Study Abroad in Florence

"Florence was the absolute best thing that could have happened to my college career. Studying abroad revolutionizes your entire perspective of the world and those who live in it. It seems obvious looking back now, but this experience will alter your education, relationships, career, and goals: all for the better." (—Madeline)

General information can be found at the studying abroad in Florence, Italy page and the Office of Global Education

If you are hoping to study abroad in Florence during the summer, you can learn more about the Summer Institute.

Dr. Jen Taber will be teaching a summer 2024 course called, "Emotion, Culture and Health" at the Florence Summer Institute.

Emotions are central in all psychological and many physiological processes. Moreover, emotions are robustly evident in daily life in both culture and in health. In this class, we will investigate the science of emotions and health as well as the broader role that emotions play in society. In particular, we will participate in a century-old yet still pressing debate as to the underlying nature of emotion: biological vs. cultural. We will discuss evolutionary and socio-cultural models of emotion as well as observe emotions elicited and expressed in both art and society. Our primary goal: to attempt to resolve this debate based on evidence accumulated throughout the course.

In addition to the psychology course, students may also be interested in other courses focused on mental health, emotions, and cognition: 

Florence Flyer 2024

Our department is holding two meetings for interested students:

  • Hybrid: Tuesday, Nov 14th 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm, in person in Kent Hall Annex/South Wing room 101 or on Microsoft Teams at https://bit.ly/1PsychFSI2024
  • Hybrid: Wednesday, Nov 29th 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm, in person in Kent Hall Annex/South Wing room 101 or on Microsoft Teams at https://bit.ly/2PsychFSI2024

Interested students are encouraged to attend one of the information sessions and to reach out to Dr. Taber (jtaber1@kent.edu) with any questions. 

Important things:

1) Students can get/use financial aid and/or scholarships to cover costs
2) there are two sessions this summer (each 4 weeks), the psychology course (taught by Dr. Taber) is in the second session in July – students can go to either or both sessions
3) there are courses in many departments and often of interest to our students, including courses that help to meet general BA/BS requirements.

Dr. Jen Taber will be at the meetings to answer any questions that you may have!

It is also possible to study psychology in Florence for a full semester.

Here’s a shorter video about the semester study abroad experience in Florence, Italy, and here’s a longer video about the summer institute study abroad experience that provides more details on classes and interviews with instructors.