Italian & European Studies Major

Students majoring in Italian develop language skills in their social and cultural contexts. The combination of linguistic and cultural competency is excellent preparation for a variety of professional careers in business, government, the humanities, and science. Double (second) majors are encouraged and supported. Numerous opportunities are available, including programs of study abroad, work study, interdisciplinary programs, and Fulbright. We offer two tracks for the Italian major: Italian Studies and Italian and European Studies.

Major Requirements: 10 Courses

Italian Studies Track

Overall, 8 of the 10 courses taken for the major must be at the 300 level or above, and at least 6 of those courses must be taught in Italian or taken concurrently with an Italian preceptorial or tutorial.

  • Either of the following courses below the 300 level can be counted towards your major requirements if you begin language studies at the elementary level:
    • ITALIAN 203 - Intermediate Italian
    • ITALIAN 213A - Accelerated Intermediate Italian
  • At least one course from each of the following areas:
    • Medieval
    • Renaissance
    • Modern/Contemporary
    • Linguistics
  • Up to 4 courses focused on Italian content taught in English, such as courses in Romance Studies or cross-listed course offered by other departments or programs.
    • Courses may be offered by departments such as Art History, Cinematic Arts, Cultural Anthropology, English, History, International Comparative Area Studies, Literature, Medieval and Renaissance Studies, Music, Philosophy, Political Science, Religion, and Theater Studies.
    • Duke-approved courses taught in Italian in Study Abroad Programs may also count towards this major concentration.

Italian and European Studies Track

Overall, 8 of the 10 courses taken for the major must be at the 300 level or above, and at least 5 of those courses must be taught in Italian or taken concurrently with an Italian preceptorial or tutorial.

  • Either of the following courses below the 300 level can be counted towards your major requirements if you begin language studies at the elementary level:
    • ITALIAN 203 - Intermediate Italian
    • ITALIAN 213A - Accelerated Intermediate Italian
  • At least 1 course from two of the following areas:
    • Medieval
    • Renaissance
    • Modern/Contemporary
    • Linguistics
  • Up to 5 courses (taught in English) on any Italian and/or European topic. Such courses can be offered by the Department of Romance Studies or other departments or programs.
    • Duke-approved courses taught in Italian in Study Abroad Programs may also count towards this major concentration.

Study Abroad

Students are strongly urged to study abroad since this is the best way to achieve language proficiency and to acquire knowledge of a country’s culture. Courses taken abroad count toward the core and/or related courses as follows:

Duke-Administered Semester Programs in English (Duke in Florence; Duke in Venice) Major: A maximum of three courses per semester may be counted as related courses.

Duke-Administered Summer Programs in the language (Duke in Bologna) Major: Two courses may be counted toward the core-course requirement.

Duke-Administered Summer Programs in English (Duke in Venice) Major: One course may be counted toward the core-course requirement.

Non-Duke-Administered Semester Programs in Italy (All courses taught entirely in Italian) Major: A maximum of two courses per semester may count toward the core-course requirement and a maximum of one may count as a related course.

Non-Duke-Administered Semester Programs in Italy where not all courses are taught in Italian Major: A maximum of two courses per semester may count toward the core-course requirement.

Non-Duke-Administered Summer Programs (Courses taught in Italian) Major: One course may be counted toward the core-course requirement.