Italian Studies
Chiara dal Martello
Juliann Vitullo
About this opportunity
Studying Italian unlocks the doors to Italy's culture and language, as well as careers in design, fashion, food, sustainability, health and wellness, manufacturing, computer services, and the aerospace and automotive sectors. Due to Italy's rich history, quality of life, bio- and cultural diversity, and design leadership, Italian is the fourth most studied language globally.
Barrett Honors Students have the opportunity to work with Italian faculty on their research related to sustainability, environmental humanities, food cultures, climate change and geological hazards. They also can serve as Teaching Assistants for the courses on the Mediterranean Lifestyle in Italy, Natural Disasters, and Italian language courses.
Thesis
The BA program in Italian gives students the necessary skills to speak, write, read and comprehend Italian. Participants develop the ability to think critically, understand and appreciate the historical and contemporary cultures of the Italian peninsula and their relationship to other global traditions, and develop empathy as globally informed leaders.
Students complete several courses on topics such as:
- Art
- Culture
- Film
- Government
- History
- Literature
- Religion
Students have a choice of four different faculty-directed programs in Italy in which they can focus on developing their linguistic skills and learn more about Italy's contemporary responses to global challenges such as natural disasters and the industrialized food system. All of these areas make an excellent foundation for the honors thesis.
Academic Preparation
Depending on your topic, it is a good idea to complete upper-division courses in Italian. Student will enroll in ITA 492 and 493 for thesis research and thesis defense and final submission.
Recommended Timeline
Students fare best when they begin thinking about their project as early as their freshman year. By their sophomore year, students will want to have a topic identified and begin to locate faculty with whom they would like to work with on said topic. By fall of junior year, students will assembly their committee and begin to map out a completion plan for their project with the committee. Students may want to use the summer between their junior and senior years to start work on their project. Student must complete their project by mid spring of senior year.
Other Honors Opportunities
Students can learn about faculty research in SILC and are encouraged to apply for undergraduate research opportunities. Many SILC courses offer honors enrichment contracts and the following ITA courses count for automatic honors credit:
ITA 110 - Intensive Italian I
ITA 210- Intensive Italian II
ITA 350 Food and Culture: The Mediterranean Lifestyle in Italy
ITA 380 Natural Disasters: Environmental and Cultural Resilience in Italy
ITA 494: Topic: Italian Ecocinema