Objectives

The Italian minor introduces students to the rich, complex culture of Italy, first by providing them with basic linguistic skills in the Italian language, and subsequently by familiarizing them with important literary works produced in Italy over the centuries as well as with historically significant films.

Italian Minor Learning Outcomes

Italian minors will know:

• The principal elements of Italian syntax and morphology
• Representative works of Italian literature, cinema, and other forms of cultural production
• Theoretical concepts essential for the analysis of these texts.

Italian minors will be able to:

• Communicate effectively in written and oral forms in Italian
• Understand spoken Italian
• Read modern Italian literature
• Apply acquired critical skills to textual analysis and scholarly research.

Italian minors will be encouraged to value:

• The distinctive contributions of Italian culture to world civilization
• The interconnectedness of all cultures in the global era
• The complex ways in which issues of social justice find expression in cultural production.

Minor Requirements

The Italian minor consists of 20 semester hours taken beyond ITAL 2102 :

• ITAL 2103 Italian 3  4 semester hours 
• ITAL 2104 Italian 4  4 semester hours
• Three (3) upper division ITAL 3000-4000 level courses 12 semester hours

Students who have not previously studied Italian and who wish to declare a minor in Italian are advised to begin their study of the language in their freshman year.

Note: The ITAL 2101 , ITAL 2102 , ITAL 2103  and ITAL 2104  series is recommended for those who seek a basic speaking, writing, and reading knowledge of the language. This series requires one hour of independent study.

Italian Placement Exam

Any student who has knowledge of or has had prior instruction in Italian in high school, community heritage language school, or at a college or university other than LMU must take the Italian Placement Exam.

This requirement includes students who have taken the AP Italian Language and Culture Exam in high school. Generally, a student who receives a score of 5 or 4 on the AP Italian Language and Culture Exam might place in ITAL 2103  or higher. Course credit will be given for ITAL 2101  and ITAL 2102  once a student’s official scores have been received from the College Board. Final Placement is conditional upon the instructor’s consent in consultation with the Italian coordinator. It is the responsibility of each student to ensure that the official AP scores have been sent to Loyola Marymount University.

To know when and how a student should take a language placement exam in Italian, please refer to the guidelines provided under Modern Languages and Literatures .

Students who need more semester hours to complete the Italian minor because of their language placement must take additional courses in the language. In the event that there are no courses in the language, students may take MDLG 3400 , MDLG 4400 , or FNLT 4200  (provided it is related to language concentration). If additional classes are not available in the Modern Languages and Literatures Department, students may fulfill those credits with courses in the appropriate cultural studies areas (e.g., HMNT), with pre-approval from the Italian coordinator and the Department Chair.