Italy

HIST 455/550- Medieval Italy's Age of the Communes, 1000-1400

June 29-July 21, 2009

            

 

 This course explores the history and culture of Italy roughly from the millennium through the fourteenth century focusing selectively on the communes and countryside of north and central Italy. This period of Italy's history witnessed the revival of town life and the rise of universities. Economic urban success was fueled by a commercial revolution based in artisan guild production and in long-range banking and trade with northern Europe and with the Byzantine and Moslem empires stimulated, in part, by the crusades. It saw the concomitant development of local communal governments that were often engaged in internal factional struggles as well as in wars with rival city states within the context of an overarching Guelph/ Ghibelline rivalry for control of the Italian peninsula between the Popes and Holy Roman Emperors. It was an era not only of castle and fortification building but also of road and bridge construction designed to assist movement for trade, war, and pilgrimage. It produced a rich, though sometimes heterodox,  religious spirit evident in the lives and works of influential Christian leaders and saints and in the proliferation of religious orders and monasteries, and occasionally troublesome heresies. In the often overlapping religious and secular spheres it has left remarkable cultural legacies of Latin and vernacular literature, of religious verse and secular love poetry, of music and of imaginative Romanesque architecture and other ecclesiastical art forms ranging from mosaics to frescoes. Many names of its figures, such as St. Francis of Assisi and Dante Alighieri, remain among the most prominent in shaping Italian national history and culture, while others are recalled for the lasting imprint they had on specific regions and towns such as Castruccio Castracani and Matilda of Canossa in the case of Lucca.

          

    Highlights

  • Visit the Duomo and Baptistry
  • Visit the Leaning Tower of Pisa
  • Visit to Grotta del Vento
  • Overnight trip to Venice
  • Three day bus trip in Tuscany and Umbria

    Estimated Program Cost

     Fulltime BSC Students

      All fulltime BSC students will be awarded a scholarship. This scholarship money will cover tuition and fees as well as a portion of the trip. The cost for fulltime  BSC students after applied scholarship money will be $4,900.

       Non BSC Participants

    The cost for non BSC Participants will be $5,707 plus tuition and fees .

    How to Apply

    1. Complete the BSC Study Tour Application below and return them to the Office of Study Abroad.

    2. Visit the Financial Aid office to discuss how you will fund your trip. Some students take out loans to cover the cost of  the trip.

    3. Apply for a passport immediately to ensure your ability to travel.

    4. Discuss any concerns with the staff of the Office of Study Abroad early in the application process.

    Study Tour Application

 

Last Modified: April 16, 2009