Italian Studies, Deparment of Languages, Literatures and Cultures

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Italian Studies
Department of Languages, Literatures
and Cultures
314 Herter Hall
University of Massachusetts
Amherst, MA 01003
Email: freital@frital.umass.edu
Phone: (413) 545-2314
Fax: (413) 545-4778

Events

We'll have several events in the fall of 2008. Check this space for updates.

Italian Studies at UMass is part of the French and Italian unit of the Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures. Students who pursue their studies in our program learn not only about the language, literature and cinema of Italy but also about the way in which the nation and its people have for centuries been involved in the most important aspects of artistic and intellectual innovation in the Western World.

Among the UMass Italian faculty's areas of expertise are medieval and Renaissance studies, the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, women's studies, cinema, linguistics, gastronomy and anthropology. Italian majors consequently receive instruction in a wide range of topics in addition to excellent language instruction. They are, moreover, encouraged to participate in a variety of related extracurricular activities at the College such as those sponsored by the Italian club and Gamma Kappa Alpha, the national Italian Honor Society. Students also have the opportunity to participate in the initiatives of the Thatcher House and to study abroad as a participant in the Siena Program where they attend courses at the Università per Stranieri. Such exceptional opportunities allow them to perfect their linguistic skills, to achieve a fuller understanding of Italian culture and to gain practical experience that will be extremely useful in finding a satisfying job related to their interests.