Italian Studies.

 

Italian Studies

The Italian faculty at Drew is committed to providing a rich and stimulating curriculum through the latest pedagogical and multimedia tools. Our courses (language, literature, culture and cinema) are taught entirely in Italian.

Our major in Italian Studies and minor in Italian provide opportunities for students to acquire both proficiency in the Italian language, and a good knowledge and appreciation of Italy’s rich cultural tradition. We also offer courses in English on Italian culture and on the representations of the Holocaust in literature and films. Our alumni tell us that a major or minor in Italian always makes a difference in the job market and have found opportunities in very diverse areas of employment.

We strive to create a cultural and global awareness to make students appreciate the language and the culture of another country, in order to strengthen the intrinsic value of an undergraduate liberal arts education.

Thanks to the vicinity to New York City, students have the possibility to participate in community events (conferences, films, music and exhibitions) related to Italy, and our very active Italian Club organizes field trips, film screenings and lectures with international guests. The weekly Italian table provides another opportunity for students to practice their language skills outside the class. We have also an Italian Theme House, Piccola Italia, for students interested in living in an Italian-like setting.

Finally, students who want a full immersion in the language and culture of Italy can participate in the summer programs in Orvieto and in Cilento or apply for a study-abroad semester in Italy through the Center for Global Education.

Top 10 Reasons to Study Italian

1. If you like arts, music, design, architecture, opera, food, etc. this is the reference language. Knowing Italian is greatly beneficial in several career fields. Italy is a world leader in the culinary arts, interior design, fashion, graphic design, furniture design, machine tool manufacturing, robotics, electromechanical machinery, shipbuilding, space engineering, construction machinery, and transportation equipment.

2. Italian is the fourth most taught non-native language in the world, and about 90 million people worldwide speak Italian as their first language.

3. Italian is the closest living language to Latin, and knowledge of Italian will help you to understand the English language, which has 60% of words derived from Latin.

4. Italy is one of the top economies in the world, and many employers are seeking people who speak both Italian and English. An estimated 7,500 American companies do business with Italy and more than 1,000 U.S. firms have offices in Italy, including Chrysler, IBM, General Electric, Motorola, Citibank. Many Italian firms have offices in the U.S, especially in the NJ, NYC, PA, CT areas.

5. A UNESCO study placed over 60% of the art of the world in Italy. No other country in the world has such a rich heritage of artistic creativity. Italy has also the highest number of UNESCO Heritage and Cultural Sites in the world.

6. Italy has played a major role in the cultural and social development of the whole Mediterranean area, deeply influencing European culture.

7. A recent study showed that enrollment in Italian language classes at U.S. high schools and colleges is growing 15 to 20% faster than enrollment rates for Spanish, German and French.

8. Italian is recognized as one of the most beautiful spoken languages in the world.

9. Italian combines well with studies in other foreign languages, history, political science, international relations, business, communication, film studies, theater, medicine, law, as well as the sciences.

10. Today, Italy has the seventh-highest GDP and the 17th-highest Human Development Index rating in the world. It is a member of the G8 and a founding member of the European Union, having signed the Treaty of Rome in 1957. Italy was also a charter member of NATO.

Adapted from: https://blogs.princeton.edu/italian/2013/08/29/top-ten-reasons-to-learn-italian/