Learning Goals in the Italian Studies Major

The major in Italian Studies consists of 9 courses beyond Elementary Italian, and includes language course at the Intermediate and Advanced level, and courses in Medieval and Early Modern Literature and modern and contemporary Italian literature and culture.

Language Proficiency

By the end of the course of study at Connecticut College, including at least one semester of study in Italy, students majoring in Italian will have reached advanced proficiency in Modern Standard Italian. Students will be able to express themselves fluently and effectively in a wide range of social, academic and professional situations. Students will be able to read and understand complex literary and technical texts on both concrete and abstract topics and will be able to produce different types of texts (descriptive, discursive, argumentative, and persuasive) in a well organized and cohesive manner. In addition, students will be able to recognize and distinguish  some of the regional varieties of spoken Italian. Students with no prior knowledge of the language will start by taking courses at the elementary level (ITL 101 and ITL 102) and progress through the intermediate series (ITL 201 and ITL 202) up to the upper intermediate more specialized language courses (ITL 250 and ITL 260).

Cultural Proficiency and Lifestyle

The emphasis in the 300 and 400 level course shifts from mastery of the Italian language to mastery of the kind of critical thinking and historical and cultural knowledge needed to understand and appreciate Italy. Students who take upper-level courses in Italian will be able to analyze literary texts, films, and images after being exposed to various forms of critical reading. They will know basic methods for doing research, such as searching professional databases for articles and books, compiling a bibliography as well as writing critical essays At the end of their Italian studies, Connecticut College students will have acquired a broad knowledge of the major periods of Italian history and culture and will have developed a life-long love of Italy, its culture and its language.