| Code | Subject available through multiple programmes |
|---|---|
| Subject Title | Italian |
| Duration | 3 years |
| Teaching Mode | Full-time |
| Qualifications | BA (Hons) |
| NFQ Level | Level 8 |
Course Outline
A degree in Italian provides access to a rich and influential culture and to the language and society of a country that offers opportunities for exciting careers and further study. Most of our students have no Italian before joining us.
Italian is a small, accessible department. Learning takes place in small groups, allowing you to reach a high level of linguistic proficiency and to develop important critical and analytical skills.
You can choose from a range of modules on literature and art, film and music, politics and the media. Various pathways through the BA provide the opportunity to spend Year 3 studying at one of our partner universities in Italy, an experience that our students often describe as the best of their lives.
Students in all years of the course take an intensive Italian language course, taught in small tutorial groups. Free access is provided to an online Computer-Assisted Language-Learning (CALL) tool.
Year 1 Modules
Most of our students are beginners, but we also provide for the growing numbers of non-beginners taking Italian. In the award-winning Year 1 culture module, the focus is on modern Italian culture and society, providing you with a survey of Italy since unification in 1860, through the analysis of texts which include passages from literary works, films and documentaries, examples of art and architecture, music and historical documents.
You will be guided in your reading through specially written introductions, notes, and glossaries, and through the close readings led by lecturers in class. UCC Italian students have an excellent record in the NUI’s Scholarship for the best performance in first-year Italian, winning the award on at least eight out of 14 occasions since 1999.
Beginner Level
- IT1101 Introduction to Written and Spoken Italian (10 credits)
- IT1201 Post-Unification Italian Culture and Society
Non-Beginner Level
- IT1102 Non-Beginners' Written and Spoken Italian (10 credits)
- IT1201 Post-Unification Italian Culture and Society
Year 2
Students continue their intensive study of the Italian language, in preparation for Year 3, which may be spent abroad, or final year. Modules on Italian literature, cinema and the media (continuing to focus on the modern period) give you an understanding of the country’s culture and society. At the same time, the modules provide you with an intellectual challenge, helping you develop important critical and analytical skills sought after by employers.
Final Year
Students in the final year take an advanced language course and may continue to specialise in modern Italian culture, as well as developing independent thinking through the study of Dante’s Divine Comedy and other landmarks of world literature.
Academic Programme Catalogue
See the Academic Programme Catalogue for the complete and up-to-date content for this course. Note that the modules for all courses are subject to change from year-to-year. For complete descriptions of individual modules, see the Book of Modules.
Course Practicalities
Expected lecture hours
In each year of the course, students have four hours of contact per week with language tutors, and receive feedback on the exercises done outside class. In Year 1 students have a further one-hour lecture on Italian culture, supplemented by independent study of up to three hours per week. In years 2 and 3, joint honours students in Italian have four hours of lectures/seminars on culture and society, as well as required reading.
Access is also provided to an online language course, reinforcing classwork and taken whenever and wherever you have internet access, or in the language laboratories.
Assessment
Written exams will take place before Christmas and in May. Not all modules will have formal examinations. Many modules use other types of assessment.
Language skills are assessed by assignments and/or written and listening tests, which provide students with regular feedback on their progress. At the end of the semester, you take written and oral examinations.
Modules on Italian culture are assessed by a combination of in-class tests, written assignments and end-of-semester examinations. The Department of Italian places great emphasis on guiding students in the development of writing skills, and you are encouraged to engage in dialogue with lecturers during the drafting of essays and projects.
Who teaches this course
Staff in the Italian Department are all native speakers of Italian or have a near-native knowledge of the language. Courses are taught by the academic staff, by the three college language teachers, and by some of the department’s international group of PhD students.
Why Choose This Course
The Department of Italian is one of the smallest units in UCC, which means that you get the individual attention needed to help you progress from beginners’ level to degree standard.
Key facts
- Doorway to rich European cultural heritage
- Language and culture complements subjects such as History of Art, Music and English
- Opportunities to spend Year 3 studying at an Italian partner university
- Language of a G8 country
Placement or Study Abroad Information
Study abroad
Various pathways through the BA International, Arts-Music (European Pathway), Drama & Theatre Studies (International Pathway) provide the opportunity to spend Year 3 studying at one of our partner universities in Italy or, where appropriate, in the country of your other language or subject. Students taking these courses may opt into the study-abroad pathway at the end of Year 1.
Currently, our partner universities in Italy for the BA include Venice, Florence, Rome 3, and Bologna, as well as other universities in smaller cities.
Work placement
If you study Italian through the BA or the BA International, you will have the opportunity to avail of a work placement in Year 2. You can find out more here.
Skills and Careers Information
Italian is not widely taught in Irish schools and consequently our student numbers are small compared, for example, to those in French. Demand by employers in Ireland for graduates of Italian, with the strong language and analytical skills you can acquire with UCC, is currently greater than supply, and many of our graduates also choose to work in Italy or other countries.
See here for examples of the career paths taken by graduates. The department also has a LinkedIn group exclusively for its graduates, where information on vacancies is exchanged.
Requirements
Students wishing to take Beginners' Italian are recommended to have a minimum of Grade H4 in another modern continental language, or Irish, or Latin, or Greek in the Leaving Certificate Examination (or equivalent).
Students wishing to take Non-Beginners' Italian are recommended to have a minimum of Grade H4 in Italian in the Leaving Certificate Examination or equivalent.
Non-EU Applicants
Non-EU applicants are expected to have educational qualifications of a standard equivalent to the Irish Leaving Certificate. In addition, where such applicants are non-native speakers of the English language they must satisfy the university of their competency in the English language.
To verify if you meet the minimum academic and language requirements visit our qualification comparison page and refer to our International Office page for more information.
Fees and Costs
- Whether you are an EU or Non-EU student will affect the course fees applicable to you. See more information on EU Fees, Non-EU Fees, or Free Fees Status.
- The State will pay the tuition fees for EU students who are eligible under the Free Fees Scheme. The annual student contribution and capitation fees are payable by the student.
- See the Fee Schedule to find out the course fee.
- Check out scholarships that may be available to you.
- Explore our Nurturing Bright Futures free online course (Module 5) to learn about managing your money as a student and budgeting for university life.
How To Apply
Irish and European (EU/EFTA/UK) Applicants
Apply via the CAO. See the CAO Handbook for useful information on applying through the CAO.
Mature Applicants
Apply via the CAO by 1 February. To apply for a place as a mature student, you must be 23 years of age on or before 1 January of the year of entry.
QQI/FET Applicants
Apply via the CAO. See our QQI/FET Applicants page for information on the Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) Further Education and Training (FET) application process.
Non-EU Applicants
If you are from outside the EU/EFTA/UK, apply online via the UCC Apply portal. See our International Office page for more information.