Academics

Interdisciplinary Mediterranean Studies

Pursuing Interdisciplinary Mediterranean Studies at MADE means exploring the humanities through the unique perspective of Sicily, bolstered by the region’s compelling history, captivating current socio-political climate, interesting geological traits, and fascinating cultures of literature, art, and architecture. 

Subject Offerings

  • Ancient Mediterranean Studies 
    • Anthropology (including Medical Anthropology)
    • Classics
    • History
    • Gender Studies
    • Philosophy
    • Sociology
  • Contemporary Mediterranean Studies
    • Anthropology
    • Environmental Studies
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Geography
    • Geology
    • Economics
    • History
    • Management
    • Political Science/International Relations 
    • Urban Studies/Planning

Interdisciplinary Mediterranean Studies Track 

This multidisciplinary track is designed to present the essence of this island civilization and allows students to trace the historical narrative of Italy, and Sicily, from the fall of the Roman Empire to the 21st century as well as to satisfy important major-specific and core requirements.

International Migration Studies Certificate: The Mediterranean in Context

Housed within the Interdisciplinary Studies Track (Contemporary Mediterranean Studies option) is the  MADE certificate-in-one-semester in International Migration Studies for study abroad students. This certificate requires that students take five (5) classes during the semester, including four (4) required courses, and one (1) elective course to choose from. The additional required class is “History of Migration in Sicily.” The coursework and co-curriculum provide students with the opportunity to deepen their understanding of migration studies as an interdisciplinary field of inquiry, and to then apply these methodologies and theoretical frameworks to the particular case of the Southern Mediterranean, namely Sicily, today and throughout millennia. 

Fall 2025 Mediterranean Studies Courses 

Required Courses:

  1. History of Migration in Sicily (6 ECTS/3 US semester credits) (required for certificate only)
  2. Directed Undergraduate Research (6 ECTS/3 US semester credits)
  3. Documenting Sicily: A Multimedia Approach (8 ECTS/4 US semester credits) (including multi-day academic excursion to Lampedusa) 
  4. Italian Language & Culture (offered at all levels, A1-C2) (6 ECTS/3 US semester credits)

Students pursuing the certificate will then choose one (1) of the following five (5) classes to complete their certificate in International Migration. 

Students opting to complete the track option will be able to choose two (2) of the following five (5) optional courses. 

Optional Courses:

  1. Mediterranean Anthropology: Environment, Population, Art and Tradition (6 ECTS/3 US semester credits)
  2. Mafia: Culture and Politics (6 ECTS/3 US semester credits)
  3. Volcanology: Environment, Geology, and Culture + Lab (8 ECTS/4 US semester credits)
  4. Local Craft for Global Product Design (6 ECTS/3 US semester credits)
  5. The Conquer(ing) of Space (6 ECTS/3 US semester credits)
  6. Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management: MADE in Sicily (6 ECTS/3 US semester credits)

Course Descriptions

History of Migration in Sicily (Required for certificate, optional for track)
6 ECTS/3 US semester credits 

The Southern Mediterranean Basin has been the cradle of world civilizations since the first settlements in Jericho in 9000 BC, the place where religions, economies, and political systems met, clashed, influenced, and absorbed one another. Sicily is at the crossroads of the Mediterranean and for over 2000 years, has been the gateway between Europe, Africa, and the East. It has long been seen as the frontier between Western Civilization and the rest, but never definitively part of either. Despite being conquered by empires - Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Normans, Hapsburg Spain - it remains uniquely apart. This course will serve as an introduction to the island, its history, and its people through the interdisciplinary framework that informs modern Migration Studies, examining issues through geographic, historical, philosophical, and political lenses. Starting with questions such as “What is a map?” and “What is a territory?”, students will progress to learning about and being able to discuss the following topics: the Mediterranean Basin as a cradle of civilization; Sicily and an introduction to the concept of Island; the Island in Philosophy from Thales of Miletus to today; what is a Philosophy of the Island (G. Deleuze); the concepts of migration and navigation; the theory of the "New Barbarians" (T. Negri); the theory of “Stateless Persons” (G. Agamben); the disputed Mediterranean; and the “Philosophy of the Sea.” Students will visit a selection of cities and towns, sites, monuments, and museums. 

Directed Undergraduate Research (Required for certificate and track)
6 ECTS/3 US semester credits 

Pursuing an individual research capstone allows MADE students to explore their individual interests in the context of Sicily and the Mediterranean Basin, enhance their research skills, and learn from industry mentors. Starting with a foundation of interdisciplinary theoretical frameworks and research methodologies, each student sets out to explore their individual academic and career interests, supplemented by Sicily’s unique attributes and resources. With the support of industry experts, such as a local NGO leader, volcanologist, designer, or artist, students gain valuable professional competencies, such as critical thinking, leadership, and communication. By the end of the term, each student will have completed a final project or product, giving them a tangible takeaway from their high impact learning experience. Designed to be uniquely customizable for all levels, thanks to individual mentorship from local professionals and practitioners, this course is just as relevant for a rising senior working on their honors thesis in Psychology as it is for a rising sophomore delving into their Economics major for the first time. The course spans the entire semester, with an intensive four-week period at the beginning of the term. 

