The Italian Studies MA is a pathway in the faculty-wide MA in Language, Culture and History, offering an extensive range of modules in Italian literature, history and literary theory. Students can take this flexible, interdisciplinary programme as self-contained study or as preparation for a research degree.
The programme introduces students to texts from a variety of periods in Italian history and places them within a historical and philosophical framework. Students develop subject-specific, professional skills necessary for the pursuit of their chosen options, including sourcing material, fieldwork techniques, bibliographic skills and linguistic skills.
Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits. The programme offers two pathways: taught and research.
Taught: one core cross-language module (30 credits), three optional modules (90 credits), dissertation (60 credits). Research: one core cross-language module (30 credits), two optional modules (60 credits), dissertation (90 credits).
A Postgraduate Diploma, one core module (30 credits), three optional modules (90 credits) full-time nine months or part-time two years, is offered.
A Postgraduate Certificate, one core module (30 credits), one optional module (30 credits) full-time three months, part-time six months, is offered.
Core module
Optional modules
Students choose from a range of optional modules on topics such as the following:
Dissertation/report
All students undertake an independent research project which culminates in a dissertation of 12,000 words (taught pathway) or 18,000 words (research pathway).
Teaching and learning
The programme is delivered through a combination of seminars, tutorials, seminar-presentations, film screenings, and visits to research libraries including the British Library, the Warburg Institute, Institute of Historical Research and Senate House. Students are assessed by a variety of methods: unseen examinations, long essays, coursework and the dissertation.
Further information on modules and degree structure is available on the department website: Language, Culture and History: Italian Studies MA
The programme will be of interest both to those who wish to enhance their knowledge of Italian culture for professional purposes - in the fields, for example, of education, media, commerce and tourism - as well as to students wishing to pursue their studies at doctoral level.
Recent career destinations for this degree
Careers data is taken from the ‘Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education’ survey undertaken by HESA looking at the destinations of UK and EU students in the 2013–2015 graduating cohorts six months after graduation.
UCL Italian is the original home of Italian studies in Britain, and has a distinguished record in the field of graduate studies and research. Students benefit from UCL's excellent Italian resources, including the Rotton and Ogden collections, and the Castiglione and Dante collections.
UCL's central location enables easy access to London's exceptional resources including the specialist collections of Italian material in the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes. The British Film Institute Library holds major Italian film periodicals and numerous books on Italian cinema, and the nearby British Library houses the largest collection of early printed books in the world.
The Research Excellence Framework, or REF, is the system for assessing the quality of research in UK higher education institutions. The 2014 REF was carried out by the UK's higher education funding bodies, and the results used to allocate research funding from 2015/16.
The following REF score was awarded to the department: School of European Languages, Culture & Society
74% rated 4* (‘world-leading’) or 3* (‘internationally excellent’)
Learn more about the scope of UCL's research, and browse case studies, on our Research Impact website.
The "Italian Food and Wine" MSc degree will focus on the understanding, management, promotion and protection of high-value food products, including wine.
In this MSc course, the internationally-recognised Italian food production system is analysed as a model for defining and characterising the individual elements that contribute to the unique value of food products that are inextricably linked to place (terroir) through historic, social and cultural ties. These elements also include more recent developments in technology, nutrition, food safety, diet and health, and sensory science that are at the heart of a growing international demand for terroir-related high-value foods.
The specific learning outcome is a deep understanding of the multi-faceted characteristics that distinguish these foods from others in the marketplace and that can be exploited in products’ valorisation and consumer information strategies both in the EU and international markets. The ultimate objective of this multi-disciplinary program is to train professionals who are well-versed in the complex system of producing high-value foods and wines whose quality is profoundly linked to tradition and place of origin.
This programme is open to Italian and foreign students interested in learning and implementing effective actions for the valorisation of high-quality food products and wines.
Graduates will be expert in the technical and economical management, valorisation and protection of high quality agro-food products - in an export and territorial development-oriented perspective - by using the Italian system as the reference model. He/she will find employment opportunities in quality-oriented agro-food companies, in producers' organizations, and in public and private consultancy companies involved in the protection, valorisation, marketing, consulting, training and communication activities for high-quality agro-food products.
The most relevant positions concern: ii) marketing of high-quality foods and wines, on both the EU and international market; ii) design and implementation of promotion and protection strategies for these products; iii) management of producers' organizations; iv) 'off-trade' and 'on-trade' buying activities, mainly in the international market; v) information on high-quality foods and wines management; vi) planning and management of territorial development strategies based on 'terroir-related' quality agro-food products.
