PROGRAM INFORMATION:

This program, themed around Slow Food and issues of sustainability and social justice, is based in the spectacular and vibrant city of Florence, located in the heart of Tuscany, Italy — a region renowned for its natural beauty and food culture. Course topics include communication and representation, travel and food writing, ethics in multicultural contexts, histories of food and women in Europe and ethnographic research abroad. Designed mainly for Communication, History, and Women’s and Gender Studies majors and minors, but open to any College of Charleston student, participants will choose 12-15 credit hours from courses listed below. The program includes weekly field trips that will take us to artisanal food and wine producers in and around the city, including artisanal chocolate, gelato, and cheese producers, as well as to vineyards and organic farms in the Tuscan hills surrounding Florence. As a group, we will also travel to the city of Turin to attend the premier biennial Slow Food International event, Terra Madre and the Salone del Gusto, where delegates from more than 100 countries will meet to address issues of sustainability and the preservation of biodiversity. At this 4 day event, we will have the opportunity to meet and mingle with food activists from all over the world in order to broaden our understanding of how members of the Slow Food movement are working together to create solutions to 21st century problems. For students interested in communication, history, gender, and/or sustainability, this program offers an unique study abroad opportunity in the birthplaces of the Renaissance and the Slow Food movement.

-Students will study in Florence for 10 weeks choosing from courses in Communication, History and Women's and Gender Studies.
-Students will live in centrally located apartments (2-4 students per apartment) in Florence.
-Students will take a high-speed train and spend a 4-day/3-night excursion to Turin for Terra Madre
-Students do not have to speak Italian. Classes will be taught in English and day-to-day life can be negotiated in English, though faculty will teach some basic Italian during Orientation
-Students will attend classes Monday-Friday, and coursework will be enhanced by weekly day-trips to Slow Food producers in and around Florence

COURSE INFORMATION:

Students must enroll between 12-16 credit hours. The courses offered are actual College of Charleston classes; therefore students will earn grades just as they would if they were offered on-campus. Grades earned will factor into the student's GPA at the College.

*All participants can enroll in any of the offered classes, and need not be majors in COMM, HIST or WGST.

-COMM 315 - Ethical Communication (3 credits)
-COMM 336 - Addressing Problems in Context (3 credits; counts for WGST major or minor credit)
-COMM 410 - Analysis of Communication Practice (4 credits)
-COMM 480 - Capstone in Communication (3 credits)
-HIST 250 - Special Topics: History, Families, and Food (3 credits; also counts for WGST and INTL)
-HIST 252 - Women in Europe (3 credits; also counts for WGST, INTL, PBHL, Gen Ed Humanities)
-WGST 400 - Independent Study (3 credits)

PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS:

-Students must have at least a 2.5 overall GPA
-Students must either already possess a valid passport, or be able to obtain a passport
-Students must complete any pre-requisite course requirements prior to participation (classes will be taught in English and students do not have to speak Italian)

PROGRAM DIRECTORS:

Dr. Celeste Lacroix
Department of Communication
lacroixc@cofc.edu

Dr. Lacroix has co-directed eighteen summer or semester study abroad programs in Europe. She will teach COMM 336 and team-teach COMM 410 and COMM 480.

Dr. Robert Westerfelhaus
Department of Communication
westerfelhausr@cofc.edu

Dr. Westerfelhaus has co-directed ten summer study abroad programs in Europe and spent one year living in Poland as a Fulbright Scholar. He will teach COMM 315 and team-teach COMM 410 and COMM 480.

Dr Cara Delay
Associate Professor, Department of History
Director, Women's and Gender Studies
delayc@cofc.edu

Dr. Delay has co-directed a summer study abroad program in Ireland and is a Fulbright Fellowship recipient. She will teach HIST 250 and HIST 252.

Note: For questions regarding on-site program details and course content, please contact the program directors. Any inquiries regarding application processing, billing, or scholarship opportunities can be directed to the Center for International Education (contact information listed above).

*A minimum number of participants is required for all study abroad programs to run