Undergraduate Program

 

 

 

Director of Undergraduate Studies:

Professor Konstantina Zanou

Elementary Language Coordinator:

Professor Federica Franze

Intermediate Language Coordinator:

Professor Patrizia Palumbo

 

                     

Language Courses

ITAL UN1101-UN1102: Elementary Italian I & II 4 pts. Lecture and lab. Enrollment limited. Prerequisite for UN1102: ITAL UN1101 or the equivalent. Introduction to Italian grammar, with emphasis on reading, writing, listening and speaking skills. Lab: hours to be arranged. 

ITAL UN1111-UN1112: Elementary Conversation 2 pts. Prerequisites: For UN1112: ITAL UN1111 or the equivalent, or sufficient fluency to satisfy the instructor. Limited enrollment. Recommended parallel: ITAL UN1101-UN1102. Intensive practice in pronunciation, vocabulary, comprehension of the spoken language, and conversation. Conversation courses may not be used to satisfy the language requirement or fulfill major or concentration requirements.

ITAL UN1121: Intensive Elementary Italian 6 pts. Limited enrollment. No previous knowledge of Italian required. An intensive course that covers two semesters of elementary Italian in one, and prepares students to move into Intermediate Italian. Grammar, reading, writing, and conversation. 

ITAL UN2101-UN2102: Intermediate Italian I & II 4 pts. Prerequisites: For UN1201: ITAL UN1102  or the equivalent; for UN2102: ITAL UN2101 or the equivalent. Limited enrollment. A review of grammar, intensive reading, composition, and practice in conversation. Exploration of literary and cultural material. Lab: hours to be arranged. ITAL UN2102 fulfills the basic foreign language requirement and prepares students for advanced study in Italian language and literature.


ITAL UN2121: Intensive Intermediate Italian 6 pts. Prerequisites: ITAL UN1102 or equivalent, with a grade of B+ or higher. Limited enrollment. An intensive course that covers two semesters of intermediate Italian in one, and prepares students for advanced language and literature study. Grammar, reading, writing, and conversation. Exploration of literary and cultural materials. 

ITAL UN1221: Intermediate Conversation 2 pts. Prerequisites: ITAL UN1112 or sufficient fluency to satisfy the instructor. Recommended parallel: ITAL UN2101-UN2102. Conversation courses may not be used to satisfy the language requirement or fulfill major or concentration requirements. Intensive practice in the spoken language, assigned topics for class discussions, and oral reports.

 

ITAL UN1311-UN1312: Advanced Conversation 2 pts. Prerequisites: ITAL UN1221 or sufficient fluency to satisfy the instructor. Recommended parallel: ITAL UN3335-UN3336 Conversation courses may not be used to satisfy the language requirement or fulfill major or concentration requirements. Practice in the spoken language through assigned topics on contemporary Italian culture.

ITAL UN3333 Introduction To Italian Literature, I. 3 points. Prerequisites: UN3333 - the basic course in Italian literature. Authors and works from the Duecento to the Cinquecento. Taught in Italian.

ITAL UN3335 Advanced Italian I 3 pts. Prerequisites: ITAL UN2102 or the equivalent. Written and oral self-expression in compositions and oral reports on a variety of topics; grammar review. Required for majors and concentrators.

ITAL UN3336 Advanced Italian II 3 pts. Prerequisites: ITAL UN335 or the equivalent. Written and oral self-expression in compositions and oral reports on a variety of topics; grammar review. Required for majors and concentrators.

ITAL UN3337 Italian in film 3 pts. Prerequisites: ITAL UN3335 or the equivalent. Students will develop advanced language competence while analyzing and discussing Italian films and their reflection of changing Italian culture and society.

ITAL UN3334 Italiana. Introduction to Italian Culture, the High, the Low, and the In-between. 3 points.

"Italiana. Introduction to Italian Culture, the High, the Low, and the In-between" aims at expanding the students' knowledge of Italian culture and improving and refining their language skills, through writing, reading, speaking, and listening. This is a content based course in which the students familiarize with the most crucial moments of Italian history and are exposed to the issues that are currently debated in Italy, such as national identity, immigration, emigration, homoparental family, and the truthfulness or deceptiveness of the brand Made in Italy. Naturally, considerable attention is given to the distinctive geographical, economical, and cultural traits of Italian regions and their cities. The students apply their communicative skills in Italian by conversing with the Italian students currently registered at Columbia University and by conducting interviews within New York's Italian communities on the subjects studied and discussed in class.

ITAL UN3345 Grand Tour in Italy,3 pts. Prerequisites: Note: Italian is the language of instruction.  This course proposes a virtual tour of the country’s most famous sites, looking at the ways in which what is local and peculiar, diverse and marginal, contributes its distinctive style and character to the overall unity and uniqueness of Italy.  Each week we consider a different aspect of Italy’s richness and variety: from the evolution of its language/s and dialects to its humor; its art and landscapes; the music from ancient times to current pop songs; its cinema and web serials, its cuisine, the contributions of migrants, and much more. The course is highly interdisciplinary and will assist students in the development of their linguistic and cultural skills, while tracing the origins of most mainstream Italian cultural phenomena, and imparting an awareness of modern Italy's multiculturalism. 



Language Requirement Policy

For students with no knowledge of Italian the required sequence is UN1101-UN1102 and UN2101-UN2102.

Students with prior knowledge of Italian must take the Italian placement exam before registering for a course.

Students may be exempted from the language requirement in Italian in one of three ways:

  • By presenting a score of 4 or 5 on the Advanced Placement Italian Exam.
  • By presenting a score of 780 or above on the SAT Subject Test in Italian.
  • By obtaining a satisfying score on the department’s placement examination.

