Sant’Anna Institute International Honors Semester Research Program is specifically designed for talented and ambitious U.S. undergraduate honors students who wish to:

• Deepen their research skills within an international context working alongside and under the supervision of a dedicated Sant’Anna faculty expert in the preferred subject area;
• Focus on urgent and global issues of contemporary interest for honors students such as Sustainability, Gender Studies, Criminology, and Human Rights;
• Develop on-site projects that require the submission of a final research paper, potentially leading to publication

Availability: Fall, Spring and Summer III

Program Components

• Participation in a 90-hour supervised research project culminating in a final paper or publication
• Fall and Spring: 4 elective courses (taught in English) – 12 credits.
• Summer: 2 elective courses (taught in English) – 6 credits.

Check available courses here

Honors Seminar
The program also includes a series of meetings open to the honors students in Sorrento (starting Spring 2025). During the meetings (scheduled weekly) it will be possible to meet and exchange ideas with other honors on the intercultural value of their experience abroad and on their research work (or service) in Sorrento or at home

Fields of Study
All fields of study are available and students who major in the social and natural sciences are particularly encouraged to apply.

Types of Projects
The types of available research projects may include:

• History of the Mafia
  Research Topic: Organized Crime in Italy from a Historical Perspective

• Gender studies
  Research Topic: Gender-based violence in Italy

• Human Rights
  Research Topic: Field research on migrants and refugees

• Marine Biology/Sustainability
  Research Topics:
  – Monitoring of microplastic on the local beaches
  – Monitoring of Biodiversity in the Punta Campanella MPA
  – Monitoring of Marine Litter
  Please Note : An extra-fee (US$ 250) is required.

• Italian Literature
  Research Topic: Dante’s Comedy in the contemporary culture 

• Classical Studies
  Research Topic: The Greek heritage of the Campania Region

• European History and Politics:
  Research Topics:
  – History of the EU integration
  – History of the European-mediterranean relations

Eligibility

• Sophomore, junior, and senior honors students are eligible to apply. No previous research experience is required.
• Non-honors students with excellent academic credentials and strong interest in research can contact the Vice President of Acedemic Affairs (please see contact info below) to verify the chances of admission to the program.

Admission Requirements

• Cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher
• An academic recommendation letter
• Letter of intent from the student describing their goals and expectations for the honors program (1 page)

This program doesn’t count for JU credit but it may be accredited directly by the student’s home school; therefore students are invited to contact their school before arriving in Sorrento to verify if the agreed project can be approved by their advisor.

For more information about these research projects and more, please feel free to contact our Vice President of Academic Affairs Dr. Marco Marino at marco.marino@santannainstitute.com or put him in touch with your Honors College.