Skip to main content

Duke in Venice Summer School

The Religion of Empire and Its Imperial Piety - Catholic Christianity
May 22 – June 19, 2022

Program Director: Dr. Sam R. Miglarese, University Department of Religious Studies

 

This religious studies plus excursion 4-week course will be taught in English and directed by Professor Sam Miglarese, instructor in the Duke Department of Religious Studies and Deputy Chief Administrator of Durham and Community Affairs.

This interdisciplinary course looks at the religious sensibilities and pieties that permeated imperial Venice and that were embodied in the civic life, the architecture and the visual arts of Renaissance Venice. Special attention will be directed to the theology and place of the Virgin Mary, St. Mark and the protector saints of Venice in Roman Catholic Church teaching. Included are art history and theological readings plus excursions to the churches and galleries of Veneto (Torcello, Aquileia, Bologna and Padua or Verona included).

 

Course Summary

Religion: Selected Topics: The Venetian Empire (XV-XVI cc) and its Imperial Piety: Catholic Christianity and the role of the Virgin Mary, St. Mark and the many saint “protectors” of Venice.

The course will examine the religious, spiritual and hagiographic traditions of Catholic Christianity as it was lived in the Empire of Venice through religious art as well as current devotional practice, ceremonies and traditions still extant today. The subject matter of Venetian art was of great importance to the artists. Topics will include the place of Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary, the Evangelist Mark and other saints in Catholic life and thinking then and now.

Excursions into the churches and art galleries will illustrate the power of the religious sensibilities in imperial Venice. We will study the influence of relics and the history and legends attached to the saints connected to the political history of Venice. We will also use Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice to explore Jewish presence in Venice. We plan to explore cultural opportunities in Venice along with several cultural/religious events, concerts, and field trips.

This course will be taught in English by Dr. Sam Miglarese, adjunct instructor in the Religious Studies Department at Duke, and Deputy Chief Administrator in Duke’s Office of Durham and Community Affairs.

One course credit.

 

Visualizing Cities Summer Institute | Past Editions

Digital Technologies for Historical and Cultural visualization are transforming the ways that scholars can study and represent works of art, as well as growth and change in urban spaces and buildings. Interdisciplinary teams focus on the hard questions of Digital Art History as a discipline, a set of methods, and a host of technical and institutional challenges and opportunities.

Science Diplomacy in the age of Climate Change | Past Editions

Science Diplomacy is a tool that recognizes science as a process for pursuing evidence and diplomacy as a process for dialogue and cooperation between different stakeholders. In our increasingly interconnected world, there is a growing need for science diplomacy as we are confronted by issues concerning agriculture or trade, automation or cryptocurrencies, peace & security, global health pandemics, and climate change, among many other complex challenges. Our decision-making power is strengthened or weakened by the relevance, timeliness, reliability, and communication of information in a fast-paced changing environment. While academia includes specialties in translational science, public policy, health policy and other policy-related fields, these programs do not address the needs of the vast matrix of other scientific disciplines to provide students with training and tools to effectively partner and communicate with non-scientists, whether they are policy-makers, community leaders or the general public. This is Science Diplomacy at its core—partnerships to eliminate cultural, sectoral, and knowledge barriers.

3rd Edition | July 15-20, 2024  | Science Diplomacy in the age of Climate Change

Faculty
William Pan, Duke University, USA
Giulia Costa, Tor Vergata University of Rome, Italy
Kurt Straif, Boston College, USA / ISGlobal, Spain
Sonia Silvestri, University of Bologna, Italy
Christian Lara, Duke University Rethinking Diplomacy Fellow – United Nations
Peter McGrath, Coordinator of the Science Diplomacy Unit, The World Academy of Sciences and Secretariat, InterAcademy Partnership
Camilo De Los Rios Rueda, Duke University & IAI Science Technology & Environment Fellow

 

2nd Edition | July 17-22, 2023 | Science Diplomacy in the age of Climate Change

Faculty
William Pan, Duke University, USA
Giulia Costa, Tor Vergata University of Rome, Italy
Kurt Straif, Boston College, USA
Sonia Silvestri, University of Bologna, Italy
Christian Lara, Duke University Rethinking Diplomacy Fellow – United Nations
Peter McGrath, Coordinator of the Science Diplomacy Unit, The World Academy of Sciences and Secretariat, InterAcademy Partnership
Camilo De Los Rios Rueda, Duke University & IAI Science Technology & Environment Fellow

 

1st Edition | July 18-23, 2022 | Improving Capacity of Science to Inform Policy

Faculty
William Pan, Duke University, USA (Scientific Coordinator)
Giulia Costa, Tor Vergata University of Rome, Italy
Philip Landigran, Boston College, USA
Kurt Straif, Boston College, USA
Sonia Silvestri, University of Bologna, Italy
Christian Lara, Duke University Rethinking Diplomacy Fellow – United Nations
Marga Gual Soler, GESDA-Geneva Science and Diplomacy Anticipator/SciDipGLOBAL

 

 

For further information: summerschools@univiu.org

 

 

More Articles …