Italian Studies Program

Department of Modern Literatures and Cultures

Lidia Radi, Section Coordinator
Associate Professor Russell
Assistant Professor Radi
Director of Intensive Language Program Marcin
Affiliated Faculty: Elena Calvillo (Art History), Joanna Drell (History)

This section contains information specific to the degree programs in Italian studies. For full information regarding departmental policies relevant to all the MLC degree programs, study abroad, and course sequencing, see the main page of the Department of Modern Literatures and Cultures.

Courses in Italian language, literature and culture are offered in the Department of Modern Literatures and Cultures. Additionally, students may pursue the Italian Studies major or minor, which combine work in MLC with related courses in other departments.

Study Abroad

Study and travel abroad are strongly encouraged for all students. For students of Italian, the department offers summer study programs in Italy. In addition, there are exchange agreements for study during the academic year in Verona, Ferrara, and Milano. For a complete list, contact the Office of International Education.

The Residency Requirement

For all Italian majors, at least 5 of the 9 courses required for the major must be taken on the University of Richmond campus. Majors must take at least one 400-level class on campus after studying abroad, regardless of whether or not they have sufficient credits to fulfill the major or minor requirements.

The Italian Studies Major

Note: The grade point average of the coursework comprising the major must be no less than 2.00 with no course grade below C- (1.70).

9 courses including

ITAL 301 Italian Conversation through Cinema
ITAL 305 Writing in Italian Culture and Literature
ITAL 321 Italian Literature in Context
Two units, chosen from ITAL 411 Italian Identities: Sicily, Veneto, and Tuscany ITAL 423 Le Tre Corone: Dante, Petrarca and Boccaccio ITAL 453 Selected Readings in 19th- and 20th-Century Italian Literature and Culture ITAL 497 Selected Topics in Italian Literature and Culture
Four units, chosen from (with a CLAC in Italian, if taken in English) ITAL 311 Italian Culture and Society ITAL 315 Folklore and Legend in Northern Italy ITAL 397 Selected Topics: Italian Culture and Society MLC 340 European Romanticism MLC 350 Introductory Linguistics MLC 351 Contemporary Literary Theory MLC 357 The Idea of the Renaissance: Self, History and Knowledge MLC 358 Desire and Identity in the Renaissance: The Lyric Tradition MLC 360 Representing the Holocaust MLC 410 Teaching of a Modern Second Language ART 310 Late Antique and Early Christian Art ART 311 Medieval Byzantine Art ART 315 Art of the Italian Renaissance ART 316 Art in the Age of Reform CLSC 302 Roman Art and Archaeology CLSC 304 The Feminine in Greco-Roman Literature HIST 223 The Roman Empire HIST 225 Medieval Italy HIST 227 The High Middle Ages HIST 228 The Medieval Economy: Pre-Industrial Europe, 500-1500 HIST 230 The Renaissance HIST 249 Twentieth-Century Europe LATN 303 Roman Epic LATN 306 Roman Philosophical Literature LATN 307 Catullus LATN 309 Cicero PLSC 344 Europe Today RELG 356 Religious Thought of the Renaissance and Reformation

In addition to the regularly offered courses there will be others offered occasionally that may count towards an Italian studies major. All courses outside MLC that can be taken for credit towards the major will be announced by the section coordinator at the beginning of each registration period. Students should always check with the section coordinator to make sure that courses outside of MLC will count towards the major. Students are strongly encouraged to satisfy some of the requirements of the major by studying abroad.

Students are expected to fulfill all prerequisites necessary for courses within the major. Prerequisites do not count toward the major unless otherwise noted.

Cross-School Major in Italian Studies and International Business

(Earned in conjunction with a major in the Robins School of Business with an international business concentration.)

9 courses and a senior project (498-499), in addition to completing all requirements of the international business concentration for the business administration major, including

Five units in Italian at the 300 or 400 level
IDST 379 Interdisciplinary Research Project
One semester full-time study at Bocconi University of Economics and Business Administration (four courses)

The Italian major/international business option represents a collaborative project between the Department of Modern Literatures and Cultures in the School of Arts and Sciences and the International Business Program in the Robins School of Business. Designated faculty members from each program will advise students upon declaration and as they progress through the major. The curriculum includes a semester abroad at one of the University's partner institutions. There, students will continue work on their Robins School and Italian Studies requirements in classes with both local and other international students.

In order to prepare for the experience abroad, students in Italian will need to have completed at least Italian 221 on the Richmond campus; they must take at least one concurrent course in Italian while at Bocconi. Students are required to take one 400-level course in Italian upon their return.

The Italian Studies Minor

Note: The grade point average of the coursework comprising the minor must be no less than 2.00 with no course grade below C- (1.70). Up to three classes in transfer may be used toward minor requirements. Minors must take at least one 400-level class on campus after studying abroad, regardless of whether or not they have sufficient credits to fulfill the minor requirements.

