Mediterranean Studies as a University Course and Discipline

Abstract

This article discusses some of the potential difficulties involved in creating a Mediterranean studies program at the university level and suggests some possible solutions, with particular attention to the new Mediterranean Studies Program at the John Paul II Catholic University in Lublin, Poland.

On January 28, 2010, the Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Poland officially authorized the Faculty of Theology at the John Paul II Catholic University in Lublin, Poland, to inaugurate "Mediterranean studies" (in Polish mediteranistyka) as a program of study.¹ On October 1, 2010, the course started with about one hundred students. Shortly afterward, the Students' Scientific Circle of Mediterranean Studies was set up. In May 2011, a group of thirty-five students organized the first Mediterranean expedition to Greece as a part of their study program. They visited key historical sites in Greece during their seven-day trip, including the island of Corfu, where the Fourteenth Congress of the International Mediterranean Studies Association took place.

The first part of this article is a description of the Program in Mediterranean Studies at the Faculty of Theology at the John Paul II Catholic University in Lublin. The second part presents some theoretical questions concerning the status of Mediterranean studies as a university discipline. In the third part some possible resolutions of these questions are suggested.

Mediterranean Studies as a University Discipline in Poland

The Mediterranean region has long been an object of interest for the Polish people. Under communist rule (1944-89), they were not able to visit the Mediterranean countries, but after Poland became a free and democratic country, they were able to travel freely to the countries of the Mediterranean area. Today many Polish people vacation in Italy, Spain, Greece, Turkey, and the other countries of the Mediterranean. They also make religious trips to the Holy Land (Israel, Egypt, Syria, Libya), and other countries.

Because the Polish people are so interested in the Mediterranean region and feel that Poland is a part of the Mediterranean heritage, there was interest in starting a program of Mediterranean studies in Poland at the university level. As noted above, a program of Mediterranean studies was inaugurated in the Faculty of Theology at John Paul II Catholic University in Lublin in 2010. This is a full-time program leading to the bachelor of arts degree (a master's degree is now being planned), and it is conducted by scholars who teach in history, art history, cultural studies, religious studies, philosophy, theology, political science, economics, and other disciplines. This program is somewhat different from philological (language-based), historical, or cultural programs in that it is interdisciplinary, with a clear humanistic and religious core.² In the early stages of the program, students study the history of the Mediterranean; as they progress through the program, students consider the cultural and religious aspects of the region with an emphasis on contemporary issues.

The three-year undergraduate curriculum is structured as follows:

• First year: Geography, history and art history of the Mediterranean, history of philosophy with elements of Jewish and Arab philosophy, an outline of cultural studies, theology, fundamental Christology, practical logic, information technology.

• Second year: History and culture of the ancient Middle East as well as ancient Greece and Rome, ethics and moral law in the cultures and religions of the Mediterranean, ethnology and religions of the Middle East, history and nature of Judaism, Islam in the countries of the Mediterranean, contemporary interreligious dialogue, contribution of Christianity to culture, and the teachings of John Paul II on the history and culture of Europe.

• Third year: Theological basis for interreligious dialogue, contemporary Islamic movements, ecumenism in the countries of the Mediterranean, theology of peace, political problems in the countries of the Mediterranean, Polish economic cooperation with the countries of the Mediterranean, the Poles and Polish material in the Mediterranean, the basis for the organization of pilgrimage tourism.

The first-and second-year students also study three foreign languages. They may study either Hebrew or Latin, and they also choose two languages among Arabic, Spanish, and Italian. Classes are conducted in the form of lectures, practica, conversation classes, and seminars. Students may participate in a study tour to the Mediterranean region, which is planned to coincide with the yearly congress of the Mediterranean Studies Association. Students may also participate in conferences, symposia, and lectures at the John Paul II Catholic University in Lublin, and in the activities of many student organizations.

Students gain an understanding of the nations, countries, religions, and cultures of the Mediterranean, from both a historical and a contemporary perspective. They also focus on a special topic in an undergraduate seminar and write a thesis on that topic, supported by language study. They may also continue their studies in the planned master's-level program.

