NYU Florence offers an exceptional academic program for undergraduate students throughout the academic year. Most content courses are taught in English, while some courses are offered in Italian to students proficient in the language. One way to become familiar with the Italian culture is to study the language. Students are required to take an Italian language course that matches their skill level. Approximately 300 undergraduates per semester study Italy's history and its extraordinary art, literature, philosophy, and architecture, along with the political, cultural, economic, and social issues that play a role in shaping Europe's future. Courses in business, film, photography and studio art are offered and will make use of the unique resources only available in Italy. Whenever possible the courses use Florence, Tuscany and often other parts fo Italy to ground learning in the actual context in which it takes place. Classes are held at the La Pietra estate and at downtown locations. For students with advanced Italian language skills, courses can be taken at the University of Florence.
Featured Programs
Italian Studies
Students who are especially committed to learning Italian culture and language are invited to to take the next step toward fluency with special courses designed for students with Intermediate Italian II or beyond. For advanced Italian Language students inquire about the possibility of studying at the University of Florence or request information regarding taking a course that covers Italian content with an Italian Learning Contract coupled with the co-requisite Academic Discourse (2 credits). For more information contact: florence.academicsupport@nyu.edu.
Course-related Trips
To complement the curriculum, many professors organize local site visits as well as out-of-town field trips. These activities are mandatory and appear on each professor's syllabus. Most art history classes include visits to churches, museums, and villas in Florence and Italian cities to view artwork in context. Local museums are an integral part of many classes, and past visits have included the Uffizi Gallery, the Bargello Museum, l'Accademia, San Marco Museum, and the Medici Chapels. Recent trips outside of Florence have included visits to the Vatican museum and Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome and a viewing of Leonardo's Last Supper in Milan. The Etruscans class regularly visits the archeological museum in Bologna and stops at nearby ancient ruins; the Italian opera course supplemented in-class discussions by attending a performance of Puccini at Verona's opera house; or a backstage tour of La Pergola, the opera house in Florence. Students often opt to take advantage of local holidays and the weeklong spring and fall breaks to travel through Italy and Europe.
Students in the course Opera in Florence get a special behind the scenes tour of Parma's Teatro Reggio before a performance of Il Nabucco by Giuseppe Verdi