Honors in Italy 2022

Honors Rome 2022

Honors in Italy 2022

Italy from Crisis to “Crisis”:

Urbanization, Migration, Politics, and Art

Overview

Locations: Rome, Italy

Sponsoring Units: Honors Program, Jackson School of International Studies, and Environmental Health

Dates: Summer A Term; June 20 to July 17, 2022

Credits: 12 total

 

Course Credits Credit Type
HONORS 233/ENV H 490: Becoming Rome 5 Honors Social Science, I&S, “W”
HONORS 233: Migration, Politics, and Society in Italy 5 Honors Social Science, I&S, “W”
HONORS 384: Italian Art through the Lens of Social Change 2 VLPA/I&S General Education

Information Sessions:

About the Program

About the Program

This interdisciplinary program will explore how Italian society has experienced, constructed, and coped with crises both real and imagined from ancient times to the present. Drawing on history, political science, public health, security studies, economics, sociology, anthropology, literature, and art history, we’ll tackle the social challenges presented by two very different phenomena: urbanization and migration. The program will be based in Rome, a legendary crossroads of ancient and modern culture, at the UW Rome Center, which is housed in the 15th-century Palazzo Pio in the heart of the historic city. Students will have the opportunity to experience Italy through visits to important historical and cultural sites in Rome. In addition to lectures by faculty, other course components will include readings, films, writing assignments, ethnographic observation, blog posts, reflection, individual consultation with instructors, and free time for exploration.

Housing

We’ll be staying at the UW Rome Center, which is housed in the 15th-century Palazzo Pio in the heart of the historic city.

Program Credit / Course Description (Courses in Italy)

HONORS 233/ENV H 490: Becoming Rome: From Historical Site to Contemporary City through the Lens of Urbanization and the Environment (5 credits; I&S, “W”)

Instructor: Flavia Fulco

This course aims to explore the complexity of the social process in Italy through the lens of the urbanization process of Rome, analyzing how resisting crises of different origins transformed the identity of Rome through the centuries, how the city is currently perceived, and how concepts such as risk management, vulnerability, and resilience can be applied to urban policies. In 1861, with the capture of Rome, the long process that brought Rome to be the capital of Italy in 1870 was put in motion. During the past 150 years, Rome has become a large city, which includes not only the historical site of ancient Rome known worldwide but also a contemporary urban reality with complex economic and social issues. Throughout the centuries, Rome has been affected by many crises due to wars, social changes, and urbanization. Especially over the last several decades, social crises have resulted from changes in demography due to gentrification and migration, from improper human behavior or insufficient policies especially towards ecology (e.g., garbage disposal and massive urban development), and from sanitary emergencies (e.g., the COVID-19 pandemic). Having been an urban site for almost 3000 years, Rome’s relationship with its historical past makes it challenging to transform it into a more modern and livable town, especially when it comes to infrastructure and public transportation. This course uses a multicultural approach based on anthropology, history, sociology, urban studies, and environmental studies to explore Rome’s dual identity as a city of ruins and a symbol of resilience and to examine how social crisis affects the way that politicians formulate policy and manage public discontent. More broadly, the emergencies and crises that are visible in Rome are reflections of wider issues that affect Italy as a whole.

Learning Goals

By the end of this course, students will be able to:

  • Evaluate and critique the use of the concept of crisis, vulnerability and resilience as applied to urban development and planning from the perspective of multiple disciplines
  • Explore the history of Rome as the capital of Italy and the importance of the cultural memory within the city 
  • Understand the complexity of an urban environment
  • Analyze topics such as gentrification, the garbage cycle, integration of different populations, and public transportation in comparative perspective
  • Map Rome through different disciplinary angles focusing on one’s own area of expertise

HONORS 233: Migration, Politics, and Society in Italy (5 credits; I&S, “W”)

Instructor: Kristi Govella

While Italy has a long history of emigration and internal migration, in recent decades it has also experienced significant inflows of Middle Eastern and sub-Saharan African workers and found itself on the frontlines of Europe’s refugee “crisis.” We will unpack the idea of migration as crisis and examine the ways that the discourse around these issues has been shaped by different actors for their own interests and purposes. This will allow us to probe the intersection of migration, politics, economics, and society in Italy historically and in the contemporary period. We will also use the framework of “human security” to think about the challenges that migration poses not only for society and the interests of the state but for the survival, well-being, and dignity of the individual migrants themselves in terms of dimensions such as economic security, food security, health security, personal security, community security, political security, and environmental security. In addition to engaging with local experts, students will visit and observe neighborhoods of Rome where historical and contemporary trends have resulted in high concentrations of migrants.

Learning Goals

By the end of this course, students will be able to:

  • Evaluate and critique the use of the concept of crisis as applied to migration from the perspective of multiple disciplines
  • Understand the push and pull factors leading to migration patterns in historic and contemporary Italy
  • Analyze the myriad of impacts of migration on the Italian state, cities, communities, and individuals
  • Integrate academic concepts and theories with their own experiences and observations in Italy

HONORS 384: Italian Art through the Lens of Social Change, (2 credits Honors elective; VLPA/I&S; “W”)

Instructors: Flavia Fulco & Kristi Govella

This course will be structured around visits to the major art and architectural sites of Rome. Students will examine the evolution in Roman visual culture and identify the common connecting threads of this rich historical location. We will visit sites related to the history of migrants to Rome such as the Colosseum and the Jewish Ghetto and think about the ways that major landmarks are tied to key moments of crisis and change in Italian history.

