Provisional University Bulletin (2025-2026)

• Minor

Brandeis offers students the opportunity to focus on the cultural heritage of Italy from the inception of the Italian language to the present day. The study of Italy’s language and creative achievements enables students to explore another culture in depth in order to become more informed global citizens, prepare for study abroad and/or eventual graduate work or embark on related opportunities in the workplace.

Italian Studies provides a minor and an independent major (through an Independent Interdisciplinary Major or IIM) for those who wish to extend their study of Italian beyond language and culture to areas of Italian literature, history, film, art history, and music. The study of Italian within a variety of contexts enables students to deepen their understanding of Italian culture beyond the boundaries of a single time frame, region, gender, genre, or academic discipline.

Students in the program work closely with an adviser to develop an individualized plan of study that balances the exploration of a broad range of topics and sectors with a focus on a single discipline or cultural period.

Italian Studies is an interdepartmental program that prepares students to explore and understand several aspects of Italian culture while broadening analytical skills. Students who wish to pursue a minor will be required to take five courses from a range of disciplines, which include advanced Italian Language and Culture, Literature, Film Studies, Art History, Italian History, Music, and Classical Studies. The pursuit of these interests takes an interdisciplinary approach, encouraging students to study the culture of Italy from Antiquity to the present both in depth and in breadth. Those who wish to pursue Italian Studies further can petition for an Independent Interdisciplinary Major and discuss with the Italian Studies Faculty options for fulfilling the requirements. In such a case, the requirement is nine courses from the same core of suggested disciplines, including three additional courses given in Italian Language (such as ITAL 110 Introduction to Italian Literature, ITAL 120 Modern Italian Literature, ITAL 128 Mapping Italian Culture, ITAL 134 Italian Jewish Culture) offered at Brandeis or their equivalent taken through study abroad or the offerings of consortium institutions in Boston.

Knowledge

1. An understanding of the fundamental contributions of Italy to the development of European literature, the Visual Arts and Architecture since Antiquity, and Western Music. In all of the fields, especially the latter, much of the technical terminology and core forms and concepts are Italian in origin.
2. Familiarity with the major writers, artists, monuments, and composers who contributed to the historical pre-eminence of Italian culture in literature (1300-1600), art and architecture (100 B.C.E - 500 C.E.; 1250 -1700), and Music (1500 - 1725).
3. An appreciation of the continuing dynamism and vitality of Italian culture from the Napoleonic era through the Risorgimento and to the present day in literature, music, opera, fine arts, architecture, film, design, and fashion.
4. An understanding of the key moments in Italian political history from the rival republics and princely courts of the Renaissance, to the unification during the Risorgimento, to the importance of the Italian Kingdom and Republic in European and Global affairs of the past century. Related to this is an understanding of the role these political entities played in fostering Italian culture.
5. An understanding of the social and religious diversity of Italy in the historical past and evolving present. This includes the dominant role of the Catholic Church and Papal States in Italian history and society, as well as the exploration of Italy’s relationship to black and other minority communities and complex history of racism and cultural prejudice.

Core Skills

1. To attain proficiency in all five language skills: speaking, writing, listening, reading, and socio-cultural awareness.
2. To communicate and express oneself in Italian at the expected range of proficiency (Intermediate-high to advanced-low for the minor, and from advanced-low to advanced-high for the IIM) in both everyday and academic settings.
3. To write prose clearly and effectively in Italian.
4. To acquire essential analytical skills in relation to art, literature, film, and music, and the ability to think critically about primary texts/ works.

Study Abroad

All students are strongly encouraged to study in Italy for a semester, a full year, or in intensive summer programs. Study abroad provides students with daily interaction in the target language and enables them to achieve the following goals:

1. Greater linguistic precision in speaking, reading, writing and listening to the language.
2. The experience of living and learning the culture in an authentic setting.
3. The Italian Studies minor/IIM will obtain a greater understanding of human diversity based on the study or experience of different social backgrounds and settings, especially that obtained through time spent abroad.

