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Fall 2025 Undergraduate Catalog
Italian Studies, BA
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 Return to: Majors
Department of Languages and Cultural Studies, College of Arts and Sciences
Degree Awarded: Bachelor of Arts in Italian Studies
Chair: Sarah Jourdain
Director of Undergraduate Studies: Kathleen de Riesthal
Coordinator of the Program: Giuseppe Gazzola
Department Administrator: Elizabeth Tolson
Office: Humanities 2042
Phone: (631) 632-7440
Italian Studies at Stony Brook is a versatile program that allows the student to concentrate on the study of Italian language, culture, and literature. Students may choose an individualized course of study to fit their needs. Students interested in teaching Italian should concentrate on courses taught in the Italian language, while those interested in other careers should choose courses in culture, film studies, and Italian American social issues.
The Italian Studies major consists of an intensive study of the Italian language along with the study of the culture that has shaped Italian society and its interaction with American society through the study of literature, culture, and film studies.
The undergraduate program in Italian Studies provides training for secondary language teachers and for graduate studies in Italian. In conjunction with other disciplines, the Italian program also provides a basis for careers such as international business, law, and economics.
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Requirements for the Major
Placement in Language Courses for Incoming Students Students who have studied Italian previously are encouraged to take the Italian Placement Exam offered through our Language Learning Research Center. High school language study is not counted for college credit. Students are advised to consult the ITL Program Coordinator if they believe that they should be placed in a different level course. Requirements for the Major The major in Italian Studies leads to the Bachelor of Arts degree. Students must complete Concentration A or Concentration B. These concentrations are designed to allow maximum flexibility in the students’ programs and to fulfill their varying needs and interests. Both require as a basis a solid preparation in the language of the major. Concentration A provides preparation for teaching at the secondary school level or for graduate study in literature; Concentrations A and B both provide appropriate background for students preparing for work in law, government, international relations, business, banking, hotel management, or translation and interpretation. All students should consult with the Coordinator of the Italian program. Students opting for Concentration B must obtain Departmental approval for their program by submitting it in advance, after consultation with the advisor, to the director of undergraduate studies. All courses offered for the major must be passed with a letter grade of C or higher. Transfer students must take at least 18 credits of the major language in residence at Stony Brook. Completion of the major requires 36-42 credits for Concentration A and 42-48 credits for Concentration B, depending on language placement. See here for placement exam information. A. Concentration in Language and Literature
Elective courses:
- Six additional ITL courses at the 400-level. In consultation with the program coordinator, up to three of these courses may be substituted with relevant HUI courses.
Upper-Division Writing Requirement:
See Upper-Division Writing Requirement below. B. Concentration in Italian and a Second Discipline
Elective courses
- Four additional ITL or HUI courses chosen in consultation with the program coordinator, of which 4 must be numbered 300 or higher
- Four additional courses in a discipline other than Italian chosen in consultation with the program coordinator and approved by the Department, of which three must be numbered 300 or higher. (See Note 4 below.)
Upper-Division Writing Requirement:
See Upper-Division Writing Requirement below. Upper-Division Writing Requirement:
To demonstrate proficiency in writing English, students majoring in Italian must register for the 0-credit ITL 459 and present a dossier of a minimum of two papers of at least three to five pages each. The dossier must be submitted before the end of the second semester of the junior year to the ITL Program Coordinator. The dossier consists of papers previously composed for upper-division courses. If these papers were originally written in Italian, they must be rewritten in English. The papers are judged by a faculty committee for clarity, accuracy, and appropriateness of style. If the dossier is found to be unsatisfactory, the student will be asked to rewrite and resubmit the work in the senior year. Students should consult with the department advisor to ensure that their plan for completing the Upper Division Writing Requirement is consistent with university graduation requirements for General Education. Students completing the Stony Brook Curriculum (SBC) must complete a course that satisfies the “Write Effectively within One’s Discipline” (WRTD) learning objective to graduate. The Upper Division Writing Requirement is consistent in most cases with the SBC learning outcomes for WRTD. Foreign Language Secondary Teacher Education Program
See the Education and Teacher Certification entry in the alphabetical listings of Approved Majors, Minors, and Programs. Italian Honors Program
To be eligible to participate in the honors program, majors must have a cumulative grade point average of 3.00 and an average of 3.50 in Italian through the junior year. An eligible student wishing to write a senior thesis must find a faculty member of the Italian program to act as thesis advisor. The student must submit a proposal of a project in writing to the ITL Program Coordinator. Deadline for submission of the proposal for fall semester is April 30 and for spring semester is November 30. Final selection of candidates and topics is determined by an honors committee. Students selected for the program must enroll in ITL 495 for the semester in which the thesis is written. The thesis is evaluated by the thesis advisor, another member of the Italian program, and a third reader from outside the Italian program. For further information consult the Director of Undergraduate Studies. SBC Courses
This table illustrates major courses that can also be used to fulfill SBC requirements. (See Note 1 & Note 2) | SBC Category | Required Major Courses | Optional Major Courses (see Note 3) | | ARTS | | | | GLO | ITL 211, ITL 212 | | | HUM | ITL 212 | | | LANG (see Note 4) | ITL 211, ITL 212, ITL 311, ITL 312 | | | QPS | | | | SBS | | | | SNW | | | | TECH | | | | USA | | HUI 336 | | WRT | | | | STAS | | | | EXP+ | | ITL 444, ITL 447, ITL 459, ITL 475, ITL 476, ITL 488, ITL 495 | | HFA+ | ITL 311, ITL 312, ITL 395, ITL 396 | HUI 306, HUI 331, HUI 333, HUI 338, HUI 390, HUI 475, HUI 476, ITL 313, ITL 410, ITL 424, ITL 425, ITL 426, ITL 431, ITL 432, ITL 434, ITL 435, ITL 440 | | SBS+ | | | | STEM+ | | | | CER | | | | DIV (see Note 5) | | | | ESI | ITL 312 | | | SPK | ITL 311 | | | WRTD | ITL 312, ITL 411, ITL 412 | | Note 1: Some course information may be subject to change. Please contact your major advisor for additional consultation. Note 2: For majors that require study in a related area or completion of a minor, visit the respective program’s “Major SBC Courses” page to view expanded SBC options. Note 3: Denotes any course in which students can choose from more than one option. These may include, but are not limited to, major electives, concentration/track/specialization courses, or calculus/physics/chemistry sequences. Note 4: CEAS majors, the Athletic Training major, the Respiratory Care major, and the Clinical Laboratory Sciences major are exempt from the LANG learning objective. Students enrolled in the major in Social Work are exempt from the LANG learning objective, but are required to enroll in and pass with a letter grade of C or higher the first semester of an elementary foreign language course numbered 111, or satisfy through alternate methods. Note 5: Students are responsible for completing the general education requirements published in the Bulletin that was current as of the first semester of matriculation (or rematriculation). The following student groups must satisfy the DIV learning objective as part of their degree requirements: - Freshmen who matriculate in the Fall of 2019 or later
- Transfer students who matriculate in the Spring of 2020 or later
- Students who rematriculate in the Fall of 2019 or later
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