The Italian section of the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures offers an undergraduate major and minor, a PhD program, and opportunities for students to be involved in research and study abroad. The program also runs a rich series of talks, film screenings, andpanel discussions with authors, directors, artists, performers, and other professionals.

Undergraduate courses give students the opportunity to study Italian language from the elementary level through advanced composition and grammar, as well as literature, film, and cultural studies.

The Italian Ph.D. program emphasizes work in three complementary areas: literary history, textual analysis, and theory of interpretation, and includes teaching training and practice. Graduate students are also part of the editorial team for Modern Language Notes, one of the most prestigious journals in the field

Ph.D. Courses

Along with seminars in Italian studies, students take courses outside their field of specialization in areas such as linguistic and literary theory, comparative literature, philosophy, history of art, and history of science. Students will also demonstrate a reading knowledge of at least two other languages besides English. Training in research and methods includes a variety of activities held at the Special Collections of the University Library.  

Teaching

Teacher training and teaching practice are an essential part of the Italian graduate program. Supervised teaching is required of degree candidates in every year but the fourth. Opportunities outside of language instruction for teaching include teaching the undergraduate survey Italian Journeys, intersession and summer courses of the student’s on design, and the Dean’s Teaching Fellowship.

Study abroad

Graduate students normally devote the fourth year of study to research in Italy for their dissertations. Travel grants are available through the department (Singleton Travel Fellowships) and through the Charles Singleton Center for the Study of Premodern Europe. Our students benefit from a variety of graduate exchange programs with prestigious institutions such as the Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa, Università di Venezia, the University of Oxford, the University of Warwick.

Careers

Recent graduates of the PhD program in Italian have tenured or tenure-track appointments at Pace U., Fordham U., Georgetown U., Syracuse U., the U. of Delaware, Villanova U., Ghent U., and Trinity College, Dublin. Hopkins graduates in Italian Studies have also secured post-doctoral positions, such as the Marie Curie Fellowship.

And…

The Italian program runs a series of invited talks as well as film screenings and panel discussions with authors, directors, artists, performers, and other professionals. Our students organize graduate conferences, and collaborate on interdisciplinary and digital projects, advocacy, and new directions in academic research throughout the University. Graduate students are also part of the editorial team for Modern Language Notes, one of the most prestigious journals in the field..