Italian Major & Minor
Explore and Discover. The Italian program provides an in-depth education in the Italian language, as well as the cultural, political, historical, and strategic importance of Italy within the community of European nations.
Major | Minor | Major/Minor Declaration
The Major in Italian and European Studies
This major will not be offered beginning Fall 2025.
The joint major in Italian and European studies consists of 42 hours of coursework, and students are encouraged to study abroad in Italy for a semester. Students should consult with the Director of Undergraduate Studies in Italian and with the director of the Max Kade Center for European and German Studies.
Requirements
Italian – 24 credit hours
- Italian language and literature (12 hours): ITAL 2501W, 3000, 3041, 3240, or appropriate substitute in consultation with your adviser
- Italian culture and civilization (9 hours): ITAL 2614, 3100, 3600, 3702, 3703, or 3640
- Electives (3 hours): Other Italian content course approved by the major adviser in Italian
European Studies – 18 hours
- European studies core courses (9 hours): EUS 2201, 2203, and 4960 (requires thesis)
- Social sciences (3 hours): PSCI 2210, 3211 or appropriate substitute with the approval of the adviser in European studies
- History (3 hours): HIST 2260, 2280, or 2290
- Humanities (3 hours): EUS 2225, 2235, 3890; ANTH 3124; HART 2310 or 2330
The Minor in Italian Studies
Students who minor in Italian studies are expected to achieve intermediate proficiency in oral and written Italian, to demonstrate a general understanding of the history of Italian literatures and cultures, and to develop an awareness of the ways Italian studies intersect with other disciplines. All minors are expected to consult the director of undergraduate studies about their choice of courses. Students are encouraged to participate in study abroad programs in Italy.
Requirements
Required Courses – 6 hours
- ITA 2203: Intermediate Italian
- ITA 2501W: Grammar and Composition or ITAL 2614: Conversation
Note: ITA 1101, 1102, 1103 do not count toward the minor.
Elective Courses – 9 hours
Three of the elective credit hours may be selected from courses in subject areas other than Italian, such as classical studies, history, history of art and architecture, and music literature. Other Italy-related courses not listed here—such as those in study abroad programs—may count towards the minor upon approval by the director of undergraduate studies.
- ITA 2501W: Grammar and Composition (if not used as a required course)
- ITA 2614: Conversation (if not used as a required course)
- ITA 3000: Introduction to Italian Literature
- ITA 3041: Italian Civilization
- ITA 3100: Literature from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance
- ITA 3240: Dante’s Divine Comedy
- ITA 3340: Famous Women by Boccaccio
- ITA 500: Baroque, Illuminismo, and Romanticism in Italy
- ITA 3600: Twentieth-Century Literature: Beauty and Chaos
- ITA 3640: Classic Italian Cinema
- ITA 3641: Contemporary Italian Cinema
- ITA 3701: City Fictions
- ITA 3702: Topics in Contemporary Italian Civilization
- ITA 3703: The Cultural and Linguistic Worlds of Italy
- ITA 3740: Gangsters, Lovers, Madonnas, and Mistresses
- ITA 3802: Contemporary Italian Society and Culture
- ITA 3890: Special Topics in Italian Literature
- LAT 3100: Roman Comedy
- LAT 3110: Catullus
- LAT 3120: Lucretius: De Rerum Natura
- LAT 3130: Vergil: The Aeneid
- LAT 3160: Ovid
HIST 2220: Medieval and Renaissance Italy, 1000–1700.
- HART 2310: Italian Art to 1500
- HART 2330: Italian Renaissance Art after 1500
- HART 3320, 3320W: Early Renaissance Florence
- HART 3332: Raphael and the Renaissance
- HART 3334, 3334W: Michelangelo’s Life and Works
- MUSL 3220: Opera in the 17th and 18th Centuries
- MUSL 3221: Opera in the 19th Century
Declaring a Major or Minor
Complete the Major/Minor Declaration form. See the Major/Minor Declaration User Guide for more information.