Italian Studies| Major

Program Overview

Italy has one of the richest cultural heritages in the world, home to the largest number of UNESCO heritage sites and a legacy of innovation in art, design, music, literature, science, and cinema. Studying Italian provides access to this extraordinary tradition and prepares students for careers in international business, arts, education, tourism, and more.

Through this program, students will:

• Develop proficiency in the Italian language and communication

• Gain insight into Italy’s cultural and artistic legacy

• Explore Italy’s impact on Western civilization

• Prepare for graduate studies and international careers

Major Requirements

Students pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Italian Studies must complete 37 semester credits, including:

Core Courses (19 SH)

• Beginning Italian II

• Beginning Italian II Language Lab

• Intermediate Italian

• Introduction to Italian Culture & Civilization

• Italian Conversations

• Advanced Italian

• Senior Research Project

Elective Courses (18 SH Required)

Students choose 18 semester credits from the following categories:

Cultural & Professional Studies

• Italian Food & Culture

• Cultural Trip to Italy

• Internship in Italian

• Italian Translation

• Italian for the Professional Environment

Literature & Fine Arts

• Readings in Italian Literature & Culture

• Readings in Italophone Literature and Cultures

• Introduction to Dante’s Divine Comedy

• Studies in Contemporary Italian Literature and Culture

• Studies in Italian Renaissance

• Studies in Italian Fine Arts

• Studies in Italian Cinema

Specialized & Independent Study

• Special Topics in Italian

• Individual Investigation in Italian

Study Abroad In Italy

The program offers the opportunity to have an educational and cultural experience by studying abroad in Italy (or Switzerland), where the students can also do an internship and have the chance to specialize in a field of their choice (fine arts, culinary arts, design, fashion, history, international business, entrepreneurship, music, cinema, literature, environmental science).

Short Study Trips to Italy (8-10 days) are regularly offered for LEC students.

Past Events The Italian Culture Club

Awards & Scholarships

Academic Year 2023-2024 Awards & Scholarships:

The LEC Italian Studies students: 1) Connor Bryant, 2) Angelina Golya, and 3) Eleanor Ramos were awarded a grant of $1,300/1,000 each for their achievements in Italian. Sponsored by the Italian Culture club “Il Cenacolo” of Cleveland, a LEC Italian Studies partner. Congratulations to the winners!

Academic Year 2022-2023 Awards & Scholarships:

The LEC Italian Studies students: 1) Abigail Chaddock, 2) Kayla Clark,  and 3) Josue Cruz won a grant of $1,500.00 each for their achievements in Italian. Sponsored by the Italian Culture club “Il Cenacolo” of Cleveland, a LEC Italian Studies partner. Congratulations to the winners!

Academic Year 2021-2022 Awards & Scholarships:

The LEC Italian Studies students Grace and Dora won scholarships (total of $1,500.00 and $1,000.00 per person) sponsored by the Italian Culture club “Il Cenacolo” of Cleveland, a LEC Italian Studies partner. Congratulations to the winners!

The best LEC students in Italian studies won a grant of $100 per person sponsored by the Italian American Culture Foundation; a LEC Italian Studies partner. Congratulations to our winners Abigail, Josue, and Geaorge.

Academic Year 2020-21 AWARDS & SCHOLARSHIPS

The LEC Italian Studies students Dora, Alexandra and Sean won scholarships (total of $2,000.00 and $1,000.00 per person) sponsored by the Italian Culture club “Il Cenacolo” of Cleveland a LEC Italian Studies partner. The best LEC students in Italian studies won a grant of $100 per person sponsored by the Italian American Culture Foundation; a LEC Italian Studies partner. Congratulations to our winners Victor, Grace, Cameron, Morgan, Hayden, Carissa, Kayla, Angelle, Gavin and Halle.

The conference papers of the undergraduate students Sean Tonni and Arianna Straja were awarded to participate in an academic conference “Bridges Across Cultures” on June 26, 2021 in Dr. Basile's panel: “Italian Regional Cuisine”, and were both appreciated by the academic audience.

Academic Year 2019-20 AWARDS & SCHOLARSHIPS

Congratulations to LEC student Alison, who won a $2,000 scholarship sponsored by the Italian Culture club “Il Cenacolo” of Cleveland. Congratulations to LEC students Alexandra, Blake, and Sean, who won the Italian American Culture Foundation Literature Awards ($500, $300, $200).

Alexandra’s essay on “Out of Rushmore’s Shadow. The Luigi Del Bianco Story” was published on the “Gazzetta Italiana” in June 2020.