Yale Summer Session in Dubrovnik: History & Culture of Southeastern Europe

Description

[NOTE: Program details (overall status, dates, costs, etc.) are subject to change each summer, and the information on this page will be updated as such details are finalized.]

The course is offered in Dubrovnik, Croatia and presents a multidisciplinary study of the area of Southeastern Europe from antiquity to modernity. The topics include the remnants of the Roman world and Byzantine presence; consequences of the schism between Rome and Constantinople; barbarian kingdoms and the medieval city-states; Ottoman incursions and millets; Renaissance and Baroque; beginning of nationalism and modern national integrations; national revolutions, fascism, communism, and post-communist conflicts; secularization of religion; genocide in post-Yugoslav wars. The course also includes several academic field trips in the Dubrovnik area, such as an afternoon in Cavtat and Konavle and an afternoon on the island of Lokrum, a day trip to the Elaphiti Islands, a three-day visit to Sarajevo and Mostar in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and an afternoon at the peninsula of Pelješac.

Classes will meet Monday - Friday from 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. and students should expect about 10 hours of work outside the classroom each week. Academic field trips and excursions will be organized on the weekends of the program.

At the time of application, participants choose to receive credit in either SOCY, ER&M, or GLBL for the Culture of Southeastern Europe course. 

Jasmina Beširević Regan is the associate dean for graduate education at the Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and an associate dean for undergraduate education in Yale College. She is also a faculty member in the Departments of Sociology and Ethnicity, Race, and Migration. Her academic training is in the sociology of genocide and her teaching and research interests include ethnic conflict, identity, nationalism, human rights, and refugee resettlement. She received her B.A. in Sociology from Augsburg College in Minneapolis, and her Ph.D. in Sociology from Yale having also earned the Master’s degrees there. Her dissertation on ethnic cleansing in the Bosnian city of Banja Luka focuses on the emergence of a Bosnian Muslim refugee community. Dean Besirevic Regan has presented papers on the sociology of genocide at a number of professional meetings, and has been invited to speak at international conferences both at Yale and abroad. Before joining the Graduate School academic affairs team, she served as the Dean of Trumbull College, one of fourteen residential colleges at Yale, for twelve years.

Andrea Feldman is a professor of history at University of Zagreb in Croatia. She received her Master’s degrees (M.A., M. Phil.) and Ph. D. in history from Yale University. She edited the first collection of works in women’s history in Croatia: Žene u Hrvatskoj: Ženska i kulturna povijest, (Women in Croatia: Women’s and Cultural History) (Zagreb, 2004.) The author and the editor of several books among them: Imbro I. Tkalac: europsko iskustvo hrvatskog liberala, (European Experience of a Croatian Liberal) (1824-1912) , Zagreb, 2012, Lydia Sklevicky: Žene i moć: povijesna geneza jednog interesa (Lydia Sklevicky: Women and Power - Historical Genesis of an Interest), she lectured at universities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the US, Canada and the UK. Since October 2018 she has been leading The Modern Thinking Women in Croatia project, the first women’s history project financed by the Croatian Science Foundation. As the Vice President and International Secretary of the Liberal Party (2000-2004), she worked as the Advisor for Human Rights and Civil Society to the Minister of Foreign Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Republic of Croatia in 2000-2003 coalition government.

Budget

Yale Summer Session Programs Abroad updates program budgets in late January. Please note the year listed on the button below.

Summer 2024 Budget

Trips and Activities

To best experience this region of Southeastern Europe, all excursions will include a sampling of local cuisine, walking tours, and presentations by local scholars.

Activities in Dubrovnik include a boat tour of the nearby islands, sea kayaking, various art performances, ice cream tastings, café outings (schedule permitting), a guided tour of the Rector’s Palace, and instructor-led walking tours of the Old City, St. Blasius Church, the Assumption Cathedral, Franciscan Monastery, Jewish Museum, Dominican Monastery, and the Old City Walls.

Trips outside of Dubrovnik will include several excursions:

• an afternoon-visit to the coastal city of Cavtat and presentations at the Baltazar Bogišić Museum, the Bukovac Gallery, and the Mausoleum of the Račić family by the sculptor Ivan Meštrović, with a traditional lunch in the Konavle region;
• a one-day visit to the Elaphiti islands of Lopud, Šipan, and Koločep, with a walking tour of the stone villages and historical landmarks, and a lunch on the boat with a short stop for swimming and sunbathing at nearby beaches;
• a three-day visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina which includes a traditional Bosnian lunch in Jablanica, a presentation by a genocide survivor and a guided tour of the Gallery Exhibition Srebrenica, a walking tour of downtown Sarajevo, as well as a guided tour of the Old City in Mostar, and a visit of the Dervish’s House in Blagaj;
• an afternoon at the peninsula of Pelješac which includes a visit to an oyster farm, a local vineyard, and a salt mine in Ston, as well as taking a boat to Kobaš for a seafood lunch and relaxation by the sea;
• an afternoon at the nature reserve on the island of Lokrum.

Housing

[NOTE: Students are required to stay in program-provided housing.  There is no option for individually-arranged housing.]

Students will stay in double occupancy suites at Inter-University Center where class sessions will also be held. All suites are air-conditioned and furnished with two beds, two desks, and two chairs, and their own bathrooms. Breakfast is included at the IUC. Housing fee includes most lunches and dinners, Monday through Friday which will be provided at the Mimoza Restaurant.

Notes

Participants are responsible for making their own travel arrangements and are expected to arrive in Dubrovnik on the first day of the program, and depart no earlier than the last day of the program (see 'Dates' above); additional information will be provided upon admission.

Questions

For course content questions contact instructor, Jasmina Besirevic. For general program questions contact the Study Abroad staff.

Important Information Before Applying

• All YSS Programs Abroad are intensive, highly structured academic programs for Yale credit and grades.
• Students may only apply to one YSS Program Abroad per summer.
• Admission is not guaranteed. Applicants should anticipate that more students will apply than there are spots available, and Yale College students should apply to a backup Non-Yale Summer Abroad opportunity.
• Ensure that your transcript reflects how you have met the pre-requisite, if applicable, prior to applying.
• Participants must commit to the full program dates. Late arrivals and early departures are not permitted.
• Participants are required to be enrolled in all program courses.
• Participants should expect evening and weekend requirements. Students who have questions about religious observance during a YSS Program Abroad are encouraged to Meet with an Adviser.
• Program-arranged housing is required for all YSS Programs Abroad. Students are not permitted to secure independent housing. Students who have housing-related questions about placements, allergies, religious observance, or disability-related access are encouraged to Meet with an Adviser.

Apply to a YSS Program Abroad