Italian - Major

The Italian major at Nazareth University provides a rich, interdisciplinary education that develops linguistic fluency, cultural insight, and critical thinking. Through a carefully structured curriculum integrated with other disciplines, students study Italian language, literature, history, art, music, and society, gaining a deep understanding of Italy’s cultural heritage and contemporary life.

Language learning is embedded in cultural inquiry, artistic expression, and real-world engagement, supporting diverse academic and career pathways, including translation, education, international business, and public service. A hallmark of the program is its emphasis on experiential learning, with opportunities for internships at local translation agencies and with the Honorary Consulate of Italy in Rochester, where students gain hands-on professional experience in language use and cultural diplomacy.

Study Abroad, Language Houses, and Language Lab

• One semester of study abroad is highly recommended:

In affiliation with the Università degli Studi “G. d’Annunzio”, and the Conservatorio di Musica “Luisa D’Annunzio” (School of Music), Nazareth University offers its own academic study abroad program in Pescara, Italy. Italian majors and non-majors alike may take advantage of the extensive program of courses offered during the fall, spring and summer. Courses taken at the Università and the Conservatorio di Musica may vary in intensity, and can be taken from any of the departments: Literature and Philosophy, Foreign Languages and Literatures, Economics, Political Science and Music. Students are fully integrated into Italian life. Activities and field trips are organized, and students in the program can expect to participate regularly in social and cultural events with Italian college students. Students interested in the combined study of Italian and business are encouraged to do a business internship in Pescara in a local business setting organized in conjunction with the Pescara Chamber of Commerce. Students majoring in music are encouraged to do an internship with the Conservatorio di Musica L. D’Annunzio.

In affiliation with the Santa Reparata International School of Arts (SRISA), Nazareth University offers its own academic year abroad in Florence, Italy. Students majoring or minoring in Art, Studio Art, International Studies and History are encouraged to take advantage of the extensive number of courses offered at SRISA.

At the heart of the program is the Frank DiMino Casa Italiana, a vibrant cultural center dedicated to Italian studies and a gathering place for Club Italianissimo and members of the Rochester community interested in Italian culture. Through the Casa’s Oral History Project, students document and preserve Italian-American heritage through interviews and archival work as part of community-based research. 

These hands-on experiences are complemented by Nazareth’s global opportunities. Students may study abroad in Italy - for a summer, semester, or full academic year - immersing themselves in Italian life and language with partner universities such as Università degli Studi G. D’Annunzio in Pescara and the Santa Reparata International School of Arts (SRISA).

Through the Emerson Language Laboratory, students are trained to use new learning and technology media at all language levels to allow them to communicate effectively in the world. Likewise, they are encouraged to prepare themselves philosophically and practically to make linkages between the major and other academic disciplines.

Student Learning outcomes:

1. Students will be able to understand and foster intercultural competence across languages and cultures, including religious, class, ethnic, and gender diversity in the geographical areas of their study. (Intermediate, and Advanced, accomplished especially in the senior seminar)
2. Students will be able to communicate increasingly and effectively in the target language through speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills. (Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced levels)
3. Students will be able to analyze, interpret, and discuss different narrative genres in the target language -texts, movies, music, paintings, political cartoons, graphic novels, food origins, and other cultural practices/artifacts. (Intermediate, and Advanced levels)
4. Students will be able to develop a position (a thesis statement) when confronted with specific cultural practices/artifacts produced in the societies that they study and argue to defend their position, providing evidence to support their views -in writing and orally, in the target language. (Intermediate, and Advanced levels)
5. Students will be able to function successfully in today’s world using vocabulary in the target language pertinent to the needs of their future careers -a language and culture proficiency that will allow them to adapt to the mobility of the job market. (Advanced levels)