Santa Reparata International School of Art Florence, Italy

The Italian Family
Credit hours: 3--Contact hours: 45
Course # 50-2515
Dept: Liberal Education

Course Description: This course is designed for both sociology and Italian studies students and will be divided into two parts.The first part will give background to the historical development of the Italian family from Roman Times to present. The Patriarchal system that began in Roman times and endured into the twentieth century will be explored.
The second part of the course will focus on the modern Italian family. The roll of each member of the family will be explored in-depth. Topics of discussion will include the roll of the mother and how it has changed over the last century; the roll that grandparents play in child rearing; the change from extended family to nuclear family; the declining birth rate and the effect it is having on family dynamic; regional as well as socio-economic influences on the structure of the family nucleus will be studied. The course will give students the opportunity to have a greater understanding of the Italian people.In addition, students compare and discuss how their family dynamics and structures differ from those of the Italian family. Students will interview native Italians to gain a greater more personal understanding of the subject

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