The City of Florence

Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany, and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany and has a population of over 350,000. The city lies on the Arno River and is known for its history and its importance in the Middle Ages and in the Renaissance, especially for its art and architecture. A centre of medieval European trade and finance, the city is often considered the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance; in fact, it has been called the Athens of the Middle Ages. There was a surge in artistic, literary, and scientific activity in Florence from the 14th to 16th centuries. This was accompanied by significant economic growth and business activity. There was substantial private and public funding to sponsor artistic and scholarly endeavors. It was long under the de facto rule of the Medici family. From 1865 to 1870 the city was also the capital of the Kingdom of Italy. The historic centre of Florence continues to attract millions of tourists each year and was declared a World Heritage Site by the UNESCO in 1982.

Florence is known as the “cradle of Renaissance” (la culla del Rinascimento) for its monuments, churches and buildings. The best-known site and crowning architectural jewel of Florence is the domed cathedral of the city, Santa Maria del Fiore, known as The Duomo. The magnificent dome was built by Filippo Brunelleschi. The nearby Campanile tower (partly designed by Giotto) and the Baptistery buildings are also highlights. At the heart of the city in Piazza della Signoria is Bartolomeo Ammanati's Fountain of Neptune (1563-1565), which is a masterpiece of marble sculpture at the terminus of a still functioning Roman aqueduct. Of the city’s many bridges, one in particular stands out as being unique — The Ponte Vecchio (Old Bridge), whose most striking feature is the multitude of shops built upon its edges, held up by stilts. The bridge also carries Vasari's elevated corridor linking the Uffizi to the Medici residence (Palazzo Pitti). First constructed by the Etruscans in ancient times, this bridge is the only one in the city to have survived World War II intact.

Penn Students in Florence

From Etruscan village to small Roman outpost, from the Middle Ages of Dante to the Renaissance of Brunelleschi, Giotto, Botticelli and Michelangelo, the changes of history have created many Florences. Florence has been—and continues to be—the home of artists, writers and philosophers who cast a new light on Western culture. Between the pages of books, beneath layers of plaster and paint, and within the many strata of the city's narrow streets, students on the Sarah Lawrence program challenge and sharpen their intellectual skills as they encounter the complexities of Florence past and present. The primary purpose of the Sarah Lawrence Program is to immerse students in Florentine life and enable them to use the resources of the city to enrich their education. The small size of the program (a maximum of 35 students per semester) allows for close attention. The offices of the program are in the beautiful Renaissance Palazzo Spinelli in the Santa Croce quarter of Florence. As the administrative center of the program, the palazzo provides space for tutorials, seminars, lectures, and social events, as well as a reference library and student lounge. A full-time director serves as both academic and personal advisor for the students in the program.

All participants take a course in the Italian language at an appropriate level. In addition, students must take an academic seminar in the humanities. The third course can be a second seminar, a studio course in art or music, or a course at the University of Florence (spring semester only). Courses in the visual arts are held in a Florentine art studio. The program offers to all students a number of small seminars each term in history, literature, and the social sciences, supplemented by individual tutorials with the faculty. Students with good command of Italian are encouraged to take courses in the University of Florence; these, too, are supplemented by tutorials.

With the exception of native speakers, all students enroll in an Italian language course at the appropriate level. These courses are taught by Italian faculty at the Sarah Lawrence Center and are offered at the beginning, intermediate, and advanced levels. Students work in small groups and learn grammar, conversation, and reading and writing skills. This course is scaled to suit the needs and development of the students over the course of the year. It is an intensive language course in the first semester and subsequently develops as a reading and composition course as the students acquire proficiency in Italian. By the end of the program, most students achieve a level of near fluency in Italian.

Program website: http://www.slc.edu/italy/Florence_Program.php

Program Seminars

Each year the Sarah Lawrence Center offers a number of courses in the humanities and social sciences taught by Italian faculty. Supplemented by individual tutorials, these seminars involve study of aspects of Italian civilization complemented by research projects designed to meet each student’s interests. The seminar topics vary annually but generally relate to the fields of art history, cinema, history and anthropology. At the beginning of the year, the seminars are conducted in English and Italian. Advanced students do all reading and written work in Italian. Work in tutorials may be done in English or Italian, depending on the student’s level. As the year progresses, each class makes the transition into Italian during the second semester. Past seminars have included Art in Florence and Northern Central Italy: A survey from the 13th to the 16th Century, Italian Civilization from the end of the 5th century to the beginning of the 14th century, History of Italian Cinema, and Italian Literature.