During the two-years MSc course students choose 12 course units – according to their individual background and interest - among the following:
Plant biodiversity and food
Animal biodiversity and food
Quality, processing and sensorial analysis of Italian food
Quality, processing and sensorial analysis of Italian wine
Food microbiology and quality
Food safety and hygiene
Food traceability for food quality
Food, wine and nutrition
Value adding quality schemes and consumer demand
Food and Wine-based territorial valorization and rural development
Quality-oriented Food and Wine management and governance
Consumer behavior
Food, wine and society
Food and Wine history and anthropology
Food and wine: perspectives from abroad
Foreign language (Italian or English)
Teaching includes lectures, laboratory and field activities, practical exercises, and seminars by outside experts that feature a rich variety of relevant case studies of Italian foods and wines. Opportunities for intensive tutoring and for master thesis-related stages of at least six months duration will be available with outstanding companies in this sector of the food industry or with other relevant organisations in the private or public sphere.
Visit the MSc “Italian food and wine” page on the Università di Padova web-site (http://www.unipd.it/en/italian-food-and-wine) for more details.
The University of Padova, the Veneto Region and other organisations offer various scholarship schemes to support students. Below is a list of the funding opportunities that are most often used by international students in Padova.
You can find more information below and on our website here: http://www.unipd.it/en/studying-padova/funding-and-fees/scholarships
You can find more information on fee waivers here: http://www.unipd.it/en/fee-waivers
The MLitt in Italian Studies is a one-year taught programme run by the Department of Italian in the School of Modern Languages. The programme's core focus is on questions of Italian national identity, and students are encouraged to take their particular interests in Italian culture further through more research-focused study, drawing on the wide historical and thematic range of specialist expertise offered by the Italian Department.
The taught element of the course consists of five compulsory modules involving literary theory, research skills, and Italian literature and culture. Classes are delivered through a mixture of lectures, seminars and fortnightly tutorials, with class sizes ranging from individual one-to-one teaching up to 20 students. Modules are assessed through coursework; there are no final exams for this programme.
Targeted attention is also drawn to practical skills, such as designing research posters, giving formal presentations, and designing funding bids. Students will have the opportunity to broaden their language portfolios.
You will spend the summer months focusing on researching and writing a final dissertation of no more than 15,000 words.
Further particulars regarding curriculum development.
The modules in this programme have varying methods of delivery and assessment. For more details of each module, including weekly contact hours, teaching methods and assessment, please see the latest module catalogue which is for the 2017–2018 academic year; some elements may be subject to change for 2018 entry.
Royal Holloway is a thriving centre for postgraduate research in Italian with particular expertise in Renaissance studies, cultural studies, Anglo-Italian cultural relations, 19th- and 20th-century art, Italian cinema and detective fiction, making it an ideal place to study for a postgraduate degree in Italian.
This degree enables you to independently explore your area of interest in real depth, it can also provide you with the chance to test or try out an area of study in preparation for doctoral study. Whilst you will be working independently, you won’t be alone, you will receive specialist one-to-one tuition throughout your degree. You will work closely with your specialist supervisor, or supervisors, to develop a clearly defined research topic and complete a 30,000-40,000 word dissertation.
You will be part of our research-led environment in which academic staff are working at the frontiers of their subjects. The breadth of our teaching and research expertise means that we are able to provide the latest thinking, expert support and intellectual challenges. We have a thriving Italian research environment, with topics ranging from the medieval and Renaissance periods to the contemporary 21st century. Recent research includes projects on The Italian Academies 1530-1700, The Cult of the Duce: Mussolini and the Italians 1918-2005, and Interdisciplinary Italy 1900-2020. Our academics would be pleased to hear from anyone interested in postgraduate research in their areas of expertise.
In addition to your dissertation you will undertake a taught course designed to equip you with an array of theoretical and historical approaches to the study of literature, art and culture. This will enable you to articulate, refine and persistently test your own approach to your chosen topic within this broader theoretical and methodological framework. You will also have access to skills training and enjoy the additional support of a dedicated Research Advisor.
Theories of Literature and Visual Culture
This module is taught across two terms. It provides you with knowledge of a range of historical and modern theoretical approaches to the study of literature and the visual arts. It refines your theoretical understanding and provides you with the methodological tools needed to proceed to PhD research if you so wish.
Dissertation
You will write a 30-40,000 word dissertation on a subject of your choice, receiving one-to-one support from your supervisor.
Theories of Literature and Visual Culture is assessed by an essay and presentation.
The dissertation is examined by a Visiting Examiner and includes a viva voce.
On graduation you will have a proven ability to undertake focused research, improved your written and oral presentation skills, and honed skills in critical analysis. In addition, you will have an understanding and a critical awareness of current problems and/or new insights in literature, film, cultural studies or the visual arts. All of the these skills will be appealing to employers and enable you to pursue your chosen career. Alternatively, you will also be in a strong position to continue onto doctoral study, having demonstrated that you have the self direction, originality and initiative required.
In recent years a number of our Modern Languages, Literature and Culture postgraduates have gone on to successful academic careers both in Britain and internationally in the fields of modern languages, critical theory and film.
