Liberal Studies Abroad
Italy 2014 – Course Outline
LBST 290/390; LBST 291/322; LBST 292/323
These courses are offered on a cost-recovery basis during Intersession. Preparatory sessions
in Nanaimo and Toronto are followed by a month-long trip to Florence for intensive study. In
the two months following, students complete assignments under faculty supervision.
Each course, as paired above, may be taken at the second- or third-year level. The
performance demands for the upper-level courses are greater than those at the lower level.
The programme ranges over the art, architecture, literature, music, science and history of the
Italian Renaissance. The division of topics among the courses is explained in the chart below.
Instruction is primarily seminar-based, with lectures, art studios and other activities included.
In Florence, there are a number of visits to concerts, museums, galleries and other artistic and
cultural sites, and short trips to Siena, Assisi, Padua and Venice.
Introductory and Preparatory Sessions
Nanaimo Campus – Building 355 – Rooms 107, 211 & 203
Saturday March 8: 10 am to 3 pm.
Monday May 5: 10 am to 4 pm.
Wednesday May 7: 10 am to 4 pm.
Friday May 9: 10 am to 4 pm.
Ryerson University – Jorgenson Hall – Philosophy Boardroom
Saturday March 1: 10 am to 3 pm.
Early May: to be announced.
For details log on to our Desire 2 Learn site: https://d2l.viu.ca/
Professors and Staff
Three faculty members from VIU are responsible for delivering the courses and evaluating
students: David Livingstone (the teaching-team leader), Maureen Okun and John Black, all of
whom have taught the Italy programme often before. There will also be a guest lecture from
Bettina Schindler, of the Bargello Museum. Field Manager Libby McGrattan will be
responsible for logistics, travel and accommodation. Connie Kovalenka will lead certain
activities for companions.
Address of our Classrooms in Florence
EuroCentres,
Piazza Santo Spirito, 9
50125 Firenze (Italy)
Tel. +39 055 213030
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COURSES:
LBST 290/390
LBST 291/322
LBST 292/323
Art, Architecture
Art, Religion
Art, Literature
Area
& Politics
& Science
& Humanism
Leon Battista Alberti: Clare of Assisi and Isotta
Dante Alighieri:
On Painting
Nogarola: Selections
Inferno
CourseNiccolò Machiavelli:
Alfred Bennick:
Giovanni Boccaccio:
Specific
The Prince
And Yet It Moves!
from The Decameron
Study
Spiro Kostof:
Galileo Galilei:
Italian Poetry, Laura
Materials
from A History of
Letter to the
Cereta & Cassandra
Architecture
Grand-Duchess Christina
Fedele: Selections
Margaret Aston: from The Panorama of the Renaissance
General
William Fleming: from Art and Ideas
Study
Betty Edwards: from The New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain
Materials
A. Richard Turner: Renaissance Florence : The Invention of a New Art
Architecture Project
Art Project
Final Examination
CourseSpecific
Essay 1
Essay 2
Essay 3
Evaluation
and Outline
and Outline
and Outline
Research Art Assignment
General
Portfolio
Evaluation
Participation, including Seminar Notes
Course Texts and Booklets
[See Reading Schedule Below]
A. Richard Turner: Renaissance Florence: The Invention of a New Art (Prentice Hall)
Dante Alighieri: Divine Comedy, Volume 1: Inferno (Penguin Classics)
Leon Battista Alberti: On Painting (Penguin Classics)
Niccolò Machiavelli: The Prince (University of Chicago Press)
Art and Architecture
Margaret Aston: The Panorama of the Renaissance (extracts)
Betty Edwards: The New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain (extracts)
Spiro Kostof: A History of Architecture, Chapters 16 and 17
Art, Religion & Science
St. Clare of Assisi: selected readings
Isotta Nogarola: Of the Equal or Unequal Sin of Adam and Eve
Alfred Bennick: And Yet It Moves! (extract)
Galileo Galilei: Letter to the Grand-Duchess Christina
Art, Literature & Humanism
Selections of Italian Poetry
Cassandra Fedele: Oration in Praise of Letters
Laura Cereta: selected letters
Giovanni Boccaccio: The Decameron (extracts)
William Fleming: “Florentine Renaissance Style,” from Art and Ideas
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Materials and Supplies Required
In preparation for each sketching class and for the architecture assignment, please bring to
Florence pencils, erasers, a small sketchpad and any other materials you may wish to use for
drawing (e.g. charcoal, pastel crayons). Bring also an 8½” x 11” pad of paper on which to
write assignments and the final exam in Italy.
