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Italian

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In literature and film, history and politics, business and the arts, Italy has long been among the most important and influential countries in Europe.

A degree in Italian Studies will allow you to learn more about this country by studying its language in the context of its fascinating culture and history, and will allow you to study or work in Italy. Italian Studies at Reading attracts students of many different nationalities, ages and educational backgrounds. They are mostly drawn by our focused and intensive approach to language learning and the opportunity to study an exciting range of optional culture topics with experts from different disciplines, including literature, film and linguistics, within a friendly, professional environment.

We provide accelerated learning in Italian, meaning that you can start from beginner's or intermediate level if you have not studied Italian A level. Regardless of which level you join the course, you can expect to become confident and highly skilled in written and spoken Italian by the final year.You can choose to study Italian in combination with another subject (list below), with another language or on its own. In each year you will study an Italian language module (starting from beginners, intermediate or advanced level in the first year, and achieving near-native fluency in the final year). Alongside the language module, you will take a number of cultural modules (the exact number of cultural modules you can take depends on whether you are studying Italian on its own, or in combination with another language or another subject). Examples of current modules include:

  • Making Italians: A Journey in the History and Culture of Modern Italy
  • The Genius of Italy: Italian Medieval and Renaissance Culture (in translation)
  • Italian Cinema
  • Fictions of Italy: Themes and Genres
  • "Crisis, Change, Opportunity: Italy from 1968 to the Present"
  • History of the Italian Language
  • Italian Language for Management & Business

Our modules are inspired by the research expertise of our staff, who bring their in-depth knowledge of, and their passion for, Italian Studies into the classroom.

Our staff are active in research, and 98% of our modern languages and linguistics research has been classed as world leading, internationally excellent or internationally recognised (REF, 2014 Modern Languages and Linguistics.)

By the time you graduate, you can expect to be able to write and speak fluently in Italian – an immensely useful skill. An increasingly connected world demands language skills, and well-qualified linguists are in short supply in the UK, so there has never been a better time to study a modern language.

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Visit the Department of Languages and Cultures website.

I settled on Reading not least because of the history of Italian studies here. When I came for the interview and Open Day, everyone I met was very friendly and enthusiastic.

Nicola D'Alessandro
BA Italian Studies

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