Italy: Palermo Program

Program Description

Program dates: May 28 - June 26, 2013
Program location: Palermo, Italy (Sicily)

• Discover Sicily through ethical travel with activists, business owners, artists and teachers who say "no" to the Mafia's requests for protection money. 
• Earn 4 credits (undergraduate and graduate) in an exciting new course offering that will introduce you to one of the most powerful anti-organized crime movements in the western world, initiated by educators, artists and young social entrepreneurs committed to an ethical society.
• Enjoy Palermo's ancient markets - the Ballaro and Vucciria - and learn to make traditional Sicilian dishes in your own kitchen.
• Take excursions into the history and urbanization of the Mafia in Palermo through spontaneous shrines, monuments, film and meetings with anti-Mafia activists.

What comes to mind when we hear the word Mafia in the United States? How do we account for the fascination held for many Americans by cinematic and television Italian Mafiosi? What, on the other hand, does mafia mean to Italians? Is organized crime a strictly Southern phenomenon in Italy?  This course complicates stereo-types of  the Italian Mafia portrayed in the cinema of Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola and popular HBO Series such as The Sopranos and Mob Wives by tracing the history and the social impact of the contemporary anti-Mafia movements in Sicily.  From anti-extortion protests, public school curricula  to ventures in ethical tourism, winemaking, critical consumption campaigns and twists on eco-fashion that mock the Mafia, students will actively explore anti-Mafia movements in Sicily that use a repertoire of non-violent tactics to cultivate and sustain a culture of legality and ethical standards for civic engagement.

Curriculum & Faculty

Faculty leaders:    Paula Salvio, Director, Professor of Education
                              Fiona Wilson, Assistant Professor of Strategy, Social Entrepreneurship, and Sustainability 
 

Students enroll in the 4-credit course EDUC 797/897 "Not the Sopranos: Perceptions and Representations of the Mafia and Anti-Mafia in Education, Cinema, Literature and the Law." Drawing on a range of primary sources such as works of legislation (for example, the La Torre Law), and taking part in meetings with educators, anti-Mafia activists, politicians, photojournalists and relatives of Mafia victims, students in this four-week course will study the emotional life of political dissent among anti-Mafia activists. How, for example, have dissenters been historically silenced through a culture of fear? How has the tyranny of the Mafia cultivated and used anxiety as a political weapon? How have anti-Mafia activists worked to divide, decentralize and undermine the tyranny of the Mafia? A range of theoretical perspectives are drawn upon to develop an analysis of the Sicilian anti-Mafia movement as a public pedagogical project devoted to creating and sustaining vital public spheres.   

Housing & Meals

Students stay in double rooms in a hotel for part of the program and a bed and breakfast for the other. Students will have access to a kitchen. 

Tuition, Fees & Aid

The tuition for the 2013 program covers the 4-credit course, and the program fee covers housing and transportation/entry fees on excursions. For information about financial aid and scholarships, see Financial Aid & Scholarships under the Student Resources section of the COLA Center for Study Abroad website.
 

Eligibility

The University of New Hampshire requires that students must have completed at least 32 credits, have declared a major, and be in good standing with the conduct system in order to be eligible to study abroad. In addition to these requirements, the Palermo Summer Program requires that the student have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.2. Beginner, intermediate, or advanced Italian language experience is encouraged, but not required.

Application & Deadlines

The application deadline for the summer 2013 program is March 27, 2013.

To Apply:

1. Complete the COLA Center for Study Abroad application checklist. 

In addition to the requirements listed in the checklist, a complete Palermo Summer Program Application will include the following:

2. The completed Palermo Summer Program Supplement Form*

3. An academic reference from a professor who has had the student in a class
        
*Please note: MAC users may have technical difficulties with the fillable PDF forms on this page. Be sure to view the PDFs in Adobe Acrobat rather than in Mac Preview. It may be advisable to complete the forms using a PC.

Deposit Deadline:

Once you are admitted to the program, you will need to confirm your participating by submitting a non-refundable $280 deposit before April 1, 2013.