Social Justice

Italian humanist thinkers and political philosophers are essential to the development of historical and modern political theory as it applies to the Republic, absolutism, constitutional democracy, fascism, and communism. Throughout their history, Italian political entities have served, for better or worse, as the venues for the implementation of such theories, thereby revealing both intended and unintended consequences of social interactions among diverse economic, cultural and religious communities.

Upon Graduation

1. The Italian Studies minor or IIM will have the background to embark on graduate studies in Italian and/or Comparative Literature.
2. The Italian Studies minor or IIM can employ one’s mastery of language and cultural background in any number of fields in which Italy makes a major contribution: design, fashion, film, architecture, studio art, art history, hospitality, tourism, cuisine, international business, Italian translation, teaching, and medical and legal interpreting and translation. A minor or independent interdisciplinary major in Italian Studies conspicuously enhances credentials in applying to graduate programs in these fields.

In order to graduate, students must be able to function at an intermediate level in reading, writing, speaking, and listening in a foreign language. They may satisfy this requirement in several ways:

• The study of language at Brandeis. Completion of a 30-level course, or an FL-designated course in Italian above level 30, with a passing grade satisfies the language requirement.
• A score of 620 or higher on the SAT II language exam, 4 or higher on an Advanced Placement exam in language or literature, or 5 or higher on the International Baccalaureate Higher Levels Exam. We encourage students to continue studies in our department (please see below to choose a course at the appropriate level).
• Or, a passing score on the Exemption Exam that shows you have gained an intermediate-level proficiency in Italian. Please contact the Director of the Italian Language Program to make arrangements to take the Exemption Exam.

Students with further questions about the language requirement should contact the Director of the Italian Language Program.

Students interested in learning more about the minor in Italian Studies or about studying abroad are encouraged to speak with the Undergraduate Advising Head.

How to Become an Independent Interdisciplinary Major

Students interested in the Independent Interdisciplinary Major option in Italian Studies should contact the Office of Academic Services or visit Independent Interdisciplinary Major for application information.

At the end of their courses in Italian Studies (usually during the spring semester of the senior year), all students pursuing an IIM in Italian Studies will participate in an oral presentation and discussion of a sample of their work that best demonstrates their proficiency in and knowledge of Italian Studies.

Paola Servino, Co-Chair and Undergraduate Advising Head of Italian Studies Program
(Romance Studies)

Ramie Targoff, Co-Chair of Italian Studies Program
(English)

William Kapelle
(History)

Alice Kelikian
(History)

Charles McClendon
(Fine Arts)

Jonathan Unglaub
(Fine Arts)

A minor in Italian Studies consists of five semester courses including:

1. One or two advanced language and culture course(s): ITAL 105a and/or ITAL 106a.
2. Two or more upper level courses in Italian: ITAL 110a, 120b, 128a, or 134b.
3. One or two of the Italian Studies electives listed below or two other courses on Italian-related culture approved by the student’s Italian Studies advisor. CLAS 145b and FA 191b may count towards the minor when the topic is related to Italian Studies.
4. No grade below a C- will be given credit toward the minor.
5. No course taken pass/fail may count toward the minor requirements.

Normally, up to two full-credit courses taken abroad may count toward the Italian Studies minor.

Minors and students interested in pursuing an Interdisciplinary Independent Majors (IIM) in Italian Studies are encouraged to study abroad for all or part of their junior year.

Students in any major or minor also have the opportunity to earn a Proficiency in Italian Transcript Notation, which explicitly recognizes students who have demonstrated at least an Intermediate-High level of language proficiency and cultural understanding in Italian. The Notation also signals significant global competence in a language and culture beyond a student’s own background or in a language and culture that are not the student's dominant ones. The Notation documents that a student has acquired the cultural knowledge necessary not only to interact with communities that speak Italian, but also the ability to synthesize cultural information from different perspectives. 

