When you study Italian at Gettysburg, you learn more than a second language. You also develop an understanding of language systems, opening the door to a country rich in art, music, literature, history, and cinematography.
By removing yourself from the comfort of your habitual forms of self-expression, foreign language study—whether contemporary or ancient—teaches you to translate abstract ideas into concrete form in new ways. You come to learn that language involves not only vocabulary in the crafting of expression but also syntax and idiom, and that cultural idiosyncrasies permeate any language, including your own.
As an Italian Studies major or minor, you’ll have access to:
- Beginning and intermediate language learning
- Courses in Italian cinema and culture taught in English
- Dynamic, grammar-based oral activities that improve both passive (reading and comprehension) and active (speaking and writing) skills
- Exposure to Italian film, websites, contemporary events, music, and lifestyle
- At all levels of Italian study, you’ll have the opportunity to study abroad in Ferrara, Italy, completing your language requirement in one semester. You’ll have a true immersion experience, taking all courses in Italian.
You’ll leave our program prepared for graduate school or careers ranging from teaching to working for the U.S. Government in Washington.