Italian Studies| Major

Degree Awarded: Bachelor of Arts

Get Your Bachelor of Arts in Italian Studies. This foreign language degree is an interdisciplinary program focusing on studying the Italian language, culture, literature, visual & audiovisual arts, its manifestations in history, and its usage in the present cultural and social context.

Requirements for the Italian Studies Degree

This foreign language degree requires 37 semester credits, including:

Italian Course Requirements

• IT 102 Beginning Italian II (3 SH)

• IT 102L Beginning Italian II Language Lab (3 SH)

• IT 201 Intermediate Italian (3 SH)

• IT 211 Introduction to Italian Culture & Civilization (3 SH)

• IT 220 Italian Conversations (3 SH)

• IT 331 Advanced Italian (3 SH)

• IT 490 Senior Research Project (3 SH)

Italian Studies Group 1

18 Semester Credits from the following.

• IT 210 Italian Food & Culture (3 SH)

• IT 240 Cultural Trip to Italy

• IT 250 / 350 / 450 Internship in Italian (1-4 SH)

• IT 300 Italian Translation (2 or 3 SH)

• IT 301 Italian for the Professional Environment (3 SH)

• IT 338 Readings in Italian Literature & Culture II (3 SH)

• IT 339 Readings in Italophone Literature and Cultures

• IT 411 Introduction to Dante's Divine Comedy (3 SH)

• IT 412 Studies in Contemporary Italian Literature and Culture (3 SH)

• IT 413 Studies in Italian Renaissance (3 SH)

• IT 420 Studies in Italian Fine Arts (3 SH)

• IT 422 Studies in Italian Cinema (3 SH)

• IT 170-79 / 270-79 / 370-79 Special Topics in Italian (2-4 SH)

• IT 160/260/360/460 Individual Investigation in Italian (1-4 SH)

About the Major

Italian Tradition

Italy offers the richest cultural heritage of Western civilization with the biggest number of UNESCO heritage/artistic sites in the world. It has produced some of the most remarkable geniuses of art, design, music, literature, science, and cinema and founded the first University in Europe. The major in Italian Studies affords access to this extraordinarily rich cultural tradition and to one of Europe's most vital contemporary societies.

The language/culture courses and offerings on key topics in Italian Studies enable students to examine, reflect, and comment on the broad diversity of intellectual and artistic life in Italy and its impact on Western culture from ancient times to contemporary times. The program also provides the necessary preparation for graduate studies, to interact within a multicultural and foreign society, and, therefore, to be prepared for the 21st-century professional environment in which diversity and global elements are frequent.

Study Abroad In Italy

The program offers the opportunity to have an educational and cultural experience by studying abroad in Italy (or Switzerland), where the students can also do an internship and have the chance to specialize in a field of their choice (fine arts, culinary arts, design, fashion, history, international business, entrepreneurship, music, cinema, literature, environmental science).

Short Study Trips to Italy (8-10 days) are regularly offered for LEC students.

Learn more about the 2024 Trip to Italy here. Learn more about the 2024 Trip to Italy here.

Past Events The Italian Culture Club

For an example of events provided by the Italian Culture Club, view this documentview this document.

Awards & Scholarships

Academic Year 2023-2024 Awards & Scholarships:

The LEC Italian Studies students: 1) Connor Bryant, 2) Angelina Golya, and 3) Eleanor Ramos were awarded a grant of $1,300/1,000 each for their achievements in Italian. Sponsored by the Italian Culture club “Il Cenacolo” of Cleveland, a LEC Italian Studies partner. Congratulations to the winners!

Academic Year 2022-2023 Awards & Scholarships:

The LEC Italian Studies students: 1) Abigail Chaddock, 2) Kayla Clark,  and 3) Josue Cruz won a grant of $1,500.00 each for their achievements in Italian. Sponsored by the Italian Culture club “Il Cenacolo” of Cleveland, a LEC Italian Studies partner. Congratulations to the winners!

Academic Year 2021-2022 Awards & Scholarships:

The LEC Italian Studies students Grace and Dora won scholarships (total of $1,500.00 and $1,000.00 per person) sponsored by the Italian Culture club “Il Cenacolo” of Cleveland, a LEC Italian Studies partner. Congratulations to the winners!

The best LEC students in Italian studies won a grant of $100 per person sponsored by the Italian American Culture Foundation; a LEC Italian Studies partner. Congratulations to our winners Abigail, Josue, and Geaorge.

Academic Year 2020-21 AWARDS & SCHOLARSHIPS

The LEC Italian Studies students Dora, Alexandra and Sean won scholarships (total of $2,000.00 and $1,000.00 per person) sponsored by the Italian Culture club “Il Cenacolo” of Cleveland a LEC Italian Studies partner. The best LEC students in Italian studies won a grant of $100 per person sponsored by the Italian American Culture Foundation; a LEC Italian Studies partner. Congratulations to our winners Victor, Grace, Cameron, Morgan, Hayden, Carissa, Kayla, Angelle, Gavin and Halle.

The conference papers of the undergraduate students Sean Tonni and Arianna Straja were awarded to participate in an academic conference “Bridges Across Cultures” on June 26, 2021 in Dr. Basile's panel: “Italian Regional Cuisine”, and were both appreciated by the academic audience.

Academic Year 2019-20 AWARDS & SCHOLARSHIPS

Congratulations to LEC student, Alison, who won a $2,000 scholarship sponsored by the Italian Culture club “Il Cenacolo” of Cleveland. Congratulations to LEC students Alexandra, Blake, and Sean who won the Italian American Culture Foundation Literature Awards ($500, $300, $200).

Alexandra’s essay on “Out of Rushmore’s Shadow. The Luigi Del Bianco Story” was published on the “Gazzetta Italiana” in June 2020.