For your essay topic, you will choose a comparison of past and present, either in Italy as a whole, or in Siena or some other part of the country. Ideally, you will choose your own topic. You will then run it by the professor. Please do not suggest a topic until you have also identified the literature that you will be referring to. You can download most literature from the University of Toronto library portal. If you have difficulty downloading some item, then consider choosing another item. You will have a meeting with the professor where your essay topic is finalized, and the date and time of the meeting will be worked out during the course. If you really cannot choose a topic of your own, you may consider one of the following as a suggestion to think through and develop into your own topic: Sienese history as a tourist commodity Italian factionalism then (identify the period) and now. Can focus on organized crime. Italian fascism (or communism) and its echoes today. Italian art then (for example, in the Renaissance) and now. The role of Italy in the early European Community and its contemporary successor, the European Union. The image of Italy abroad during different periods (could at the same time be different places, e.g. in England in the 1960’s and in China today). The image abroad of some aspect of Italian life (then and now) – such as cooking or fashions. Italian football (soccer) from the social-history perspective. (What it means/meant for groups in society – not a sports-pages style essay.) The Palio today, compared to its origins. The migrant crisis in Italy (a history from 2015 to now).