Dickinson in ITALY: European Studies

ACADEMICS AND INTERNSHIPS 

The Bologna program is Dickinson’s oldest study-abroad program, which celebrated its 50th anniversary during the 2015-16 academic year. The program offers students the opportunity to engage in the interdisciplinary study of contemporary issues facing Europe and to use Italy and Italian language and culture as a window through which to view Europe at large. Students have the opportunity to engage with the local community through visiting family and language partner programs. 

All students enroll in four courses each semester, including an Italian language course at their appropriate level, and may, depending on their schedule, be able to directly enroll in a business course taught in English at the University of Bologna. Qualified academic year students may complete internships in Bologna in the spring semester. Exceptionally well-qualified students may have the opportunity to enroll in graduate level courses at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies during both fall and spring semesters. 

ACADEMIC EXCURSIONS 

The academic program is enhanced by various excursions to areas of cultural, political and historical interest. In the past, faculty have taken students to Assisi, Urbino, Perugia, Trieste, Siena, the Tuscan countryside and other interesting sites. Students can easily travel to Rome, Venice and Florence on their own. Full-year students participate in the Poland excursion. 

HOUSING AND MEALS 

Students live in apartments chosen by the faculty director and staff that are within walking distance of the K. Robert Nilsson Center. Students with previous Italian language experience can live in an Italian apartment or homestay. Participants receive a food stipend and most students buy and cook their own food. 

STAFF 

Associate Professor of Political Science and International Studies Ed Webb serves as the faculty director of the program (2020–22). His teaching and research activities are mainly in Middle East politics, comparative politics and international relations. He contributes to Middle East studies and security studies. He has particular interests in the interaction of religions and politics and the politics of education, as well as authoritarianism and empire. His interest in pedagogical applications of new technologies, including simulations, games and social media, has led to him being appointed to the Advisory Board of the National Institute for Technology in Liberal Education. A former diplomat, he has lived and worked in the Middle East and Europe. He is assisted by Administrative Director and Dickinson alumna Ellen Laird ’02 and Program Associate Elena Giulia Dall’Acqua.