Honors courses

To be eligible for admission to the honors program, you must have:
a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.2
a letter of recommendation from a teacher who has been directly involved in your education.
curiosity and a desire to challenge yourself and a strong interest in becoming involved with research.

SIENA AS A LABORATORY: LANGUAGE, CULTURE, AND IDENTITY
This course consists of classes totaling 25 hours and at least 20 hours of independent research in the field. The main objective of this course is to experience the city as a large, diverse and fertile laboratory in which to get in touch with and study the habits of those who live in the city for a short or long term. The following are some points that the course will cover:

VERBAL AND NON-VERBAL LANGUAGE - the use of words, gestures and the body in interpersonal communication and in the transmission of the message.
USE OF URBAN AREAS – Sienese and the non-Sienese (not only other nationalities), “use” the city in a different way. The Piazza del Campo, for example, is considered by the Sienese as a special place both for the preaching of San Bernardino and for the realization of the Palio. Obviously, the non-Sienese “live” the piazza from another point of view and with other considerations.
“SIGNS” OF SOCIAL BELONGING – the code of belonging to a determined status of society is based on vestemics (clothes, jewelry, etc..), which varies from status to status and according to the time of day.
TERRITORIAL IDENTITY – there is no other Italian city where one’s identity is tied to their contrada. It is fascinating to analyze the value that these urban areas have had in the past and how these identities are transmitted to younger generations.

The course consists of independent investigations and analysis through interviews, film footage, photos and recordings. At the end of the course students are required to give an oral presentation where they will illustrate all their material.

*All material will be collected and published on Internet.