The Middle Ages Meets Popular Culture in Siena: Reading the Signs of Italy with Umberto Eco

Umberto Eco (1932-2016) was a world-renowned Italian media theorist and bestselling novelist who loved to explore and interpret how cultures make sense of themselves through language and symbols. From the study of James Bond to Superman to James Joyce and Thomas Aquinas, from the Monasteries in the Middle Ages to California's Hearst Castle, Eco was a cultural detective. He studied how we make meaning in popular culture as well as high art.

Hispanic Culture through Literature (900-1600)

This class introduces students to a selection of texts written in the various languages of the Iberian Peninsula (Latin, Arabic, Hebrew, Castilian, Catalan, Asturian, Portuguese) from 900-1600 in their literary, artistic, and historical contexts. It is a survey course meant to familiarize students with some of the major historical, cultural, and literary currents of the premodern Iberian world. In addition, students will gain proficiency in the critical analysis of primary literary texts, using secondary texts as supporting evidence for historical and cultural context.

History of Iberian Languages

In this course we will study the languages of Iberia in their socio-cultural context. Topics will include the development of the Iberian Romance languages from Latin, Andalusi Arabic in its classical and vernacular forms as well as Aljamiado (Islamic Spanish), Hebrew, and Judeo-Spanish. Emphasis will be on language use across different speech communities, and the relationship between written and spoken communication in their social, cultural, and political contexts.

Independent Internship

Internships integrate theory and practice through planned, supervised work experience.  A key component of a student’s professional development is the ability to apply what has been learned as a university student, to the world of work.  This course offers students individualized, applied learning opportunities to explore and clarify career goals, apply theory, acquire new skills, gain experience, network with professionals, and improve Spanish language proficiency. 

The History of Italian Cinema

This course aims to provide a comprehensive but selective overview and analysis of the landmarks of Italian cinema from its beginnings in the Silent era to current production more than 100 years later. The course examines the ways in which Italian cinema reflects the evolution of modern Italy in terms of the changing social, political, economic and cultural developments which characterize 20th century Italian life.

2nd Year Spanish- Writing

The composition class contributes to the development of written production and interaction. The development of such a skill is based on four axes: content; acquisition and expansion of vocabulary; grammar; and spelling all based on students' previous knowledge. The above is based on the fact that writing is a technique that exercises different functions in everyday life according to the contexts and purposes of the user of the language

ARH 358: 20th-21st c. Architecture, Urbanism, and Design

This course introduces students to 20th-21st century architecture, urbanism, and design, considered historically, theoretically, and in the context of London, a global cultural center. Organized by way of three main themes/clusters—1) Empire, Collection, & Display; 2) Midcentury Modernism and Postmodernism; and 3) Architecture & Urbanism Under Advanced Capitalism—the course gives special attention to the ever-shifting relations between art and design from the Industrial Revolution to the contemporary moment.

ARH 354: Modern and Contemporary Art

This course introduces students to modern and contemporary art, considered historically, theoretically, and in the context of London, a global cultural center. The class explores major developments in modern and contemporary art and theory, as well as the ever-shifting relations between art, architecture, and the city from the Industrial Revolution to present-day society. It is clustered by way of three key periods/themes: 1) Empire, Collection, & Display; 2) Midcentury Modernism and Postmodernism; and 3) Art & Architecture Under Advanced Capitalism.

ARH 399: Exhibiting Art and Design in London

This course investigates the central issues and practical concerns surrounding art and design curation, with a special emphasis on contemporary exhibition practices in London, a global cultural center. It includes a three-week on-site component combined with pre- and onsite work, through which students will be exposed to a rich array of art and design venues and to scholarship on museums (as spaces of ritual, debate, interpretation, preservation, and omission; as contact zones, training grounds, centers of power, and mirrors of society at large).

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