AP/HUMA 3604 6.00
Italy, The Beautiful Country
The course explores the variegated meanings of Italy — home of the Roman Empire and Catholicism, birthplace of the Renaissance, locus of artistic richness, passion, drama, and intrigue — as a place symbolically laden with aesthetic, moral, and spiritual significance. The focus is on the idea of beauty, and the course material is drawn from the visual arts, including film and photography, literature, and music.
The approach reflects the interdisciplinary character of the programs in Humanities, with particular attention devoted to the ways in which the connection between Italy and beauty is manifested in different forms of cultural expression and across historical periods. Modern paintings by artists such as Lucio Fontana are studied alongside the work of directors such as Bernardo Bertolucci, contemporary design is explored alongside Renaissance art, and literary works read in the context of Italian history. Course credit exclusion: AP/HUMA 3604 3.00.