Learning Goals

By the end of this course, students will be able to:

  • Understand the relationship of key sites and works of Italian art to specific moments of crisis and social change in the country
  • Integrate perspectives from art history with other disciplinary viewpoints
  • Connect Italian visual culture with the broader context of Italian history

Program Leadership

Dr. Flavia Fulco is a Visiting Assistant Professor at the International Research Institute of Disaster Science (IRIDeS) at Tohoku University in Japan and a Visiting Researcher at the Department of Political and Social Science at the University of Catania in Italy. The focus of her research is the formation of cultural memory and in Japan she has worked with post-disaster communities and foreign migrants. She was previously a Postdoctoral Fellow at Sophia University in Tokyo, Japan, where she co-taught classes in Cultural Anthropology. Born and raised in Rome, she has strong familiarity with the local context and deep roots in the community.

Dr. Kristi Govella is Senior Fellow and Deputy Director of the Asia Program at The German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF), where she is involved in initiatives to build trilateral cooperation between the US, Europe, and Asia. As a political scientist, her work focuses on the interrelationship between politics, economics, and security, and she is currently engaged in a number of projects on topics such as economics-security linkages, regional institutional architecture, non-traditional security, and the global commons. Dr. Govella has co-directed two study abroad programs for the University of Washington Honors Program in Japan. She is the co-editor of two books: Linking Trade and Security: Evolving Institutions and Strategies in Asia, Europe, and the United States (2013) and Responding to a Resurgent Russia: Russian Policy and Responses from the European Union and the United States (2012). Prior to joining GMF, she was an Assistant Professor of Asian Studies at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, a Postdoctoral Fellow at Harvard University’s Weatherhead Center for International Affairs and an Associate Professor of Security Studies at the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies. She holds a Ph.D. and an M.A in Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley and a B.A. in Political Science and Japanese, Cum Laude with College Honors, from the University of Washington, Seattle.

 

Program Expenses

Program Expenses

Anticipated Student Program Fee: $5,750 (students do not pay tuition; program fee and concurrent enrollment fee only)

Average Airplane Ticket: $1,400

Program fees will be posted to your MyUW student account and can be paid the same way that you pay tuition and other fees. Check your MyUW Account periodically for due dates.

Payment Schedule

Program fees will be posted to your MyUW student account and can be paid the same way that you pay tuition and other fees. Check your MyUW Account periodically for due dates.

 

Note: $5,750 program fee. Students do not pay tuition, instead they will pay a concurrent enrollment fee of $470. The total cost of the program is $6,220 due in October (autumn tuition due date). Students are expected to pay for roundtrip airfare and most food (although some dinners and lunches are included).  All excursions are covered as part of the program fee.

 

Payment Type Payment Amount Payment Due Date
Non-Refundable UW Study Abroad Fee $470 TBD
Program Fee Balance $5,750 TBD
TOTAL FEES CHARGED $6,220 TBD

Making the program affordable

The Honors Program is passionate about study abroad and the incredible impact it can have on a student’s life. Don’t assume you can’t afford to study outside of the U.S. Here are resources to help you get started on your global adventures!

Honors Program Scholarships

The Honors Program offers a number of scholarships for current Honors Program students. These scholarship funds may be used for UW approved study abroad programs or exchanges. Students may apply beginning in late January (deadline is March 30).

Study Abroad Scholarships at UW

Every student who applies and is accepted to a study abroad program is considered for a scholarship. Scholarship awards are dependent on need and students may be awarded up to $4,000. Visit the study abroad office in 459 Schmitz Hall to learn more or click here. Students may also email goglobal@uw.edu for an advising appointment.

There are several outside resources for study abroad scholarships. Visit the UW’s Study Abroad Scholarship page for more information on scholarship support as well as information about GET funds and how you may apply the GET to your study abroad costs.

Using Financial Aid for Study Abroad

You may find more information about using your existing financial aid for study abroad on the Study Abroad Office’s Financial Aid webpage. In general, all financial aid awarded may be used to support study abroad. Exceptions to this include tuition waivers, work-study awards, or scholarships that are specific about using the award for tuition (although there may be flexibility with some scholarships, please check with the financial aid office). Tuition waivers and work-study are never allowed for study abroad.

Revision of Need

You may also turn in a “Revision of Need” form with the Financial Aid Office if you have a FAFSA on file. Once you are accepted to a study abroad program, visit the Study Abroad Office to obtain a budget for your study abroad program then complete the Revision Request and turn in both the budget and the revision request to the Office of Student Financial Aid in Schmitz Hall.

Visit the Financial Aid Study Abroad Funding Website for more information about applying for Summer quarter financial aid and for information about Exploration Seminar financial aid timeline (different than A or B term financial aid disbursement timeline).

Application Process

Application Process

This program is open to students in the Honors Program and also students across campus. The program is focused on recruiting a diverse group of students. Students of all majors are encouraged to apply and the program encourages freshmen-seniors.

No prerequisites or language requirements, although the program directors will encourage students to learn basic words and phrases in Italian to facilitate open and humble learning.

APPLY HERE

Deadline: January 31, 2022