都柏林圣三一学院

Why study Italian?

Studying Italian opens the door to a new world. Italy holds 60% of the world’s art treasures, has been home to some of the world’s greatest writers and thinkers (Petrarch, Dante, Boccaccio, Machiavelli, Gramsci), is among the world’s places boasting fabulous food, fashion and design, and has a dynamic economy: 3rd in the eurozone and 8th (by nominal GDP) in the world. In this course, you study Italy’s language as well as its rich history and culture: literature, cinema, art, even opera. You do not need to have studied Italian before: most students of Italian start as beginners. Having fluent Italian is extremely beneficial for the job market.

Italian: The course for you?

Italian has been taught in Trinity since 1776. In joining the Department, you join a long and important tradition which includes alumni like Samuel Beckett and Douglas Hyde. You will be taught in small classes by lecturers who are leading international experts in their field. You are taught by experienced and encouraging language teachers. We have a small intake each year (only 30 students) which means individual attention and a friendly environment. We are the only Italian Department in Ireland to have a dedicated cinema scholar and we offer the widest choice of Italian optional modules in Ireland.

Italian @ Trinity

Your intensive language courses aim to support you in reaching fluency. You will learn core skills (speaking, reading, writing, and listening) as well as the art of translation. Your core cultural courses are wide-ranging. They include novels, poetry, theatre, cinema, art, and transmedia, as well as Italian history and politics. You study Italy from medieval times (Dante and Boccaccio) to the 21st century. You also take optional modules which offer flexibility and choice.

Graduate skills and career opportunities

Because far fewer people study Italian, Italian opens up a range of fields where very few people will have the skills you do. Advanced language skills are widely sought after in today’s job market – especially here in Ireland where many companies sell their products and services to the European continent. Our graduates get jobs in a variety of sectors: business, law, charities, the public service, university administration, import-export, writing, journalism, translation, theatre, music, design, tourism, PR, diplomacy, corporate recruitment, finance, football management, teaching, lecturing, and banking. Some of our graduates have gone on to live in Italy, or work in locations such as Paris, Milan, Brussels, London, New York, Hong Kong. Many undertake further study, selecting postgraduate courses in Arts, Social Sciences, and European Studies, while others have opted for professional training in law, marketing, journalism, teaching, acting, translation, interpreting and business.

Your degree and what you’ll study

At entry, Italian must be combined with one other subject. In later years you will be able to select additional subjects and electives and will have the option to graduate with Italian as a Single Honours degree, a Joint Honours degree with another subject, or a Major with a Minor.

FIRST AND SECOND YEARS

In first year, you will follow an intensive course in language. This includes grammar classes, conversation and listening practice, and learning how to write in Italian and produce basic translations.

THIRD AND FOURTH YEARS

The third and fourth year focus on major authors of the medieval, Renaissance and later periods, including contemporary perspectives on Italy and its culture. Options are available in literature and cinema.