Faculty-led Program on the Mediterranean: Malta

Participants in this program will come face to face with the remnants of Malta’s fascination with pirates as we explore the hidden coves and caves in which they hid in days long past. We will also examine the idea and the act of martyrdom, which lies at the heart of the world’s great religions. Malta is an island nation in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea which geographically and culturally spans the crossroads of Christian and Muslim civilizations. Malta provides a landscape dotted with martyries and hidden gems that will certainly shiver your timbers. While pirates are a thing of the past Malta’s commitment to the martyr’s sacrifice is celebrated and memorialized year round. This study will allow students an insight into understanding other cultures while experiencing Maltese culture firsthand.

While in Malta students will experience the vivid and calm moments of Maltese life in a small sun-kissed island filled with majestic churches, beautiful beaches, extraordinary catacombs, glorious museums, laid-back cafes, and a simply wonderful nightlife

Dates & Deadlines

App Deadline: December 22, 2024
Program Dates: May 19th, 2025 to June 1st, 2025 (Dates tentative)

To get started for Summer Break-Malta 2025, schedule a meeting with an advisor using the link below.

Schedule First Steps Meeting

Interested in studying abroad in the summer of 2025 or later? Please fill out the waitlist form below and the study abroad center will notify you when applications for future terms open. If you are still deciding where or when you want to go abroad, you can also schedule an informational meeting with our office to learn more about the programs we offer and find one that works best for you!

Study Abroad Waitlist Schedule Info Meeting

Unsure where to begin? Visit our Application Process page to learn more!

Course Leader

Lou Fenech, Professor

Department: History
Phone: 319-273-2268
E-mail: lou.fenech@uni.edu
Campus Address: SRL 344

Lou Fenech is currently Professor in the Department of History. Born to Maltese parents in Toronto, Canada, Fenech is fluent in Maltese and has visited the islands many times. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Toronto specializing in South Asian Studies and the historical intersections between martyrdom and one of north India’s most prominent religious traditions, Sikhism. He has traveled extensively through Asia where he has lived for a number of years.

Academics

HIST 3279: Pirates and Martyrs in Mediterranean History (3 credit hours)

This course is approved to fulfill the UNIFI Responsibility category but can fulfill a variety of credit options, including UNIFI elective credit.

Although Malta is not well known in the United States, it is home to some of the oldest standing structures in the world and some of the earliest recognizable religious practices. What makes Malta particularly fascinating is the culture of the Maltese people, which is situated at the juncture of Islamic and Christian traditions in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea. Students traveling to Malta will navigate this intersection themselves, experiencing it through sight and sound and interactions with the Maltese. This is a crossroads which viscerally calls into question one of the predominant stereotypes of our time, the so-called Clash of Civilizations thesis which posits the non-complementary natures of Christian and Muslim traditions. Since both traditions revere the figure of the martyr, we will examine how this heroic character provides a common point of contact between Islam and Christianity and the various other religious traditions which have invested in martyrology. Another character of Maltese history we will examine is the pirate, whose lore and heroic character places them on a fitting equal to that of the martyr.

No prerequisites. All majors welcome. Participation in this program requires several class meetings during the Spring semester, although the course is scheduled as a Summer session course. The Study Abroad Center will enroll participants in the course. Please contact the program's course leader for more information on academic requirements.

**Participants will also take a mandatory, 1-credit hour course in the spring in order to prepare for the study abroad experience. For information on enrolling in this spring course, participants should contact the program's course leader.

Talk to your academic advisor about how this course would work for you!

NOTES:

Students planning to participate in the spring commencement ceremony in May can enroll in this summer term program, however, their degree will not be conferred until the end of the summer term and is contingent on the successful completion of the program and all required coursework.
Students attending colleges and universities other than UNI are welcome to participate in this program. If you are not currently a UNI student, but would like to participate in this program, please contact the UNI Study Abroad Center prior to starting your program application.

Itinerary

Tentative program dates: Monday, May 19th to Monday June 1st, 2025. (Dates do not include travel to/from destination)

Sample itinerary is subject to change.

Day 1: Students arrive in Malta; course leader will pick them up at the airport. Tour ta-Sliema and St Julien's. These adjacent towns lie at the heart of Malta’s vibrant summer nightlife. Walk along the banks of the Mediterranean and take in the sights.

Day 2: Visit the Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum and the Tarxien temples in Paola. These temples are the earliest standing structures in the Mediterranean, providing examples of religious devotion which date back to thousands of years before the foundations of Judaism and Christianity.

Day 3: Excursion to Gozo: Ġgantija Archaeological Park. Ġgantija (Pronounced ji-gun-tee-yuh), like the Tarxien temples, are among the oldest standing structures in the world. The name of the site stems from the belief that the structures were built by giants.

Day 4: Mdina and Rabat: Domvs Romana; St Paul the Apostle; St Agatha the martyr; the Knights of St John; the St. Paul catacombs. So much to see here! Established as a Phoenician colony in the 8th century BCE Mdina and Rabat take their names from the Arabic words for ‘town’ and ‘suburb.’ It was the old capital of Malta until 1530 when the island was granted to the Order of St. John by the Hapsburg emperor, Charles V. It is a compact, medieval city with narrow cobblestone streets that is reminiscent of those towns that populate the stories of the 1001 Arabian Nights.

Day 5: Ritmu Music Festival all day.

