Professor of Teaching Giuliano Migliori has been hard at work developing and piloting a new GE course - Italian 3001: Green Italy. In this dynamic option, students will have the opportunity to explore new and exciting sustainability initiatives and environmental impacts, all while learning about Italian language and culture. We sat down with Professor Migliori to learn more about his Green Italy course:
- What are the highlights of the class?
Green Italy is the first FRIT Sustainability course inspired by the new trends of Italian green culture, environmental and civic engagement, and social innovations in vulnerable, yet popular, urban ecosystems and coastlines. Think of the lagoon of Venice or Florence's smart city, the vertical forest in Milan and permaculture efforts in Tuscany and many other 'land stories' off-the-beaten path rural borghi. Through a critical exploration of current climate challenges and the bolstering of "good eco-practices" in small-scale businesses, green hospitality, and sustainability innovations, students will discuss unique case studies to investigate the efforts adopted by Italian communities in conjunction to the UN Agenda 2030 SDGs and in dialogue with American eco-values and land ethic projects (especially in the Midwest!). The course also offers opportunities for students to engage with Italian UNESCO history and its preservation and promotion efforts in adapting the cultural and natural beauties to current ecological transformation.
- What inspired you to create it?
For several years, students asked me to describe about what makes Italian landscapes so unique in how they intersect seamlessly a variety of sustainable food culture, slow-paced lifestyle, and marvelous architectures! I have been inspired by their curiosities about eco-tourism and internship for marine preservations and in art history museums or organizations dedicated to the preservation of UNESCO sites in cities like Milan, Venice, Rome, and Florence. Hence, I wanted to create a course that equips them with the necessary intercultural expertise, communication abilities, and foundational skills to advance in their professional careers as global agents and co-creators of good practices for sustainable change and as OSU ambassadors for global learning and transformative actions.
- What kind of students will enjoy this class?
Green Italy is really a course that can be interested to a large student population given its transdisciplinary spirit and the skill-building modules that travel across a variety of professional fields. I had a cohort of students spanning from architecture to communication, design and business, biology to nursing/pre-med and, of course, students interested in anthropology and environmental sciences. No specific knowledge of Italina language is needed as this class provides materials for all students. Anyone looking to build ‘eco-cultural’ understanding and undertake a more transversal journey in the interconnected nature of sustainability challenges (but also solutions from small-scale to larger contexts) will find this course as a vehicle to enhance its global skills and boost leadership tools.
- What are the key takeaways? What transferable skills will students gain?
Green Italy is meant to support students in their understanding of how sustainability topics are strongly interwoven in the history of Italian lifestyles, foodways, labor, socio-health culture in identifying key strategies to maintain the prestige of the peninsula (still called, Il Bel Paese). Students will enhance their intercultural expertise and communication skills in sustainability culture while also expanding their skills in problem solving and critical awareness for navigating cross-cultural mindsets and needs for local, national, and international mitigation of environmental challenges.