Assignments and Evaluation
Except for those which can be submitted via Desire 2 Learn (D2L), or are too bulky to mail,
assignments should be submitted by mail to Liberal Studies Abroad c/o John Black, Dean of
Social Sciences, Building 356, office 312, Vancouver Island University, 900 Fifth Street,
Nanaimo, BC V9R 5S5. The various due dates are specified below. After returning to
Canada, you are encouraged to consult David or Maureen on the work you are doing on the
assignments; their e-mail addresses are david.livingstone@viu.ca and maureen.okun@viu.ca.
Upper-Level Students
The requirements for upper-level students are more demanding than those for lower-level
students. For the essays, lower-level students must write 1000 words, upper-level students
1500. Upper-level students will be expected to display greater depth and quality in all
components of evaluation.
Overview of Common Assignments
The portfolio counts for 15% in each course, and is due on June 30/2014. Participation and
seminar notes count for 25% and 5% respectively in each course.
Research Art Assignment
Prior to our departure you will be given a topic to research. For this assignment, you will be
given one of the religious topics in the list below. Familiarize yourself with the topic or the
event. Then find two works of Italian Renaissance art (from 1300 to 1600 CE) depicting your
subject, and write a two-page report comparing these pieces. You will likely find that the
artists have taken different approaches to the same subject matter. For instance, what does
each work of art emphasise about the subject? What constitutes this emphasis: Composition?
Colour? Setting? Style? Arrangement? What interpretation of the subject does each artist
offer? How closely does each artist follow the original source? Have elements or characters
been added? Have any been left out? Why do you think the artist made those choices?
On the first page of your assignment, include small reproductions of the two artworks and list
the artist (if known) and date of each, followed by a 50-100 word description of your subject.
Most of the topics are biblical narratives. All of the subjects are common themes in the art of
the time period; you should have no trouble finding the information you need from Web
sources such as Wikipedia. Keep your research focus on biblical and religious subjects and
Renaissance art; if your search turns up, for example, the poem “The Journey of the Magi” by
the modernist poet T.S. Eliot, ignore that and keep looking.
To help remind you of what to look for in works of art, refer to Lisa MacLean’s “How to
Analyse Visual Art: Some Questions to Ask” in the Learning Aids section of the D2L site.
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Your research assignment is due no later than our first day of class in Florence, May 15, 2014
(no exceptions!). Please do not exceed two pages in length. The research assignment is
worth 5% of your grade in all three courses.
Portfolio Assignment
Much of the learning in the abroad courses occurs outside of the classroom: during visits to
museums, art galleries, churches, and other towns and cities. Even an afternoon stroll to your
favourite gelato shop will lead you past medieval and renaissance architecture and art “in
situ.”
For this assignment we are asking you to gather these experiences together and to synthesize
them in a portfolio that contains notes, images, and thoughtful consideration of the material
you learn throughout the course—inside and outside the classroom.
The portfolio can (and should) include your own photos, sketches, and illustrations; however,
the images must be original and not simply copied from an internet site. Occasionally
postcards purchased in Italy can be used for images of paintings in churches when taking
photographs is impossible or not permitted.
The portfolio must also contain written reflections on your daily course-related experiences,
including what connection the art or architecture or event you are commenting on that day
has to the other course materials and themes. For example, in your tour of the Uffizi Gallery
you may perceive a stylistic change from one period of painting to another. Later in the
month you might wonder whether this change is or is not echoed in Alberti’s book On
Painting.
The notes you generate each day may be brief. We are not asking you for a series of essays.
