COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

Italian Language

Italian 15201 – Elementary Italian I - 4 credit hours

An introduction to the Italian language in the context of Italian culture. Prerequisite: None. This course may be used to satisfy Kent State University Liberal Education Requirements.

Italian 15202 – Elementary Italian I - 4 credit hours

A continuation of the introduction to the Italian language in the context of Italian culture.

Prerequisite: 15201 or equivalent. This course may be used to satisfy Kent State University Liberal Education Requirements.

Italian  25201 – Intermediate Italian I - 3 credit hours

Continued development of speaking, listening, reading and writing skills using a variety of cultural materials. Prerequisite: ITAL 15202 or equivalent

Italian 25202 Intermediate II - 3 credit hours

Continuation of ITAL 25201 Prerequisite: ITAL 25201 or permission

Italian 35211 Italian Composition and Conversation I - 3 credit hours

Study and practice of written and oral Italian with emphasis on acquisition of written and oral proficiency in the language. Prerequisite: ITAL 25202 or permission

Italian 35213 Italian Composition and Conversation II - 3 credit hours

Advanced practice in speaking and writing the Italian language.  Prerequisite: ITAL 35211'

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Art 42095 - Italian Art from Giotto to Bernini (1300-1600) - 3 credit hours

This course investigates the rich artistic output of Italy from Giotto to Bernini - from the early Tuscan Renaissance to the Roman Baroque. Emphasis is placed on understanding painting, sculpture, architecture, and urban design within broad cultural and historical contexts and on seeing and closely analyzing them in their original, intended locations. Attention will also be placed on the ways that Italy’s regional diversities and rivalries during this period created a range of sharply distinct styles and "schools." Illustrated lectures in class will be complemented by guided trips to see many artworks and monuments in Florence, Venice and Rome.

Classics 21405 - The Roman Achievement - 3 credits

A survey of the cultural achievements of the ancient Romans as manifested in their literature and art from the Etruscans through the Christians. 

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History 38095 - Italian History from the Middle Ages to the Age of the Enlightenment (1300-1700) - 3 credit hours

This course will have as its point of departure the peculiarly Italian phenomenon of the city-state, an unusual feature of the social, political and cultural landscape of medieval Europe. From the 13th to the 14th centuries most of those city-states came under the rule of one man: the Signore. They also started to absorb a large number of formerly independent, outlying communes and rural territories. That phenomenon, which gave birth to Regional States, had important and lasting consequences for the political and economic history of Italy and corresponded with the Renaissance, the period during which the political and philosophical speculation of humanist scholars went hand in hand with the masterpieces of great artists. Through the study of political thinkers such as Niccolò Machiavelli and Francesco Guicciardini, this course will deal with the creation of the modern world, by examination of the Baroque and Rococo periods, considering Italian history as one of the crucial ingredients of modern European identity. This course will examine both the old and the new, both the origin of the modern world and the "world we have lost"; it will analyze major intellectual, literary, religious, and political developments originating in the Italian peninsula in order to evaluate their contribution to the European culture. The course will use primary readings, visits to nearby monuments and class discussions.

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MCLS 40095 - Italian Literature- 3 credit hours - Taught in English

The purpose of this course is to introduce students to some of the most significant texts in Western civilization. In order to orient themselves through five centuries of literary production, from Dante to Metastasio, students will focus on the recurring theme of the "literary journey". Dante stands as the last great voice of Medieval Italy. While reading about Dante's adventurous journey through Inferno students will gain a perspective on the political, literary, philosophical, and theological dimensions of the concept of love in medieval European culture. In a similar way, students will embark in a travel through the works of Petrarch, Boccaccio, Alberti, Machiavelli, Tasso, Ariosto, Galileo, Vico, Goldoni, and Metastasio, acquiring familiarity with the literary traditions, genres, intellectual debates, and cultural contexts that those authors’ masterworks encompass. Great emphasis will be given to the intertextual character of Italian literary tradition. An interdisciplinary approach will be adopted in all aspects of the course through screening of films, visits to relevant locations, and the borrowing of topics and texts from other disciplines such as epistemology, musicology, architecture.