For more information about the Interdisciplinary Independent Major (IIM) in Italian Studies or the Proficiency in Italian Transcript Notation, please see the Department of Romance Studies website.

How to Choose a Course at the Appropriate Level

For more information, please refer to the Registrar’s website or to the Department of Romance Studies website.

ITAL 10a Beginning Italian

Prerequisite: For students with no previous study of Italian. Students enrolling for the first time in an Italian Studies course at Brandeis should refer to www.brandeis.edu/registrar/newstudent/testing.html#italtest.

Offers an interactive and very lively approach to the learning of Italian. A systematic, comprehensive presentation of the basic grammar and vocabulary of the language within the context of Italian culture, with focus on all five language skills: listening, speaking, reading, writing, and socio-cultural awareness. Usually offered every fall.

ITAL 20b Continuing Italian

Prerequisite: For students with some previous study of Italian. A grade of C- or higher in ITAL 10a or the equivalent. Students enrolling for the first time in an Italian Studies course at Brandeis should refer to www.brandeis.edu/registrar/newstudent/testing.html#italtest.

Continuing dynamic presentation of basic grammar and vocabulary within the context of Italian culture and practice of the five language skills. Special attention to reading and writing skills, as well as (guided) conversation, presentations, and video skit productions. Usually offered every spring.

ITAL 30a Intermediate Italian
[ fl ]

Prerequisite: A grade of C- or higher in ITAL 20b or the equivalent. Students enrolling for the first time in an Italian Studies course at Brandeis should refer to www.brandeis.edu/registrar/newstudent/testing.html#italtest.

Focuses on the development of fluency in the language in order to reach intermediate proficiency. Spoken and written Italian will be improved through the study and the discussion of the most characteristic aspects of contemporary Italian culture. Through reading and discussion of short stories, newspaper and journal articles and selected text as well as through the viewing of movie and video clips, the course promotes critical and analytical skills implementing task-based instruction and interpretive, interpersonal, and presentational assessment. Typical themes include social conflicts, Italian family, the Italian educational system, and immigration. Usually offered every fall.

ITAL 92a Internship in Italian Studies

May be taken with the written permission of the Undergraduate Advising Head.

Combines on- or off-campus internship experience related to Italian Studies with written analysis under the supervision of a faculty sponsor. This may include study-abroad documented projects. Students arrange their own internships. Counts only once toward the fulfillment of requirements for the Minor or the Independent Interdisciplinary Major. Usually offered every semester.

ITAL 98a Independent Study

May be taken only with the written permission of the Undergraduate Advising Head.

Reading and reports under faculty supervision, which could include a senior essay or other approved project. Usually offered every year.

ITAL 98b Independent Study

Yields half-course credit. May be taken only with the written permission of the Undergraduate Advising Head.

Reading and reports under faculty supervision, which could include a senior essay or other approved project. Usually offered every year.

ITAL 105a Italian Conversation and Composition
[ fl hum oc ]

Prerequisite: ITAL 30a or the equivalent. Students enrolling for the first time in an Italian Studies course at Brandeis should refer to www.brandeis.edu/registrar/newstudent/testing.html#italtest.

This course is designed for students interested in continuing the study of the Italian language, culture, and literature beyond the intermediate level. The development of oral and written proficiency is emphasized through the expansion of vocabulary and activities aimed to improve analytical, interpretive, and presentational skills. The course uses the UN Sustainable Developments Goals to frame important aspects of contemporary Italy. Through a series of activities that practice listening, speaking, reading, and writing in Italian, students reflect on the social impact of our environmental behavior, the importance of art and music in translating experiences, changing opinions, and instilling values, the social impact of the internet in raising voices, creating awareness and calling for social change, how activism ensure inclusion and equality. Usually offered every spring.

