Italian
The Department of Italian offers an A.B. in Italian, a minor in Italian, and a Master’s of Arts in Italian Studies.
Major in Italian
The Italian major takes an integrative approach to prepare students to explore connections and understand the continuum from past to present. From the Gateway course to the Senior Seminar, all courses are designed to introduce students to Italian culture in all its manifestations. Students develop their critical and analytical skills through intellectual dialogue in small class settings while the program’s integrated overseas experience gives students new perspectives and approaches to world issues.
Italian majors at Georgetown are required to complete 10 to 12 courses depending on the results of the student’s placement exam (12 if they begin in Intensive Basic, 11 if they begin in Intensive Intermediate, and 10 if they begin in Intensive Advanced). One course toward the major may be taught in English. Italian Majors are also required to spend a semester or an academic year in Italy studying at an Italian university.
Requirements for the A.B. in Italian
- 10 Courses in the Italian Department (unless initial placement requires additional language study), one of which may be taught in English.
- Students who are already fluent in Spanish or another Romance Language may take ITAL 1009 Italian for Speakers of Spanish or Other Romance Languages instead of ITAL-1011 Intensive Italian Language and Culture: Beginner. Students interested in ITAL 1009 should contact the professor teaching it before they register.
- Upon successful completion of ITAL 1009, students may enroll in ITAL 2010 or ITAL 2011 depending on the recommendation of the professor.
- Upon successful completion of ITAL 2010, students may enroll in a 2000 level class depending on the recommendation of the professor. Students who wish to enroll in a 2000 level class are required to take the placement test before enrolling.
- Students may also take three 1 credit courses instead of one of the 2000 level courses to fulfill their course requirements
Integrated Writing Requirement
Writing is central to the teaching of Italian at Georgetown. This emphasis comes from a Curriculum Renewal Project initiated by the Italian Department in 2005, which identified writing skills as a crucial area for unifying the curriculum from the language foundations to the upper courses and for the development of critical abilities that become necessary at higher levels of study. The Curriculum Renewal Project involved the design of specific writing tasks reflective of expected learner development at distinct levels of the language curriculum, the implementation of process writing throughout the curriculum, and the elaboration of specific writing goals. To learn more about writing goals at each level of instruction, please see http://italian.georgetown.edu/writing_project/outcomes
Overseas Studies
Georgetown has approved academic programs at the University of Florence (Middlebury), University of Bologna (Brown), and at universities in Milan through IES. For further information, consult the Office of Global Education website: studyabroad.georgetown.edu.
Minor in Italian
Minors are required to complete 6 courses taught in Italian or 5 courses in Italian plus ITAL-4394 Italian American Language, Literature and Film, which is taught in English. Students placing above 1011, 1511, 2011, and/or 2012 will substitute upper-level electives taught in Italian.
Requirements for the Minor
- ITAL-1011 Intensive Basic Italian
- ITAL-1511 Intensive Intermediate Italian
- ITAL-2011 Intensive Advanced Italian I
- ITAL-2012 Intensive Advanced Italian II
- ITAL-2033 Writing and Culture/Literature
- ITAL-2031 Contemporary Italy or one course at the 3000 or 4000-level (including ITAL-4394)
(For course listings for Italian see Schedule of Classes)