Contact
We offer courses in Italian language, literature and culture. Our courses on Italian culture include topics on cinema, food studies, mafia, women’s studies, literature, environmental humanities and popular culture.
Why study Italian?
Italy is the 7th largest economy in the world and the 19th largest market for U.S. exports. An estimated 7,500 American companies do business with Italy, and more than 1,000 U.S. firms have offices there.
Italy is a world leader in interior design, robotics, fashion, furniture design, shipbuilding, space engineering, transportation equipment and the culinary arts. As the homeland of Dante, Michelangelo, Botticelli, Caravaggio, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Versace, Dolce & Gabbana, Prada and Pavarotti, Italy is known worldwide as Il Belpaese (the beautiful country).
The Italian Minor
A minor in Italian Studies requires 15 credit hours from approved courses (beyond FLIT 1020). At least 9 of these credit hours must be completed at Auburn University or through an AU-approved study abroad program. You must earn a C and maintain a 2.5 grade-point average in all courses that count toward the minor.
Language Courses:
- Complete one-year elementary sequence (FLIT 1010 and FLIT 1020) and FLIT 2010 (or equivalent).
Content Courses:
You must complete a minimum of 12 credit hours from the following list of courses.
- FLIT 3510: Introduction to Italian Culture (must be taken at least once)
- FLIT 3110: Special Topics in Italian (in Italian)
- FLIT 3030: Italian Conversation (in Italian)
- FLIT 3040: Italian Composition (in Italian)
- FLIT 3050: Italian Cinema
- FLIT 3200: Language Across the Curriculum Seminar (in Italian)
- FLIT 3930: Directed Study
- ARTS 3720: Medieval Arts in the West
- HIST 3300: Greco-Roman Civilization
- HIST 3310: Europe in the Middle Ages
- HIST 5330: 20th-Century Europe
- ENGL 3110: Survey of Linguistics
- MUSI 3510: Music History
- POLI 3120: Introduction to Comparative Politics
All courses are taught in English (unless specified differently) and open to both minor and non-minor students. For more information, visit the Auburn Bulletin.
Study Abroad and Exchange Programs
We also have a booming summer abroad program in Tuscany (Lucca) and a semester study program in Taormina, Italy.
SITE Internship Program
The Study Intercultural Training Experience (SITE) Program is an internship opportunity for English-speaking teaching assistants in schools located in Lombardy, Italy. Each year, a committee within the Italian program selects one candidate and recommends them for the highly competitive and prestigious SITE program.
AU Club Italiano
Join the the AU Club Italiano for activities such as film screenings, mangia mangia, pizza parlando, bocce tournament, soccer games, lectures, t-shirt contest, an annual film festival and many more!