L'Università di Firenze

Students proficient in Italian can take a course at the University of Florence during the spring semester. Courses at the University consist of three months of lectures in Italian, followed by a final oral exam. As part of the university program, students work in tutorial sessions with university faculty assistants. These tutorials, unique to the Sarah Lawrence program, allow students to more deeply explore areas of interest and research projects. The tutorials incorporate other resources in Florence—libraries, archives, movies, lectures—to add a deeper dimension to University study. University courses may be chosen from among the following general areas: Anthropology, Art History, Cinema, Modern History, History of Music, European Literature, American Literature, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology, and Women’s History.

Students who attend the University take a six-week seminar in 20th century Italian history, conducted in Italian, prior to the beginning of University classes. This course serves as intensive preparation for University lectures and seminars.

Program website: http://www.unifi.it/

Course Load

Final registration for courses will take place upon arrival in Florence. Students take a full Sarah Lawrence course load of three courses per semester which is equivalent in principle to 15 semester credits. Due to the difference in credit weighting between SLC and Penn courses, some Penn departments will not award more than one Penn c.u. for a Sarah Lawrence course. It is therefore possible that Penn students attending the Sarah Lawrence program in Florence will earn only 3 c.u.'s for a semester or study and 6 c.u.'s for an academic year. One course consists of intensive study of Italian, matched to each student's level of proficiency. The second course must be an academic seminar in the humanities. The third can be a second seminar or a studio course in art or music - or, for those with four semesters or more of Italian, a course at the University of Florence. All language courses, seminars and University courses are supplemented by individual tutorials.

All advance approval for Penn art history and fine arts credit will be given on a provisional basis only. Students must bring back the work they did for such classes for review by the department. It is especially important for students planning to take fine arts classes to speak with the Department of Fine Arts in advance.

Grading

Grades for the Sarah Lawrence program courses are awarded using an A-F grading scale. As on all Penn Abroad programs, grades are recorded on the Penn transcript and are calculated in the cumulative grade point average. The pass/fail option can be exercised according to the Penn on-campus policy.

Academic Calendar

Academic Year: early September – mid-May

Spring semester: mid-January – mid-May

Note: Students studying at the University of Florence do not finish their courses until mid-June and will remain in their housing through mid-June.

Living Arrangements

Participants must be willing to live under local conditions for students. Many amenities to which students become accustomed at Penn may not be available during the period of study abroad. Students live with local Italian families. Households chosen to participate in the program represent a wide range of incomes and situations, from an elderly woman living alone to a couple living in the city to a suburban family with several young children. Living and interacting with an Italian family greatly improves students’ language skills and knowledge of Italian culture. Breakfast and dinner are provided as part of the program’s housing arrangement. Students can easily purchase inexpensive lunches in cafes (mense) and markets near the Sarah Lawrence Center, the art studios, and the University.

Cultural Activities & Field Trips

Course-related day trips in and around Florence add an extra dimension to learning. Lectures are held throughout the year, and there are frequent film screenings and special dinners. Many of the field trip destinations—such as Renaissance villas—are closed to the general public. Others, such as vineyards and olive oil mills in the surrounding cities and villages, are in less-traveled locales. Three times each year, students on the program make a weekend-long excursion to an Italian city or region farther afield; past destinations have included Venice, Rome, and the Apulia region. All year, outings to concerts, the opera, lectures, film screenings, museums, galleries and special day excursions open new windows onto the culture of Italy. The costs for all excursions and events are covered in the tuition fee.

Students will explore the best that Florence's premier houses have to offer in both the classical and modern tradition. Tickets to the Teatro della Pergola, Teatro Verdi, Teatro Goldoni and Teatro Comunale offer a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see famous operas, world-renowned conductors and symphony orchestras, celebrated dance companies, and Italian language plays. Exploring the breathtaking cities in and around Tuscany is an essential part of the Florence program seminars. Class trips take students directly to the source of the material they are studying, be it a literary setting, a historic monument, or a local artist's masterpiece. Guided by their teachers, students cannot help but appreciate the beauty and history that surrounds them. Past trips include Siena, San Gimignano, Fiesole, Assisi, Ravenna, Arezzo, Milan, Parma, Bologna, Volterra, Vicenza, Pisa, Viareggio and more. Each semester, students are invited to take an in-depth look at some of Italy's richest areas. Days are carefully planned to explore to the fullest local traditions, art, and special sites such as Venice, Rome, Urbino, Sepolcro, Torino, and Tuscan/Maremma.