This course provides a review of Italian Culture and history in Perugia, where students will live.

After an introduction about the history of the city, the first part of the course will cover the Risorgimento in which we’ll discover Perugia’s important role; the movement towards national unity, and the impact of the First World War and Fascism. The second part of the course will focus on the postwar Republican era.
The aim of this course is to offer students a complete introduction to Italian culture and a familiarization with the town where they live, and to showcase themes of contemporary Italian history. The course pursues these goals through lectures, readings, site trips, films, discussions and, importantly, Walking Tours. Some general texts offer a background on the historical development of the country while other readings will offer a choice of interpretations of some key historiographical themes.