One way of getting into the right frame of mind (but not the only way to approach the
assignment) is to consider yourself as a potential travel writer collecting notes and
observations that will one day form the basis of a book on Florence and the Italian
Renaissance. Your audience will be interested in what they can learn about the Renaissance
when they tour Florence. What would you choose to highlight, and how would you explain
the significance of the things they will see there?
The focus, please note, should be on the intellectual and cultural components of your
experiences, not on the personal or simply touristic aspects.
You might want to buy a nice book for use as a portfolio: it will then serve you better as a
permanent record. This assignment will be worth 15% towards the grade in each of the
courses you are taking. It is due on June 30/2014.
Participation and Seminar Notes
Participation in seminars and other activities counts for 25% and seminar notes for 5% of
each of the courses you are taking. In assigning marks, the professors will give most
emphasis to the quantity and quality of your participation in seminar discussion, but will also
take into account your contributions to other classes and activities, and to the educational
experience of the group as a whole. For advice on how to participate in seminars, please
consult “Participating in Seminars” in the Learning Aids section of the Desire 2 Learn site.
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For each seminar, beginning with the three pre-departure seminars on the Gospel of Luke and
Dante’s Inferno, you must write out and hand in a question about an aspect of the seminar
topic which you think would be interesting to discuss in the seminar. Briefly elaborate your
question: why do you think it might help the group to understand the work or the passage?
Your note should be in the range of 100 – 150 words. To gain credit the question must be a
serious one about the material, one which demonstrates that you have examined the material
carefully. See “Seminar Note Guidelines and Tips” in the Learning Aids section of the Desire
2 Learn site.
Overview of Course-Specific Assignments
LBST 290/390:
LBST 291/322:
LBST 292/323:
Essay 1 and Outline: 35%
Essay 2 and Outline: 35%
Essay 3 and Outline: 35%
Architecture Project: 15%
Art Project: 15%
Final Examination: 15%
The final examination is scheduled for the last week of our stay in Florence. Essays are due
by July 14/2014, Art and Architecture Projects by August 04/2014.
Essays and Essay Outlines
You must write one essay for each course. The essay topics are given below. For students in
the second-year courses, each essay should be approximately 1000 words long; for those in
the third-year courses each essay should be about 1500 words long. The essays are due by
July 14/2014, and each is worth 30% of your grade in the relevant course. Please consult the
Liberal Studies Department Essay Grading Guidelines available on the Liberal Studies
webpage and also available on the D2L site.
Outlines: While in Florence (and by June 12 /2014) you must also prepare and submit
tentative outlines of the essays you propose to write: each outline is worth 5% of your grade
in the relevant course. The outline should explain which question you are answering, the
proposed thesis of your paper and (briefly) your argument for it. (In writing the paper you
may deviate from the outline if you change your mind about these elements.) There is no
word-limit, but one page should suffice. Outlines may be submitted on paper or through the
Desire 2 Learn site.
These essays should be examples of argumentative writing: that is, you must adopt a thesis,
an answer to the question posed that takes a point of view about the text or about an issue it
raises, and defend that point of view with reasoned argument and evidence drawn from the
text(s) you are studying. This requires you to justify your interpretations and evaluations of
the text or material which forms your topic, to argue against alternative interpretations and
judgments where these are likely to arise, and to speak with your own voice, not that of other
critics.
Your essays should not be primarily research essays, and definitely not mere summaries of
the views of others. At the same time, it is legitimate to introduce the views of other writers if
doing so would help illuminate your own point of view. When you do make such an appeal,
you should always specify the source to which you are referring. Plagiarism (using outside
sources without acknowledgment) is prohibited by VIU's Student Academic Code of
Conduct, and may result in a mark of zero, a failing grade for the course, or worse.
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For advice on essays, and a brief explanation of grading standards and policies on plagiarism,
please consult “Tips on Writing Argumentative Essays” and “Essay Grading Guidelines for
Liberal Studies Courses” in the Learning Aids section of the Desire 2 Learn site.
LBST 290/390 (Art, Architecture & Politics)
Choose one of the following topics:
AAP1) In your view, does the introduction of linear perspective constitute an advance toward
objectivity in painting, or merely the selection of a different subjective means of
representation?
