Fulbright Lectureship in Italian-American Studies at the University of Calabria
Italy
Number of recipients
In addition to being a prestigious academic exchange program, the Fulbright Program is designed to expand and strengthen relationships between the people of the United States and citizens of other nations and to promote international understanding and cooperation. To support this mission, Fulbright Scholars may be asked to give public talks, mentor students, and otherwise engage with the host community, in addition to their primary activities.
The Fulbright Scholar will be asked to teach the “Italian-American Culture and Literature” course which is offered at the master's level. The syllabus must be agreed on with the university, with reading materials provided via pdf. Students will have to write a 10-page paper on a topic agreed upon with the instructor.
Total teaching load: 62 hours (6 hours per week) of lectures and seminars; average class size: 50 students
Other possible activities:
- Student advising and mentoring
- Research and Collaboration with peers
- Introduction and interaction with the local and university community
Università della Calabria, Department of Humanities https://www.unical.it/portale/strutture/dipartimenti_240/dsu/
University of Calabria
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Via+Pietro+Bucci,+87036+Quattromiglia…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xl0xjc2qVvw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddB9eBqFJL4
Cosenza
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLo6KyIbGZM
Calabria
Three months
The grant may only begin in October 2025.
Italian-American Studies. This interdisciplinary field intersects with History, Anthropology, Folklore, American Literature, Italian Literature, Cinema, Media, Music, Economy, Law, and more. Applications are welcomed from scholars of any of these fields, in particular Italian Studies, Diaspora Studies, Gender Studies, Anthropology, Cinema and Media Studies, Music and Performing Arts, Sociology, Working-Class Studies, Labor Studies, History, Memory and Heritage Studies.
The greater area of interest is the experience of Italians and Italian-Americans within the United States.
The “Italian-American Culture and Literature” course is the only course of its kind in the public university system in Italy. It is offered in English.
Since 2015, the course has guested a high number of distinguished scholars from the US, as well as historians, writers, performers, documentary and filmmakers,
musicians, media experts, and photographers. The university advertises seminars and events on its website and its pages and groups on FB.
Together with the “Italian Diaspora Studies Seminar,” which promotes research, publications, and residential seminars, “Italian-American Culture and Literature” is part of an outstanding cultural project that qualifies UniCal as the first university in Italy for the field of Italian Diaspora Studies.
All applicants must meet the Program eligibility requirements (click to review the requirements).
Conversational Italian can be helpful to better integrate in the local community, but it is not mandatory.
Preference will be given to Full and Associate professors, but lower ranks will be accepted, too, based on original and innovative proposals for the course syllabus required within the application. No minimum years of teaching experience after Ph.D. Outstanding professionals/non-academics will be considered. A research record is required but can be replaced by an artistic and/or professional record.
You may be asked to participate in an interview as part of the in-country selection process.
https://italiandiasporastudies.com
https://www.facebook.com/ItalianDiasporaStudies/
https://www.facebook.com/CLIAUniCal/
Contact person at the U.S.-Italy Fulbright Commission: Barbara Pizzella, Senior Program Officer, bpizzella@fulbright.it, and Chiara Petrilli, Program Officer, cpetrilli@fulbright.it
Monthly stipend of €3,000 for a total of €9,000 for three months (approximately $3,921 and $9,873; the amounts may change depending on exchange rate fluctuations). The award, which is a maintenance allowance for the entire period, is disbursed in Euro currency.
International Travel allowance of €1,100 (approximately $1,204, the amount may change depending on exchange rate fluctuations). The allowance is disbursed in Euro currency.
Rende (Calabria) Housing: Euro 450/700 Month ($493/767 approx). Meals: approx. Euro 600/month ($658). Transportation on campus: approx. Euro 150/Month ($164). Car rental approx. €1000/month ($1.097)
As a rule, large cities in the North and the Center of Italy are more expensive, while living in the South is less costly, even in larger cities. An average monthly budget for two persons could range between €1.400-€2.500 ($1.533-$2.737 approx.). Rent is usually the major expense, ranging between €600-€1.500 ($657-$1.642 approx.). Individuals’ lifestyles, and choosing to live downtown or on the outskirts of a city can make a difference. The following websites could help navigate the costs of living in Italy. While none of them is sponsored by official institutions, the information is provided mostly by international visitors themselves and ex-pats:
https://wise.com/gb/blog/cost-of-living-in-italy; https://internationalliving.com/countries/italy/cost-of-living-in-italy/; https://www.mondayfeelings.com/cost-to-live-in-italy/; https://www.internationalcitizens.com/living-abroad/costs/italy.php; https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/country_result.jsp?country=Italy; https://www.forextradingitalia.it/costo-della-vita/italia.html
Housing: while the cost of accommodation is paid by the visiting scholar, UniCal provides assistance in finding the best apartment according to her/his needs among the many residential centers on campus, and offers it at a competitive cost: a studio apartment costs approximately €450 ($493) per month, all included. For larger units, the price increases up to €700 ($767) approx per month. All the apartments are furnished with bed(s), dresser(s), closet(s), desk(s), and chairs. They are equipped with bed linen and towels, have WiFi, and a separate kitchen without supplies. There is access to laundry facilities (with an extra charge). A weekly cleaning service is included (replacement of towels and bed linen, cleaning of washrooms, vacuuming, and dusting/wiping of surfaces).
