College workshops
The International College, under the aegis of ASSI ("Alleanza delle Scuole Superiori d'Ateneo"), organizes the College Workshops and expands its educational offerings to interested students unenrolled in the College.
The College Workshops are interdisciplinary and innovative courses, designed for motivated and high-achieving students who want a learning experience more in-depth and engaging than usually found in ordinary classes. Workshops are based on innovative teaching methods and delivered in an international environment. They give an opportunity to:
- meet other motivated and brilliant students, learning to study and work together;
- discover and experience Venice, a city historically multicultural and open to innovation.
The Workshops are open to all university students (specific restrictions are noted for each course), with special provisions for students enrolled in any Advanced School acknowledged by the Italian Ministry of University and Research. One of their aims is to expand the ongoing cooperation within the network of the Italian University Advanced School.
Features: the College Workshops have a duration from 1 day to 5 days; they are held in English and may be on-site or online.
Admission requirements
Who:
- students enrolled in the Ca’ Foscari International College or in any Advanced School acknowledged by the Italian Ministry of University and Research;
- Bachelor, Master and Ph.D. Ca’ Foscari students with suitable background and an academic performance comparable to College students.
- high-performing students from Italy or abroad, with suitable background.
Admission requirements:
- students (doctoral level included) enrolled in an Italian or foreign university - they are expected to be on track in their curricular studies;
- B2 level or native speakers in English.
Costs
Some workshop may have a registration fee. Admission to the workshop includes study material.
Any fee is waived for a limited number of students from any Advanced School. If the number of such applicants is high, their own School will be asked to designate by selection who will be offered the waiver.
Coffee breaks and light lunches, if in the program, are free of charge.
Accommodation
It depends on the workshop. In general, students are accommodated:
- in Camplus in Santa Marta, a university students’ residence opened in 2019 and located in the city center of Venice, close to the main University headquarters and 15 minutes away from the bus and railway stations;
- or in another hotel situated in the city of Venice.
For Ca’ Foscari College students accommodation costs are free. For students from other Advanced School with a waiver fee, all accommodation costs will be covered.
Workshops a.y. 2024/2025
- Citizenship Facing Societal Challenges: Contributions from Social and Psychological Sciences: 18th - 22nd March, 2025
- Environmental Humanities for Systemic Change: 28yh April, 5 -6 May, 2025
- Painting the Anthropocene Landscape transformation captured by Artists’ views on environmental and climate change: 5th May, 2025
- Creative and Innovative strategies for Effective Science Communication: 5th - 7th June, 2025
- Authenticity, Adaptability, and AI: Balancing Trust in Translation and Intercultural Communication: 9th - 13th June, 2025
- The Discordant Detail – Exploring sophisticated interactions between scripts and the visual arts in Antiquity: 15th - 18th October, 2025
- Aristotele, Percezione, phantasia, illusione onirica: November, 2025
Citizenship Facing Societal Challenges: Contributions from Social and Psychological Sciences
18th – 22nd March, 2025
Auditorium, Ca’ Longa, Camplus Santa Marta, Venice
Environmental sustainability and ecological transition, migration and intercultural relations, changes in health and education, processes of democratization and construction of citizenship, diversity communication, and inclusion are just some of the challenges that test societies’ ability to adapt and develop collective responses. In this complex and ever-changing context, thus, institutional responses need to be accompanied by an active role of citizens and their effective engagement.
The Workshop will offer a venue to promote reflections on how citizens can navigate and face these pressing societal challenges through social, cultural, and political action, using a plurality of investigation methods. The goal is to develop interpretative models of change and intervention strategies that are contextually valid and able to affect reality and socio-cultural policies.
Teaching methods: Keynote speeches and round tables.
Coordinators: Sonia Brondi
Instructors:
- Themis Apostolidis and Raquel Bertoldo Bohn, Université Aix-Marseille
- Sara Bigazzi and Sara Serdült, University of Pécs
- Paula Castro, ISCTE-IUL Lisbon
- Xenia Chryssochoou, Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences
- Andrei Holman, University of Iasi
- Gordon Sammut, University of Malta | London School of Economics and Political Science
- Mauro Sarrica, Sapienza University of Rome
Language: English
In partnership with
Environmental Humanities for Systemic Change
28th April, 5th - 6th May 2025
Department of Asian and North African Studies, Ca’ Foscari University - San Sebastiano
The uncontrolled progression of the climate and ecological crises at all scales highlights the urgent need for an operational and synergistic involvement of all scientific disciplines, including those traditionally referred to as the "human sciences." This approach should emphasize the systemic nature of these emergencies and underscore the role of culture in driving positive change. The workshop aims to explore the relevance and transformative potential of the human sciences for the environment through the languages of science, particularly modern systemic analysis.