AAP2) "Beauty is a form of sympathy and consonance of the parts within a body, according
to definite number, outline and position, as dictated by concinnitas, the absolute and
fundamental rule of Nature." (On Painting, Introduction, p. 8) To what extent, if any, does
On Painting offer practical guidance on how to produce beauty in this particular sense?
AAP3) Explain Alberti's views, as expressed in his dedication to Brunelleschi (On Painting,
pp. 34-5), on the relationship of the artist to the past. How do these views reflect on the
opinion of some art historians that the Renaissance is nothing but an attempt to reproduce the
art of antiquity? With reference to Renaissance art encountered during the programme,
evaluate Alberti's views on this issue.
AAP4) From the architects whose work you have seen in Florence, select the one whose
work, in your opinion, most clearly articulates the spirit of classicism. How, why, and to what
effect does this architect use classical forms in his or her work?
AAP5) By reference to buildings encountered during the course, compare the mediaeval and
Renaissance periods in terms of how their architecture expresses the social, political, or
intellectual preoccupations of their time.
AAP6) “Renaissance architecture is politics written in stone.” Drawing for illustration upon
your experiences of architecture and politics during the course, explain whether or not, in
your view, this claim captures an important truth.
AAP7) Discuss the significance of one of the following in Machiavelli's The Prince:
a. the metaphor of the lion and the fox;
b. the concept of fortune;
c. the discussion on promise keeping and promise breaking
d. the ruler's attitude to cruelty and mercy.
AAP8) Explain and evaluate the conception and significance of "glory" in Machiavelli's The
Prince.
AAP9) “The quality most admired in Renaissance times was virtù (the word comes closer in
the modern sense to “virtuoso” than “virtuous”) . . . With virtù, Renaissance artists could no
longer be satisfied with a single speciality but sought to become universal in ability”
(William Fleming: Art and Ideas, p. 215). Select an individual artist or political figure of the
Italian Renaissance who, in your opinion, most completely fulfils this desire, and show,
through an analysis of his/her work or life, how and why he or she does so.
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LBST 291/322 (Art, Religion & Science)
Choose one of the following topics:
ARS1) In what ways or ways is a life lived according to The Rule of Saint Clare a life worth
living? What especially valuable characteristics would it have? (In answering this question,
please confine your attention to the characteristics of the life as it is lived on earth, ignoring
any possibility of an afterlife.)
ARS2) Choose one of the sections in the debate between Isotta Nogarola and Ludovico
Foscarini in which the writers discuss a specific passage of Genesis. Which of the two writers
presents the better argument and why? Analyse the original passage in question (from
Genesis). Is there evidence the debaters missed (or added), or is there anything they could
have added to strengthen their case?
ARS3) “The real message of the Christian art of the painters of the Italian Renaissance is not
the religious message itself, but the realisation that the religious subjects portrayed have
meaning in human terms.” Discuss and evaluate this claim with reference to works
encountered during the programme.
ARS4) Choose one of the works of art we have encountered in our studies, and write a close
analysis of how its formal characteristics (e.g. the arrangement of the things it depicts; the use
of colour, line and shape; the mode of representation of space; the style of brushwork) help to
create its dominant impression.
ARS5) Explain and evaluate Galileo's attempt to show that the Copernican System is not
inconsistent with the biblical account described in the Bible (Joshua 10:13).
ARS6) Comment on the plausibility or otherwise of Galileo’s position, expressed in the
Letter to the Grand-Duchess Christina, on the relation between science and scripture.
ARS7) To what extent can you use the Letter to the Grand-Duchess Christina to support the
claim that Galileo can be correctly described as a scientific naturalist?
ARS8) From the artists whose work you have seen in Italy, select the one whose work, in
your opinion, most clearly articulates the spirit of scientific naturalism (see William
Fleming). How, why and to what effect does this artist use scientific naturalism in his or her
work?
LBST 292/323 (Art, Literature & Humanism)
Choose one of the following topics:
ALH1) Why does Dante place the Virtuous Pagans where he does? Is this placement just?
ALH2) Analyze the description Dante gives of Satan and his imprisonment in the frozen lake.
What are we to learn about the nature of sin from this description?
