Chiara from Italy

Right after graduating in Comparative Literature from King’s College London, I attended VU Amsterdam Summer School to pursue my interest in contemporary issues, also in view of my postgraduate course. When browsing on the VU website, the course “Governing Climate Change” immediately caught my attention. During Fall 2018 semester, I took a class in environmental ethics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. That was my first exposure to an in-depth study of climate change and its present and future consequences. Having become really passionate about the topic, I did not think twice about applying for the 2-weeks course offered at VU Amsterdam, and the course completely met my expectations. “Governing Climate Change” was, in fact, highly intellectually stimulating and it enriched my understanding of the problem, giving me the opportunity to focus on it under the guidance and expertise of Professor Pattberg and Dr. Widerberg. Moreover, the intertwining of theory and practice, alternating and combining classes with excursions and games, made the course very dynamic and it had a positive impact on my overall learning experience.

I also had a lot of fun being the photographer and social media manager during Session 3. In this respect, in case you are passionate about photography and/or video-making, I highly suggest applying for a photographer/videographer scholarship, as it is a great way to meet students, work with an amazing team while also being able to express and share your own experience through creative shots. Finally, VU Summer School gave me the opportunity to exchange ideas with people from all over the world: from Africa to Australia, China, North, Central and South America ⎼ even from Trinidad and Tobago!

It’s been an exciting, fun and insightful experience. 

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact me in English, Italian, Spanish or French via mchiaracaiazzo@libero.it.

-> Take me back to the Summer School website