Bachelor of Arts [B.A] [Italian Studies] From University of Pennsylvania

The major in Italian Studies has two tracks or concentrations: 1) Italian Literature, 2) Italian Culture. The foundation of both is Italian language, which students will have the opportunity to master in all four areas of communication: speaking, listening, reading, writing. Building on that firm linguistic base, students may chose one of two tracks. Each one envisions a mix of courses taught in Italian and English, within Romance Languages and in other departments.

The University of Pennsylvania, strong in its interdisciplinary and international dimensions, supports a flourishing Italian Studies Program. The Program's distinctive configuration reflects our setting on the Penn campus and in the heart of Philadelphia. Students can choose a traditional concentration in language and literature or shape more individualized curriculums that connect to sister programs.

Such cross-disciplinary study may engage another Romance Language or reach beyond the Department, through courses sponsored by Comparative Literature, the Center for Italian Studies, Cinema Studies, and a growing number of electives in Arts and Sciences related to issues of national and ethnic identity.

Additionally, at a time when the study of foreign languages at the k-12 level is growing across the country and there is a global need for teachers of English as second language, undergraduate students in the Italian program are eligible to apply for an accelerated program of master's degree study by seeking admission to the Graduate School of Education as submatriculants, in their junior or senior year.