Beauty and the Brain
Florence, Italy
Why you should go
How does light become color, vibration become music, or a collection of molecules become flavor? And why do some sights, sounds, scents, and tastes feel beautiful? In this five-week Global Seminar, Italy becomes a living cognitive-science laboratory.
At the Uffizi you will stand in front of Botticelli and Leonardo and take apart the depth cues Renaissance painters were exploiting centuries before anyone had a name for them. Inside Brunelleschi's dome you will ask why enormous vertical spaces produce awe, and what high ceilings actually do to how people think. In Venice, the Gallerie dell'Accademia lays out four centuries of shifting taste in a single afternoon, and the perfume collection at Palazzo Mocenigo forces the question of whether sensory pleasures like smell can be beautiful.
You will finish with eight units, a notebook full of your own observations, and a permanently altered relationship with your own senses.
Courses
- COGS 111: Beauty and the Brain (draft PDF)
- COGS 101A: Sensation and Perception (draft PDF)
Faculty Leader
Drew Walkerdehoffma@ucsd.edu
Drew Walker is an Associate Teaching Professor in the Department of Cognitive Science at UC San Diego and a recipient of the university's Distinguished Teaching Award for 2026-27. She has taught both of these courses on campus for years, and they are among the department's most popular.
Walker completed her PhD in Psychology at UCSD in 2017, and her research and teaching examine perception, social cognition, judgment, learning, and cognitive bias. The question underneath most of it is why our judgments about people and objects depend so heavily on what surrounds them. The world your brain hands you is not the world as it is, and the gap between the two is where things get interesting. One line of that work, published in Psychological Science, documented the "cheerleader effect": a face is rated as more attractive in a group photo than in the same photo cropped down to one person. Another asks why we are so quick to read a person's behavior as a verdict on their character.
What she enjoys most is talking to students about interesting ideas from across disciplines, where philosophy, psychology, neuroscience, and linguistics all have something to say about the same phenomenon.
Who should go
Beyond upper-division standing, the only real prerequisite is curiosity about how the brain builds our experience of the world and why some of that experience strikes us as beautiful. And, of course, some excitement about spending five weeks in a city that has been shaping Western ideas about beauty for six hundred years. The two courses in this Global Seminar fulfill graduation requirements for the Cognitive Science major: COGS 101A satisfies the Fundamental Cognitive Phenomena core requirement for both the B.A. and the B.S., and COGS 111 counts as an upper-division elective. COGS 111 also draws students from Psychology, Philosophy, Visual Arts, Neuroscience, and beyond. Please consult your academic advisor to determine whether and how the courses will apply to your specific graduation requirements.
Information Sessions
- Thursday, Nov. 5, 3:30 - 4:30 PM
- Register here for the live Zoom link, and/or to get the post-session recording.
Dates
| Departure from U.S.: | Sat., June 26, 2027 |
|---|---|
| Arrival: | Sun., June 27, 2027 |
| Mandatory Orientation: | Mon., June 28, 2027 |
| First Day of Class: | Mon., June 28, 2027 |
| Last Day of Class: | Fri., July 30, 2027 |
| Departure for the U.S. (or personal travel): |
Sat., July 31, 2027 |
Flight Information
- You will be responsible for purchasing your own airplane tickets, and your program coordinator will provide guidelines and resources during the pre-departure process to help you find an appropriate flight.
- Do not purchase plane tickets until the program is confirmed . All approved applicants will be notified by e-mail when the program has reached minimum enrollment.
Global Seminar Fees
All fees subject to change. See https://summersession.ucsd.edu/tuition/tuition.html for current tuition and campus-based fees.
| UCSD | Other UC | Non-UC | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Program Cost: (includes $500 administrative fee) |
TBD | TBD | TBD |
| Estimated Tuition and Campus-Based Fees: |
$2,623.24 | $2,673.24 | $3,675.24 |
| Total: (not including airfare or personal expenses) |
TBD | TBD | TBD |
Budget Calculator
- Coming soon!
Funding Options
See the funding options page to learn how financial aid and scholarships can help you pay for this program.
Local
- Florence Cathedral (Duomo)
- Gallerie dell’Accademia, Venice
- Mocenigo Palace Museum (Perfume Museum), Venice
- Uffizi Gallery, Florence
Excursions are subject to change without prior notice. No refunds are possible.
Housing
- Double or triple room in a shared, air-conditioned apartment
- Shared kitchen and bathroom area with roommates
- Wireless Internet available in rooms and common areas throughout the building
- Housing arrangements are subject to change based on local circumstances without prior notice. No price adjustments are possible.
Included Meals
- Welcome dinner upon arrival
- Farewell dinner at end of program
Classroom and Computer Access
- Classroom space at a local study center
- Wireless Internet in the classroom
- There is no computer lab available - plan to bring a laptop.
- Wireless access may be intermittent due to local conditions. No refunds or price adjustments are possible.
Transportation
- Airport pickup to the student housing will be offered for students whho arrive between a specified window. More information will be provided during the pre-departure phase.
- Florence is a walkable city. Students will be able to walk from their housing to the classroom.
- Transportation is included for all excursions outside the city.
Phones
- Information about how to obtain a local SIM card will be provided at the pre-departure orientation.
- Students will be responsible to purchase their own calling time/minutes.
Insurance, Health, and Safety
- Comprehensive insurance package will be included by the on-site provider.
- An in-depth orientation will be given on the morning after arrival, including health and safety procedures.
- Program partner staff will be available by telephone after hours.
- All students will be enrolled in UC travel insurance.
