SIE

Semester courses in English

The School for International Education offers courses on Italian history and culture in English that are specifically designed for exchange students at Ca' Foscari University. Each course awards 6 CFU/ECTS that students can add to their Learning Agreement.
Each course requires a minimum number of students in order to be activated.

Eligible students:

  • Erasmus+, Overseas and other interuniversity exchange students
  • Double and Joint Degree students
  • Students regularly enrolled at Ca' Foscari, provided that they are authorised by the Collegio didattico (Teaching committee) of their degree programme

Courses

I semester 2025/2026 a.y. II semester 2024/2025 a.y.

I semester 2025/2026 a.y.

Courses to be offered in the first semester of the 2025/2026 a.y. and instructions on how to apply will be available approximately in early summer.

II semester 2024/2025 a.y.

For the second semester of the 2024/2025 academic year, students can apply for the courses listed below. 
The complete syllabi are made available on each course's webpage before the beginning of classes. Students can access the syllabi of the courses offered in previous years by searching for the title or the course code through the University's Course search.

The course presents an overview of the main historical events after the fall of the Venetian Republic: 

  • Venice during the Risorgimento, until the city was given to the new kingdom of Italy (1866)
  • The spread of industries and the new public transport system during the Belle Époque
  • Venice during the First World War
  • The Fascism and the nationalist vision for the Venetian future
  • Venice during the Second World War
  • Venice as a museum of the world
  • Venice and today’s challenges: mass tourism, depopulation, privatization and environmental problems

This course provides an overview of Italian culture from the Renaissance to the present day through the study of authors and works of literature, opera and art, focusing on the role of Venice wherever it is relevant.

The course aims to illustrate, through selected case studies, the Venetian Heritage still conserved in the territories that belonged to the Stato da Mar. This extensive domain included the coasts of present-day Slovenia, Croatia, Albania, Montenegro, parts of Greece and Turkey, the islands of Cyprus and Crete. In many of these places the traces of the Venetian presence are still visible and in some cases these are prominent, such as the walls of Nicosia in Cyprus. During the course, therefore, we will explore significant but perhaps still lesser known aspects of the history of Venice, focusing on the influence of the Venetian archaeological, artistic and architectural civilisation in the Adriatic and the Mediterranean Sea.

In recent years, the conception of outer space has progressively changed. Whilst, in the past, outer space was conceived as a domain utilized and explored just by governments and the scientific community, nowadays it is characterized by an increased involvement of private interests. Notably, both individuals and corporations have the potential to participate in the extra-atmospheric world and are impacted by operations carried out therein. This new understanding of the space sector is referred to as New Space and constitutes one of the fastest-growing sectors of the global economy.

The course specifically focuses on the law governing New Space-related activities. Lessons will provide students with a basic knowledge of key legal features regulating this sector, and will foster students’ critical analysis on emerging global challenges, such as:

  • space resources exploitation and environmental concerns;
  • satellite systems and their impact on human rights (privacy in particular);
  • the strategical role of New Space activities in the geo-political arena and cybersecurity-related concerns.

The course is open to all students and does not require any prior specific curriculum. Given the focus on environmental issues and on human rights, all students may attend (a specific intention to pursue a professional career in the space sector is not required). 

Have you ever come across words written in Latin in your studies? Have you ever wondered what they mean?

If so, then you may wish to join the Introduction to Latin for International Students course: this learning activity aims to help students develop a basic ability to read and understand Latin texts, by considering a specific category: that of Latin inscriptions, and, more specifically, Latin inscriptions that happen to be in Venice!

This course describes the essential basics of Latin grammar, and includes some practice of in-class learning through study-walks throughout Venice, in search of Latin inscription in the open air or in the Archeological Museum.

By the end of the 30-hour course, you will be able to identify grammar structures with the help of a basic grammar book, navigate a Latin text using a dictionary and gain confidence for consolidation of this outline of the language and further learning.

This is our way to let you learn Latin in the Lagoon: through the Roman stones of Venice!

Registration

Registration for these courses is mandatory (see instructions below). Students cannot attend classes or take exams if they are not officially enrolled in the course.
Students can apply for the second semester of the 2024/2025 a.y. by following the instructions outlined below.

International exchange students need to fill out the online Application Form that they have received by e-mail from the office that manages their mobility programme (Incoming Mobility or Joint/Double Degree). 

  • Application deadline: January 13, 2025 (application forms submitted after the deadline will not be accepted)
  • Registration will be limited to a maximum number of students per class. Priority will be given in order of having filled out the Application Form. Applicants not added to the class will be placed on a waitlist, and will be added to the course if a place becomes available. 

In early February, students will be informed via email by the SIE (cfsie@unive.it) whether the courses they have applied for have been activated and their registration can be confirmed. Once course activation is confirmed, all registered students will automatically receive all necessary information about the course before classes start.

International exchange students are not officially enrolled in a course if it is not in their Learning Agreement! Therefore, within the first two weeks of classes, you must contact the office that manages your mobility programme ( incoming.mobility@unive.it or jointdegree@unive.it) in order to add the course to your Learning Agreement, if not already present. 

Students enrolled in a degree programme at Ca' Foscari need to fill out the online Application Form that they can request by sending an e-mail to cfsie@unive.it.

  • Application deadline: January 13, 2025 (application Forms submitted after the deadline will not be accepted)
  • Registration will be limited to a maximum number of students per class. Priority will be given in order of having filled out the Application Form. Applicants not added to the class will be placed on a waitlist, and will be added to the course if a place becomes available. 

If students want the courses selected on the Application Form to be added to the Study Plan as elective or surplus credits, they must ask the "Collegio didattico" (Teaching committee) of their degree programme for approval. The School for International Education ( cfsie@unive.it) must then receive an e-mail from the coordinatore del Collegio didattico (Teaching committee coordinator / Head of studies).

In early February, students will be informed via email by the SIE (cfsie@unive.it) whether the courses they have applied for have been activated and their registration can be confirmed. Once course activation is confirmed, all registered students will automatically receive all necessary information about the course before classes start.

Students are not officially enrolled in a course if it is not in their Study Plan! Therefore, within the first two weeks of classes you must add the course to your Study Plan, if not already present. If you need assistance, please contact your Campus.

Schedule

Courses will start on February 24th, 2025 and will be held twice a week for a total of 30 academic hours.

N.B. Cancelled lessons may either be rescheduled on Saturdays or moved to the following weeks, thus the final date of each course cannot be confirmed in advance.

file pdf Schedule - Courses for Exchange students 2024/2025 - II semester 476 KB

Attendance

Attendance for the English-taught courses for exchange students at SIE is generally not mandatory. However, teachers may ask all students to attend a minimum number of lessons and/or assign some additional bibliography to non-attending students. It is therefore necessary to check attendance requirements for each course by contacting the teacher within the first week of classes. 

Exams

Exams will take place approximately from May 5th and no later than May 23th, 2025.
N.B. Students are strongly advised to plan their departure from Venice following the end of the exam session in case some exams need to be rescheduled.

There is only one exam session. It is not possible to repeat the exam at a later date.

In order to be admitted to the final exams, students must be officially enrolled in the course and meet the attendance requirements which are set by each teacher (see above). 

file pdf Exams - Courses for Exchange students 2024/2025 - II semester 272 KB