This workshop is made with the scientific support of LAST Lab, funded by the MIUR Project "Departments of Excellence 2023-27", Dep. of Asian and North African Studies.
Teaching methods: lectures, discussions and group work
Coordinators: Francesco Gonella, Daniele Brombal, Daniela Del Bene, Chiara Bartoletti
Instructors:
Invited speakers (to be confirmed):
- Marco Armiero, Autonomous University of Barcelona
- Andrea Ghelfi, Università di Firenze
- Patrick Heinrich, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice
- Alex Putzer, Ca’ Foscari University & NICHE
- Ali Razmkhah, ICCA Consortium
- Iokiñe Rodriguez, University of East Anglia
- Carlota Silva Houart, Wageningen University & Research, Netherlands
- Julia Steinberger, University of Losanna
- Mariana Walter, Institut Barcelona d’Estudis Internacionales
Internal instructors:
- Daniela Del Bene, LAST Lab, DSAAM Ca' Foscari University of Venice
- Chiara Bartoletti, LAST Lab, DSAAM Ca' Foscari University of Venice
- Patrick Heinrich, DSAAM Ca' Foscari University of Venice
Language: English
Why you should attend
- To gain a deeper understanding of how environmental humanities contribute to systemic change and sustainability
- To explore the role of storytelling, activism, and cultures of resistance in addressing environmental challenges
- To connect with experts and civil society initiatives, applying knowledge to real environmental issues
Participants: 35 participants, selected from students enrolled in:
- Ca’ Foscari International College and other Advanced Schools
- MA in Environmental Humanities, Ca’Foscari University of Venice
If the quota of 35 students is not reached, students enrolled in other curricula may be allowed to participate in a follow-up call.
Requirements: Open-mindedness and curiosity to interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research, Active participation
Registration: Applications should contain a short bio and a motivation letter (250 words), and be sent to daniela.delbene@unive.it and chiara.bartoletti@unive.it
Deadline for registration:
- Applications should be sent out by April 4th
- Acceptance will be notified by April 11th
In partnership with
Painting the Anthropocene. Landscape transformation captured by Artists’ views on environmental and climate change
May 5th, 2025
Auditorium Santa Margherita - Emanuele Severino (Dorsoduro 3689)
Accademia di Belle Arti di Venezia (Fondamenta Zattere Allo Spirito Santo, 423), Venice
The United Nations has declared 2025 as the International Year of Glaciers' Preservation. In August 2024, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) adopted the resolution to declare the period from 2025 to 2034 as the "Decade of Action for Cryospheric Sciences". Both initiatives aim to raise global awareness about the critical role of glaciers, snow, and ice in the climate system. This initiative celebrates the Year, creating an extraordinary opportunity at the intersections of teaching and research, art and science, humanities, and environmental sciences.
The event will be co-organized by The New Institute Centre for Environmental Humanities (NICHE) and Distretto Veneziano Ricerca e Innovazione (DVRI), with the support of ECHO - Science Communication Hub, Fondazione Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia, in collaboration with Accademia di belle Arti Venezia and the International Centre for Climate Change Research and Studies. This is a European Climate Pact event.
Teaching methods: keynote, documentary projection, expert roundtable, co-creation workshop.
Coordinators: Fabiana Zollo, Francesca Tarocco, Enrico Costa, Erica Villa
Instructors:
- Toby Wright, artist
- Daniel Cervenka, The Convergence
- Mara Nemela, Fondazione Dolomiti UNESCO
- Carlo Barbante, Ca' Foscari University
- Cristina Baldacci, NICHE, Ca' Foscari University
Language: English
Why you should attend:
The day is designed for college students, master's students, PhD candidates, and early-stage researchers across various disciplines seeking a deeper understanding of artscience, climate science, environmental communication, and outreach
Participants: The event and the workshop are open to:
- Allievi of the Italian Advanced Schools
- Undergraduate, Graduate, PhD students and early career researchers from Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, IUAV, and Accademia di Belle Arti Venezia
Registration: To apply, complete and submit the dedicated (a motivation letter is required)
Deadline for registration:
- registrations will be open until April, 4th 2025
- Admitted participants will be notified via email by 17th April. Eligible candidates will be subscribed to a waiting list and notified when a place becomes available.