ALH3) Dante presents a ranking of failures of moral virtue. Why, according to this ranking,
are the sins of malice and fraud more severely punished than those of sensual appetite?
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ALH4) Who is Virgil, and why is he an appropriate guide for Dante the Pilgrim?
ALH5) From our poetry selections, choose two or three of the love poems, and write a close
analysis of the ways in which each uses nature imagery. How does this imagery help to shape
the message of each poem?
ALH6) From our poetry selections, choose two or three of poems of praise, and, in a close
analysis, compare the means by which each poem attempts to convince us of the
exceptionality of its subject.
ALH7) Several of the poems in our collection present to the readers something unexpected,
such as an unconventional attitude towards the poem's subject, or some twist away from what
the poem has led us to anticipate. Choose two or three such poems, and, in a close analysis,
explain how the unexpected in each poem helps to shape its message.
ALH8) Discuss the significance of lies and trickery in Boccaccio’s Decameron.
ALH9) Illustrating your answer with references to a number of the Decameron stories,
explain whether you read Boccaccio (i) as promoting a relatively amoral approach to life, or
(ii) as satirising the latter approach with serious moral intent.
ALH10) Drawing upon works you have read, seen or heard in Italy, explain and evaluate the
claim that the Renaissance constituted in part a revival of interest in classical humanism.
ALH11) Is the defence of Liberal Education provided by Cassandra Fedele relevant only to
her time?
ALH12) Comment on Laura Cereta’s criticism of the weaknesses of women; what does this
criticism suggest about Cereta’s place in what we now think of as Renaissance humanism?
Architecture Project (LBST 290/390)
Introduction
Architecture may be defined as the art of arranging and manipulating space to fulfil a certain
sort of function. Space is a relationship among things, not a thing itself; nor can it be reduced
to a collection of things, or treated as a container in which things are collected. Because we
focus on the things inside a space, we often fail to notice the space itself. Architecture,
however, asks us to confront space, to experience it in a way that combines both attention to
function and sensitivity to artistic expression.
Buildings, of course, are made to be used for living, working, learning and many other human
activities. The function of a building is part of, and reveals, the building’s subject-matter, but
it does not exhaust it. Architecture expresses ideas and values other than the merely
functional: these ideas and values may be aesthetic, ethical, political, and of other kinds. The
common assumptions of the architect’s society and culture are always relevant: whether they
adopt a critical or a reverential attitude towards them, architects must deal in one way or
another with the public values of their society. Part of understanding a building, then, is
grasping what ideas and values it embodies and expresses to those who encounter it.
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In the transition between the mediaeval and Renaissance periods, architectural taste went
through a number of interrelated changes, many of which are exemplified in the buildings
still standing in Florence. One change was a shift of emphasis from purely interior
decoration, with a forbidding exterior appearance, to the exterior display of wealth and
artistic sensibility. Another was the incorporation of Classical Greek stylistic elements into an
approach that was primarily derived from late Roman architecture (although this too already
had its Greek roots). Of special interest are the similarities and differences between domestic,
ecclesiastical and other public buildings, and the ways in which these changed over time.
This assignment involves selecting one of the buildings you visit in Florence as a focus of
study. There is a restriction on the time-period of the building: it should be either mediaeval
or Renaissance, although buildings of that period that have been remodelled more recently
may be considered. You will be asked to answer various questions about the building, based
upon your interaction with it, and to provide graphic illustrations of some of its features. In
answering the questions below, be sure to support all of your impressions and observations
with specific references to relevant details of your building. Remember, too, that several of
the readings we are asking you to do may supply some insights into architecture that you may
wish to draw on for this project. If you use such source material, be sure to document it.
You will be asked to provide graphic illustrations of some of your building's features. The
illustrations may be in any medium: photography and sketching with pencil or charcoal are
probably the easiest, and part of the assignment (B) calls specifically for a sketch. You should
make sure you carry the necessary supplies with you on the visit.
The assignment may be completed after returning to Canada, on the basis of the notes and
illustrations you make on-site. It is due by August 04/2014, and is worth 15% of the grade for
LBST 290/390.
