Wesleyan Home → Romance Languages & Literatures → About Italian → About the Major

About the Major

Italian Studies

Requirements for the Italian Studies Major

9 courses above the level of 102 (i.e., 111 and higher)
At least 1 course taken in Italian at Wesleyan after study abroad

Allowance: 1 course of these 9 may be taken through the medium of English

The major at a glance

1 course in Italian post-study abroad required
Students are highly encouraged to satisfy the post-study abroad requirement in the semester they return to campus.
4 credits from Bologna accepted
- Only 1 of these may be on a topic that is not Italian in nature (i.e., Economy of Russia taken at the UniBo).
Lecce credit accepted only for students who have completed through 102 only before study abroad.
If a student attends a study abroad program other than ECCO, a review of the number of credits that will be accepted into the major will be required.
Students placing into 221, or higher, are required to complete 9 courses, 3 of which may be in English. 1 of the 6 minimum courses in Italian must be taken in the senior year.
Sample transcripts

YR	SEM	Student 1	Student 2	Student 3	Student 4	Student 5
FR	F	ITAL 101	ITAL 101			ITAL 221
FR	S	ITAL 102	ITAL 102			ITAL 2++
SO	F	ITAL 111	ITAL 111	ITAL 101	ITAL 101	ITST **
SO	S	ITAL 112	ITAL 112	ITAL 102	ITAL 102	ITAL 2++
JU	F	ECCO ECCO ECCO ECCO	ITAL 221	ITAL 111	Lecce (=ITAL 111) ECCO (=ITAL 112) ECCO ECCO ECCO	ECCO ECCO ECCO ECCO
JU	S	ITAL 2++ or ITST*	ECCO ECCO ECCO ECCO	ECCO ECCO ECCO ECCO	ITAL 2++ ITAL 2++ or ITST*	ITAL 2++ or ITST (or 0)**
SE ***		ITAL 2++ or ITST* ITAL 2++ or ITST*	ITAL 2++ or ITST* ITAL 2++ or ITST*	ITAL 221 and ITAL 2++ ITAL 2++ *and* *ITST or ITAL**	ITAL 2++ or ITST* ITAL 2++ or ITST*	ITAL 2++ (or 0)* ITAL 2++ (or 0)**

NOTES:

* 1 ITST course permitted for the major.
** Up to 3 ITST permitted for the major for students placing into 221 or higher.
*** One ITAL must be taken in the student’s senior year.

Key:

Courses in bold: accepted as courses for ITST major
F = Fall / S = Spring
ITAL = courses taken through the medium of Italian at Wesleyan (in RLL)
ITST = courses on Italian literature/culture taken through the medium of English at Wesleyan
ECCO = courses taken on the ECCO Program in Bologna

Study Overseas Wesleyan Program in Bologna

Program In Bologna, Italy

Wesleyan University co-sponsors with Vassar College and Wellesley College a program in Italy for up to 15 students from each of the three schools without regard to their choice of major. ITAL102 or the equivalent of one year of college-level Italian is the prerequisite for participation. Students may choose to participate in either the fall or spring semesters, or (optimally) both. For fall or full-year participants, the program begins with a seven-week (2 credit) intensive language and culture course that consists of three weeks in Siena in the month of August, followed by a short break and then four more weeks in Bologna before the beginning of the academic year; spring-only participants will have a similar three-week (1 credit) course in Bologna in January. A full complement of courses taught in Italian dealing with Italian literature, history, government, art history and other areas are offered at the program’s center, taught by faculty from the Universita’ di Bologna and by the program director.

Qualified students are strongly encouraged to enroll in courses at the Universita’, and thus students with good language skills will have a wide range of fields from which to choose, including economics, government and the natural sciences. All courses carry one Wesleyan credit. Literature courses may count toward the Italian studies major. Courses in other disciplines must be approved for credit toward the major by the appropriate adviso

Cost of the program is approximately equivalent to that of staying on the home campus for the same period, and it includes round-trip air transportation between New York and Italy. Applications for the fall semester are due by March 1, for the spring semester, by October 1, and must be submitted to the Office of International Studies.

Students participating in Wesleyan’s Program in Bologna for any duration may receive credit for four courses. Students attending study abroad programs other than ECCO are required to have those credits reviewed by their advisor before they will be accepted for the major.

Course Assistantships in Italian

Majors and other accomplished students returning from overseas may apply to serve as a course assistant for elementary Italian. Students may not receive academic credit for this exercise; rather, they will receive a stipend for their work. Students should express their interest to the faculty advisor in the spring for the fallowing fall semester and in the early fall for consideration for the spring semester. Please note that students may serve as course assistant for only one course in the University per semester.