Italian Studies at MADE means immersion in the local community, interactive language study, and Italian-taught liberal arts courses that explore essential elements of the Italian culture.
Subject Offerings
- Italian Language
- Literature
- Communications
- Film Studies
- History
- Political Science
Italian Studies Track
Sicily played a central part in the development of the Italian culture, especially through its role in ancient times. Syracuse is an ideal place to explore Italian Studies, unpacking Sicily’s impact on Italian history, literature, cinema, and more, in a city where the population will engage with learners in Italian. Students with Italian language proficiency can opt to take their Italian Studies courses taught in Italian. As MADE Italian Studies students deepen their knowledge of Italian culture, they also work to enhance their language skills through Italian language courses, taught at all levels.
Fall 2025 Italian Language Courses
- Italian Language 1
- Italian Language 2
- Italian Language 3
- Italian Language 4
- Italian Language 5
- Italian Language 6
Content Courses (these courses can be offered in English or Italian)
- Italy from Unification to the 20th Century: a Southern Perspective (English or Italian)
- Italian Literature: Sicilian Writers (English or Italian)
- Italian Cinema in Sicily (English or Italian)
Course Descriptions
Italian Language 1 (First Semester Italian) (Semester + Summer)
Credit Hours: 6 ECTS
Prerequisite: This level is for absolute beginner students who have never studied Italian before.
This course includes the development of basic conversational, reading, listening and writing skills. Focus will be given to the development of a vocabulary that will enable students to have simple but useful everyday conversations, which will be a support to their Italian experience. The course will give students the basic elements useful for everyday conversations, such as at the cafe, the train station, the post office, the restaurant, etc.
Objectives:
- Grammar: acquiring the basic structures of the language; simple grammatical structures and sentence patterns. Vocabulary: understanding and using the basic vocabulary regarding the concepts of space, time, quantity and quality; mastering basic vocabulary necessary for the most common and concrete communicative situations.
- Listening: understanding the most commonly used expressions in daily verbal communication, such as brief dialogue and instructions.
- Speaking: using the most common colloquial expressions in daily social communication for self identification, greetings, asking for and giving basic information; using the language in order to identify and describe.
- Reading: understanding simple texts for practical use.
- Writing: writing simple dictated texts.
Italian Language 2 (Second Semester Italian) (Semester + Summer)
Credit Hours: 6 ECTS
Prerequisite: This level is available to students who have satisfactorily completed either level one or the entrance exam (written and oral).
The aim of this course is to extend the development of fundamental linguistics. Particular attention will be given to the abilities that can increase the students’ capacity to express themselves in more complex situations and extended language exchange. In addition there will be revision and extension of the basic grammar structures and focus on more complex vocabulary.
Objectives:
- Grammar: studying and extending basic knowledge of the grammatical structures needed for correct expression, in statements referring to present, past (passato prossimo /imperfetto) situations.
- Vocabulary: understanding the meaning of simple words from the context in which they are used; expanding vocabulary in order to participate in everyday simple and concrete communicative situations.
- Listening: understanding the general meaning and the most important information in conversations.
- Speaking: taking part in everyday simple and concrete communicative situations; explaining familiar facts or events.
- Reading: understanding simple and short private correspondence (letters/postcards) and simple texts picking up familiar names, words and basic phrases.
- Writing: producing simple texts of a practical nature; writing simple descriptive passages.
Italian Language 3 (3rd Semester Italian) (Semester + Summer)
Credit Hours: 6 ECTS
Prerequisite: This level is available to students who have satisfactorily completed either level two or the entrance exam (written and oral).
This level is for those students who already have an active knowledge of the elementary structures of the language (i.e. can express past actions and events and discuss future plans). Can communicate simple and routine tasks requiring an exchange of information on familiar and routine matters and understand clear standard speech regularly encountered in work, school, leisure, etc.
Objectives:
- Grammar: acquiring the ability to use the comprehensive structures of the language, being able to correlate facts and events in the past, present and future and the ability to express doubts and desires.
- Vocabulary: using vocabulary to talk about and describe basic communicative needs and some personal experiences; recognize the meaning of words useful in common everyday conversations.
- Listening: understanding phrases and expressions related to areas of the most immediate priority (e.g. very basic personal and family information, shopping, local geography, employment); understanding explanations and instructions given in an elementary manner.
- Speaking: communicating in simple and routine tasks requiring a simple and direct exchange of information in familiar and routine matters to do with work and free time: telling a short simple story or describing something in a list of points.
- Reading: comprehending information contained in practical texts; understanding short, simple texts containing the highest frequency vocabulary with simple connectors.
- Writing: producing simple and brief texts relating to matters in areas of immediate need.
Italian Language 4 (4th Semester Italian) (Semester + Summer)
Credit Hours: 6 ECTS
Prerequisite: This level is available to students who have satisfactorily completed either level three or the entrance exam (written and oral).
This course is directed towards the acquisition of more complex language structures in order to express personal opinions and preferences. This level enables students to enter unprepared into conversations on topics that are familiar, of personal interest or pertinent to everyday life and current events, and to narrate simple stories.
Objectives:
- Grammar: reinforcing the ability to make concordance between time and manner for the expression of reality and possibility.
- Vocabulary: obtaining vocabulary relating to familiar and daily common situations.
