Faculty-led Program on the Mediterranean: Malta

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.

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.

Accordion content.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

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.