In partnership with
Creative and Innovative strategies for Effective Science Communication
5th - 7th June, 2025
Room Partesotti - Building E, and Meeting Room 7 - Building C, San Giobbe Economic Campus, Venice
This workshop offers participants practical experience in advanced communication practices, emphasizing the integration of AI, storytelling, video making, data visualisation, and effective writing techniques. Attendees will develop skills in strategic communication, science writing, and creative AI applications, exploring tools and methods to enhance the design, production, and dissemination of scientific information. Through 5 expert-led sessions and hands-on guidance, participants will be equipped to communicate their work with clarity, impact, and adaptability across diverse platforms and audiences.
Teaching methods: Hands-on workshops.
Coordinators: Fabiana Zollo and Enrico Costa
Instructors:
- Mirko Bischofberger
- Tullio Rossi
- Alice Corona
Language: English
Requirements: Basic computer knowledge.
Participants: Each session will accommodate a maximum of 20 participants.
Registration: Participants can register for individual sessions according to their interests and needs. Priority will be given to college students from Venice and the ASSI network, with a maximum of 10 participants for this category.
To apply, complete and submit the dedicated form (a motivation letter is required).
Deadline for registration:
- registration open until 4th April
- Admitted participants will be notified via email by 17th April. Eligible candidates will be subscribed to a waiting list and notified when a place becomes available.
In partnership with
Apply to Creative and Innovative strategies for Effective Science Communication
Authenticity, Adaptability and AI. Balancing Trust in Translation and Intercultural Communication
9th - 13th June, 2025
Campus Treviso, Ca’ Foscari University
This workshop will explore how authenticity is constructed in an era increasingly influenced by AI. While AI tools offer increased efficiency and accessibility, can they truly capture cultural depth without human input? Revisiting the concepts of trust and cultural adaptability, we will explore the perceived divide between technological and human performance.
Teaching methods: Lectures, seminars, interactive workshops, collaborative working groups.
Coordinator: Mirella Agorni
Tutors: Giulia Cavalli and Viviana Mauro
Instructors:
- Silvia Bernardini, Adriano Ferraresi (University of Bologna)
- Ilse Feinauer (Stellenbosch University, South Africa)
- David Katan (University of Salento)
- Federico Gaspari (Uniroma5)
- Adrià Martin-Mor (Autonomous University of Barcelona)
- Loredana Polezzi (Stony Brook University, USA)
- Anthony Pym, Andrea Rizzi (University of Melbourne, Australia)
- Giulia Togato (California State University Long Beach)
Language: English
Why you should attend
- In-Depth Understanding: Gain a nuanced understanding of authenticity beyond traditional content reproduction, exploring its construction, adaptation, and perception in different intercultural contexts.
- Critical Thinking: Enhance your ability to critically evaluate the role of AI and human input in intercultural exchange, with a focus on the concepts of trust and adaptability. Gain insight into how these factors shape the construction and perception of meaning.
- Research Enhancement: Enhance your research skills by engaging with advanced theoretical frameworks, methods and tools for the empirical investigation of translation and intercultural communication.
- Networking Opportunities: Connect with peers and international experts in the field, expanding your professional network and collaborative potential.
- Practical Applications: Explore practical implications for real-world translation and communication practices, getting ready for future challenges in the field.
Requirements: Good knowledge of English (expected level B2 + or C1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).
Participants: 36, distributed as follows:
- 8 places reserved for MA and PhD students from Advanced Schools recognised by the Italian Ministry. There is no fee and accommodation will be provided free of charge. Priority will be given to students working on their final theses.
- 8 places for MA and PhD students from Ca' Foscari University will be offered free of charge. Preference will be given to students working on their final thesis.
- 20 places for participants from other national and international institutions: MA and PhD students in translation, interpreting, intercultural communication, cultural studies, and related disciplines; trainers, researchers and professionals with academic backgrounds in these fields.
