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in SFU NOW courses is restricted to students in the NOW Program until the end
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HUM 340-4: Great Cities in Their Time:
Venice
Department of Humanities, AQ 5115, 778-782-3689
Semester: Summer
2009 (1094), J1, Harbour Centre – NOW Program
Instructor: Dr.
Brook W.R. Pearson, brook_pearson@sfu.ca
Prerequisite: 45 units
Course Description:
This course will be an exploration
of the cultural and intellectual accomplishments and significance of the
Italian city of Venice—a city whose contributions to human civilization
have been substantial, and not limited to a single period. We will focus upon
the emergence of Venice as a power in the Middle Ages and Renaissance until its
decline in the 17th century, as well as the on-going contributions of the
ÔSerenissima RepublicaÕ to both European and global culture, always remaining
aware of the status of Venice as icon, and our possible fetishization of its
identity.
With its unique
structure—a city cobbled together from at least 118 tiny islets into
larger ÔislandsÕ—Venice has played a major role in the region, the wider
Mediterranean, and, through its more intrepid explorers, thinkers and artists,
the entire world. We will examine political, social, religious, and cultural
factors in an attempt to explain VeniceÕs enigmatic significance, and the
romantic pull of a city that is slowly sinking beneath the waters of its lagoon
(VeniceÕs knife-edge existence in light of its problems with Ôacqua altaÕ [high
water] and the on-going attempts to secure its future, will form a discrete
segment of the course).
Required Texts (in addition to
WebCT materials):
Giacomo Casanova, Story
of my Life
Thomas Mann, Death in
Venice
Regis Debray, Against
Venice
Marco Polo, The
Travels of Marco Polo
Italo Calvino, Invisible
Cities
William Shakespeare, The
Merchant of Venice
Laura Gianetti and Guido
Rugierro (eds.), Five Comedies from the Italian Renaissance
Recommended Text: John Julius Norwich, A
History of Venice
Course Requirements:
Each week of this course
consists of approximately 2.5 hrs of lecture/discussion and 1.5 hr seminar
discussion of texts. In addition, you will complete:
Term
project:
In a 10-15 minute presentation, students will outline and discuss the
archaeology, history and preservation issues connected with a particular site
in Venice and the Veneto. Presentations will be made as and when students are
ready, with a cut off date towards the end of the semester. A written outline
will be submitted with the presentation. |
25% |
Group
project:
In small groups during an end-of-semester class conference, students will
develop a creative mixed-media presentation concerning one of a series of cultural
issues or instituations associated with Venice (e.g. the Venice Biennale,
Comedia dellÕArte, Carnevale, etc.). Assessment will be individualized, and
student work will be carefully monitored throughout the semester. |
25% |
Weekly
on-line reading journal: For each week in which a reading is due, students will
briefly respond on WebCT either from a set of questions and discussion points
that have been posted, or to something the student has determined on their
own concerning that reading. |
20% |
Attendance
and participation |
10% |
Final
take-home examination |
20% |