Italian (JH)

Overview

Why study Italian?

Studying Italian opens the door to a beautiful new world. Italy holds up to 75% of the world’s art treasures, has been home to some of the world’s greatest writers and thinkers (including Petrarch, Dante, Boccaccio, Machiavelli, Leonardo da Vinci, Galileo, Leopardi, Gramsci, and Montessori), and boasts fabulous food, fashion and design. Italy has a dynamic economy: fourth in the Eurozone and eighth (by nominal GDP) in the world. Having fluent Italian is extremely beneficial for the job market, as Italian is less commonly spoken, you will stand out. You do not need to have studied Italian before; most students of Italian start as beginners. You may also learn Italian at Trinity by opting for one of the multidisciplinary, non-literary degree programmes: European Studies (with Italian and another language) or Middle Eastern and European Languages and Cultures (with Italian).

Do you enjoy?

• Becoming a global citizen, with the skills to face the job market with confidence?
• Learning languages in small, friendly classes?
• Being immersed in rich Italian culture and way of life?

Italian: The course for you?

Italian has been taught in Trinity since 1776. You join one of the longest traditions of teaching Italian in the world, one which includes alumni like Samuel Beckett and Douglas Hyde. We welcome beginners and advanced students. For beginners we offer accelerated language learning in a friendly and fun environment with highly skilled native teachers. For advanced, we provide one of the few dedicated advanced streams in Ireland to hone your skills. Native Italian speakers also join our programme: it provides a great foundation that opens a gateway to English-speaking economies and excellent job prospects.

Italian at Trinity

• You will study Italian language from beginner to advanced level in a small group setting, taught by experienced native speakers. 
• You will explore and engage with cultural, literary, social and political diversity of Italy. 
• You will have a life-changing opportunity to study abroad. 
• You will develop linguistic abilities, intercultural competencies and critical thinking skills for a competitive advantage in the job market. 

In-depth study of languages has never been more relevant. As Artificial Intelligence (AI) makes it easier for companies and organisations to establish contact with foreign partners, further advancing globalisation, there is an increased need for high-level multilingual staff who can manage international teams, take legal responsibility for translations, and conduct multicultural negotiations. Ever-advancing AI may indeed replace a basic command of a foreign language, but highly fluent critical thinkers are, and will remain, in ever higher demand.

Graduate skills and career opportunities

Independent thinking and critical analysis skills, advanced linguistic abilities, intercultural communication competencies, and advanced research and presentation skills are just a few of core competencies which a degree in Italian will help you develop and expand. 

Our graduates develop successful global careers in management, law, journalism, charities, international business, translation, the arts, fashion, tourism, PR, diplomacy, finance, football management, teaching, and banking. Many of our graduates now live and work in the likes of Italy, France, Belgium, UK, USA and Hong Kong. Some graduates also go on to take postgraduate courses in areas such as law, marketing and business for which a degree in arts and humanities provides an ideal background. 

Our recent graduates in Italian secured careers in organisations like Irish Times, Accenture, Eversheds, British Institute in Florence, Manolo Blahnik, Christian Louboutin, Tourism Ireland, department of Justice and Irish Distillers.

Your degree and what you’ll study

Pathways

At entry, Italian must be combined with one other subject. In later years, you will be able to select additional subjects and electives. You can study Italian from beginners level or continue advanced studies. The pathways available for study are Single Honours, Major with Minor and Joint Honours in Italian. Please see page 30 for further information.

First and second years

• You follow an intensive course of Italian language - including grammar classes, conversation and listening practice, and learning how to write in Italian and produce basic translations. 
• You will explore Italy’s history, society, and literature and cinema. 
• In second year, you continue language classes and explore Italy’s rich literary tradition.

Third and fourth years

• You will combine advanced language study and a wide range of module choices, allowing you to choose options that reflect your own interests. 
• Options range from novels, poetry, theatre, cinema, art, as well as Italian history and contemporary politics. You can study Italy from medieval times (Dante Boccaccio, Petrarch and Machiavelli) to the 21st century, pick options on advance Italian language varieties, cultural studies, and key literary texts and films. 
• In your final year you will research and write a Capstone project on a subject of your choice in consultation with a supervisor. 

At all levels, you will be assessed by a combination of continuous assessment and exams. We use a mix of traditional and innovative continuous assessment methods – essays, project work, online grammar tests, presentations, book reviews and dossiers, podcast creation. Language modules are usually assessed by written, oral and aural examinations

There are QQI/FET routes available for this course. Please see www.cao.ie for details.

Click here for further information on modules/subjects.

Study abroad

Immersing yourself in the language and culture of a country of your choice is one of the most valuable ways of achieving fluency and getting to know about the people, politics, and history of a place when studying a language. A year or semester studying abroad will be one of the highlights of your experience as Trinity languages student.

For students of Italian, we have exchange agreements with universities in Bologna, Trieste, Pavia, and Rome.

Single Honours students spend an exciting third year of study abroad (compulsory), Joint Honours students can choose to spend a year or a semester in their third year in one of our partner universities. At a minimum, you will be required to spend two months in Italy during the course of your studies. For more information on study abroad destinations and requirements visit: www.tcd.ie/global/mobility/outbound/