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  2. Bachelor of Arts
  3. Majors, Minors and Specialisations
  4. Italian Studies

Italian Studies

Bachelor of ArtsMajorYear: 2024

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Overview

Italian is one of the world’s most important languages strongly influencing languages and cultures around the world. A knowledge of Italian opens up access to a wide range of areas, including history, art, music, as well as to other languages, such as French and Spanish. The overall objective of the Italian Studies program is to teach students to process information from a wide variety of materials in Italian, both written and spoken, and to produce accounts and discussions of that information in a variety of forms. In subjects at all levels, you will be guided towards undertaking independent research projects into areas including language, literature, politics, cinema, theatre, travel writing, food and wine, immigration and identity.

Italian language subjects are organised in a progressive sequence (of units) from Italian 1 through to Italian 6 and beyond. Entry and exit points are determined by the student’s background in the language, placement testing if required, prerequisites, or at the discretion of the Italian Program. Students normally progress through the subjects in consecutive order. Mid-year entry is also possible into subjects with even numbers, subject to appropriate prior experience and approval from the head of the Italian Studies program. Accelerated progression is possible on advice from the Italian Studies program.

Intended learning outcomes

On completion of this major, students should be able to:

  • Interpret a range of different genres and texts relevant in Italian-speaking social and cultural contexts;
  • Communicate effectively in a variety of oral and written formats, comprehending and producing Italian discourse with fluency (relative to entry level) and appreciate its cultural contexts;
  • Specialize in at least one of the five core areas of modern Italian literature, linguistics, history, cinema, and cultural studies;
  • Apply relevant research and analytical skills combined with a strong sense of intellectual integrity and the ethics of scholarship;
  • Appreciate Italian-speaking cultures and history in a differentiated and informed way;
  • Engage critically and constructively in cultural and identity issues as a bicultural and bilingual person and global citizen;
  • Independently apply a wide range of learning techniques (in Italian and English) as autonomous, motivated, self-directed and well-organised learners;
  • Act confidently in Italian-speaking milieus and target culture, and work effectively in a cooperative way using Italian and English as media.

Last updated: 2 October 2024