For over three centuries (1250-1600), the republican city-state of Florence flourished as the Jewel of the Italian Renaissance. Often known as the "cradle" of the Renaissance, the place where the re-birth or revival of classical culture and wisdom first took hold in Italy, Florence in these centuries served as the home to a thriving community of free citizens, talented statesmen, skilled craftsman, master artisans, and brilliant intellectuals. Their masterworks of architecture, art, poetry, history, and humanist philosophy represented the best of the emerging Italian Renaissance civilization.

In this course, we will study the writings of great Florentine poets, statesmen, historians, and philosophers (Dante, Salutati, Bruni, Alberti, Ficino, Polizano, Pico, Machiavelli) alongside the works of magnificent art and architecture by Florentine artists (Giotto, Fra Angelico, Brunelleschi, Ghiberti, Alberti, Masaccio, Donatello, Michelozzo, Botticelli, Michelangelo). During each session, Professor Gish (who lived and taught in Italy for a decade) will lead student discussions of selected readings from the history, philosophy, and civic humanism of the Florentine Renaissance, while also guiding students on a journey through the most famous works of the visual arts and architecture from that same period. The course promises to enrich your understanding of the many facets of the city-state of Florence as the sparkling jewel of the entire Italian Renaissance.

Six-Week Course Schedule | Tuesdays
Oct 15 | 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Oct 22 | 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Oct 29 | 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Nov 05 | 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Nov 12 | 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Nov 19 | 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM

This class will be held in-person at WIH and simulcast via Zoom