It is hoped that graduates will find employment in institutions involved in international, intercultural, and interreligious relations, such as museums, cultural centers, travel agencies, and other international organizations.

Mediterranean Studies as a University Discipline: Potential Problems

While the inauguration of a college-level program in Mediterranean studies is certainly laudable, such a program should also be based on solid theoretical foundations.³ Since Mediterranean studies is not yet a well-established field of study, I would like to raise some potential problems that may be encountered in defining the discipline and then suggest some possible solutions.

First of all, it is not even clear that Mediterranean studies is an original and autonomous scholarly discipline. Does it have its own subject, method, and purpose that can provide a theoretical basis for worthwhile scholarship? Mediterranean studies seems to be an example of so-called area studies (like European studies, African studies, American studies, etc.) or cultural studies (like European culture studies, African culture studies, American culture studies, etc.). For most scholars, cultural studies means exploring key aspects of the cultural life of a society, such as literature, art, theatre, film, and so on. Such an understanding of cultural studies could be problematic for the field of Mediterranean studies, however, since the Mediterranean region encompasses several different languages and cultures, as well as several branches of knowledge from different university disciplines (geography, history, art history, philosophy, religiology, theology, economics, politics, etc.). Is there a way in which these different disciplines can be unified into a single field of study insofar as they relate to the Mediterranean region?

Another general question concerns the main purpose of Mediterranean studies. Can it have a practical as well as a theoretical purpose? Or should it be considered solely as an academic discipline without any practical application? This dilemma is not limited to Mediterranean studies but is common to a wide range of university disciplines.

There is also a question concerning the role of religion. Especially in Europe, religion seems to be disappearing from scholarly research on the grounds that knowledge must be neutral and objective. But is it advisable to eliminate this factor completely from Mediterranean studies? Since religion has always been a key source of cultural development in the Mediterranean region, it seems preferable to find a way to include the study of religion as part of the discipline. One could even argue that it would be unwise to study the Mediterranean region without exploring its religions—especially Christianity, Judaism, and Islam—along with their internal diversity, dynamism, essential teachings, and shared elements. Scholars frequently assume that conflicts and wars between Mediterranean nations have been caused mainly by religious differences and that peace might therefore be possible only through the elimination of religion. But this assumption needs to be examined. Peace among nations might, in fact, be more easily obtained if the practitioners of the different Mediterranean religions entered into an interreligious dialogue based on mutual understanding and respect.

Mediterranean Studies as a University Discipline: Some Resolutions

If Mediterranean studies is an example of area or cultural studies, as mentioned above, it may be possible to define it as the study of the nations, religions, and cultures of the Mediterranean in all of their aspects. Mediterranean studies would thus include historical, religious, linguistic, cultural, social, political, and economic aspects. Since these various areas belong to different disciplines, however, we need to find a common thread that could help to connect them so as to create a single university field. The Mediterranean region is unique insofar as it was, on the one hand, the cradle of the ancient world and Western civilization and, on the other hand, an area of both conflict and cooperation among the Christian, Jewish, and Muslim religions, a role that it continues to play to this day. On this view, the central purpose of Mediterranean studies could be to study all of the nations, religions, languages, and cultures of the Mediterranean region, as well as their complex interactions in both peace and war.

As part of this study, we should not forget the classical values of reason, beauty, divine revelation, and the search for truth, as embodied in the humanism of the Italian Renaissance. The modern concept of personalism can be seen as an heir to Renaissance humanism. According to personalism (from the Latin word persona and the Greek prosopon), every person is the highest level of being, a who instead of a what, and thus has unchangeable dignity and value in the world. Applied to the field of Mediterranean studies, the concept of personalism reminds us of the universal moral and religious values bequeathed to us by classical culture, and transmitted by the great monotheistic religions of today. By encouraging mutual respect and understanding among practitioners of these different religious traditions, Mediterranean studies can combine theoretical study with a very practical—and beneficial—purpose.