Italian Studies

When you think of Italy, do you think of the art of Michelangelo, Raphael, Leonardo daVinci, Titian, Giotto, Cellini? Of the literature of Dante, Boccaccio, Petrarch, Machiavelli, Pirandello and Ariosto? Do you hear the music of Verdi, Puccini, Rossini, Mascagni, Leoncavallo, Donizetti, Respighi, Palestrina, GianCarlo Menotti? That's not surprising. According to UNESCO, more than 60% of the world's art treasures are found in Italy.

Or, do you think of Italy in the company of the G8 - one of  the top five economies in the world? As a member of the European Union since its beginnings, Italy is one of the most vocal advocates and leaders of the new dynamic Europe.

Our program offers courses in languages, literatures and linguistics as well as unique courses such as Italian opera, Italian cinema, the Italian minority in North America and Italian-Canadian authors. In addition to language training, you can study the dialects, literature and rich cultural heritage of Italy.

Ways to study Italian Studies at York

• Bachelor of Arts (BA) and the new International Bachelor of Arts (iBA)
• The iBA degree program reflects York's commitment to internationalization and requires students to acquire an international language and to gain international experience on exchange at one of York University's partner institutions abroad. Students benefit from enhanced interdisciplinary and cross-cultural knowledge, which are important components of the department's academic focus.
• Experience at least one full term abroad as a full-time student at one of York's exchange partners.

In addition, we now have an Honours Minor degree option in Italian Culture, allowing students to study topics about Italy through courses offered in English.

What makes Italian Studies unique?

The Department also offers a Summer Studies in Italy Program in Bologna, Florence and Rome, as well as full-year exchange programs with European universities.

Take advantage of the Multimedia Language Centre (MLC) of York University, located in  S117 Ross - a resource centre dedicated to supporting students who are enrolled in language, literature and linguistics programs.

A Certificate of Proficiency in Italian is also offered. For more information, contact the department of Languages, Literatures and Linguistics at (416) 736-5016.

Interested in other Languages?