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

  • Collect, process, analyze, and/or draw conclusions from data to address a specific research question.
  • Explain research methodologies and/or analysis techniques.
  • Apply skills in research methodologies and/or analysis techniques.
  • Synthesize research experience by identifying lessons learned, strengths, ways to improve and relating experience to coursework and professional futures.

Documenting Sicily: A Multimedia Approach (required for both certificate and track)
8 ECTS / 4 US semester credits

In this course, students will have the opportunity to engage with a variety of lectures and labs as well as visits to local NGOs and community organizations. Students will document their experiences through creative reflections in photography, drawing, and creative writing. Through guided visits to local monuments and historical sites, guest lectures from artists and professionals, and carefully selected readings on ethnographical, historical, and political approaches to the artistic process, this innovative course grants students the opportunity to apply a variety of critical frameworks as they create a monument to their own lived experience in Sicily through photography, video making, and creative writing. This course spans the entire semester, with an intensive four-week period at the beginning of the term. 

To enrich the learning experience, all students enrolled in this class during the academic year (fall and spring semesters) will embark on an intensive excursion to the island of Lampedusa. Students will travel to the “ Lampedusa MADE Outpost” (a project by MADE in cooperation with the Lampedusa Municipality and Mediterranean Hope). Semester students will collaborate on projects in Lampedusa, for example: creating a short documentary film, a common manifesto for the future of Lampedusa, or completing a public roundtable discussion about their experience and how they will work to transform the world.   

Before, during, and after the required field excursion to Lampedusa, students will learn about the location as a synecdochal stand-in for the liminal spaces that migrants occupy, along with the union of cultures that migration creates and mythologizes. 

NOTE: excursion to Lampedusa is weather permitting. If visiting Lampedusa is not possible, students will visit another relevant site, such as Palermo.

Overview: Italian Language & Culture (intensive 4 weeks at the beginning of the semester; required for both certificate and track) 
6 ECTS / 3 US semester credits

Each student will complete an intensive Italian Language and Culture course. By beginning the term with an intensive 4-week Italian Language and Culture course, students are prepared for more meaningful engagement with their environment. Students will explore Italy’s history, culture, and language, both through lectures and local site visits. By developing an understanding of the unique historical and cultural context of Sicily as well as key Italian words and phrases, students are empowered to interact with the local community in a respectful and meaningful way. With this groundwork in place, students will be set up for success to engage with all that Sicily has to offer and to set themselves apart by completing their MADE program. Italian classes are offered at all levels, from A1-C2, and a placement exam is offered online, pre-departure. 

Optional Coursework Descriptions:

1) Mediterranean Anthropology: Environment, Population, Art, and Tradition (optional course, to choose from for certificate and track)
6 ECTS /3 US semester credits

In this course, students will first review the basics of anthropology and study anthropological methods in the context of the Mediterranean. Building upon that, students will then explore the relationship between anthropology and art, film, and tradition. Students will have the opportunity to engage in Practical Labs, led by Gabriella Ciancimino, focusing on art as a catalyst for social change and community engagement.

In this course, students will advance their understanding of anthropology  through the following units with a practical, directed lab experience to synthesize their learning at the end of the term:  

  1. Introduction to Anthropology
    1. Anthropological methods: fieldwork and comparative analysis
    2. The Mediterranean as a mixed anthropology
  2. Documenting artistic production as a contemporary anthropology 
  3. An Anthropology of Sicilian folk tradition and its environment
    1. The Mediterranean as an anti-population
    2. Other forms of migration: Terrasini and the fishermen towards the USA
    3. Other forms of migration: the Aeolian Islands and the migration to Australia
  4. Practical Lab (Gabriella Ciancimino)
    1. Translating philosophy into artistic practice
    2. Translating anthropology into artistic practice

2)   Mafia: Culture and Politics (optional course, to choose from for certificate and non-certificate tracks)
6 ECTS / 3 US semester credits

This course analyzes the rise of the mafia, its place in society as a world-famous phenomenon, and its structure and significance. The course focuses on the Sicilian Mafia, its function in traditional Sicilian society and its deep interaction with politics. Students should expect to study Sicilian society and Italian history, with an accent on Sicilian events from 1863 up to the Mafia wars against the Italian state in the 80s and discuss the way in which the Italian and Mafia organizations have changed after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. On the political side, we explore recent directions taken by the Mafia and Anti Mafia campaigns launched after the dramatic deaths of Judges Falcone and Borsellino, the legislative, judicial and political response to the Mafia phenomenon by the Italian State. Finally, students will have the chance to visit places and speak with people concerned with the Mafia.

