Kent State is pleased to offer a new course: The City of Florence: Achieving Balance Between Architecture and Ecology (BSCI 40195) at our magnificent facilities in Florence, Italy. Kent State University has been educating students in Florence for more than 40 years. Home to the program is the Palazzo dei Cerchi, a renovated 13th-century palace in the very heart of the city with the remarkable combination of medieval frescos and wireless Internet. Our campus also includes Palazzo Bartolini Baldelli, on the corner of Via dei Benci and Piazza Santa Croce, where a classroom balcony overlooks the historic Basilica of Santa Croce, burial site of Galileo and Michelangelo. We are accepting applications from guest students...details about the course are below and for more information please visit http://www.kent.edu/globaleducation/kent-state-florence-summer-institute. Guest students must complete a Guest Student Application, giving you temporary Kent State student status, and a Transcript Release Authorization, so a transcript will automatically be sent to your home institution. Both are simple forms, and there is no fee for either.....go to: http://www.kent.edu/globaleducation/applying-kent-state-florence-summer-institute The City of Florence: Achieving Balance Between Architecture and Ecology Humans interact with their environment in a variety of ways while at the same time are dependent on the environment to meet their needs for drinking water, recreation, healthy air, etc. Humankind builds to provide shelter, create products, provide transportation, etc. When human populations are dense, predominant land use becomes urban. Design and construction of buildings, pathways, and public spaces impact the natural environment and create unique ecological interactions. In this course, students will learn with faculty from multiple academic units at Kent State about the interactions between ecology and design. We will consider questions such as:
* Does use of green infrastructure enhance storm water management? * What role do invasive species play in urban ecosystem function? * How have views on interactions between the environment and the urban construct changed over time? * What impact have these interactions had on human populations? * What role does development play in pollution and disease? * What is the biodiversity of urban environments and how can design of spaces enhance it? Questions, such as these, will be considered in the context of the urban fabric and landscape of Florence, Italy. The historic center of this ancient city was built centuries before our current ideas of sustainability and is at the heart of a highly populated metropolitan area with over 1.5 million inhabitants. The Tuscany region where Florence is located includes significant agricultural activities and agritourism. The course will feature a variety of exciting field trips and opportunities to learn about ecology, disease, biodiversity, urban design, etc. in a unique setting. For more information, go to http://www.kent.edu/globaleducation/kent-state-florence-summer-institute. If you have questions please e mail me at [email protected].
