Departmental Brochure  Fairfield University offers an interdisciplinary minor program in Italian studies that can accent your education and enhance your career preparation. The program, organized from existing and newly available resources, provides opportunities to study language and literature, history, politics, fine arts, sociology, business, and other fields, all with a significant Italian focus.
You can take advantage of Fairfield's affiliation with the Florence University for the Arts and the Mediterranean Center for Arts and Sciences in Italy to experience first-hand the riches of Italian culture. As part of your program, you may apply for an internship at a company or agency with operations or trade based in Italy. Italian Studies offers a genuinely pleasurable learning experience and, combined with a solid major program, provides opportunities to explore many career paths. The program is also an excellent preparation for graduate study.
Real-World Education
 Within the limits of a minor program of study, everything is done to give you the experience of Italy and its culture. On campus, you can view Italian television daily on the campus network. You can also join the student-run Italian Club that sponsors trips to New York and Connecticut to attend operas and other cultural events. The club engages in other Italian-related activities that enrich your study of the language, ideas, and customs of Italy.
Course Of Study
To satisfy the requirements of the minor program in Italian Studies you must demonstrate proficiency in the language at the intermediate level and complete five three-credit courses that focus on Italy or have a major Italian component. No more than three of these can be in a single discipline. You may fulfill the language requirement by taking the two-semester course in Intermediate Italian; this course, however, does not count toward the minor. Competence in the language is not a prerequisite of the program but may be attained while you are taking the other five courses.
You can select courses for the Italian Studies minor from various departments in the College of Arts and Sciences. Special opportunities to enrich your program are available in Florence and Syracuse for summer sessions; or you can choose to study abroad for a semester. Many courses given at Florence University for the Arts and the Mediterranean Center for Arts and Sciences earn Fairfield University credits.
Examples of the courses that count toward the minor are:
Language and Literature
- Continuing Italian
- Composition and Oral Expression
- Contemporary Italian Culture
- The Italian Novella
- The Italian-American Experience: An Interdisciplinary Approach
- Italian Cinema
- Dante
- Rome in the Cultural Imagination
History
- European Society in the Middle Ages
- The Renaissance and Reformation
Philosophy
- Political Philosophy: Plato to Machiavelli
Politics
- Modern Political Ideologies
- European Politics
Religious Studies
Visual and Performing Arts
- Renaissance Art in Italy
- The Foreign Film: Italian Cinema Since World War II
- Art and Mythologies of Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, Bolshevik Russia
- Renaissance and Baroque Architecture
Faculty
As an Italian Studies minor you work with faculty from various disciplines and coordinate your work through the director of the program. Members of the Italian Studies advisory committee include:
Mary Ann McDonald Carolan
Ph.D., Yale University
Italian language and literature
Philip Eliasoph
Ph.D., State University of New York– Binghamton
Visual and Performing Arts
Jesús R. Escobar
Ph.D., Princeton University
Visual and Performing Arts
R. James Long
Ph.D., University of Toronto
Philosophy
Fairfield's Campus in Florence and
Syracuse, Italy
 A most exciting option is the chance to spend a semester or summer abroad at either the Florence University for the Arts or the Mediterranean Center for Arts and Sciences in Syracuse, Sicily. In both places you can take courses, taught in English or Italian, for which you will receive credit from Fairfield University. Areas of study include history, philosophy, literature, sociology, political science, studio art, art history, the performing arts, language, architecture, and the sciences.
Students from prestigious colleges and universities in the United States and abroad create a unique classroom experience. Study abroad in Italy allows you to visit monuments and museums in Florence and Sicily, interact with students from around the world, and travel to other countries.
Research and Internships
 You are encouraged to undertake independent research in all your courses; you may receive credit for a full course through a major independent project in your junior or senior year, with the approval and supervision of faculty members. In the past, students have researched topics such as women writers in Italy and Italy's role in the European Union. Internships are available through the Career Planning Office or through faculty contacts with Italian-based companies operating in Connecticut or New York City.
Sepecial Resources
 An outstanding resource on the Fairfield campus is the Charles E. Culpeper Language Resource Center, a multimedia facility. Innovative instructional materials, prepared by faculty for your use, enhance your study of languages and literatures. Satellite broadcasts from many countries are available at the center and over the Fairfield campus network. A collection of video and audio tapes, updated regularly, provides a stimulating array of linguistic activities.
Life After Fairfield
An understanding of Italian language and culture greatly enhances your career opportunities in an increasingly international world. As Italy's role in the European Union becomes more prominent, prospective employers in international business, education, journalism, the fine arts, government, and nonprofit organizations seek well-educated young women and men who have a background in Italian Studies.
 Profile
Jacqueline Grossi
Italian Studies minor
"I'm a history major and I'm Italian American. Italian Studies allows me to take courses in a variety of fields, such as English and art history, and these often fulfill core requirements. It's a good supplement for my history major, because it gives me a specific area to explore. I also studied in Florence with the Dante intensive program; there is a lot of rich history in Italian Studies.
All the professors in the Italian Studies program are excellent. Dr. Mary Ann Carolan, program director, is very enthusiastic about what she does. The program has a lot to offer. I think anyone could find a selection of courses they would be interested in taking in the Italian Studies Program."
For further information, please contact:
Dr. Mary Ann Carolan, program director
Canisius Hall 214
Fairfield University
Fairfield, CT 06824-5195
Telephone: (203) 254-4000, ext. 2134
E-mail: mcarolan@mail.fairfield.edu
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