ITAL 106a Storia e storie d'Italia: Advanced Italian through Narrative, Film, and Other Media
[ fl hum oc ]

Prerequisite: ITAL 30a, ITAL 105a, or the equivalent. Students enrolling for the first time in an Italian Studies course at Brandeis should refer to www.brandeis.edu/registrar/newstudent/testing.html#italtest.

Aims to prepare students for upper-level courses and to advance language fluency through the practice of all language skills at different ranges of advanced proficiency, grammatical structures, and vocabulary. This course offers a close study and analysis of representative Italian literary texts and films to further improve proficiency in Italian through analytical, interpretive, and presentational activities. Each year, emphasis will be given to a specific theme, such as women writers and Italian history through short stories. Reading and listening activities followed by in-class discussions and presentations are designed to strengthen communication and reading skills. Usually offered every other fall.

ITAL 110a Introduction to Italian Literature: Love, Intrigues and Politics from Dante to Goldoni
[ fl hum oc ]

Prerequisite: ITAL 105a or 106a or permission of the instructor.

Surveys the masterpieces of Italian literature from Dante to Goldoni's stage. Students will explore different themes such as love, conflict, and politics in Italian early masterpieces by analyzing and comparing genres, historical periods, and schools of thought. Since Oral communication skills are the core of methodology and pedagogy for Italian 110, students will work on primary texts through dynamic and guided discussions, interpretative textual analysis, and different styles of presentations. Usually offered every second year.
 

ITAL 120b Modern Italian Literature: From Page to the Screen
[ fl hum ]

Prerequisite: ITAL 105a or 106a or permission of the instructor.

Focuses on Italian masterpiece literature from the twentieth century to the present, including writers such as Lampedusa, as well as contemporary writers, such as Baricco, Ammaniti, and Ferrante with emphasis on the theme of historical, individual, and familial identity within the context of socio-economic upheaval and transformative cultural events. Several films based on these works will also be examined, with emphasis on an analysis of cinematic innovation. Usually offered every second year.

ITAL 128a Mapping Modern Italian Culture: Inherited Conflicts
[ fl hum oc ]

Prerequisite: ITAL 105a or 106a or permission of the instructor. Conducted in Italian with Italian texts.

Covers a broad and significant range of cultural topics that exemplify creative responses to historical events and social dilemmas that have shaped contemporary Italian culture including economic changes, the new face of immigration in Italy, and the social fight against the Mafia and Camorra through literature and cinema. Usually offered every second year.

ITAL 134b Voci e storie della cultura ebraica italiana
[ fl hum wi ]

Prerequisite: ITAL 105a or 106a or permission of the instructor. Conducted in Italian. Materials fee: $20.

Analyzes Italian Jewish representations in Italian culture from medieval times to the founding of the ghetto in Venice in 1516 and leading Jewish figures of the Renaissance. Works of modern Italian Jewish writers and historians are examined as well as Italian movies that address Jewish themes within the mainstream of Italian culture. This course has an interdisciplinary approach while focusing on advanced Italian language skills. Usually offered every second year.

CLAS 114a The Phoenician and Punic Mediterranean
[ hum ]

Investigates the archaeology and history of the Phoenician and Punic Mediterranean. We will begin by examining the representation of Phoenician and Punic identity in the social, political, and cultural movements of the 19th century onwards. We will dissect how these have impacted the scholarly tradition and the very definition of what we think of as Phoenician and Punic. We will pay particular attention to recent scholarship on the Phoenicians, which has aimed to challenge older positivist and overly simple conceptions of Phoenician and Punic empires. Following this, we will use a variety of archaeological, epigraphic, and historical sources to trace the origins of the Phoenicians in the Levant, their growth and expansion, and later colonization of parts of the eastern and western Mediterranean. An important area of study within this survey of the archaeological and historical development will be discussions of the nature of Phoenician colonization and cultural interaction in “colonial” contexts. The third part of the course explores the emergence of arguably the most famous Phoenician city, Carthage; we will investigate its beginnings as a small Phoenician settlement and its transformation into one of the most influential city-states in the Mediterranean by the 6th century BCE. Additionally, we will trace the formation of its unique brand of Punic identity and its mercantile empire. Topics investigated will include social, political, and religious identities in the Punic world, together with the maritime and economic success of Carthage. The final area of study will focus on the great conflict between Carthage and Rome, known as the Punic Wars, and the subsequent end of Punic hegemony in the Central and Western Mediterranean. Usually offered every year.

