| Home | Renaissance Political Academy in Florence, ItalyProf. Helen Gaudette, History Join us to study the politics of Renaissance Italy in this exciting new Queens College week-long Study Abroad course in Florence, Italy! During the Renaissance, many people, especially in Florence, believed themselves to be living in a new age. The term "Renaissance," already coined by the sixteenth century, describes the "rebirth" from the dark ages of intellectual decline that followed the brilliance of ancient civilization. Works by classical authors, lost to the West for centuries, were rediscovered, and with them a new, humanistic outlook that placed man and human achievement at the center of all things. Renaissance Italy is best known for the cultural achievements of its writers and artists that reflect this new outlook. As towns like Florence grew in thirteenth- and fourteenth-century Italy, they demanded self-rule and often developed into strong, independent city-states. The advancements that did occur were accompanied by even greater changes in attitudes toward politics. This course will examine these changes. Designed as an intensive week of reading, discussion, and visiting the museums and sights of Florence, students will read selections of works produced by famous Italian writers such as Dante, Guicciardini, Boccacio, Machiavelli and Castiglione and see important works of art and architecture in order to examine the politics, art, society, and courtly culture of Renaissance Italy. Highlights will include class visits to the Palazzo Vecchio, the Uffizi Gallery, the Palazzo Pitti, the Accademia Gallery, and Santa Croce Church.
Reading List: Kiely Hall, Room 183 Queens College - CUNY Flushing, New York 11367-1597 718-997-5521 718-997-5055 (FAX) |