Duke in Venice, Summer 2012

May 20 to June 20, 2012

The Duke University Global Education Office for Undergraduates, in cooperation with Venice International University, will offer a four-week, single course in the summer of 2012. The program is designed to provide participants with the opportunity to study aspects of Venetian history and culture, which have been particularly important in the shaping of European civilization.

City and City Life in Italy
Valeria Finucci, Department of Romance Studies

This course will focus on the many facets of Venice, a city of luxury and mercantile pursuits, as in Shakespeare's 'The Merchant of Venice', and 'Othello', as well as the epitome of lust, greed, seduction and power. Known as La Serenissima, a most serene city, Venice combined incomparable beauty and urban charm, beautiful women and lavish art.
During the four-week intensive program, students will examine the myth of Venice through plays, novellas, letters, trial transcripts, contemporary accounts, travel literature, and films that celebrated the city.