Major and Minor Requirements

  • Major

    The Italian Studies Major

    Note: The grade point average of the coursework comprising the major must be no less than 2.00 with no course grade below C- (1.70).

    Nine courses, including:

    • ITAL305 Writing in Italian Culture and Literature

    • One unit in Italian conversation, chosen from:

      • ITAL301 Italian Conversation through Cinema

      • ITAL311 Italian Culture and Society

      • ITAL312 Italian in the Media

      • ITAL315 Folklore and Legend in Northern Italy

      • ITAL318 Business Italian

    • One unit in Italian literature, chosen

    • Two units, chosen from:

      • LATN411 Italian Identities: Sicily, Veneto, and Tuscany

      • ITAL423 Le Tre Corone: Dante, Petrarca and Boccaccio

      • ITAL425 Love and Family all'italiana

      • ITAL453 Selected Readings in 19th- and 20th-Century Italian Literature and Culture

      • FREN480 Food: French and Italian Rituals

      • ITAL497 Selected Topics in Italian Literature and Culture 

    • Four units in addition to those taken above, chosen from (with a CLAC in Italian, if taken in English):

    In addition to the regularly offered courses there will be others offered occasionally that may count towards an Italian studies major. All courses outside LLC that can be taken for credit towards the major will be announced by the section coordinator at the beginning of each registration period. Students should always check with the section coordinator to make sure that courses outside of LLC will count towards the major. Students are strongly encouraged to satisfy some of the requirements of the major by studying abroad. Students are expected to fulfill all prerequisites necessary for courses within the major. Prerequisites do not count toward the major unless otherwise noted.

    The Residency Requirement

    For all Italian majors, at least five of the nine courses required for the major must be taken on the University of Richmond campus. Majors must take at least one 400-level class on campus after studying abroad, regardless of whether or not they have sufficient credits to fulfill the major or minor requirements.

  • Minor

    The Italian Studies Minor

    Note: The grade point average of the coursework comprising the minor must be no less than 2.00 with no course grade below C- (1.70). Up to three classes in transfer may be used toward minor requirements. Minors must take at least one 400-level class on campus after studying abroad, regardless of whether or not they have sufficient credits to fulfill the minor requirements.

    Five courses, including:

    • Three Italian courses above the 200 level

    • Two courses, chosen from (with a CLAC in Italian, if taken in English):

     Students are expected to fulfill all prerequisites necessary for courses within the minor. Prerequisites do not count toward the minor unless otherwise noted.

    In addition to the regularly offered courses there will be others offered occasionally that may count towards an Italian studies minor. All courses outside LLC that can be taken for credit towards the minor will be announced by the section coordinator at the beginning of each registration period. Students are strongly encouraged to satisfy some of the requirements of the minor by studying abroad.

    The Residency Requirement

    For all Italian majors, at least five of the nine courses required for the major must be taken on the University of Richmond campus. Majors must take at least one 400-level class on campus after studying abroad, regardless of whether or not they have sufficient credits to fulfill the major or minor requirements.

  • Cross School

    Cross-School Major in Italian Studies and International Business

    (Earned in conjunction with a major in the Robins School of Business with an international business concentration.)

    Nine courses and a senior project (498-499), in addition to completing all requirements of the international business concentration for the business administration major, including:

    • Five units in Italian at the 300 or 400 level

    • IDST379 Interdisciplinary Research Project

    • One semester full-time study at Bocconi University of Economics and Business Administration or Verona University (four courses)  

    The Italian major/international business option represents a collaborative project between the Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures in the School of Arts and Sciences and the International Business Program in the Robins School of Business. Designated faculty members from each program will advise students upon declaration and as they progress through the major. The curriculum includes a semester abroad at one of the University's partner institutions. There, students will continue work on their Robins School and Italian Studies requirements in classes with both local and other international students.

    In order to prepare for the experience abroad, students in Italian will need to have completed at least Italian 221 on the Richmond campus; they must take at least one concurrent course in Italian while at Bocconi. Students are required to take one 400-level course in Italian upon their return.

  • Honors

    Honors Program

    The Italian Honors Program is designed for outstanding students with intellectual initiative and the desire to pursue academic achievement beyond the level of standard course work. Students will engage in independent research and work closely with a faculty advisor on an Honors Thesis during their senior year.

    ELIGIBILITY AND ADMISSION

    To qualify for the Honors Program in Italian, a student should have:

    1. 18.5 or more units completed overall

    2. At least a 3.30 cumulative grade point average for all courses, and a 3.50 cumulative grade point average for Italian courses.

    A student who does not meet these qualifications may be admitted to the program with the special recommendation of the faculty of the Italian section of the Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures and the approval of the Faculty Committee on the Honors Program. To enter the Honors Program, students must submit to the Honors coordinator of the Italian program a letter of intent, with nominating support from one faculty member, by March 15 of their junior year. Each student will be assigned an Honors research advisor with whom he or she will design a program of study that indicates how the student's Honors Program will be accomplished.

    PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

    To receive credit for the Honors Program, the student must:

    • Fulfill the normal requirements for the B.A. in Italian.

    • Take two 400-level Italian courses on campus for Honors credit. These courses will require extra work (supplementary readings and/or assignments, independent research on a topic related to the course, for instance). The extra work will be decided by the course instructor and vetted by the Italian Honors coordinator to ensure consistency.

    • Take ITAL491 (Honor Thesis I, 0.5 unit, fall of senior year) and ITAL492 (Honor Thesis 2, 1 unit, spring of senior year) in order to complete a 25-30 page Honors Thesis written in Italian. This thesis will be based on extensive research and make an original contribution to Italian. The student and his or her advisor should develop a schedule to meetings and assessment that they find appropriate and meet at least once a month. Honors students must present their thesis at the Italian Studies symposium at the end of their senior year. They are also strongly encouraged to apply for a Summer Research Fellowship during their junior year. The thesis will be graded by at least two readers, including the student's thesis advisor.

    Students may withdraw at any time. If they do not complete required additional work or maintain an overall 3.3 grade point average and a 3.5 grade point average for Italian coursework, students will not receive credit for the Honors Program, and the department will submit a request for withdrawal to the Faculty Committee on the Honors Program.