 In operation since 1991, the Women’s & Gender Studies Focus of Syracuse University in Florence offers a number of cross-listed courses in the Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences. Taught by specialized faculty, this cluster of courses offers students the opportunity to learn about women’s and gender issues from a cross-cultural and historical perspective. All courses in this interdisciplinary curriculum have been specifically developed to take advantage of local resources.
Study abroad exposes students to social and cultural differences that challenge their notion of gender roles and their perception of the relationship between the sexes. One of the aims of the Women’s & Gender Studies Focus in Florence is to permit a better understanding of the historical processes responsible for similarities and differences between Europe and North America. The courses offered thus provide a forum for students to air comparisons and learn about European attitudes and solutions that are often very different from those current in their home culture.
A number of the courses offered in the Women’s & Gender Focus have been planned so as to be chronologically complementary: from one semester to the next students have the opportunity to study a topic from the Middle Ages to the 21st century. Courses cross-listed in Anthropology, Communications and Rhetoric Studies, Drama, History, Literature, Philosophy, Political Science, Religion and Sociology also permit course clustering for students majoring in these disciplines.
Students with adequate language skills are encouraged to attend local events on women’s and gender issues. Florence and neighboring cities such as Bologna and Pisa regularly offer film festivals, art exhibitions, book presentations and academic lectures in this field. Syracuse students can take advantage of such events to meet senior scholars and Italian students.
In Italy, government funding supports a number of local and national agencies devoted to the defense of women (from battered housewives to illegal immigrants to prostitutes). Other agencies are dedicated to gay and lesbian rights. The activities of these agencies range from free medical services and legal aid to the support of cultural events and historical research. Learning opportunities in the form of internships are available for credit with a variety of such organizations, as well as with specialized libraries, museums, government offices, schools and institutions of higher learning.
Internships are an option for students who wish to study, first hand, cross-cultural aspects of the social and cultural roles occupied by and articulated by gender. At the same time, students can accumulate professional experience for careers in education, social services, government, communications, and other areas.
Contact:
Dr. Sara F. Matthews-Grieco
Professor of History & Coordinator, Women's and Gender Studies,
Department of Humanities and Social Sciences.
Syracuse University Faculty Associate:
Maxwell School for Citizenship and Public Affairs & Women's Studies Program.
Syracuse University, 15 Piazza Savonarola,
Firenze 50132, ITALY
tel: (+39) 055.50.31.321 / 334
fax: (+39) 055.500.05.31
Email: sfmatthe@syr.fi.it
WGS Faculty and Courses
ONLINE RESOURCES for
Women's and Gender Studies
|