Majors and Concentrations

Please read Guidelines for all Italian Majors and Concentrators above.

The major in Italian literature requires a minimum of 30 points in Italian courses numbered above the intermediate level, i.e., above ITAL UN2121, to include the following:

Requirements

Two semesters of Advanced Italian

ITAL UN3335
 - ITAL UN3336Advanced Italian
and Advanced Italian II: Italian Language & Culture

or ITAL UN3337 Advanced Italian Through Cinema

or ITAL UN3338 Italiana. Introduction to Italian Culture, the High, the Low, and the In-between

or ITAL UN3339 Learning Italian in Class and Online: A Telecollaboration with Italy

or ITAL UN3645 Grand Tour in Italy

or ITAL UN3341 Art Itineraries: Italian through Art

or ITAL UN3342 Business Italian and the Made in Italy Excellence: Learning Italian for trade and industry

or ITAL UN3232 Senza frontiere. Lingua e cultura italiane dall’Ottocento ad oggi tra emigrazione ...) 

Two semesters of Italian Literature

  • Introduction to Italian Literature I and II (ITAL UN3333-ITAL UN3334) provides an overview of major authors and works in the Italian literary tradition from the Middle Ages to the present

OR

Two semesters of Italian Culture

  • Italian Cultural Studies I and II (ITAL GU4502-ITAL GU4503) is an interdisciplinary investigation into Italian culture and society from national unification in 1860 to the present.

 

 

In consultation with the Director of Undergraduate Studies, majors select six additional courses (concentrators select four additional courses) from the department’s 3000- or 4000-level offerings or from other humanities and social science departments with a focus on Italian culture.  Students who have taken courses in Italian Literature, Italian History, and/or Italian Culture while abroad should consult with the Director of Undergraduate Studies to determine if the courses may be applicable to the major. 

Highly motivated students have the opportunity to pursue a senior thesis under the guidance of a faculty adviser in an area of Italian literature or culture of their choosing. The senior thesis tutorial, ITAL UN3993 Senior Thesis/Tutorial, will count for 3 points.

Departmental courses taught entirely in English do not have linguistic prerequisites and students from other departments who have interests related to Italian culture are especially welcome to enroll.

Italian language instruction employs a communicative approach that integrates speaking, reading, writing, and listening. Courses make use of materials that help students to learn languages not just as abstract systems of grammar and vocabulary but as living cultures with specific content. Across the levels from elementary to advanced, a wide range of literary, cultural and multimedia materials, including books, film, and opera, supplement the primary course text.

The sequence in elementary and intermediate Italian enables students to fulfill the College’s foreign language requirement and thoroughly prepares them for advanced study of language and for literature courses taught in Italian. Specialized language courses allow students to develop their conversational skills.

For highly motivated students, the department offers intensive elementary and intensive intermediate Italian, both of which cover a full year of instruction in one semester. Courses in advanced Italian, although part of the requirements for a major or a concentration in Italian, are open to any qualified student whose main goal is to improve and perfect their competence in the language. It is recommended that advanced undergraduate students take Stylistics (ITAL GU4000) if they are considering graduate studies in Italian or a career that requires superior command of spoken and written Italian.

Outside the classroom, the Department of Italian organizes a weekly Caffè e conversazione where students at all levels can converse with fellow students and faculty members over Italian espresso and cookies. Students can also attend the Serata al cinema, Italian film viewings scheduled in the evening throughout the academic year, in which faculty and graduate students introduce each film and then conclude with a question and answer session. 

Please read Guidelines for all Italian Majors and Concentrators above.

Requirements

The concentration in Italian literature requires a minimum of 24 points in Italian courses numbered above the intermediate level, i.e., above ITAL UN2121, to include the following:

Two semesters of Advanced Italian

ITAL UN3335
 - ITAL UN3336Advanced Italian
and Advanced Italian II: Italian Language & Culture

or ITAL UN3337Advanced Italian Through Cinema

or ITAL UN3338 Italiana. Introduction to Italian Culture, the High, the Low, and the In-between

or ITAL UN3645 Grand Tour in Italy

or ITAL UN3341 Art Itineraries: Italian through Art

or ITAL UN3342 Business Italian and the Made in Italy Excellence: Learning Italian for trade and industry

or ITAL UN3232 Senza frontiere. Lingua e cultura italiane dall’Ottocento ad oggi tra emigrazione ...) 

Two semesters of Italian Literature

ITAL UN3333
 - ITAL UN3334Introduction To Italian Literature, I
and Introduction To Italian Literature, II

- OR -

Two Semesters of Italian Culture

ITAL GU4502
 - ITAL GU4503Italian Cultural Studies I: From Unification to World War I
and Italian Cultural Studies II: From World War I to the Present

Additional Courses

Select at least two other courses from the department's GU4000-level courses.

In consultation with the director of undergraduate studies, the remaining courses may be selected from the department's 3000- or 4000-level offerings or from other humanities and social science departments with a focus on Italian literature or culture.

Advanced Placement & Departmental Honors

The department grants 3 credits for a score of 5 on the AP Italian Language exam, which satisfies the foreign language requirement. Credit is awarded upon successful completion of a 3000-level (or higher) course with a grade of B or higher. This course must be for at least 3 points of credit and be taught in Italian. Courses taught in English may not be used for language AP credit. The department grants 0 credits for a score of 4 on the AP Italian Language exam, but the foreign language requirement is satisfied.

Majors in Italian literature or Italian cultural studies who wish to be considered for departmental honors in Italian must (1) have at least a 3.6 GPA in their courses for the major and (2) complete a senior thesis or tutorial and receive a grade of at least A- within the context of the course ITAL UN3993. Normally, departmental honors are awarded to no more than one graduating senior.