3) Volcanology (optional course, to choose from for both certificate and track)
8 ECTS/4 US semester credits
Prerequisite: one previous science course; geology or chemistry preferred.

Mount Etna, the largest and most active volcano in Europe, is one of Nature’s great laboratories and has provided fascinating insights into the complex dynamics of this volcano and the processes of magma supply, accumulation, up-rise and eruption. The evolution of Mount Etna will be discussed in the regional geodynamic framework, starting from the long-lived pre-Etnean volcanism that affected the Hyblean Plateau to the south of the present-day Etna volcano. The course will investigate the geodynamic environments of volcanism, different types of volcanic processes and their products, the impact of volcanism on the environment, and volcanic hazards, as well as the benefits brought by volcanoes and introduce the different techniques applied in the monitoring of volcanic and tectonic phenomena that help in recognizing in advance the movement of magma to the surface, instability of the volcanic edifice, and in the evaluation of volcanic hazards such as the simulation of lava flow paths. Through field and site visits to Mt. Etna, along with Italy’s National Seismological Organization, the National Institute for Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV), students will engage with data collection, hypothesis testing, and modern technologies to better shape their understanding of natural and earth sciences. This course includes a one-credit lab component. 

4) Local Craft for Global Product Design 
Credit Hours: 6 ECTS / 3 US semester credits 

Sicilian handicrafts have always been linked to a folkloric and rhetorical image. Today, however, some sophisticated and contemporary realities on the island try to transform local materials into products “speaking” a global language. During the course, students will be invited to analyze the materials and production techniques of the Sicilian territory, to reinterpret them in a contemporary key, through the development of a product or a small collection of objects, to be physically produced through the realization of prototypes.

In this course, students will learn about the artisan history of Sicily, examining the traditional creation of ceramics, crafts, textiles, and more. Coursework will include visits to local workshops as well as guest lectures from Sicilian artisans. Students will complete hands-on projects using traditional regional materials and techniques. As students deepen their understanding of the historical and cultural significance of Sicilian handicrafts, they will begin to draw inspiration for how to honor these customs in new and innovative ways. Students will examine the role of traditional artisanal products and methods in modern day society, contemplating how to preserve their important cultural significance while also making the adaptations needed to succeed in the current international marketplace. Students will consider sustainable product design as they aim to create innovative interpretations of traditional products.

5) The Conquer(ing) of Space 
Credit Hours: 6 ECTS / 3 US semester credits

Cities are intrinsically linked with their spaces and what happens in them. Starting from the reality of spaces, we see the city as a stage for situations. Situations are a set of conditions: informally, accidentally, or potentially planned. The aim of the course is to question critically the realm of existing realities, changing the perception of the ordinary through an investigation of the anatomy of the space, built or not built, defined or not defined, connected or disconnected. We rely on the potential of design to reconnect broken spaces and reopen them to experience. 

In this course, students will consider the unique relationship between spaces and the people that interact with them, analyzing the impact that a setting can have on human activity and experience. As a case study, students will examine the spaces around Syracuse, analyzing how they shape their interactions with and impressions of the city. They will contemplate how the spaces found in Syracuse interplay with behavior, customs, and daily life for the local community as well as tourists and visitors. Students will then create their own designs, proposing adaptations to public spaces that could improve the human experience. Coursework will involve theoretical context for urban planning as well as practical projects, utilizing critical thinking and creative problem solving skills. Throughout the duration of the course, students will continually return to the concept of "design for change," to build a deeper understanding of how creativity can impact society.

6) Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management: MADE in Sicily
Credit Hours: 6 ECTS / 3 US semester credits

In this course, students will explore the dynamic entrepreneurial landscape of Sicily, focusing on small business development in local creative industries. Class readings and discussions will allow students to unpack the impact of Sicily’s unique geographic, historical, and cultural context on innovation in local business ventures. This course will cover the business development process, across the stages of planning, marketing, financing, and operations. Through case studies, guest lectures, and individual projects, students will gain a deeper understanding of the skills and steps needed to successfully launch and maintain a small business. Students will also analyze the role of sustainability in building a business, considering the effect of the environment and climate change on Sicilian industries, such as artisans, agricultural tourism, winemakers, and more. Examining the relationship between tradition and innovation in Sicilian entrepreneurship will provide a lens for students to understand the complex obstacles and opportunities faced by small business owners on a global scale.