Overview | Academics | Cost | Location | Life Abroad | Student Voices
Beautiful scenary, delicious food, interesting people, and a new culture to explore. Imagine experiencing it all this summer!
This amazing program explores the relationship between violence and the formation of national identities in the unique cultural setting of Istria, the northwestern peninsula of Croatia. Istria is an ideal location for the program not only because of the beautiful location of the peninsula, surrounded by the Adriatic sea, but also because Istria is a "border zone" with a melange of Slavic, Italian and Germanic cultural traditions. Students will be based in Rovinj, a postcard perfect city on the shores of the Adriatic. Courses will be held in the Italian Cultural center which is located in a 17th century villa.
Rovinj was an island until the 17th century when the narrow channel separating the city from the mainland was filled to accommodate the growing population of the area as a naval and mercantile outpost of the Venetian Republic. The area has a rich historical legacy due to the constant exchange between Slavic, Latin, and Germanic cultures. The residents of Rovinj are multilingual and of mixed ethnic makeup. Croatian and Italian are used interchangeably and due to tourism and its border location, many of its residents also speak German and English. Istria is an excellent setting for UW-Madison students keen on studying a variety of topics, from literature to politics and anthropology.
"Personally, the study abroad in Croatia is my favorite teaching assignment at UW-Madison. It allows me to guide students in understanding how conflict develops between opposing cultural practices. By bridging the gap between my former homeland of Yugoslavia and my adopted country of the United States, the students learn the complexities of both the local and the global understanding of these concepts." -Resident Director Tomislav Longinovic
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The city of Rovinj, on the peninsula of Istria on the northeastern shores of the Adriatic Sea. Rovinj was originally an island but in the 17th century the narrow channel separating the city from the mainland was filled to accommodate the growing population of the area as a naval and mercantile outpost of the Venetian Republic. The area has a rich historical legacy due to the constant exchange between Slavic, Latin and Germanic cultures. Immune to the virulent nationalism that has devastated the rest of the region, this part of Croatia offers a unique opportunity to gain insight into European ideas of ethnic and religious tolerance.
Getting to Your Program
Students are responsible for making their own travel arrangements, which includes arranging flights that will allow for appropriate arrival time for the course start date.
Visa
A visa is not required for U.S. citizens for this program. U.S. citizens must have a U.S. passport valid for at least six months beyond the end of the program. Non-U.S. citizens should contact the study abroad advisor to discuss visa requirements.
Orientation
IAP expects you to be an active participant in preparing yourself for your study abroad experience. As a participant on an IAP program, you will receive a pre-departure orientation, either in-person or online. The type and format of this orientation will vary by program and will be provided to you upon acceptance to the program.
Housing
Housing and two daily meals are included in the program fee and will be provided by a villa located in Rovinj. You stay in double rooms in apartment-style housing with other program participants. Showers and bathrooms are located within each apartment. Accommodations are centrally located in Rovinj.
Excursions and Activities
You will participate in field trips to the relevant sites where the stories and legends about the cultural others have originated. Field trips will be made to the different areas of Istria, divided between Croatia and Italy. You will visit Vodnjan, a church with medieval relics of Christian saints and Dvigrad, a medieval ruined city among other locations. In northern Istria, students will visit a variety of towns including Porech where the Archbishop Palace is located and Hum, the smallest city in the world.
Insurance
You will be enrolled in the UW System required health insurance through Cultural Insurance Services International (CISI) and the cost of the insurance coverage is included in program fees.
On-Site Support
Resident Director Toma will accompany you.
Handbooks
Use the links below to find out more information on academics, daily life and student impressions for this program.
Croatia Summer 2013 Handbook (Summer - 2012-13)
Returned Student Network
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here to see testimonials from students abroad or to contact a returned student.
Student Profiles
Check out student profiles to learn more about their experience abroad.
Allison Hrkac
Student Testimonials
"Rovinj is a beautiful city - a classic quaint European town sitting on an amazing blue sea. I learned a lot, but also enjoyed the time just relaxing by the water. Whether in class, talking to the owner of the pizza place, wandering around the city, or seeing a concert by Croatia's most famous pop singer, I loved the mixture of learning and having enough time to soak it all in."
Starting with the origins of European "vampire plagues" which emerged in the areas of intense cultural contact between different civilizations during the 17th and 18th centuries, the seminar provides insight into the lesser-known areas of cultural history of Europe and its relationship to the formation of national identity. Focusing on the historical traumas caused by the war and ethnic strife, the seminar examines specific ways for resolving the conflict and developing tolerant notion of shared culture.
The seminar format will emphasize an interactive and interdisciplinary approach, including lectures by Toma and local guest speakers as well as field trips to the archeological sites from Roman times and Venetian and Austro-Hungarian periods. The struggle for memory between the "official story" and the alternative ones will also be presented in class. Special attention will be paid to the emergence of dialogue between different cultures in the region. Students will be required to keep a dialogue journal of their experience in and out of class. This journal will be the basis for the grade for the course, along with presentations on class readings, participation and in-class discussions.
Program Web Page(s)
Learn more about beautiful Rovinj
Course Equivalents
Use the links below to see a list of courses that students have taken on this program before and the UW equivalents. Note: this list only includes pre-approved courses for your program and may not be an exhaustive list of courses or departments. You will get instructions on the course equivalent process after acceptance.
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