Undergraduate Program in Italian
Italian Studies
An undergraduate major or minor in Italian Studies provides students with a strong interdisciplinary approach to and understanding of Italian and Italian-American literature, culture, society, and history. Courses offer a literary, historical, and cultural perspective from the Middle Ages to the present. Students can explore a variety of issues and themes ranging from the formation of city-states to contemporary questions of national identity, from issues of immigration and emigration to questions of travel and cultural exchange, from gender relations to the study of different narrative and filmic representations of Italian and Italian-American culture. Students are encouraged to take courses in other departments when these focus on topics of Italian and Italian American interest.
General Requirements and Information for all Majors and Minors
When to Declare
You must formally declare a major within the department before completing the majority of your major course elective requirements. The major program form must be turned into your student community. Be advised that we do not have normal advising during breaks, holidays and summer.
Grading
A minimum grade of C- is required for all major or minor courses taken as of Fall Semester 1999 (for courses taken previously, the minimum is C), and an overall minimum GPA of 2.00 (C) is required to graduate with the major. Major and minor courses cannot be taken pass/fail (S/N), with the exception of only those study abroad courses referred to as 'integrated' courses.
Equivalency Credit
To receive equivalency credit towards the major or minor for coursework done outside the U of M, you must submit a formal petition to the department.
Courses Taught in English
Courses taught in English on topics and issues relating to Italian Studies may be taken for credit. To be applicable to the major or minor, such courses must be approved by the Director of Undergraduate Studies (ferli001@umn.edu).
Making Regular Advising Appointments
As an Italian studies major, you are encouraged to bring a current transcript and meet with your Italian studies advisor once a year for a progress check.
Graduating: Filing a Program Clearance Form
All majors and minors must file an official Major Clearance Form in the appropriate college advising office in order to graduate with a major or minor in French or Italian. You should file it at the college level as soon as you have a specific plan of the courses you will take complete your major or minor.
Preparatory Requirements
- Ital 1001-1004 : Beginning and Intermediate Italian.5cr.
Degree Requirements for the Italian Studies Major
-
ITAL 3015 (Advanced Italian Grammar and Communication. 4cr) plus 8 electives and a Senior Project (3459. 1cr). Course electives for the major can be taken in other Departments (i.e.: Art History, English, History, School of Music) when these pertain to Italian Studies topics. For all courses taught in English, please contact the Undergraduate Advisor (ferli001@umn.edu) for approval. 29 minimum upper level credits are required for the major.
- ITAL 3459W Senior Project. 1cr: Pre-req: 3015 plus 8 completed electives in Italian Studies. The Senior project is intended as the capstone of a student’s experience as an Italian Studies major. It involves research and writing on any issue or theme of interest to Italian Studies. Projects can range from a scholarly paper to a creative artistic pieces such as musical composition, photography, poetry, fiction etc. All projects must include a research/analytical component. 3459W is taken in conjunction with another Italian Studies elective and the student will develop the project under the supervision of the faculty teaching that elective. Written in Italian. Minimum length: 15 pages.
- Sample of courses taught in Italian:
- ITAL 3837. Imagining Italy through Film. 4cr
- ITAL 4307. Novellistica. 3cr
- ITAl 3305. Staging the Self: Theater and Drama in Modern Italy. 4cr
- ITAL 3501. The World in the City: Italy 1100-1660. 3cr
- ITAL 3502. Making of Modern Italy: From the Enlightenment to the present. 3cr
- ITAL 3219: literature of the Despotisms.4cr
- ITAL 3640: Topics in Italian of courses taught in English Studies.3cr
- ITAL 3203: Italian Travelers. 3cr
- ITAL 3837. Imagining Italy through Film. 4cr
- Sample of electives taught in English:
- ARCH 4424 -Renaissance Architecture
- ARTH 5335 . Baroque Rome
- ARTH 3315: the Age of Curiosity art and knowledge in Europe
- ARTH 3011W -History of Renaissance and Baroque Art
- CNES 3014- 3016: Ancient Rome
- FRIT 3802 -Cinema and Realism
- FRIT 3803 -New Wave Cinemas: Post-War Italian and French Film
- HIST 3053 -Ancient Civilization: Rome
- HIST 3621 -Renaissance Italy
- HIST 4072 -History of Rome: 78 B.C. to A.D. 117
- MUS 5620 -Topics in Opera History
- Double majors: The Italian Studies program encourages students with a major in another program to complement their studies with a major in Italian Studies. With careful planning a second major should not significantly delay graduation. A second major in a language other than English, often coupled with a study abroad experience, demonstrates a student’s high degree of commitment to a global education. Only one senior project need be completed.
Degree Requirements for the Italian Studies Minor
- Preparatory Requirements for the Italian Studies Minor:
- Ital 1001-1004 : Beginning and Intermediate Italian.5c
- Requirements for the Italian Studies Minor:
- ITAL 3015 (Advanced Italian Grammar and Communication) plus 4 electives. With the approval of the Undergraduate Advisor, students can take courses in other Departments (i.e.: Art History, English, History, School of Music etc) when these pertain to Italian Studies topics. See above for sample course offerings for minors. 16 upper level credits are required for the minor.
- ITAL 3015 (Advanced Italian Grammar and Communication) plus 4 electives. With the approval of the Undergraduate Advisor, students can take courses in other Departments (i.e.: Art History, English, History, School of Music etc) when these pertain to Italian Studies topics. See above for sample course offerings for minors. 16 upper level credits are required for the minor.
Individualized Degree Programs
You may consider creating an individually designed major incorporating components of several major areas through the Individually Designed Interdepartmental Major Program (IDIM) or the Bachelor of Individualized Study (BIS) Program. For further information, consult with an advisor in the Individualized Degree Programs office (345 Fraser, 612-624-8006, idp@class.cla.umn.edu).
Transfer Credit
If you wish to use credit earned at another institution in the United States or internationally (including study abroad programs) toward your major or minor, you must complete procedures at both college and department levels. The approved petition form must be turned into your student community.
At the college level, you must make arrangements for the credits to appear on a U of M transcript. The Office of the Registrar manages the process for credit transferred from other U.S. institutions; the Office of Admissions is responsible for credit transferred from international institutions. If you studied abroad while enrolled at the U of M, the Learning Abroad Office coordinates procedures for all types of credit.
At the department level, you must petition for courses taken outside the U of M to be used as the equivalent of major or minor requirements. You are encouraged to meet with the director of undergraduate studies in the early stages of planning to take courses outside the U of M in order to maximize the likelihood of meeting language or major/minor requirements.
Study Abroad
We strongly encourage all majors and minors to study abroad in Italy. For program information, visit the Learning Abroad Office. Assistance is provided in locating appropriate study programs in Milan, Bologna, Florence, or Rome.