Instructions
A. Carefully observe the building or structure from the outside. Keeping in mind the fact that
architecture articulates social values, answer the following:
1. What is/was the building’s function? Is it possible to discern the function from the
building’s exterior? If so, on the basis of what features?
2. What cultural or social values are projected by the exterior of the building?
3. What are the materials of which the building is made? Why do you think they were
chosen? How do they articulate the building’s subject-matter?
4. During what historical period was the building constructed? Does it hark back to earlier
times?
5. What kind of presence does the building have? How does it relate to the surrounding
space: does it dominate, meld in, contrast?
6. How do you respond to the building, and why?
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B. Make a sketch of the building’s exterior. Don’t worry about getting all of the details, or
getting them perfectly “right.” Reduce the exterior view to its geometrical components:
rectangles, squares, circles, semicircles, triangles.
C. Make a sketch or photograph of an interesting detail of the exterior: a door-handle,
window-frame, panel, cornerstone, statue, or whatever.
D. Enter the building, and spend some time sitting in it and walking around the interior space.
1. Do you find the entrance inviting?
2. How is the inner space organized? Is there a single focal point, or many? If so, what is
it/are they? How do the focal points relate to the function of the building?
3. Is the inner space unified or disjointed? What choices did the architect make to produce
this effect? Does it harmonize or contrast with the exterior?
4. What materials are used inside the building, and to what effect?
5. How does the inner space make you feel? What elements inside are the most striking?
E. As one contemporary architecture critic argues, “A feeling of beauty is a sign that we have
come across a material articulation of our ideas of the good life” (Alain de Botton). What
ideas does your building communicate? Make a sketch or photograph of an interior element
or detail, and explain the purpose it serves in the building as a whole.
1. Is the building beautiful? What makes it so?
2. What cultural, social and or religious ideas are projected by the building? How can you
tell?
Art Project (LBST 291/322): Reimagining the Renaissance: A Conversation with
History
This art project asks you to create an original piece in some art-medium, as follows:
1. Select one thing—an image, a place, a theme, an idea, an episode from a narrative—that
you have encountered during these courses. It might be something you found to be the most
interesting, valuable, beautiful, striking, and/or intriguing. It should be something which,
when properly understood, is vital to an understanding of the Italian Renaissance.
2. Create an original art piece that interprets and conveys that understanding. The piece may
take any appropriate visual form: two-dimensional, three-dimensional or some combination
thereof; painting, sculpture, mixed media, collage; found objects or attachments, assemblage;
large, medium or small; mobile or stationary (but not a computer generated photo-montage,
please). It may be made from anything you think works to convey your ideas.
4. Title your piece.
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5. Explain your piece. Include a typewritten account of the project (approximately 500
words) that explains the aesthetic choices you made and how they help to convey the subject
matter. Why did you create it in this particular way?
6. Deliver your piece, including the account and other documentation described above, to the
Liberal Studies Department at Vancouver Island University by August 04/2014.
This art project is worth 15% of your grade in LBST 291/322.
Do not be concerned if you feel that you lack artistic talent: first, you are probably wrong
about this, and perhaps have all sorts of talents that you have not yet tapped; second, the
range of media and techniques is very wide, so that you should be able to find some form of
expression that you are able to manipulate freely; third, what are most important are the ideas
you express through your piece.
Final Examination (LBST 292/323)
A final examination is scheduled for June 12/2014. It will consist of a series of short-answer
questions based on the content of the courses, including the site visits in Florence and other
cities. It is important to pay attention during these activities, and to retain as much as possible
of what is discussed. Please bring a pad of 8½”x 11” paper to the exam: paper will not be
provided. The examination will be worth 15% towards your grade in LBST 292/323.