- Listening: understanding the most important aspects of messages and brief announcements referring to areas of immediate priority (study, family, work) proving speech is clear.
- Speaking: telling a short story or describing every day aspects of his/her environment, events and activities; holding a simple conversation, describing everyday events.
- Reading: understanding short, simple texts on familiar matter of a concrete type.
- Writing: writing simple texts of various kinds: reports and descriptions about family, living conditions, present or most recent job; summarizing very simple texts.
Italian Language 5 (3rd Year Italian) (Semester + Summer)
Credit Hours: 6 ECTS
Prerequisite: This level is available to students who have satisfactorily completed either level four or the entrance exam (written and oral).
During the course a revision of the entire Italian grammar studied until this point will be undertaken, studying in depth the basic grammatical themes. Priority will be given to conversation skills and increasing vocabulary to express oneself in depth, in situations pertinent to everyday life such as family, friends, hobbies, interests, work, travel and current events.
Objectives:
- Grammar: examining closely the use of the indicative and the conditional; having sufficient vocabulary to express oneself with some circumlocutions on most general topics pertinent to everyday life such as family, hobbies and interests, work, travel and current events.
- Listening: understand the main points of clear standard speech on familiar matters regularly encountered in work, school, leisure, etc., radio news bulletins and simple recorded material about familiar subjects delivered slowly and clearly.
- Speaking: having a conversation on a variety of subjects related to the field of interest, relating reasonably fluently a narrative and describing experiences, feelings, reactions or work.
- Reading: reading straightforward factual texts on subjects relating to personal interest with a satisfactory level of comprehension; understanding some information in news articles and in simple kinds of narrative texts.
- Writing: writing connected texts on a range of familiar subjects by linking a series of shorter discrete elements into a linear sequence, writing accounts of experiences and describing feelings and reactions.
Italian Language 6 (3rd Year Italian) (Semester + Summer)
Credit Hours: 6 ECTS
Prerequisite: This level is available to students who have satisfactorily completed either level five or the entrance exam (written and oral).
During this course students will refine their use of the tenses and moods using agreement, while studying in depth the use of some of the grammatical structures. Attention will also be given to improving the use of prepositions. Writing and listening exercises will be carried out with authentic material with specific attention to written expression.
Objectives:
- Grammar: increasing the use of various phrases as well as different ways of expressing doubt, will, desire, negation, exclamation and advice.
- Vocabulary: studying the substitution (synonyms and antonyms); using the necessary vocabulary, adequately, in various topics, communicative situations and in professional environments.
- Listening: understanding factual information about common everyday or job related topics; understanding most radio and television programs on topics of personal interest and some news delivered in clear standard speech; understanding part of the plot of a film.
- Speaking: relating the plot of a book or a film, narrating a story and describing events either real or imagined; describing and giving detailed accounts of experiences.
- Reading: understanding part of news items. Scanning longer texts in order to locate desired information and gathering information from different parts of a text, or from different texts, in order to fulfill a specific task.
- Writing: drafting a brief report or story; commenting on something read or listened to.
Italian Literature: Sicilian Writers (Semester) (English or Italian)
Credit Hours: 6 ECTS
* Note: Course can be taught in English or Italian. If taught in Italian, Italian proficiency is required as determined by prior coursework or placement exam.
Sicilian authors have been among the most important writers of recent Italian literature. Inspired by Sicily’s unequaled blend of cultures, its rich legacy of ancient mythology, and its battered history, Verga, Pirandello, Brancati, Vittorini and Sciascia look deep into Sicilian life for the harder truths of the human condition. The course will examine the genre-defining works of these key figures in either Italian or in translation in English. All students will be assessed on the following: active class participation, completion of required readings, assignments, exams, presentations, and a final paper.
Italy from Unification to the 20th Century: a Southern Perspective (Semester) (English or Italian)
Credit Hours: 6 ECTS
* Note: Course can be taught in English or Italian. If taught in Italian, Italian proficiency is required as determined by prior coursework or placement exam.
The focus of this course is on Post War Italy, the dynamics of the 20th century and their impact on the political and cultural structures of Italy. The course traces the history of Italy from the end of the Second World War and the subsequent foundation of the Republic, to the present. The different histories of the three main geographical regions: South, Center and North are examined. We look at the distinct patterns of evolution and development in socio-cultural, economic and political terms that exist between these regions. The outcome of parallel, intertwined and occasionally divergent paths has resulted in specific regional perspectives and attitudes towards the history of the country as a whole. In spite of this regional diversity a peculiar form of national unity exists. The regional dichotomies constitute one of the most interesting characteristics of Italy, one that is reflected in its complex and intriguing politics.
The course is based around a standard history text of Modern Italy, but lectures, discussions, and assignments will integrate primary cultural, literature, musical and cinematic sources.
Italian Cinema in Sicily (Semester) (English or Italian)
Credit Hours: 6 ECTS
* Note: Course can be taught in English or Italian. If taught in Italian, Italian proficiency is required as determined by prior coursework or placement exam.
Students will explore the best works of Italian cinema, their role in history, and their cultural impact, particularly through the context of Sicily. Students will review the work of impactful players in Italian film, such as Luchino Visconti, Federico Fellini, Roberto Benigni, Franco Zeffirelli, and more. The course will examine the variety of film movements and styles that developed in Italy, from the mid 1900’s to present day.