CLAS 115b Topics in Greek and Roman History
[ hum ]

Topics vary from year to year and the course may be repeated for credit with permission of the instructor. Topics include the Age of Alexander the Great, the Age of Pericles, the Greekness of Alexander, and Imperialism in Antiquity. See the Schedule of Classes for the current topic. Usually offered every year.

CLAS 120a Age of Caesar
[ hum wi ]

The life and times of Gaius Julius Caesar (100-44 BCE) viewed through primary texts in a variety of genres: from Caesar himself to contemporaries Cicero and Catullus and biographers Plutarch and Suetonius. Usually offered every third year.

CLAS 122a Exploring the Roman Army
[ hum ]

Provides a comprehensive examination of the Roman army, tracing its evolution from a citizen militia to a highly organized professional force responsible for safeguarding a vast empire. We will analyze archaeological and literary evidence to understand the army's equipment, tactics, and the lived experiences of soldiers in battle. As one of the first professional standing armies in history, the Roman army has been the object of much admiration and study. This course will cover the changing organization and role of the army and its fighting techniques from the mid-Republic to the later Imperial period, the lives of the soldiers who served in the various branches of the army, and its effectiveness as a fighting force. Particular attention will be paid to using archaeological and literary evidence in conjunction, and to local resources and evidence for studying the Roman army. Usually offered every second year.

CLAS 134b The Art and Archaeology of Ancient Rome
[ ca hum ]

Surveys the art and architecture of the ancient Romans from the eighth century BCE to the end of the empire in Sicily, mainland Italy (with focus on Rome, Ostia, Pompeii, and Herculaneum), and in the Roman provinces. Usually offered every second year.

CLAS 136b Ancient Technology and Modern Approaches
[ hum ]

Examines the greatest technological discoveries from the classical world. How did these engineering and technological marvels turn the tides of war and alter the trajectory of civilizations? In hands-on modules, this course will introduce modern technology such as 3D Scanning & Printing, XRF, Virtual Reality, Drones and others, as a means of analyzing the ancient world. Usually offered every third year.

CLAS 140a Women, Gender, and Sexuality in Greek and Roman Art and Text
[ ca djw hum wi ]

An exploration of women, gender, and sexuality in ancient Greece and Rome as the ideological bases of Western attitudes toward sex and gender. Includes, in some fashion, Greek and Roman myth, literature, art, architecture, and archaeological artifacts. Usually offered every third year.

CLAS 150b Pompeii: Life in the Shadow of Vesuvius
[ ca hum ]

Examines Pompeii and Herculaneum, buried by Vesuvius in 79 CE, using the ancient cities' art, architecture, and wall writings to understand the social, political, economic, and religious realities of Roman life on the Bay of Naples, especially in the first century CE. Usually offered every third year.

CLAS 161a The Corrupting Sea: Cities and Communities of the Ancient Mediterranean
[ hum ]

Examines the relationship between people and the natural and built environment in the ancient Mediterranean. A primary aim is to study the ecological and environmental diversity and history of the Mediterranean region over the long durée, from prehistory to the early Medieval period. The course will be broken into thematic sections; firstly, it will consider the geographical and historical conceptualizations of the Mediterranean, particularly questioning an outdated paradigm that it can be understood as a unified region. The second part of the course will study the ancient environment and microecologies through a regional survey. We look at the effects these had on settlement patterns and the development of different types of urban communities. We will also consider connectivity on land, riverways, and on the sea itself. The role of the Mediterranean Sea, its archipelagos and islands will be considered. The third part of the course will focus on the subsistence strategies of Mediterranean communities and cities; this will comprise an analysis of change in agrarian practices and seafaring overtime and the impact of technological innovation, along with studying the history of food systems more generally. An essential part of this will examine the effect of environmental disasters on agrarian societies and the subsequent socio-political effects, including the rise and fall of some of the ancient Mediterranean’s cultures and civilizations. Usually offered every third year.