Reading Schedule
A. Richard Turner, Renaissance Florence : The Invention of a New Art: this book contains an
excellent overview of the art, architecture and social conditions of Renaissance Florence. You
should read it through before AND during the month in Florence. Some extracts are assigned
for our classes and tours in what follows; you might also re-read the following chapters
before visiting or re-visiting, with the group or on your own time, the following sites:
Chapter Three: The church of Orsanmichele (May 26)
Chapter Four: Duomo (cathedral: May 20), S. Spirito (May 27), S. Maria Novella (May 28)
Chapter Six: The monastery of San Marco, the Museo Nazionale
Chapter Seven: Santa Trinità, the Accademia gallery
For May 5
The Gospel of Luke
Betty Edwards: The New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain, Ch. 6, pp. 88-95 (AAP
Readings)
Margaret Aston: The Panorama of the Renaissance (AAP Readings)
For May 7
Dante Alighieri: Inferno
For May 9
A. Richard Turner: Renaissance Florence : The Invention of a New Art – Introduction
William Fleming: “Florentine Renaissance Style,” from Art and Ideas (ALH Readings)
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For May 19
Extracts from Women Writers – St. Clare of Assisi, Isotta Nogarola, Cassandra Fedele, and
Laura Cereta: (ARS and ALH Readings)
Betty Edwards Right Side of the Brain, Ch. 7, pp. 116-123 (AAP Readings)
For May 20
A. Richard Turner: Renaissance Florence – Chapter One, Chapter Two (pp. 40-41 only)
and Chapter Seven
For May 21
Spiro Kostof: A History of Architecture, Chapter 16 (AAP Readings)
For May 22
Giovanni Boccaccio: The Decameron: Selections (ALH Readings)
For May 26
A. Richard Turner: Renaissance Florence – Chapter Three
Poetry Selections (ALH Readings)
For May 27
Spiro Kostof: A History of Architecture, Chapter 17 (AAP Readings)
A. Richard Turner: Renaissance Florence – Ch. 2, pp. 42 – 45; Ch. 4.
For May 28
A. Richard Turner: Renaissance Florence – Ch. 5.
For May 29
Leon Battista Alberti: On Painting
Betty Edwards: Right Side of the Brain, Ch. 8, pp. 138-151 (AAP Readings)
For June 5
Niccolò Machiavelli: The Prince
For June 9
A. Richard Turner: Renaissance Florence - Chapter 6
Alfred Bennick: extract from And Yet It Moves! (ARS Readings)
Galileo Galilei: Letter to the Grand-Duchess Christina (ARS Readings)
For June 11
A. Richard Turner: Renaissance Florence – Chapter Two (pp. 34-40 only)
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Reminder
While we naturally expect you all to have lots of fun in Florence, we ask you to note that the
standards of evaluation in these courses will be the same as for all Liberal Studies courses.
You will be expected to keep up with the reading, participate fully in seminar, produce
thoughtful papers and projects, and hand in your work on time. We recommend that you set
aside a definite period of time each day for reading, writing in your portfolio, and making
notes for the assignments you will complete on your return.
Emergencies
If you encounter any problems whatsoever (academic, legal or personal) while in Italy, please
contact one of the faculty or staff at their apartments, or by phone:
Libby McGrattan:
John Black:
David Livingstone:
Maureen Okun:
Connie Kovalenka:
377 703 9700
377 703 8889
377 703 8812
377 703 8885
377 703 8698
In the case of dire emergency only: if you cannot contact one of the above, please call our
adjunct Bettina Schindler at 335 743 3394.
Police station for foreigners: 49771. Emergency Services: 113.
VIU Emergency Contacts: Audrey Hansen (Education Abroad Co-ordinator): (250) 740-6312
or Graham Pike (Dean, International Education): (250) 740-6311. VIU also has a 24hr
answering service for calls made outside the working day: (250) 740-6600. For all emergency
calls, provide a way by which you can be contacted in return. To call Canada from a landline
in Italy, dial 001 before the area code.
Canadian Embassy in Rome (Consular Services): 06-85444.2911.
Canada Emergency Line (Ottawa): +1 (613) 996-8885 (call collect).
Schedule of Activities
The schedule for our activities in Italy, specifying the topic for each session, is on the Desire
2 Learn site. All seminars are marked in the schedule by the material or topic to be discussed.
Please make sure that you have read the material to be covered in each class and bring it to
the class itself. Some material is assigned to be read before a site-visit – please be sure to
complete that reading too, though there is no need to bring it along. There will also be classes
in drawing while we are in Florence: bring the drawing supplies with you.
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