Italian
532 Mazur Hall
215-204-1760
https://liberalarts.temple.edu/academics/departments-and-programs/french-german-italian-and-slavic/italian
Patricia Melzer, Chair
527 Mazur Hall
215-204–8259
pmelzer@temple.edu
Cristina Gragnani, Faculty Advisor
537 Mazur Hall
215-204-1816
gragnani@temple.edu
Michelle Xu, Administrator
429 Mazur Hall
215-204-5628
xu.michelle@temple.edu
Why Study Italian?
Apart from being the number one study abroad destination among university students, Italy's importance in the corporate world and its complimentary pairing with humanities studies make Italian the fourth most studied foreign language in the United States.
Temple University students have two options for taking a degree in Italian: a traditional Italian major that focuses on learning Italian language through the advanced level, or a major in Italian Studies that focuses on learning Italian language through the intermediate level and includes more major electives in Italian culture but taught in English (rather than Italian). Both majors are interdisciplinary programs of study that, in addition to being built on requirements of language proficiency and core knowledge of Italian literary history, places strong emphasis on cultural, global, and national identity studies. An additional learning goal for students of Italian is to demonstrate understanding and appreciation of cultural perspectives and practices in the Italian-speaking world. The program's methodology is based on a communicative approach coupled with technology-based student engagement practice to enhance the students' language retention, level of competency, and proficiency, as well as to provide a window into Italian culture. The transferable communication and critical thinking skills acquired by the program prove invaluable to employers of liberal arts graduates.
Study Abroad
Students declaring a major or minor in Italian are encouraged to study abroad. Temple has its own campus in Rome, Italy, which offers courses in a variety of fields, including language, art, art history, architecture, and international business. Students interested in studying in Italy should discuss their plans with the Italian faculty advisor as early as possible.