Italian Studies - Duke University

Italian Studies from Duke University is a Campus Bachelor Language degree that prepares you for a Liberal Arts career. The Italian Studies major is designed for students who want to take a cross-disciplinary and trans-historical approach to the study of Italian literature, art, history, music, language, and politics. The major consists of ten courses that originate in, or are cross-listed with, the Italian program, in order to acquaint students with the widest possible range of critical methods and topics. The core courses offer students a comprehensive introduction to both Italy's rich literary tradition and the complex varieties of its modern language. Italy's prominent role in the Western tradition and important location as a crossroads of European, Arab, and Eastern cultures gives students a wide variety of more specialized courses to choose from, which may involve topics like an intensive reading of Dante's Commedia or Boccaccio's Decameron, an investigation of Italians' decisive role in the Renaissance and the age of exploration and discovery (Christopher Columbus, Galileo) or the Western musical heritage (from the world's first opera, Monteverdi's Orfeo, to the vocabulary of modern musical notation). Surveys of Italian art and architecture complement inquiries into the relationship between literature and cinema, from Giotto to Pasolini, while analyses of both these media can help illuminate the complex cultural manipulations of the Fascist regime. Examinations of the history of medicine and anatomy will historicize contemporary theories of gender and sexuality, while the modern tourist industry will be considered ina longer historical perspective that includes voyages to Italy as part of the Grand Tour and comtemporary migrations, as well as travel and trade between Italy and its Mediterranean neighbors. One of the most significant outcomes of these migrations is the development of an Italian-American experience, whose part in America's own cultural formation, from film to fashion, remains a powerful force on how Italy is imagined today. Political theory and philosophy, from Dante, Machiavelli and Vico to Gramsci, Agamben and Negri, also offer a rich field of study for prospective majors who wish to take advantage of the full range of opportunities available at Duke. The Italian Studies major offers two tracks: 1) Italian Studies 2) Italian and European Studies View more details on Duke University . Ask your questions and apply online for this program or find other related Language courses.