Day 6: Valletta city tour: Grandmaster’s palace, museum, underground Valletta: Malta Experience. This became the new capital of Malta after 1530, a position it retains to this day. The Grandmaster was the head of the Knights of St. John, a Roman Catholic order dedicated to caring for the sick and wounded. For this last reason the group is often referred to as the The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem or simply as the Hospitalers. Fascinating fact: the rarest passport in the world (with less than five thousand in play) originates with this order: the Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM) Passport. This Catholic group, the Order of Malta, has no official territory but does possess diplomatic relationships with 112 countries.

Day 7: Enjoy a free day in Malta!

Day 8: Visit to Iċ-Ċimiterju tat-Tork or the Muslim cemetery in Marsa, Malta. Some of the best examples of Islamic architecture appear here.

Day 9: Touring the three cities: Vittoriosa, Cospicua, and Senglea. These too like Mdina and Rabat are as if a page from the 1001 Arabian Nights came to life. The Three Cities as they are affectionately known played an important part in the 1566 Seige of Malta, when Ottoman forces pushed their way into the island.

Day 10: Visit Fort St. Angelo, a latter-day ‘crusade’ and the National War Museum. The war noted in the title of the museum is the Second World War in which the entire island of Malta was awarded the George Cross medal for bravery. If you look closely at the flag of Malta the cross is included in the upper left-hand corner. Most of what you see built in Malta, particularly in Valletta, is post WWII since so much of the island was bombed by the Axis powers. This is the reason why there are so many bomb shelters throughout the country.

Day 11: Ħaġar Qim temples and Għar Dalam. The word għar means ‘cave, and these caves literally dot the Maltese coastline. They often provided shelter for pirates and those attempting to escape their depredations for safety. Dalam means something like ‘the dark of night’ which gives you an idea of various mysteries surrounding these structures. Many ghost stories, often associated with pirates, haunt these caves today! For this purpose we can walk along the southwestern coast to Ghar Hasan the site of one of the spookiest Maltese ghost stories.

Day 12: Visit to Mosta and the surrounding area. Mosta’s fame emerges largely from events that occurred during the Second World War. The beautiful church known as the Mosta Dome is at the center of the city. During Sunday mass in 194? A German bomb fell through the roof of the church and failed to explode. Lauded as a sign of divine intervention, the bomb today is a relic that is revered.

Day 13: Paddling into the pirate’s lair or (tentative) meeting with a Maltese MP for a brief discussion of Maltese politics and issues.

Day 14: Final gathering, Farewell group dinner.

Day 15: Departure; group travels to airport on their own via public transportation.

Participant Info

Meet your Advisor:

Stephanie is a full time study abroad advisor who will help you throughout the application process to Malta, including documentation, finances, scholarships, and more. From your first steps meeting until you take off for your new adventure, Stephanie will help you every step of the way.

Important information to review:

Study abroad is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be challenged by new experiences in new environments and cultures. UNI study abroad programs are designed to prioritize educational opportunities for students. Students are encouraged to embrace the adventure of exploring how housing, meals, and daily routines differ abroad.

Entry and Exit Requirements

Review and follow the travel recommendations of the U.S. State Department for travel to Malta

Housing & Meals

Students will stay in hotels arranged by the Study Abroad Center while abroad. The cost of these hotels are included in the "Program Cost" line item of the program cost estimate. A few meals are built into the "Program Cost" (example: all breakfasts at hotels and 1 additional group meal in Malta). Students will pay for the remaining meals out-of-pocket while traveling and are encouraged to try the local foods.

Program Costs

Estimated Program Cost: 5,991*

*estimated total cost of participation, actual amount depends on type of housing accommodation selected, actual airfare purchase price, personal spending habits, and other factors

Estimated Total Program Cost	$5,991
Estimated U-bill Charges	$3,510
Estimated Out-of-Pocket Costs	$2,481

Malta Summer 2025 Cost Estimate (PDF)

Cost of Studying On Campus at UNI*

*per semester, estimated, will vary per person

Tuition & Fees	$4,864
Room & Board	$4,824
Books	$400
Personal Expenses	$887
Transportation	$350
Total	$11,325

Source: https://admissions.uni.edu/cost-aid

‌Eligibility Requirements to Study Abroad

The Study Abroad Center reserves the right to determine participants' eligibility to study abroad. Students must have a completed study abroad application, including supportive recommendation form(s). Additionally, students must meet all of the following in order to be eligible to study abroad:

Have a cumulative 2.5 GPA or higher at the time of application and maintain this cumulative GPA prior to departure and throughout the study abroad process
If your cumulative GPA is lower than 2.5, submit the following to the Study Abroad Center (103 East Bartlett):
- Letters of reference from two academic contacts (e.g. academic advisor and former or current professor) supporting your pursuit of study abroad. If you are attending a faculty-led study abroad program, one of the letters must be from a course leader. However, if the program has two course leaders, only one of the letters can be from one of the course leaders.

Must be over the age of 18 years old
Must meet the course prerequisites (participation in the program is dependent upon meeting these)
Must be in good standing with the university
UNI's partner institutions may require additional eligibility requirements to be met, these vary from institution to institution. Please consult with the Study Abroad Center staff to discuss these additional requirements, if applicable.
Applicants traveling to a region of a country or a country with an overall Travel Advisory Level 3 (Reconsider Travel) or 4 (Do Not Travel) will not be eligible.