5 courses, including

Three Italian courses above the 200 level
Two courses, chosen from (with a CLAC in Italian, if taken in English) ITAL 301 Italian Conversation through Cinema ITAL 311 Italian Culture and Society ITAL 315 Folklore and Legend in Northern Italy ITAL 321 Italian Literature in Context ITAL 397 Selected Topics: Italian Culture and Society MLC 340 European Romanticism MLC 350 Introductory Linguistics MLC 351 Contemporary Literary Theory MLC 357 The Idea of the Renaissance: Self, History and Knowledge MLC 358 Desire and Identity in the Renaissance: the Lyric Tradition MLC 360 Representing the Holocaust MLC 410 Teaching of a Modern Second Language ART 310 Late Antique and Early Christian Art ART 311 Medieval Byzantine Art ART 315 Art of the Italian Renaissance ART 316 Art in the Age of Reform CLSC 302 Roman Art and Archaeology CLSC 304 The Feminine in Greco-Roman Literature HIST 223 The Roman Empire HIST 225 Medieval Italy HIST 227 The High Middle Ages HIST 228 The Medieval Economy: Pre-Industrial Europe, 500-1500 HIST 230 The Renaissance HIST 249 Twentieth-Century Europe LATN 303 Roman Epic LATN 306 Roman Philosophical Literature LATN 307 Catullus LATN 309 Cicero PLSC 344 Europe Today RELG 356 Religious Thought of the Renaissance and Reformation

Students are expected to fulfill all prerequisites necessary for courses within the minor. Prerequisites do not count toward the minor unless otherwise noted.

In addition to the regularly offered courses there will be others offered occasionally that may count towards an Italian studies minor. All courses outside MLC that can be taken for credit towards the minor will be announced by the section coordinator at the beginning of each registration period. Students are strongly encouraged to satisfy some of the requirements of the minor by studying abroad.

Honors Program

The Italian Honors Program is designed for outstanding students with intellectual initiative and the desire to pursue academic achievement beyond the level of standard course work. Students will engage in independent research and work closely with a faculty advisor on an Honors Thesis during their senior year.

Eligibility and Admission

To qualify for the Honors Program in Italian, a student should have: 18.5 or more units completed overall At least a 3.30 cumulative grade point average for all courses, and a 3.50 cumulative grade point average for Italian courses.
A student who does not meet these qualifications may be admitted to the program with the special recommendation of the faculty of the Italian section of the Department of Modern Literatures and Cultures and the approval of the Faculty Committee on the Honors Program.
To enter the Honors Program, students must submit to the Honors coordinator of the Italian program a letter of intent, with nominating support from one faculty member, by March 15 of their junior year. Each student will be assigned an Honors research advisor with whom he or she will design a program of study that indicates how the student's Honors Program will be accomplished.

Program Requirements

To receive credit for the Honors Program, the student must: Fulfill the normal requirements for the B.A. in Italian. Take two 400-level Italian courses on campus for Honors credit. These courses will require extra work (supplementary readings and/or assignments, independent research on a topic related to the course, for instance). The extra work will be decided by the course instructor and vetted by the Italian Honors coordinator to ensure consistency. Take ITAL 491 (Honor Thesis I, 0.5 unit, fall of senior year) and ITAL 492 (Honor Thesis 2, 1 unit, spring of senior year) in order to complete a 25-30 page Honors Thesis written in Italian. This thesis will be based on extensive research and make an original contribution to Italian and Francophone studies. The student and his or her advisor should develop a schedule to meetings and assessment that they find appropriate and meet at least once a month. Honors students must present their thesis at the Italian Studies symposium at the end of their senior year. They are also strongly encouraged to apply for a Summer Research Fellowship during their junior year. The thesis will be graded by at least two readers, including the student's thesis advisor.
Students may withdraw at any time. If they do not complete required additional work or maintain an overall 3.3 grade point average and a 3.5 grade point average for Italian coursework, students will not receive credit for the Honors Program, and the department will submit a request for withdrawal to the Faculty Committee on the Honors Program.

Courses

ITAL 121 Intensive Elementary Italian

ITAL 221 Intensive Intermediate Italian

ITAL 301 Italian Conversation through Cinema

ITAL 305 Writing in Italian Culture and Literature

ITAL 311 Italian Culture and Society

ITAL 315 Folklore and Legend in Northern Italy

ITAL 321 Italian Literature in Context

ITAL 388 Individual Internship

ITAL 389 Practice Assistantship

ITAL 397 Selected Topics

ITAL 406 Summer Undergraduate Research

ITAL 411 Italian Identities: Sicily, Veneto and Tuscany

ITAL 423 Le Tre Corone: Dante, Petrarca and Boccaccio

ITAL 453 Selected Readings in 19th and 20th Century Italian Literature and Culture

ITAL 491 Honor Thesis I

ITAL 492 Honor Thesis II

ITAL 495 Independent Study

ITAL 497 Selected Topics