Florence Program
THE ITALIAN RENAISSANCE HANDS ON On the Florence campus of Syracuse University, students will be about fifteen minutes from the Duomo. Graduate students in art history have their own room in the library building, and all graduate courses are held in smart classrooms. In addition to the Syracuse University in Florence library, with 12,000 volumes, students have access to some of the finest libraries in the world for the study of Italian Renaissance art history: the Istituto Nazionale per Studi sul Rinascimento at Palazzo Strozzi, the Biblioteca Nazionale, the Galleria degli Uffizi library, and the Harvard University Center for Renaissance Studies Villa I Tatti. By conducting research at these and other institutions, and attending the frequent lectures and conferences held in Florence, students will meet members of the international scholarly community and participate in the lively intellectual life of the city. In their courses, students will hear on-site lectures by museum directors, explore exhibitions with organizers, and visit conservation projects. PH.D AND CAREER POSSIBILITIES The unique qualities of this program including close contact with art and scholars, a collaborative atmosphere, advanced research on a focused topic, and an international setting distinguish Syracuse graduates when they look for positions in an increasingly competitive art world. Upon completion of the program, many graduates remain at Syracuse University in Florence to work as Teaching Assistants and as Field Study Instructors. Some obtain internships in local museums; others find positions soon after leaving the city at educational or arts organizations in Italy and in the US. Several students each year continue their education in Ph.D. programs, often at highly prestigious institutions. Other graduates have obtained their doctorates in Europe, at institutions such as the European University Institute (Florence), the Courtauld Institute (London), and Oxford University.
SEMESTER BREAKDOWN M.A. Candidates complete 30 graduate credits in three semesters. The first fall semester's courses are given on the Syracuse University main campus in Syracuse, New York. Courses in the spring and following fall semester are given at Syracuse University in Florence. All courses require extensive readings (of both primary and secondary sources), oral presentations, and written work. Candidates must achieve at least a B average in each semester's course work in order to remain in the program. Fall Semester, Syracuse. On arrival in Syracuse, candidates are given an oral exam in Italian. Students are required to audit an appropriate Italian course throughout the semester, with a view to reaching a fluency sufficient for the conduct of scholarly work. Prior to the start of classes in the first semester, candidates also take a qualifying test in art history. The test includes 30 slide identifications of major monuments of art history and 20 short definitions of technical terms. Students who do not pass the test have the opportunity to re-take it at the end of October. Students who do not meet these skills requirements by the end of the first semester will not be allowed to continue in the program. For the fall semester in Syracuse, candidates enroll in three courses that total 9 graduate credits taught by faculty in the Department of Art & Music Histories and History Department: HOA 620 Seminar in Renaissance Art (studies of European art in the 15th and 16th centuries) taught by Program Director Gary Radke, HOA 656 Literature of Art Criticism (leading trends in art criticism from the sixteenth to the early twentieth century) taught by Professor Sascha Scott, and HST 735 Readings and Research in European History (examination of primary historical documentation) taught by Professor Dennis Romano. Courses require both oral and written presentations. Candidates are also required to audit a formal Italian language class appropriate to their level of expertise. Candidates must achieve at least a B average in each semester's course work in order to remain in the program. During the first semester in Syracuse, staff from SU Abroad meets with the candidates and assists in preparations to secure transportation, housing, visas, and any other requisite legal documents. Travel and living arrangements are ultimately the responsibility of the individual candidate, who is expected to reach Florence in good time for the orientation program. In December, the four designated fellows of the program receive the first of two stipend payments to help cover living expenses for the time abroad.
Spring Semester, Florence. Syracuse University's official seat in Florence is the Villa Gigliucci in Piazza Savonarola. All students enrolled in the University's programs of study in Florence report there at a specified date prior to the first spring-semester classes to participate in an obligatory general orientation program of several days' duration. One session is tailored to the special needs of the incoming graduate students. During the orientation sessions, the Florence candidates are introduced to the program's faculty. The Program Director in Syracuse keeps in touch with the candidates throughout their residency in Florence and remains their principal adviser. A member of the Florence faculty (currently Molly Bourne) serves as local coordinator. The spring-semester curriculum in Florence takes full advantage of the area's artistic and archival resources. Candidates enroll in four courses counting for a total of 12 graduate credits taught by members of the permanent faculty At Syracuse University in Florence: HOA 620 Seminar in Renaissance Art (history of the collection and display of Renaissance art) taught by Professor Guido Rebecchini, HOA 621 Seminar in Florentine Art (Florentine monuments 1300-1550) taught by Professor Molly Bourne, HOA 651 Seminar in Iconography (focus on visual language and material culture, c. 1450-1650) taught by Professor Sara Matthews-Grieco and HST 735.2 Readings and Research in European History (examination of primary historical documentation) taught by Professor Matteo Duni. At the beginning of this semester, candidates choose an advanced research topic that serves as the unifying theme of the culminating symposium that takes place at the end of the fall semester in Florence. The students identify a topic broad enough to accommodate all candidates in the group, yet sufficiently limited to assure focus and coherence. Past topics have included "Italian Gardens and their Legacy," "The Patronage of Eleonora of Toledo," and "Gesture in Italian Renaissance Art." Students begin research on individual topics related to the symposium theme and continue to meet with the Symposium Committee (currently Professors Bourne and Duni) through mid-June. Summer, Florence. Candidates are expected to make significant progress on their reseach by the time classes resume in the fall semester, but need not remain in Florence during the summer months. The four Fellows receive the second stipend payment by September. Fall Semester, Florence. Specialized research and the writing of symposium papers occupies the third and final semester. Students register for HOA 622 Seminar in Renaissance Arts and Ideas, taught by members of the Symposium Committee, which counts for 6 graduate credits. They also enroll in HOA 645 Seminar in History of Art Conservation taught by Professors Ezio Buzzegoli and Diane Kunzelman, for a total of 9 graduate credits. In mid-October, candidates submit rough drafts of their papers for the approval of the Evaluating Committee (the Symposium Committee and the Program Director). Research papers, the main text of which is approximately 25 pages long, are expected to demonstrate clear argumentation, coherence and originality in order to qualify for public presentation, usually the first or second Thursday in December. The Fall Semester Symposium in Florence. Candidates in the Florence Graduate Program complete final degree requirements by participating in the annual symposium held in the Villa Gigliucci, open to the scholarly community. Students present their research in standard scholarly format, not exceeding 20 minutes in delivered length. They also complete final versions of their 25-page research paper, plus end notes, bibliography, and illustrations. Once the final papers have been accepted and approved by the Evaluation Committee, the Director of Graduate Studies in Syracuse certifies to the Graduate School that candidates have met all requirements for the Master of Arts degree in art history. Students with unacceptable papers have the opportunity to complete their degree on the home campus in Syracuse. For application forms and further information, contact Ginny Pellam-Montalbano, gapellam@syr.edu. Additional information can be found on the SU Florence website.