ITALIAN AT BRYN MAWR

For the past decades, Italian has been an expanding field. The number of language students has increased steadily in the United States and extraliterary subjects, ranging from cinema to semiotics, now augment the traditional study of authors from Dante to Calvino.

At Bryn Mawr, while Italian has been a major field since the College was founded, collaboration with other departments has always added a breadth and flexibility to the program in Italian. Students may choose a romance languages major combining French and/or Spanish with Italian or may major in Comparative Literature with Italian as a primary language. Some students combine Italian with work in other literatures, art history, political science, economics, or philosophy, according to their interests, for a double major or a major/minor combination.

The major in Italian builds on a sequence of courses spanning the history of Italian literature from the Middle Ages to the present. Most courses are taught in Italian. The introductory course (i.e. Italian 200) for majors gives students practice in speaking and writing Italian and offers a general presentation of the methods of literary criticism. Advanced courses focus on the the stylistics, linguistic, and social problems involving literary movements, such as verismo, or major authors such as Dante, Petrarch and Boccaccio. Some courses focus on a specific genre: The short story or drama. Majors develop individual research interests in course work supervised by a faculty member and may work on a project for departmental honors. Courses offered at the university of Pennsylvania may be taken for major credit. Summer study in Italy or the junior year abroad at an approved program in Italy are encouraged. An Italian house in Haffner and a lively Tavola Italiana provide a comfortable environment for spontaneous expression.

In recent years, Italian majors have continued with graduate study in Italian, romance languages, English and Comparative literature. The Department takes pride in the fact that those majors who have elected to do graduate work in Italian have been accepted by the most prestigious graduate programs in the country and almost always by the school of their choice. Demand for Italian as a language of business, culture and travel also attracts many students to the department. Graduates benefit from knowing a living foreign language in the context of its cultural history. Above all, the department believes that studying the structure of the Italian language and its literary uses and pleasures prepares students for disciplined work in any field, and offers them a lifetime of stimulation and interest.

MAJOR REQUIREMENTS

Major requirements in Italian are ten courses, as follows: Italian 101, 102, and eight additional units, at least two of which to be chosen from the offerings on the 300 level and no more than two chosen from some allied field. All students must take a course on Dante, one on the Italian Renaissance and one on modern Italian literature. Where courses in translation are offered, students may, with the approval of the department, obtain major credit, provided they read the texts in Italian, submit written work in Italian, and when the instructor finds it necessary, meet with the instructor for additional discussion in Italian.

Courses allied to the Italian major include, with departmental approval, all courses for major credit in ancient and modern languages and related courses in Archaeology, Art history, History, Music, Philosophy, and Political Science. Each student's program is planned in consultation with the department. Students who begin their work in Italian at the 200 level will be exempted from Italian 101 and 102.

MINOR REQUIREMENTS

Bryn Mawr students may complete minor in Italian by taking six advanced courses in Italian (courses above Italian 001-002 ).

SUMMER STUDY IN PISA

Bryn Mawr offers a six-week summer program in the language, literature, and culture.  Classes are offered at the University of Pisa, one of Europe's oldest universities, and are tailored toward beginning, intermediate, or advanced students. Courses are taught by Bryn Mawr College and University of Pisa faculty. For more information go to http://www.brynmawr.edu/italian/pisa

REQUIREMENTS FOR HONORS

To be considered for Honors in Italian, a student will need a minimum grade point average of 3.7 in the major and a research paper, written at the invitation of the department, either in Senior Conference or in a unit of supervised work.