WHY STUDY ITALIAN?
SHOULD I CHOOSE IT AS A MAJOR?
Italy and its people have contributed so much in the past not only to the arts but also to political theory and to literature. Think, for instance, about the important period of the Renaissance and about the well-known names of Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Galileo, Machiavelli, Dante, Petrarch, and Boccaccio, to name just a few. But the importance of Italy and of its contributions is not just in the past. You may have seen an Italian movie recently and heard the names of Federico Fellini or Giuseppe Tornatore. You may have read fiction by Umberto Eco, Primo Levi or Italo Calvino. You may not know that Italy is now the fifth-largest economy in the world and that Italy's people are richer than the British. Italy and the Italians continue to influence our world today and to contribute to everyday life in numerous ways.
The study of the language is not limited to the memorization of a few sentences, but should include the study of the culture and of its people as well. The Italian Department offers the opportunity to explore as many aspects as you wish. In the culture class, you will learn why Italy was so great in the past, or why the Italians live the way they live. In linguistics, you will learn why the Italians speak so many dialects and what they spoke before speaking Italian. In literature, you will read, in their original forms, such lasting masterpieces as Dante's Divine Comedy, Machiavelli's The Prince, Boccaccio's Decameron, or Eco's The Name of the Rose. If you choose to major in Italian, you will spend four years reading books like those mentioned above - books that have contributed in no small way to our culture. In a world in which "sharing" has become the key word, you will find it useful to know Italian, even if you do not major in it, regardless of what your interests are - textiles, viticulture and enology, political science, art, medicine, history, etc.
Our faculty is waiting to introduce you to the world of Italian culture and literature!
Could I double (or even triple) major?
Most Italian majors have an additional major, and sometimes even two. The Italian curriculum requires the completion of only 9 upper-division courses, making it a perfect accompaniment to most other majors in the humanities, social sciences, and even in science and engineering.
THE FACULTY
The Italian Program at UC Davis is one of the largest such programs in the UC system. The faculty in the Italian Department consists of five permanent members who represent the major aspects of teaching and research (language, culture, literature and film). Most of the classes in Italian, at both beginning and advanced levels, have a small number of students. It is, therefore, possible for students of Italian to know their teachers well and to receive individual attention - a rare opportunity in a big university today.
EDUCATION ABROAD
Students (both majors and non-majors)who acquire a knowledge of the Italian language may qualify to spend a quarter, semester or year abroad. Selected students have a choice of cities (Siena, Bologna, Milano, Perugia, or Padua) and subjects (painting, sculpture, commercial design, scenography, music, voice, music history, history of art, literature and other regular university courses). In addition, Summer Sessions Abroad regularly offers summer programs in different Italian cities, including Florence and Rome.
CAREER ALTERNATIVES AND INTERNSHIPS
If you are considering a teaching career and would like to have practical experience, the Italian Department offers a course in tutoring. Besides teaching, our graduates in the past have been able to find employment in libraries, federal agencies, private businesses in the US and abroad, airlines, travel agencies, and state and local government. The Italian Department provides students with internship opportunities in Sacramento and San Francisco, and sponsors CIAO, UC Davis' active Italian club. The department sponsors internships with the Italian Cultural Institute in San Francisco and with the Sacramento Italian Cultural Society. Additional internships are available through the Internship Career Center
