SEMINARS & PRACTICUMS

COMM/CEP 300 – Tour Guiding & Multicultural Competence

Course Structure:

1 – Weekly Seminar – 1 and a half hours/week; 18 hours total held as indicated in your schedule and taught by the ISI professor. These sessions will focus on student reports, assigned readings, and discussions.

2 – Field Experience – 4 hours/week; 40 hours of practical experience in addition to the seminar, which are not listed in your class schedule.

  • Scheduling of the field experience.
    • Field experience hours will be assigned Monday through Thursday based on the student’s availability (time free of classes) and the partner organization’s needs. The final schedule will be determined once in Florence and remain the same throughout the semester.
  • Location: Some field sites may require travel by bus, tram, or train.
  • Expectations: This is a hands-on, pre-professional experience, meaning students will actively participate rather than just observe.
  • Activity: After studying relevant materials, students will serve as tour guides in a museum or a historic church in Florence. Students will first shadow an experienced guide on a test tour. Once comfortable with the material, they will lead their own tours.

DIS/CEP 300 – Disabilities Studies Discovering Abilities, Narratives, and Identities

Course Structure:

1 – Weekly Seminar – 1 and a half hours/week; 18 hours total held as indicated in your schedule and taught by the ISI professor. These sessions will focus on student reports, assigned readings, and discussions.

2 – Field Experience – 4 hours/week; 40 hours of practical experience in addition to the seminar, which are not listed in your class schedule.

  • Scheduling of the field experience
    • Field experience hours will be assigned Monday through Thursday based on the student’s availability (time free of classes) and the partner organization’s needs. The final schedule will be determined once in Florence and remain the same throughout the semester.
  • Location: Some field sites may require travel by bus, tram, or train
  • Expectations: This is a hands-on, pre-professional experience, meaning students will actively participate rather than just observe
  • Activity: Students will engage with local social enterprises, such as restaurants, shops, and art labs, that employ and educate young adults with intellectual disabilities. Students will actively interact with and support these individuals, offering assistance in daily tasks and fostering meaningful interactions. Rather than just observing, students will gain hands-on experience, applying their knowledge, skills, and interests in a practical, real-world environment.

EDUC/CEP 300 – Childhood Education Teaching _ Multicultural Competence

Course Structure:

1 – Weekly Seminar – 1 and a half hours/week; 18 hours total held as indicated in your schedule and taught by the ISI professor. These sessions will focus on student reports, assigned readings, and discussions.

2 – Field Experience – 4 hours/week; 40 hours of practical experience in addition to the seminar, which are not listed in your class schedule.

  • Scheduling of the field experience
    • Field experience hours will be assigned Monday through Thursday based on the student’s availability (time free of classes) and the partner organization’s needs. The final schedule will be determined once in Florence and remain the same throughout the semester.
  • Location: Some field sites may require travel by bus, tram, or train
  • Expectations: This is a hands-on, pre-professional experience, meaning students will actively participate rather than just observe
  • Activity: Students will teach English as a second language gaining hands-on teaching experience in two different ways:
    • 1. Classroom Teaching: Students will be assigned to a local elementary, middle, or high school, where they will do more than just shadow a teacher. They will assist with lesson planning, propose activities, and lead class discussions in collaboration with local educators.
    • 2. One-on-One Online Tutoring: Students will teach English to an Italian elementary or middle school student in a virtual setting, tailoring lessons to the child’s needs and learning goals.
    • This dual experience provides both structured classroom collaboration—where students contribute to an existing curriculum as teaching assistants—and independent tutoring, allowing them to develop their teaching strategies and adapt lessons based on individual student progress.

JOUR/CEP 300  – Writing for the Media and Social Media: Journalism and Public Relations

Course Structure:

Practicum: 4 hours/week; 40 hours total

Seminar: 1 and a half hour/week; 18 hours total

The practicum is composed of two parts: the seminar and the practicum.

The seminar meets once a week in class with the ISI instructor and is based on students’ reports about their work as well as on teaching, readings, and discussions of the topics covered in the week

The practicum requires at least 4 hours a week of activities to engage with the local community. Students can choose between different areas of specialization in journalism including news writing and editing, journalism on social media, and photo and/or video journalism. Depending on the area chosen, students will learn the basic theory of news writing and editing, social media reporting, and photo-and-video journalism production, and will have the opportunity to convert theory into practice by working with professionals.

INTERNSHIP

MUSM/CEP 300 – Tour Guiding for Palazzo Vecchio

Course Structure:

Practicum: 12 hours/week; 120 hours total

Seminar: 1 and a half hour/week; 18 hours total

The goal of this internship is twofold. First, have students gain deeper knowledge of one of the most important Florentine monuments, rich in both art and history. Second, teach them to lead art history tours and communicate effectively.
This internship is designed for students with good communication skills, curiosity for history, ancient art and architecture, and willing to broaden their cultural perspectives. The practicum includes a seminar component, thus allowing students to reflect on and discuss their experience.

The practicum is composed of two parts: the seminar and the field experience.

The seminar meets once a week in class with the ISI instructor and is based on readings, interactive class discussions, lectures, and examining communication and public speaking skills in culturally different settings, though always in the context of arts and history. Throughout the course, students complete weekly writing assignments (research papers) and prepare a final project under the supervision of their course instructor.

During the first part of the semester, students must study books on Renaissance Florentine history, focusing in particular on the Palazzo Vecchio and the Medici family. They will build this necessary historical background not only by studying the sources just mentioned, but also by adding materials discussed in class and participating in tours led by the other official guides of this Florentine palace.

The aim of the first part of the semester is to prepare students to guide independently a tour of English-speaking visitors through the Palazzo Vecchio. The tours run for approximately 1 hour, thus totaling 120 hours by the end of the semester.

Students commit for 12 hours per week, including two weekends per month.

During the second part of the semester, students will hone their critical thinking, develop skills to communicate effectively to a varied audience ranging from kids to senior tourists, and run the tours independently.