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Department of

Languages and Literatures

Italian

Mission: From art, literature, music and cinema, to finance, politics and science, Italy has greatly influenced world culture. The study of Italian culture and its role in the evolution of the Western world since Antiquity is essential for a fuller understanding of the political, economic and cultural forces that continue to shape the Mediterranean, Europe and the world.

The Italian Program develops students’ linguistic proficiency while providing them with a strong interdisciplinary knowledge of Italian culture. The lower-division language classes help students develop a basic communicative competency in Italian as well as cultural and intercultural awareness. The interdisciplinary Major in Italian Studies and the Italian Minor explore the breadth of Italian literature, history and culture, while at the same time building and reinforcing language proficiency. Students who major in Italian Studies may integrate their knowledge of Italian culture with other disciplines by taking upper-division courses in other departments. They can also combine the major in Italian Studies with a second major or a minor in another discipline. In addition, students can take advantage of our study-abroad programs in Italy (information is available at the Office of International Studies Abroad).

Italian Studies Majors can pursue careers in many different fields, including art, business, culinary arts, design, education, fashion, film, finance, international relations, journalism, and many others.

Learning Outcomes: Upon completion of the Italian Studies Major, students will have fulfilled the following learning outcomes:

Communicative Proficiency
LO1. Recursive skills:  Majors can communicate in Italian in the two basic “recursive skills,” reading and writing, at the Advanced-Low to Advanced-High level according to the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines.
LO2. Immediacy skills:  Majors can communicate in Italian in the two basic “immediacy skills,” listening and speaking, at the Advanced-Low to Advanced-High level according to the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines.

Intercultural Competence
LO3. Diversity, inclusion, and social justice:  Majors can identify and explain fundamental issues of diversity, inclusion, and social justice in historical and current contexts of Italian culture and society.
LO4. Intercultural competence:  Majors can demonstrate the capacity to interact appropriately and effectively within diverse social settings and cultural contexts of the Italian-speaking world.

Knowledge, Understanding, and Critical Thinking
LO5: Knowledge and understanding: Majors can identify and cogently explain the historical significance of principal figures, works, and tendencies in the literature and other forms of cultural production throughout the major historical periods of Italian culture.
LO6: Critical Thinking: Majors can critically analyze a text, define a position, and substantiate it using thorough research techniques, the integration of disparate areas of knowledge, and innovative thinking.