Italian

Key facts
Location: Canterbury
Award: BA (Hons)
Type: Full-time and part-time
Options: A year studying in Italy between Stages 2 and 3
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 the 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 literature, culture, and society. The course covers topics such as History of Italian Literature, 19th and 20th-century Italian fiction, Fascism, History of the Organised Crime, 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?

European Languages & Area Studies at Kent had a 91% student satisfaction rating in the 2007 National Student Survey, and the highest level of student satisfaction nationally in the 2006 survey.

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)
  • Writing Italy Through the Centuries: An Introduction to Italian Literature

or

  • 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 Neorealism

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
  • Commedia Dell’Arte
  • 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 Resistence Movement
  • Italian Short Story
  • Midnight in the Century: Fascism Film & Literature
  • The Novella: From Boccaccio to Bellow
  • Politics in the Western European States
  • Text in Context: An Introduction to 20th Century Italian 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, Padova, Parma, Salerno or Siena. 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 Foundation Programme for International Students guarantees you entry onto the first year of these degree programmes.

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Offer levels

Joint honours: A/AS level 300/320 points (3.5 A level equivalents) including BC at A level, IB 33/35 points (15/16 at Higher)

Pass Foundation Programme for International Students

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.