Italian

Key facts
Location: Canterbury
Award: BA (Hons)
Type: Full-time and part-time
Options: A year abroad in Italy
Further information
Download: Subject leaflet
Online: Department

With Italy continually proving herself as a
cornerstone in culture, art and history across
Europe, you cannot help but be inspired to
learn the language. By learning Italian, you give
yourself a tool to explore this cultural richness
and to open your eyes to its Roman heritage, the
Renaissance, modern architecture, fashion and
car design. It is a hugely popular language
spoken not only in its home country, but also by
over 15 million people in Switzerland, North
America and Australia.


Italian was one of the first language departments
created at Kent and we are proud to offer a
course of study which gives you the opportunity
to learn Italian to a high standard and gain real
insight into Italian culture, literature and society.
The course covers topics such as organised
crime, the history of Italian literature, 19th and
20th-century Italian fiction, Fascism, and neorealist
and post-neorealist cinema. You can study
Italian at Kent whether you have an A level or
GCSE in Italian, or are a beginner. You can study
either full-time or part-time.


The majority of the Italian teaching staff are
native speakers and there are usually a number
of exchange students within the School, so you
have the opportunity to immerse yourself in the
language. This is supplemented by excellent
technical facilities, including three satellite TV
channels, videos, DVDs and computer-assisted
language learning.

Degree programmes

Joint honours
Did you know?

Kent was ranked 7th in the UK for
Other Languages and Area Studies
in the 2009 National Student Sur vey.

Italian is only available as a joint honours degree.

Italian and…

  • Business Administration (NR23)
  • Classical & Archaeological Studies (QR83)
  • Comparative Literature (QR23)
  • Cultural Studies (R3V9)
  • Drama (RW34)
  • English and American Literature (QR33)
  • European Management Science (N243)
  • European Studies (R903)
  • Film Studies (RW36)
  • French (RR13)
  • German (RR23)
  • Hispanic Studies (RR43)
  • History (RV31)
  • History & Philosophy of Art (RV35)
  • Journalism (at Medway) (P500:K)
  • Philosophy (RVH5)
  • Politics and International Relations (L273)
  • Social Anthropology with Italian (L673)
  • Sociology with Italian (L373)

Core modules

Stage 1
Core modules

Either

  • Learning Italian 1 (Beginners)
  • History of Italian Cinema: The Legacy
    of Neo-realism

or

  • Italian Texts in Context
  • Learning Italian 3 (Post ‘A’ Level)
  • Writing Italy Through the Centuries:
    An Introduction to Italian Literature

Options

  • Italian Texts in Context
  • History of Italian Cinema: The Legacy
    of Neo-realism
  • Looking at Language

Plus required modules for your other joint honours subject.

Stage 2/3
Core modules
  • Learning Italian 2 (Intermediate)
  • Learning Italian 4 (Advanced 1)
  • Learning Italian 5 (Advanced 2)
Options

You can choose among the following modules:

  • Art and Architecture of the Renaissance
  • Catching the Tide: Cultural Renewal in
    20th-Century Italy
  • Cosa Nostra: Organised Crime and Italian
    Politics
  • Dogs, Devils and Demons: Images of Hell
    in Virgil and Dante
  • Italian Cinema and History
  • Italian Cinema and Literature
  • Italian Dissertation
  • Italian Extended Essay
  • The Italian First Republic
  • The Italian Resistance Movement
  • Italian Short Story
  • Midnight in the Century: Fascism in Film
    and Literature
  • Women Writers of the 20th Century
  • ‘Ye Without Sin’ – How Organised Crime Arose
    in Southern Italy.

Plus required modules for your other joint honours subject.

Year abroad

You normally spend the year abroad (if Italian
is your only modern language subject) at one
of our exchange universities in Italy – Bologna,
Parma, Pavia or Salerno. Alternatively, you can
opt to work as an English language assistant in
an Italian school.

Teaching and assessment

Teaching is by lectures and seminars. We have
extensive technical facilities, including three
satellite TV channels, video and DVDs and
computer-assisted language learning.


Depending on the modules you select,
assessment throughout all stages of the course
varies from 100% coursework (extended essays
or dissertation), to a combination of examination
and coursework, in the ratio 50:50, 60:40 or
80:20.

Entry requirements

Passing the Kent Foundation Programme for
International Students guarantees you entry
onto the first year of these degree programmes.

Not sure? How about...
Offer levels

Joint honours: A/AS level 320 points
(3.5 A level equivalents) inc AB at A level,
IB Diploma 33 points inc 4 at HL or 5 at SL
in a modern European language other than
English.

Required subjects
  • Italian from beginner’s level: GCSE modern
    European language (other than English)
    grade B.
  • Italian from advanced level: B grade A level
    Italian.

Careers

Recent graduates have gone into teaching,
translating and interpreting, marketing,
journalism and publishing, working abroad.