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The Italian Studies Minor provides students with a strong interdisciplinary knowledge of Italian language and culture. The program focuses on the study of Italy from various perspectives: linguistic, literary, cultural, historical, artistic, philosophical and political. As students successfully complete the required courses in Italian language (through Italian 221), they will take the remaining required credits in Italian or from courses offered by other departments. One of the most important goals of the Italian Studies Minor is to develop knowledge of the most significant issues present in past and modern Italy while addressing some of the usual stereotypes present in Italian-American culture. The minor is also designed for students who wish to pursue Italian language and cultural studies for their professional goals. There are more than 60 million Italian speakers in Italy and Switzerland; in the United States, the presence of the Italian-Americans with Italian-speaking ancestry is significant culturally and economically. According to the MLA Language Map of the United States, which is based on the 2000 U.S. Census, there were 1,008,370 speakers of Italian in the United States. Knowledge of Italian language and culture is an asset for individuals pursuing careers in business, the arts, technology and many other professions. Italy is a world leader in the culinary arts, interior design, fashion, graphic design and furniture design, among others. An estimated 7,500 American companies do business with Italy and more than 1,000 U.S. firms have offices in Italy, including IBM, General Electric, Motorola and Citibank. Italian is also useful for college students planning careers in art history, music, linguistics, education and international relations. |
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