Padova was important historically as a prominent commercial center for the Veneto region due to its location as a trading port on the Brenta River, but also for the founding of the University of Padova in 1222 by students and instructors fleeing academic restrictions at the University of Bologna (founded in 1000 A.D.). It is thus the second oldest university in Italy, and one of the oldest in Europe. Its rich history is distinguished by the pioneering development of empirical science, from studies in botany through the earliest botanical garden in the world, as well as advances in astronomy under Galileo, and human anatomy at the oldest anatomical theatre in the world.

Concerning the cultural setting, Padova is truly a University town with a vibrant student community at the center of the contemporary city. The medieval hazing rituals of student graduation ceremonies occur regularly in the central plaza, and the historical market as well as the celebrated and most elegant coffee house, Café Pedrocchi, are also located nearby. Padova also features the impressive cathedral of Sant’ Antonio, one of the most beautiful churches in the world, containing famous works of art by Donatello, a unique Baptistery with works by Cimabue, the predecessor of Giotto, as well as the renowned Scrovegni Chapel with frescoes by Giotto.

The program will end with a final week of retreat in Rome, which, as George Eliot wrote, is "the city of visible history,where the past of a whole hemisphere seems moving in funereal procession in strange and ancestral images and trophies gathered from afar." We will visit major ancient sites, monuments and art galleries in Rome, and continue our discussion of the themes studied in both courses in a new and very exciting cultural setting.

We will visit major monuments and art galleries in Rome from various periods that may include such sites as the Roman Forum, the Colosseum, Ostia Antica, the catacombs of San Sebastiano, San Clemente, St. Peter's, Vatican Museum, Galleria Borghese, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, Trastevere, etc.

"The History and Culture of Padova and Venice"

The historical focus in this course will consider the origins of Patavium as an early ally of Rome against the Gauls and its later development as an independent medieval commune and university center before being conquered by the Venetian Republic. As a result of this historical link, participants will be able to consider as well the history of Venice from its origins as a place of refuge from barbarian invasions beginning in the 5th century to a position of dominance as a Mediterranean naval power and later its control over the Veneto region of Northern Italy. Thus, while focusing on the rich history of the University of Padova and such figures as Petrarch, Dante, and Galileo, students will also be able to explore Venice, which is only thirty minutes by train from Padova and other sites in Northern Italy such as Verona, Vicenza, Bologna, etc.

Our visits to Venice will include a private tour, after hours, of the basilica of San Marco where the lavish interior will be gradually illuminated to fully appreciate the 4,000 square meters of stunning gold mosaics covering the five domes and massive barrel vaults decorated from the 11th to the 14th centuries. This singular experience is the only way to fully appreciate the interior of the basilica that represents the wealth and artistic refinement of the Venetian Republic. In addition, our tour will include a close view of the richly ornamented, enameled panels of the golden altarpiece decorating the sarcophagus of St. Mark, as well as a visit to the crypt below the altar.

This seminar will introduce students to concepts of gift and sacrifice, two foundational structures of exchange that have ruled economic, social and religious life since the inception of culture. Both raise fundamental questions about the constitution of communities by means of the binding power of gratitude, or, more ominously, sacrificial scapegoats. As a contemporary critic wrote (Mark Osteen), the study of the gift touches on some of the most fundamental concerns that define our humanity: “freedom and autonomy, calculation and spontaneity, gratitude and generosity, risk and power.”

The study of sacrifice in turn generates a series of provocative as well as unsettling questions: whether conceptions of the sacred are inextricably linked with violence, whether sacrificial rituals escalate rather than contain violence, whether recuperative economies that seek gain out of loss inevitably fuel sacrificial behavior, whether capital punishment is not in effect a contemporary version of ancient sacrificial rites, and whether communities can ever escape the predicament of uniting against a designated scapegoat and resorting to sacrificial ideologies.

These and related questions will form the subject of this course which will introduce students to foundational texts in anthropology, psychoanalysis and sociology (Marcel Mauss' The Gift, Sigmund Freud's Totem and Taboo, Rene Girard's Violence and the Sacred) and to the representation of gift and sacrifice in the Bible, folklore, film ("The Merchant of Venice," "Babette’s Feast," "Breaking the Waves") and literature (Aeschylus, Agamemnon, William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice and Julius Caesar, Shirley Jackson's The Lottery, selected poems by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, William Wordsworth and Lord Byron).

The course will also deal with specifically Roman customs of gift and sacrifice and use the rich resources in Padova, Venice and Rome to document the various representations, especially in Medieval and Renaissance Italian art, of three founding biblical stories of sacrifice: the sacrifice/murder of Abel by Cain, the sacrifice of Isaac by Abraham, and the sacrifice of Christ.

The program fee is being finalized and is projected at $4,300. The fee will cover instruction costs, credits, housing, and transportation for required field trips. A $350 deposit, included in the program fee, will be assessed to the student’s tuition account just after the student signs the payment contract. In addition and at the same time, students pay the IPE fee of $250. The program fee does not cover: IPE fee, airfare, meals, insurance or personal travel and expenses.

The CHID Program reserves the right to change the program fee based upon dollar devaluation or unforeseen economic conditions. If such a change occurs, students will be notified of the increase and an adjustment will be made to the final program payment. All fees are charged to students’ accounts, and paid the same way as tuition.

Refund: The $350 deposit and the IPE fee are non-refundable. Students who have signed the payment contract are subject to the withdrawal policy outlined in the contract. Any student withdrawing from the program will be liable for a portion of the program fee, according to the schedule listed on the contract. Participants who wish to withdraw must 1) submit notice of their decision in writing to CHID and 2) must turn in the formal withdrawal request form to the International Programs and Exchanges (IPE) Office.

For information about scholarships - including the quarterly UW International Programs and Exchanges Scholarship, Go! and Fritz Grants - have a look at the following websites:

Most forms of financial aid can be used during participation in this program. Participants who are on financial aid should contact the Financial Aid office to verify that their awards will apply. Students interested in applying for increased financial aid during their study abroad should obtain a revision request from the Financial Aid office, and a budget of student expenses from the IPE office, and submit both to the Financial Aid office in Schmitz Hall.

Students from all areas of study are encouraged to apply. After applying, students will be contacted for an interview.
NOTE: In order to receive credit for this program, participants must submit a Concurrent Enrollment (CE) form to the IPE office.
There is a $25 late fee for forms that are turned in after the deadline.

Departure Quarter	Concurrent Enrollment Deadline
Autumn	September 1
Winter	December 1
Spring	March 1
Summer	May 1
Exploration Seminar	July 1