Location

Geneva, Montreux, Bucharest, Brasov, Cluj-Napoca, Switzerland, Romania, Italy

Program Description

This program will immerse students in the global humanitarian system, from the birthplace of the modern humanitarian movement in Geneva, to migration hotspots in eastern and southern Europe where humanitarian actors are assisting refugees fleeing war, persecution, and extreme poverty. Co-led by a JMU faculty member and a former UNICEF official, the program will explore the legal and theoretical foundations of the international humanitarian system, as well as the complex challenges and rewards of applied humanitarian action on the European continent.

Among the highlights of the program, students will learn firsthand from humanitarian professionals and government officials in Geneva, Rome, and Bucharest; visit humanitarian field sites and migrant integration centers in Italy and Romania; and attend lectures and seminars with leading scholars in the fields of humanitarianism and migration studies. Along the way, we will explore local foods, experience new cultural traditions, and enjoy excursions to some of the most beautiful and dynamic destinations in Europe—from the Swiss alps, to the forests of Transylvania, to the Mediterranean coast of Italy.

Academically, our program will focus on the themes of global migration and humanitarian aid. Students will complete two three-credit classes in Justice Studies (JUST 352: Global Migration and JUST 356: Refugees and Humanitarian Response). In preparation for our trip, students will participate in a series of pre-departure meetings in the spring semester, which will include some preliminary coursework as well as practical orientation information. While abroad, most days will include a mix of site visits, guest lectures, and group discussions connecting our travel experiences to key concepts and themes in the courses. Wherever possible, the program will integrate opportunities for experiential learning and critical reflection related to the course content.

Location Description

The program will begin with a week in Switzerland, where our home base will be Geneva, the birthplace of the international Red Cross movement and the epicenter of the modern humanitarian system. We will visit the headquarters of some of the world’s leading humanitarian organizations, including the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF). We will take advantage of Geneva’s unique museums and historical sites to learn about the history of the global humanitarian system and hear directly from academic experts, UN officials, and humanitarian professionals about current and future trends in the field. While in Switzerland, we will also enjoy a series of immersive cultural experiences, including a boat tour of Lake Geneva, a daytrip to the Alps, and an overnight excursion to Montreux and the famous alpine cheesemaking region of Gruyères.

We then travel to Romania, on the eastern edge of the European Union, where we will spend a week learning about the local humanitarian response to the war in neighboring Ukraine. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, more than 2.4 million Ukrainians have crossed the border into Romania, making it one of the most important refugee transit countries in Europe. We begin in Bucharest, Romania’s capital, meeting with local experts, government officials, and international humanitarian representatives to understand the dynamics of Romania’s unusually welcoming response to Ukrainian refugees. We then journey to Brasov, a picturesque city nestled in the foothills of the Carpathian mountains, where officials collaborated with local nonprofits and international humanitarian agencies to build an acclaimed refugee integration center. We conclude our time in Romania with a visit to Cluj-Napoca, a vibrant university town in the heart of Transylvania, where we will engage with students at Babes-Bolyai University (UBB), Romania’s oldest and most prestigious university, and enjoy a lecture series from scholars at UBB’s Center for Comparative Migration Studies. During our time in Romania, we will take a number of cultural excursions, including a walking tour of Old Town Bucharest, a visit to Bran Castle (a.k.a. “Dracula’s castle”), and a daytrip to the exquisitely preserved medieval Saxon city of Sibiu.

Our final destination is Italy, where we will spend 12 days exploring the complex dynamics of migration and humanitarian assistance along Europe’s Mediterranean coast. We begin in Rome, home to major humanitarian organizations like the World Food Programme (WFP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), as well as a significant share of Italy’s large and diverse migrant population. In Rome, we will meet UN officials at WFP and FAO, tour the Joel Nafuma Refugee Center, explore multicultural neighborhoods like Pigneto and Esquilino, and enjoy lectures from local experts about Italy’s complex history as both a migration destination and country of origin. We will also partake in cultural excursions to key sites around Rome, including visits to Vatican City, the Colosseum, and the Roman Forum.

We then head to the southern Italian region of Sicily, where we will split our time between the Sicilian capital of Palermo, Italy’s most ethnically diverse city, and the Mediterranean island of Lampedusa. In Palermo, we will learn from local experts about the rapid growth of the city’s migrant population, visit humanitarian NGOs and migrant associations, and explore the famous Ballarò market. We then travel by high-speed ferry to Lampedusa, the southernmost point in Italy and an important migrant gateway, to explore the impact of mass migration on the island’s culture and economy, and learn about humanitarian search and rescue operations in the Mediterranean Sea. Our time in Sicily will conclude with excursions to Mount Etna and UNESCO-protected archeological sites at Agrigento and Syracuse.

Director

Daniel Beers | beersdj@jmu.edu | Justice Studies

Accommodations

Accommodation will vary from location to location. Generally speaking, students will stay in hotels and guest houses with shared double rooms.

Breakfast is provided by the hotels and paid for by the program. A few shared group dinners will also be provided as part of the program fee. In addition, each student will receive a meal stipend of 20 Euros per day to cover the cost of lunch and dinner. Most students will spend more than the 20 Euro allotment, especially in Geneva and Rome.

Additional Items to Consider

Italy, Switzerland, and Romania are all part of the EU’s Schengen Area. U.S. citizens can enter visa-free for stays of up to 90 days.

In preparation for our trip, students will participate in a series of pre-departure meetings in the spring semester, which will include some preliminary coursework as well as practical orientation information.

Applicant Criteria

Applicants must have a GPA minimum of 2.0.

Open to all class levels and majors, including graduate students.

Application Process

This list serves as an application preview. To apply, students will need to complete the following:

• Study Abroad Online Application ($40 fee)
• Short Essay
• Interview with program director required
• Attendance at program information session required
• Official transcript required for non-JMU students; unofficial transcript required for JMU students

Further details and instructions about these application requirements will be available upon log-in.