Verona Courses – 2025 Summer Session I

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Studying abroad can be a more meaningful and invigorating learning experience than at home—both inside and outside of the classroom. You may be more curious and alert than you usually are so use this heightened energy to enhance your studies as well as your cultural and geographical explorations. You may also encounter different teaching styles and course processes; be prepared to adapt and to learn.

Courses

You may take three to seven credits during each session. At least one 3-credit course is required each session you are enrolled. Course availability is contingent upon student enrollment and is subject to change.

Click the course title to view course details, description, and availability.

Italian Language Studies

Summer language courses are intensive. Language courses generally have a maximum enrollment of 15 students each.

Session I and Session II

• Introduction to Italian Language I

  Summer Session I

  Italian World Languages and Literatures 100-level 1 credit Taught in English and Italian

  Summer Session II

  Italian World Languages and Literatures 100-level 1 credit Taught in English and Italian

  The course objective is to enhance the period of study in Italy for participants with little or no knowledge of the Italian language. A working basic knowledge is provided, including a general introduction to common vocabulary, grammar, and syntax. Emphasis is placed on oral communication and precise pronunciation. Class activities will include role playing, dialogues, and games. Additional class visits to enhance the course topics may be scheduled.

  This course is for students not taking intensive Italian language. It is designed to help students assimilate into the community.

International Business, Tourism, and Italian Studies

The following courses offer a wide range of subject matter to provide a multi-disciplinary perspective to your studies.

Session I

• Event Management

  Summer Session I

  General Business Management 400-level 3 credits Taught in English

  Students will explore the fundamental aspects of organizing an event from the start of event operations to successful completion. This course will familiarize students with an overview of the meetings, incentives, conventions, and exhibitions industry. In addition, students will learn the different roles of the organizations and people involved in the event industry businesses.

• Food and Beverage Tourism

  Summer Session I

  General Business Tourism / Hospitality 300-level 3 credits Taught in English

  This course explores the multifaceted role of food and beverage in tourism through historical, anthropological, cultural, and business lenses. We’ll delve into culinary tourism’s motivations, cultural impacts, marketing strategies, and the development of food and beverage attractions. Students will engage with local culinary tourism offerings, reflecting on and critiquing their experiences while developing insights into sustainability, cultural identity, and economic impact.

• Intercultural Communication

  Summer Session I

  Speech Communications 300-level 3 credits Taught in English

  The purpose of this course is to develop the skills necessary to build and maintain positive communication and business relationships across cultures. Students will explore the definition, nature and manifestation of culture while examining their own values, traditions, and beliefs. Through active in-class and out-of-class activities, students will learn about the similarities and differences in communication behaviors and explore language usage, nonverbal actions, and perceptions to see how they influence face-to-face communication between individuals of different cultures in the United States, Europe, and the rest of the world.

• International Marketing

  Summer Session I

  International Business Marketing 400-level 3 credits Taught in English

  This course offers a study of all aspects of marketing unique to international business. We will examine the impact of cultures, ethics, history, politics, and the law on marketing practice in the globalized economy. It also provides knowledge of tools for cultural analysis and discusses issues related to culture, the economy, and all other environmental variables that affect global business. A better understanding of cultural diversity is essential for successful international business, and this course provides a comprehensive perspective.

  Prerequisite: Principles of Marketing, Introduction to Marketing, or equivalent

• Italian Culture

  Summer Session I

  Anthropology Italian 200-level 3 credits Taught in English

  This course analyzes various aspects of Italian culture through lectures, readings, discussions, and observation research projects. Students will develop an understanding of contemporary Italy, encompassing its recent history, regional differences, social institutions, and contemporary issues. Students will also reflect on their cultural upbringings and beliefs, and to share their Italian culture experiences in class. Students are encouraged to break down commonly held stereotypes and experience the realities of contemporary Italian life.

• Renaissance Art and Architecture

  Summer Session I

  Architecture Art History 300-level 3 credits Taught in English

  This course will examine the artistic Renaissance in Italy. It aims to present the birth of Renaissance art from the end of the thirteenth century with the innovative frescoes by Giotto in Assisi and Padua to the significant changes accomplished in Florence by Donatello and Masaccio in the first half of the fifteenth century. Lectures will also present the Renaissance in Rome with the Sistine Chapel's artistic laboratory, Pope Paul III's role in the sixteenth century, and Venetian art – Bellini, Titian, Veronese, Tintoretto - and its influence on Veneto. An accurate selection of this period's most important works of art will allow students to understand why the Renaissance period has been and is still considered a pivotal moment in European art and culture. In addition, students will have the opportunity to experience three field trips to Verona.

