Discover Sorrento and Calabria: BRIDGES – Bridging Regions in Diverse Geographical Experiences
 

This course will earn you credit toward Division II. The course can also count as elective credit toward the Interdisciplinary Humanities minor and as credit toward the Italian Studies foreign area study.

ENG 302 (3 hrs): The Business of Italian-American Writing: Diaspora, Family, and The Art of Border Crossing

MON/WED 2:00-3:15 until March 6th + travel in May

This short-term travel course offers students an immersive introduction to the literature, culture, and history of the Italian-American experience, with a particular focus on the rich legacies of Southern Italy. As a short-term course, it combines classroom study on campus with an intensive travel component abroad: in May, we will travel to Southern Italy—Sorrento and Calabria—where the remainder of the contact hours will be completed through site visits, cultural immersion, and experiential learning. We will explore how Italian American writers and artists have narrated diaspora, family, and migration, and how their works negotiate questions of identity, class, gender, and belonging.

As part of the course, we will visit Valdese, North Carolina, to explore the emigration patterns of the Waldensians, a persecuted Italian community. This visit highlights the historical connections between the Waldensians of Southern Italy and their diaspora in North Carolina, offering a compelling lens for understanding migration, faith, and resilience.

Central to the course is the concept of border crossing—geographic (Italy and America), cultural (tradition and assimilation), and artistic (literature, film, and other art forms). Students will engage with primary texts by authors such as Pietro di Donato, Kym Ragusa, and Juliet Grames, alongside critical readings that situate Italian American writing within broader discussions of diaspora and transnational studies.

See Dr. Balzano’s presentation here to learn about the program and view pictures of the beautiful regions where the international trip will take place!

Sorrento and Calabria Region, Italy

Discover Sorrento and Calabria: BRIDGES – Bridging Regions in Diverse Geographical Experiences
 

This short-term travel course offers students an immersive introduction to the literature, culture, and history of the Italian-American experience, with a particular focus on the rich legacies of Southern Italy. As a short-term course, it combines classroom study on campus with an intensive travel component abroad: in May, we will travel to Southern Italy—Sorrento and Calabria—where the remainder of the contact hours will be completed through site visits, cultural immersion, and experiential learning. We will explore how Italian American writers and artists have narrated diaspora, family, and migration, and how their works negotiate questions of identity, class, gender, and belonging.

As part of the course, we will visit Valdese, North Carolina, to explore the emigration patterns of the Waldensians, a persecuted Italian community. This visit highlights the historical connections between the Waldensians of Southern Italy and their diaspora in North Carolina, offering a compelling lens for understanding migration, faith, and resilience.

Central to the course is the concept of border crossing—geographic (Italy and America), cultural (tradition and assimilation), and artistic (literature, film, and other art forms). Students will engage with primary texts by authors such as Pietro di Donato, Kym Ragusa, and Juliet Grames, alongside critical readings that situate Italian American writing within broader discussions of diaspora and transnational studies.

See Dr. Balzano’s presentation here to learn about the program and view pictures of the beautiful regions where the international trip will take place!

Dr. Wanda Balzano
Associate Professor, Literature and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
balzanow@wfu.edu

Students will stay in residence halls (double or triple rooms). Access to kitchen; meals not provided. Bedrooms and common areas will have WiFi and air conditioning and will be cleaned weekly.

Planned excursions to be announced.

• Good Academic Standing
• Interest in subject matter
• Open to all majors

SPRING 2026 ESTIMATED COSTS
 

The total cost of a spring short-term study abroad program can be broken down into three categories:

Program Fee – Usually covers room, in-country travel, excursions, some meals and other costs associated with the program. 
Airfare (estimated) – Varies per location. Students are responsible for their own airfare unless otherwise noted.
Personal Expenses (estimated) – These will vary depending on the students’ spending habits, cost of living in the destination country, and the number of meals included in the program fee. This may also include visa fees, vaccinations, academic supplies/books and other miscellaneous daily expenses.

Program Fee – $2,560
Airfare (estimated) – $1,700
Personal Expenses (estimated) – $715
Estimated total cost – $4,975

Scholarships are available through the Center for Global Programs and Studies

Passport Information
Students need to check their passport’s expiration date and ensure that it will be valid for at least 1 year after the program’s end date.
US passport holders who need to renew their passport should visit the U.S. Department of State’s passport website for information on this process.
Non-US passport holders who need to renew their passport should refer to their home country’s passport office.

Visa Information
If you are a US citizen, you most likely will not require a visa for your short term abroad program. If you do, details will be shared with you by GPS. Non-US passport holders should check with their host country’s embassy or consulate to find out if a visa is required for their program or not.

Dr. Wanda Balzano
Associate Professor, Literature and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
balzanow@wfu.edu

Claire Tynan
Study Abroad Advisor
Center for Global Programs and Studies
(336) 758-4072
tynanc@wfu.edu