Humanities Winter Break Scholarships

We are happy to report that for the second year in a row, the Humanities Program will be offering students a chance to study issues related to  Global Migration during a Winter Break Study Abroad in Rome, Italy.

For more information about the program, please visit studyabroad.ku.edu/migrationstudiesrome

This program provides a series of experiential learning opportunities, including workshops with filmmakers, journalists, activists and leaders of non-governmental organizations as well as site visits to neighborhood initiatives, housing projects, local cooperatives, and museums that will guide the students as they explore the ethical implications that migration entails. There is also a three-hour survival Italian course as part of the program.

We are asking that you consider a donation of any size to help us reach our goal to raise $3,000 toward this Winter Break Study Abroad Program. Reaching our goal would allow six students to experience this amazing opportunity (each scholarship is worth $500).

Here is more information on the important work being done during the program:

The Mediterranean basin has always been a space for human mobility and cultural exchange. In recent years, several Mediterranean countries (such as Italy, Spain and Greece) have become the initial (and sometimes final) goal for large numbers of migrants and asylum-seekers attempting to enter the EU. Transnational migration is a complex phenomenon that generates controversial social and political issues.

After briefly discussing the history and the geography of human mobility across the Mediterranean, a space often represented as a “bridge” connecting people and cultures, Humanities’ winter break program in Rome will focus on the current developments in European policies with respect to regular and illegal immigration, and especially on what is called the “borderization” of the Mediterranean. Concepts as “fortress Europe” and “shelter Europe” (and their implications) will be discussed. e main part of the course will explore the political and sociological consequences of global migration and focus on issues such as racism, anti-immigration parties, but also successful ways to deal with diversity.

Students served food to those in need as part of the 2019 Winter Break Program

Students on the 2019 Winter Break Program listen to a tour guide.

This program provides a series of experiential learning opportunities, including workshops with filmmakers, journalists, activists and leaders of non- governmental organizations as well as site visits to neighborhood initiatives, housing projects, local cooperatives, and museums will guide the students as they explore the ethical implications that migration entails. There is also a three-hour survival Italian course as part of the program.