Postgraduates have also embarked upon many interesting and successful careers outside academia – in the UK, continental Europe and the United States – including journalism at The Independent, work for NGOs, trade sales, publishing, professional translating, teaching, opera direction, museum curatorship, creative arts, and librarianship.
As a postgraduate research student of Italian studies, you will be exposed to an environment that celebrates both language and culture, through rigorous research and vibrant social events.
Studied informally here at Edinburgh since the late 16th century, Italian was formally added to the curriculum in 1919. Since then it has developed into a broad area of study that engages with both contemporary culture and historical times, when Italy shaped our civilisation.
Postgraduates are an integral part of our research community. We can offer you supervision in:
Your place in our graduate school will see you taking part in a thriving research community, attending regular seminars, publishing papers, presenting your research at national and international conferences, and participating in interdisciplinary research clusters across the School of Literatures, Languages & Cultures.
Just a few minutes away from our base in George Square is the Italian Cultural Institute, where you will receive a warm welcome and the opportunity to mix with Scotland’s wider Italian academic community.
You will also have access to its extensive library and programme of events. Also extending cultural and academic networks is the Edinburgh Journal of Gadda Studies, which is produced here at the School and offers opportunities for you to contribute to the editorial team as a research or editorial assistant. Through our membership of this network we also host the Edinburgh Gadda Prize, presented biennially.
This course leads to the award of Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) for the 11-to-16 age range, which qualifies you to be a teacher in secondary schools in England and Wales. Where possible, we also give you the chance to gain experience in the 11-to-18 age range.
It is of the utmost importance that all young people get the chance to learn at least one language to a high standard.
That’s why schools will always need highly-skilled language teachers to help pupils develop valuable, lifelong skills – and why trainee language teachers can benefit from the highest range of training bursaries.
The three most commonly taught languages in east London schools are French, German and Spanish, followed by Italian, Russian, Mandarin, Japanese, Urdu and Bengali.
Your teacher training will help you discover how to open young people’s eyes and ears up to the beauty of the language by exploring its uses in business, everyday life and culture.
There are three elements to our secondary training: subject studies, general professional studies and school-based training. It differs from courses offered by other universities in that it is very much subject-based.
The Master’s Degree programme in Comparative international relations engages in the linguistic and cultural study of Europe, as well as Eastern Europe, Asia, and the Atlantic world typical of the tradition of Ca’ Foscari and, in this sense, represents a unique offer in Italy for the study of international relations associated with those foreign languages and cultures, of the rights and of the international economy. Students will be able to study real issues through the study of specific disciplines pertinent to different cultural and geopolitical areas with a specific focus on the Americas, the Mediterranean, Eastern Europe, Asia, and their politics for the economic development corresponding to the many paths of study.
The course provides solid linguistic, legal and economic training common to all students as well as in-depth comparative studies in the political, cultural, geographic and sociological fields through study programmes on specific geopolitical areas.
English
Students can choose from five curricula, comprising specific groups of related elective courses focusing on specific themes or geographic areas:
The special education provided to second-cycle graduates in Comparative International Relations will enable them to hold positions of high responsibility in
Educational activities include classroom teaching, workshops and internships, in order to acquire wide-ranging skills that can be readily transferable into the world of work.
Knowledge gained by students will be assessed through written and oral exams during their entire university career.
The final exam consists in writing a thesis, which must possess the characters of originality, exhaustive documentation and scientific investigation and which will be discussed with a committee of university professors and experts.
The thesis must be original and should focus on specific aspects of international relations and comparative politics. Candidates must show critical capacity and interpretative analysis, and, as well as interdisciplinary character, must demonstrate in-depth understanding of the referent theoretic area, understanding in locating sources, critical ability in content, argumentative ability in writing the text and expositive ability in its presentation and discussion.
This Master's degree programme provides advanced knowledge of the languages, literatures and cultures of European, American and postcolonial countries, promoting cross-cultural perspectives within a solid background in humanities.
English and Italian
Albanian, Anglo-American, Czech, English, French, German, modern Greek, Polish, Portuguese and Brazilian, Romenian, Russian, Serbo-Croatian, Spanish.
-Literature and Cultures. The sub-curricula available are:
- English and American Literary and Cultural Studies. The sub-curricula available are:
- Estudios Ibéricos e Iberoamericanos (Double degree).
- Master européen en Etudes Françaises et Francophones (Double degree)
Second-cycle graduates will be able to pursue their studies in the research field an to hold leading positions in national and international businesses and within public and private institutions and organisations.
Educational activities include classroom teaching, workshops and internships, in order to acquire wide-ranging skills that can be readily transferable into the world of work.
Knowledge gained by students will be assessed through written and oral exams during their entire university career.
The final exam consists in writing a thesis, which must possess the characters of originality, exhaustive documentation and scientific investigation and which will be discussed with a committee of university professors and experts.
Access to further studies - Specialist Master’s Programmes (1st and 2nd level) and Research Doctorates
