This course invites students to explore Florence with its art, architecture, streets, and daily life as both a living text and an inspiration for the practice of critical and rhetorical essay writing modes, such as narrative, descriptive, persuasive, and creative writing. Using Florence as experiential research students will develop strong, expressive, and analytical essays. Designed to bridge creative and academic writing, Writing Florence emphasizes observation, reflection, and creative thinking as essential tools for effective written communication at the college level.
Through a combination of literary and non-fiction readings, guided writing exercises on the ground, and workshops, students will learn to craft vivid personal essays, cultural analyses, and reflective pieces that connect their experience of Florence to broader insights and critical thinking.
Students will develop practical writing skills from conducting research, generating ideas and constructing clear arguments to refining tone, voice, and structure while deepening their understanding of how personal experience and cultural context intersect. Regular journal entries, peer workshops, and revision exercises will build toward a final portfolio demonstrating proficiency in both creative and expository writing forms.
By the end of the semester, students will be able to:
- Write confidently in a range of styles, from personal reflection to academic research analysis, utilizing MLA style for citation and formatting and distinguish between primary and secondary sources.
- Employ close observation and sensory detail to enrich their prose.
- Construct clear, persuasive arguments supported by evidence and reflection.
- Revise and edit their work with precision and self-awareness.
- Use Florence and its art, history, and atmosphere as a lens for understanding and expressing ideas about self and culture.
