Venice and Cultures of Consumption

This subject is not offered in 2016.

170 hours

Students must also be enrolled in one of the following during the same period:

For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Student Support and Engagement Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Overview, Learning Outcomes, Assessment and Generic Skills sections of this entry.

It is University policy to take all reasonable steps to minimise the impact of disability upon academic study, and reasonable adjustments will be made to enhance a student's participation in the University's programs. Students who feel their disability may impact on meeting the requirements of this subject are encouraged to discuss this matter with a Faculty Student Adviser and Student Equity and Disability Support: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/disability

This intensive four-week study abroad subject is taught on location in Venice. The Renaissance in Italy is regarded by many as the locus of the first consumer society in the western world. Venice was at the centre of the new commercial revolution and the trade and production of the luxury goods that were its staple. With a series of lectures, tutorials and detailed site visits, this subject examines Venice's position as a trading empire, and the goods traded, produced and consumed from luxurious textiles, printed books, art works, dyes and spices, to slaves and prostitutes. Venetian authorities were actively involved in regulating consumption with the passage of extensive sumptuary laws, the development of copyright, the application of duties and taxes, and a complex system of surveillance. Students will complete this subject with a deeper understanding of Venetian culture and society and its contribution to the globalised luxury trades; one of the key markers of the west and of modernity.

note: Students are selected for this subject based on academic merit. The application process is available from the subject coordinator.

Students who complete this subject should be able to:

• reflect critically on the city of Venice as a central site for the development of consumer culture in the west;
• acquire an understanding of Venetian and Italian culture and its contribution to understandings of modernity and the west;
• be critically immersed in the cultural sites and artefacts of an historic city, and the ways in which these have been analysed in primary and secondary sources;
• gain an understanding of a culture's complexity, and respect for difference and diversity;
• develop critical thinking and analysis through recommended reading, essay writing and tutorial discussion, and by determining the strength of an argument; and
• demonstrate skills in public presentations and confidence in self expression through seminar presentations, essays, and online journal forums.

• Two 750 word relective jourmals due during the intensive teaching period (35%)
• A 2500 word research essay due at the end of the assessment period (65%)

Hurdle requirement:

• Students must attend a minimum of 75% of tutorials/on site visits in order to pass this subject.
• All pieces of written work must be submitted to pass this subject.

Note: Students who have not studied History before are encouraged to complete the online module, Researching History (non assessed). Assessment submitted late without an approved extension will be penalised at 10% per day. After five days late assessment will not be marked. In-class tasks missed without approval will not be marked.

A subject reader will be available.

This subject potentially can be taken as a breadth subject component for the following courses:

• Bachelor of Biomedicine
• Bachelor of Commerce
• Bachelor of Environments
• Bachelor of Music
• Bachelor of Science
• Bachelor of Engineering

You should visit learn more about breadth subjects and read the breadth requirements for your degree, and should discuss your choice with your student adviser, before deciding on your subjects.

The subject dates and HECS/course fee census date for this subject change each year. Check your enrolment records for the correct census date for this subject.