COM 370: Mobility in and around the Island of Lampedusa
This course is based on a co-constructed model of knowledge and shared learning, as we work directly with local residents, students, community organizations, and businesses, as well as migrants and refugees, to teach and learn together across the island. 

Lampedusa is a small island with about 6000 residents, plus anywhere between 400 and 1200 migrants and refugees arriving from the Mediterranean Sea. Situated between Tunisia and Malta in the middle of the Mediterranean, this is the southernmost part of Italy.

COM 370(1.5hrs): Mobility in and around the Island of Lampedusa

The goal of this class is to connect you with migrants and refugees who have recently arrived or now live and work in Lampedusa, and with local residents, community organizations directly working with migrants and refugees, as well as local high school students. 

We will explore and experience the unique historical, political, and cultural position of Lampedusa, as a small island that geographically is part of Africa, but geopolitically serves as the gateway to Europe, as well as a dangerous and charged border that represents Europe’s colonial past, the current European Union “fortress Europe” mentality, and a possibly future porous, more open and welcoming border.

We will also develop a model of learning that is centered on critical listening, learning, sharing knowledge and stories not as finite and static, but as mobile and evolving, shareable with others, so they can teach others. The pedagogical model of this course, as traforato, is based on short-lectures and workshops that will take place on locations across the island (at the archives, at and art workshop, at the harbor where migrants and refugees arrive, in the turtle sanctuary, in the main square, plus other locations such as beaches, cemetery, lighthouses). This class explores how and why this island is at the center of discourses on immigration, mobility, race, and the history of colonialism between Europe and Africa.

Dr. Alessandra Von Burg
Associate Professor of Communications 
Email: beaslea@wfu.edu
336-758-5405

Double occupancy rooms in a local hotel. 

NOTE: All students participating in the WFU Lampedusa program are required to live in program-provided housing. Housing accommodations you may have on campus do not automatically transfer to abroad and certain housing accommodations (single rooms and private bathrooms, for example) may not be available.

– Rabbit and other local beaches 
– Turtle sanctuary
– Boat tour around the island
– Workshop with local artists

The resident professor is responsible for the selection of each group based on the following criteria:

*Academic suitability
*Social and emotional maturity
*Seriousness of the student in pursuing the academic and cultural aims of the program

The travel schedule of this trip (May 8-15) prevents seniors from participating, due to the schedule for grades.

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. Program fee will also cover the cost of the group flight from Rome, Italy to Lampedusa. 
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. 

Program Fee – $TBD
Airfare from US to Rome, Italy (estimated) – $TBD
Personal Expenses (estimated) – $TBD
Estimated total cost – $TBD

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 6 months after the program’s end date.

Students going on a spring short-term program need to make sure their passport is valid through at least December of the same year.

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 spring 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. Alessandra Von Burg
Associate Professor of Communications 
Email: beaslea@wfu.edu
336-758-5405

Amanda Batten
Study Abroad Advisor
Center for Global Programs and Studies
Phone: (336) 758-3194
Email: battena@wfu.edu