Gardens of Culture: Climate, Cities, and Wellness Service Learning

This course explores how green spaces can be seen as arenas where climate, cultural heritage, and personal well-being converge. Students will delve into the sustainable principles for creating healthy green spaces in cities. They will discover the significance of gardens in fostering beneficial psychophysical practices, and the advantageous implications of green infrastructures for the community. The course explore the science that underpins the restorative power of nature, exploring how gardens can alleviate stress, promote physical activity, and enhance overall well-being. Through lectures, interactive workshops, and visits to local urban gardens, students will gain a deeper understanding of gardens as places of culture, intended as a polyhedral term that embraces both mind and body, on both individual and community levels. This course includes an Experiential Learning Project with CEMI. This course includes service learning hours within the Florentine Community. Service learning is a method that incorporates intentional learning with service to the community, in which the service component functions as a reflection on classroom learning for all tasks performed. In addition to regular class hours, students will be involved in a volunteer project for the entire session that integrates them in the local community in order to remove barriers and gain a sense of social responsibility. The acquisition of new skills and knowledge obtained in the service learning environment outside the classroom will enrich the learning experience and contribute to personal and emotional growth, as well as cultural consciousness, to develop a greater sense of a global citizenship and sensitivity to the needs of others. Students are guided through the experience by the non-profit association supervisor and the service learning coordinator to enhance outcomes both inside and outside the classroom. The contribution to the association is not only crucial to a deeper understanding of course topics but also allows for a greater sense of belonging in the community, allowing for students to acquire a heightened awareness of emotional intelligence that enhances the classroom learning experience.