to ideas of genre, historical and cultural context, poetic form and content. In addition to journal entries assigned during the course, there will be a final paper and exam.

"The traveller who has gone to Italy to study the tactile values of Giotto, or the corruption of the papacy, may return remembering nothing but the blue sky and the men and women who live under it." —E. M. Forster