  The objectives of this course are to understand the Renaissance as a multiform phenomenon through significant examples that illustrate the artistic evolutions through nearly three centuries in Italy. An interactive method will teach students "how" to look at a painting or a sculpture, from the composition to the iconography and its physical and cultural context as well as learn through works of art different artistic techniques, artistic movements, European history, society, politics, and religion. Get excited, have fun, and exchange ideas and opinions.

Session II

• Food and Culture

  Summer Session II

  Anthropology 300-level 3 credits Taught in English

  Food is a topic with which every student of every ethnicity has personal experience; it is so common that its cultural connotations tend to be overlooked. Food is often an area related to strong identity, whether positive or negative, of one’s ancestry. Cuisines are not just about sustenance, but also about cultural symbols that bind together people in ritual and as a community. How one participates in the act of eating (when/how) and why certain foods are to be prepared are learned and understood at the table.

  This course explores connections between what we eat and who we are through cross-cultural study of how personal identities and social groups are formed via food production, preparation, and consumption. Several films will be used to discuss specific topics, such as festivals/rituals and food as family/community. Moreover, our topics and readings will be eclectic: food taboos; gender and kinship, voice and identity, symbolic and expressive culture, feasts, festivals, fasts, famine, religion and spirituality, race and ethnicity, nationalism, class and social stratification, politics of globalization, among others. Then, we will focus on foodways in Italy, using the tools of anthropology, history, geography, sociology, journalism, and marketing. Furthermore, we will use food as a lens through which to deepen understanding of your new home and neighbors for this term in Verona.

• International Business

  Summer Session II

  International Business Management 300-level 3 credits Taught in English

  This course will cover topics related to the challenges of competing in a global economy. Students will acquire knowledge in strategic management in a global competitive environment and develop the ability to effectively analyze how culture impacts motivation, leadership, communication, negotiation, decision-making, HRM practices, and management of a multicultural workforce.

  Prerequisite: one semester of college-level business, or equivalent

• International Tourism Management

  Summer Session II

  Tourism / Hospitality 400-level 3 credits Taught in English

  This course examines the international tourism and leisure market environment, focusing on the economic, social, political, cultural, and environmental considerations of international tourism management and development. It provides students with concepts, models, and techniques to analyze economic and non-economic factors necessary for the identification and evaluation of foreign market opportunities in tourism, including the future of the global travel economy and its broad trends.

• Roman Art and Architecture: Verona and Veneto Region

  Summer Session II

  Architecture Art 400-level 3 credits Taught in English

  This course will explore the most important examples of Roman art and architecture in Verona and the Veneto area and give students foundational knowledge of Roman history related to the world of art and architecture. We will use magnificent Verona as our backdrop to learn firsthand about ancient Roman life and culture through the well-preserved examples of art and architecture created in and part of old Roman life and remain as part of the daily life of the Veronese people today in the twenty-first century.

To request a course syllabus: syllabus@usac.edu

Summer Session I, 2025

Course: Food and Beverage Tourism

Kathryn Mercurio, Ph.D., CSU, Chico

Dr. Kathryn Mercurio is Assistant Professor of Marketing at California State University, Chico, specializing in marketing management, brand strategy, and international business. She has received numerous teaching awards and published in leading journals. Dr. Mercurio has lived in Denmark and London for study abroad and is passionate about international travel, having visited 26 countries.

Summer Session II, 2025

Course: International Tourism Management

Lorraine Taylor, Ph.D., Fort Lewis College

Dr. Lorraine Taylor is an Associate Professor of Tourism and Hospitality Management in the Katz School of Business at Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado. She has visited 18 countries on five continents and worked in the resort industry for Walt Disney World, Marriott International, and Kiawah Island Golf Resort.

Workshops

(Not for credit)

• Italian Cuisine

  Summer Session I

  Summer Session II

  Each session will start with a brief intro to the day's recipes and ingredients, followed by plenty of time to dive into cooking and food preparation. Together, we’ll learn to create classic and modern Italian dishes, including antipasti, pasta, main courses with veggie sides, and desserts. You’ll also get tips on pairing each course with the right wine.

  Our focus will be on enjoying the experience, with attention to traditional Italian dining customs. Sharing meals together will be one of the best parts of the workshop!

  This workshop is not suitable for students on a gluten-free or vegan diet.

  This workshop has an additional fee.