Coursework

UF in Sorrento- Multidisciplinary Perspectives in the Bay of Naples -
Through this course, I discovered a tremendous amount about the Bay of Naples, its history, traditions, architecture, geography, and challenges. The course consisted of lectures taught by different professors on these topics as well as hands-on activities in both Sorrento and Naples. Furthermore, as this course was so multidisciplinary, I was able to connect knowledge from a multitude of previous courses to this one. With the lectures, I was able to learn about the history of southern Italy and how significant of a role the city of Naples played for many years in Europe before the unification of northern and southern Italy. Additionally, I discovered the history of the ancient Greeks in the Bay of Naples and was able to relate previous coursework in Greek Studies to this course. Other lectures taught me about the challenges that the Bay of Naples faces, one of these being migration. Through a lecture on issues of migration, I was able to connect a previous course on Refugee Studies in Europe to the Bay of Naples. Lastly, with hands on activities in both Naples and Sorrento, I was able to experience first-hand the many religious traditions, the varying types of architecture, and Neapolitan culture. It was evident through these experiences the extent to which Catholicism is present in the culture. With churches on every corner, it appeared, and shrines to various Saints scattered about the cities, the presence of the Catholic church in Neapolitan culture was one of my primary takeaways from my in-person experiences. This course provided a wonderful overview on the region I was studying abroad in and enabled me to appreciate my study abroad program in a very authentic way.