POL 288 – Democratic Community in Italy: Food, Shelter, Space, Voice
Four credits, EXP, FDR - SS2
Four weeks in Italy
Professor Robin LeBlanc
This course examines the nature of civic life in contemporary Italy, primarily through field study in Bologna. Bologna has a long tradition of civic activism. In the first four decades after World War II, with a remarkable combination of democratically elected Communist Party governments and industrial development, Bologna became one of the richest cities in all of Italy, a shining proof of the success of democracy in a once-fascist nation. Today Bologna faces challenges including Italy's long-term economic stagnation, the aging of the native Italian population, the arrival of new immigrant populations, the effects of the global climate crisis, and an ever-more intense reliance on the global tourism economy. Focusing on four themes-food, shelter, space, and voice-our class will seek an understanding of how complex global and local conditions shape the practice of democracy in Bologna. Doing their own fieldwork, students will map individually chosen aspects of community life in the city. A brief trip to Venice will provide a fascinating case for comparing the pressures of tourism, the climate, and the housing crisis on city life.
This course will count toward 200-level "global" credit for the Politics major as well as an SS2 FDR and for 4 EXP credits.
Program fee (Paid to W&L): $4,805
Includes programming, room, a few meals (~1 breakfast, ~4 lunches and ~3 dinners), fees, most in-country transportation.
Additional costs: airfare, most meals, cell phone, spending money, passport fees, and visa fees (if applicable)
For further details, please contact Professor LeBlanc at (leblancr@wlu.edu).
Please click the "Start New Application" button to start an application. Please click the "Resume Application" button to access an application you've already started. Please do not open multiple applications for the same program.
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Applications open October 5th, 2023