ECON 42295  International Business - 3 credit hours

This course provides an introduction to the different environments, theories and practices of international business. This course is designed for any student interested in international business, regardless of his principal academic discipline. Topics covered include globalization; the impact and importance of culture; economic, political and law environments; trade theories and the world financial environment; global strategies, structure and management. In order to facilitate these goals, students are expected to prepare, present their views, and actively participate in the classroom discussions. 

Course Objectives:

Since the growing dynamics, challenges, and opportunities of globalization processes affect the international business environments, the main goal of this course is to highlight the importance of a multi-scaled and multi-disciplinary approach to make students understand the complexity of the subject. This course will focus on different environments and key factors of international business. Environments: culture and geography, domestic and international law, politics, economics, sociology and communication. Key factors: international organization and strategy, export and import practices, marketing, supply chain management, and human resource management.

This course will enable students to:

§        Understand the importance, complexity and organization of international business.

§        Identify the essential elements of the global business environment.

§        Use these elements (theoretical and practical) to recognize, face, and manage business situations.

§        Apply and integrate knowledge acquired in class with research and field observations.

§        Develop case study skills, theoretical analysis tools, and presentation experience.

Prerequisites: Micro and Macro Economics

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Music 40295 - Music and Society in Renaissance and Baroque Italy: the Construction of a Culture - 3 credit hours

The aim of this course is to study the role and function of music in Italian society from the second half of the 15^th century to the second half of 17^th century. The course will analyze the relationships between composers, musicians, and the public during that period and will draw on a wide variety of sources to explore the multiplicity of factors that went into creating the musical event. Also explored will be the interaction between music and other cultural phenomena of the day. Key to that exploration is an understanding is the study of patronage: the financial relationship between composers and their civil or religious patrons. The course will define the musical continuum which embraces a wide variety of practices – from musical humanism to baroque opera – and will clarify the specific role of music in the cultural and political development of early modern society.

Philosophy 11001 - Introduction to Philosophy – 3 credits

An introduction to the diverse methods and subject matters of philosophy.  Primary philosophic sources from varied philosophical traditions focus on at least three philosophic areas. This course may be used to satisfy the LERs and the university Diversity requirement.

Philosophy 21001 - Introduction to Ethics - 3 credits

This course considers what constitutes ethics, not just which specific acts or act-kinds are ethical, using at least three primary philosophic sources from varied ethical traditions.  This course may be used to satisfy the LERs and the university Diversity requirement.

Philosophy 31068 Religious Thought in Contemporary Contexts - 3 credits

An inquiry into religious conviction, beliefs, symbolizations and texts in contemporary contexts n which religious considerations influence conception, valuation of interpretation of a contemporary situation and how contemporary contexts influence religious thought. 

Political Science 10500 - World Politics - 3 credits

A practical, theoretical introduction to a study of systematic patterns in international relations.  Includes analysis of rules, instruments, processes, decision-making factors, conflict resolution. 

Political Science 40955 - European Issues - 3 credit hours

Since the early 1990s the question of Europe’s identity has been at the center of a lively debate. The expansion of the European Union (EU) - and the necessity to put limits to it - made it more urgent to define what it means to be European. More recently, in the aftermath of the war in Iraq, observers have expressed fears about an Atlantic divide which increasingly separates the United States and Europe. Divergences have emerged among the old and new EU member states, stressing once more the need to define what exactly Europe stands for. This course does not conceive of Europe only as a political institution, but focuses above all on Europe as a cultural construct. While trying to answer the question "What is Europe?" students will look at the characteristics which distinguish Europe from other regions such as America and at what the European member states have in common.  The course will take a multi-disciplinary approach to answer a multi-faceted question while following closely new developments in international relations.