UniCal offers an on-campus kindergarten service for children up to 4 years old. Dependents are welcome, either for free or at discounted rates, to enroll in the Sports Center and the activities on campus such as seminars, conferences, cinemas, theaters, libraries, and museums.
The Fulbright Scholar will also have access to the university canteen with a plan of up to two meals a day at the cost of 20 euro per day.
UniCal’s Language Center offers courses in Italian and other languages at no cost for visiting scholars.
Additionally, the Fulbright Scholar will have: access to library facilities, office space, access to a computer network and other IT resources, and easy access to other on-campus resources (sports and cultural facilities such as theater, concerts, language courses, etc. ) at UniCal’s sports center: http://cus.unical.it
Occasional discounts are available on tickets for the seasons of UniCal’s two theaters.
The Fulbright Scholar will be eligible for the Fulbright Inter-country Travel Grant Program, http://www.fulbright.it/fulbright-intercountry/, to receive a travel grant to lecture, hold workshops, and conduct other relevant outreach activities at other Italian and European academic institutions.
Final grant amounts will be determined prior to the start of the academic year and are subject to the availability of funds. The United States Department of State and the Fulbright Commission in the host country reserve the right to alter, without notice, participating countries, number of awards and allowances.
Italy
To learn more about Fulbright U.S. Scholar awards in Italy for 2024-25, please view our archived webinar and slides to hear directly from the Fulbright Commission, IIE staff, and U.S. Scholar alums regarding award details, the scholar experience, and application guidance.
The program in Italy is open to scholars and professionals from all disciplines; preferences are indicated under individual award descriptions. Scholars may be invited to give occasional lectures or seminars at various Italian universities. Some of the awards offer free housing (paid for by the host institution), or a financial contribution to offset housing costs.
Preference for candidates who have not already had substantial experience (5 years or more) studying or teaching in an Italian university.
The academic calendar, which is usually divided into two semesters, is generally October to June. However, dates may vary depending on the university.
Entry Visas to Italy: Selected grantees must enter Italy on a study or, in some cases, a research visa covering the authorized length of the grant. Information about the two visas and their application process is available on the Italy Ministry of Foreign Affairs website. The possibility of staying for longer periods and/or being accompanied by dependents is subject to the provisions and restrictions of Italian Law. Italian embassy and consulates are the sole authorities in matters pertaining to visa issues.
Basic Visa Information: U.S. grantees must apply for a Study Visa (D) at the Italian Embassy or Consulate having jurisdiction in the State where they reside. The Commission will support their application with a letter that will be sent to grantees after they have signed the official grant authorization but will not be able to assist grantees in their application procedures.
Due to restrictions in the Italian Immigration Law, there are potential challenges related to the duration of grantee stay in Italy, and the visa and permit-to-stay for their dependents.
The requested duration of the grantee's stay in Italy should not be much longer than the official grant period. In case of significant discrepancy (more than 30 days overall), the Consulate may reject the grantee's visa request.
Grantees who wish to be accompanied to Italy by their family dependents should be aware that the Commission cannot sponsor their dependents’ visas. Available options are:
1. Dependents may stay in Italy without a visa for 90 days
2. Dependents may enroll in an Italian language course and apply for their study visa (the Commission cannot assist in identifying the course, nor does it have the funding to allocate for this purpose)
3. Dependents could apply for a Ricongiungimento Familiare. The procedure entails that grantees travel to Italy on their own and once they arrive in Italy they must request a nulla osta per il ricongiungimento familiare. The nulla osta will be issued within 180 days from the request, which may exceed their grant length. Only then will dependents be able to travel to Italy to join the grantee and to apply for a permit to stay for ricongiungimento familiare.
Enrichment activity during your stay: Each June, the U.S.-Italy Fulbright Commission hosts a meeting where U.S. grantees returning to the States after their grant and Italian grantees departing to begin their grant meet, interact, network, and often start relationships that continue in the United States. The Meeting--a celebration of the Fulbright experience--is held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Embassy of the United States. Italian alumni are also invited to participate in the day's activities.
HELPFUL LINKS
A listing of Italian universities and access to their homepages can be found at A valuable search engine can be found at https://cercauniversita.cineca.it/ https://www.universitaly.it/
Useful links with information about the Italian academic system can be found at and the MIUR website. https://www.cimea.it/EN/
To view more about life in Italy, visit here: https://madeinitaly.gov.it/en/
For further information on the awards, contact Barbara Pizzella, Senior Program Officer at the Commission, at bpizzella@fulbright.it, and Chiara Petrilli, Program Officer, at cpetrilli@fulbright.it.
Visit our Scholar Directory to view and search all Fulbright alumni. You can also learn more about Fulbright Alumni Ambassadors.
Academic calendar: The academic year is divided in two semesters. The first one goes from October to mid-January. Academic calendars are available on the UniCal Website at the beginning of each academic year.
Courses taught by Fulbright scholars are shorter than regular core courses at an Italian university and scholars will be able to complete all academic activities during the award period.