FA 45a Early Renaissance Art in Tuscany from the Age of Dante to the Medici
[ ca ]

Course to be taught at Brandeis program in Siena.

Examines the development of late Medieval and Renaissance Art and Architecture between 1200 and 1500, with an emphasis on the centers of Siena and Florence, and artists who worked in these cities. Usually offered every year.

FA 46b High and Late Renaissance in Italy
[ ca ]

Examines the major works of art produced in Italy in the sixteenth century. It focuses on the principal centers of Florence, Rome, and Venice. The foremost artists of the age, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, and Titian, receive in-depth coverage. The course also considers the social institutions, ecclesiastical, courtly and civic, that furnished the patronage opportunities and promoted the ideas that occasioned, even demanded, new artistic forms of grace and harmony, energy and torsion. Usually offered second year.

FA 48a Baroque Art and Architecture in Italy
[ ca ]

This course counts towards minors in Architectural Studies, Italian Studies, and Medieval and Renaissance Studies.

Immerse yourself in the spectacle of Papal Rome during the long seventeenth-century (1580-1730) when it was the artistic capital of Europe. We will study Caravaggio and Bernini in depth as the prevailing artistic forces, while considering the major contributions of the Carracci, Borromini, Poussin, Gentileschi, and Cortona. Apart from the patronage strategies of successive Popes and how they reshaped Rome with grand churches, palaces, and urban spaces, we will consider architectural and artistic production in such diverse centers as Venice, Naples, Bologna, and Turin. Usually offered every third year.

HIST 103a Roman History to 455 CE
[ hum ss ]

Survey of Roman history from the early republic through the decline of the empire. Covers the political history of the Roman state and the major social, economic, and religious changes of the period. Usually offered every year.

HIST 123a The Renaissance
[ ss ]

Culture, society, and economy in the Italian city-state (with particular attention to Florence) from feudalism to the rise of the modern state. Usually offered every second year.

HIST 131a Hitler's Europe in Film
[ dl ss wi ]

Takes a critical look as how Hitler's Europe has been represented and misrepresented since its time by documentary and entertainment films of different countries beginning with Germany itself. Movies, individual reports, discussions, and a littler reading. Usually offered every second year.

HIST 140a A History of Fashion in Europe
[ dl ss wi ]

Looks at costume, trade in garments, and clothing consumption in Europe from 1600 to 1950. Topics include sumptuous fashion, class and gender distinctions in wardrobe, and the rise of department stores. Usually offered every third year.

HIST 142a Crime, Deviance, and Confinement in Modern Europe
[ ss ]

Examines the crisis of law and order in old regime states and explores the prison and asylum systems that emerged in modern Europe. Surveys psychiatry and forensic science from the Napoleonic period until World War II. Usually offered every third year.

HIST 170a Italian Films, Italian Histories
[ dl ss wi ]

Explores the relationship between Italian history and Italian film from unification to 1975. Topics include socialism, fascism, the deportation of Jews, the Resistance, the Mafia, and the emergence of an American-style star fixation in the 1960s. Usually offered every second year.

HIST 186a Europe in World War II
[ dl ss wi ]

Examines the military and diplomatic, social and economic history of the war. Topics include war origins; allied diplomacy; the neutrals; war propaganda; occupation, resistance, and collaboration; the mass murder of the Jews; "peace feelers"; the war economies; scientific warfare and the development of nuclear weapons; and the origins of the Cold War. Usually offered every third year.