Registration: To apply, fill and submitthe dedicated form (a 1-page motivation letter is required). A participation fee of 300 euros is required. This covers 30 academic hours of tuition over 5 days, coffee breaks and lunches. For exemptions for students from the Advanced Schools recognised by the Italian Ministry and for Ca' Foscari students, see the “participants” section.
Deadline for registration:
- registration open until 1st May
- Admitted participants will be notified via email by 5th May.
- Deadline for fee payment: 10th May.
In partnership with
The Discordant Detail. Exploring sophisticated interactions between scripts and the visual arts in Antiquity
15th -18th October, 2025
Sala Berengo - Ca’ Foscari University, Dorsoduro 3246, 30123 Venezia
The Fall Workshop will offer a venue to explore how script and notational techniques influence the visual arts and vice versa. The focus will be on societies which developed early non-phonetic scripts, such as Mesopotamian proto-cuneiform, Egyptian proto-hieroglyphics, Chinese ideograms, and Maya hieroglyphics. Within this framework, a recurring visual rhetoric device is the conscious embedment of odd or offset details in complex artistic compositions. These “discordant details” are often related to notational systems and encode additional semantic values. For example, a hieroglyphic sign can be integrated within a visual composition disguised as discordant visual element, adding layers of significance and enriching the interpretative depth of an object, word, or image.
Teaching methods: Case-based learning, Round-Table Discussion (Interactive Q&A), Structured Small-Group Breakouts, Comparative Panels, Excursion-Based Learning.
Coordinators: Alessandra Gilibert and Massimo Maiocchi
Instructors:
- Oliver Dietrich (DAI Berlin)
- Kate Kelley (Toronto, Canada)
- Ludwig Morenz (Bonn)
- Gordon Whittaker (Georg-August-Universität Göttingen)
- Martin Worthington (Trinity College Dublin)
- David Klotz (Boston)
- Pippa Steele (Oxford) – remote speaker
- Ioannis Konstantakos (Atene)
Language: English
Why you should attend
- Engage with state-of-the-art scholarship on the intersection of scripts and visual arts in ancient cultures
- Expand your perspective comparing diverse case studies in cross-cultural perspective.
- Enhance scholarly skills by participating in round tables, where you can both contribute and learn from experts in the field.
- Build meaningful connections with faculty from Ca’ Foscari and international scholars.
- Enjoy a curated excursion to Venice discordant details from the Medieval times to the contemporary era, bringing historical study and real-world exploration together.
Requirements: Enrolment in a PhD program, doctoral Graduate School, or Scuola Superiore.
Participants: The Workshop will host 15 participants. Additional applications as listeners will be reserved for 10 students from Advanced Superior School.
Registration: Prospective partecipants are invited to submit via email their CV, an abstract of their PhD project and a motivation letter to Dr. Elisa Girotto ( elisagirotto@gmail.com)
Deadline:
- Deadline for application: 30th June, 2025
- Deadline for registration: 1st September, 2025
In partnership with
Aristotele, Percezione, phantasia, illusione onirica
october - november, 2025
Place to be defined
The workshop concerns the theory of perception and imagination in Aristotelian philosophy, with particular attention to the explanation of the dream phenomenon; it essentially consists of translation, analysis and commentary of a work, with the final goal of the publication of a text with translation, notes and essays with an international publishing house.
Teaching methods: The chosen working methodology consists of a rigorous analysis of the text: to this end the workshop is organized in the form of an advanced seminar of close reading of the entire treatise.
Coordinators: Francesca Masi and Giulia Mingucci
Instructors: To be defined.
Language: English
Why you should attend
The project aims to examine the different activities, perceptive and post-perceptive, of the psychophysical capacity of phantasía in the context of the ‘de Insomniis’ - one of the treatises of the collection of psychophysiology known as ‘Parva Naturalia’ - in which Aristotle examines the nature, origin and function of dreams. Although being part of a long literary and philosophical tradition - not only Western - which, through the analysis of the dream experience, addressed in more depth issues of a metaphysical, physiological, psychological and epistemological nature, such as the divine or natural origin of the dream, the diagnostic function of the dream, the distinction between representation, opinion and perception, the cognitive reliability of representations, origin and nature of illusions, the distinction between hallucination, illusion and delusion, Aristotle, however, is the first philosopher to systematically address these issues, opening a new and specific field of physical and psychological investigation on this topic.
Participants: 15 seats reserved for students from Advanced Superior School.
Registration: To be defined.
In partnership with
Last update: 25/03/2025