Major & Minor

Lower Division Language (18 units):

• Italian Studies 1, 2, 3 and 4, Elementary/Intermediate/Advanced Italian or their equivalent in linguistic proficiency.

Upper-Division (32 units):

• Language: Italian Studies 101, Advanced Writing Workshop (4 units)
  and Italian 102, Italian Through the Arts (4 units)

• Introduction to Italian Culture and Literature: Italian Studies 105, History of Italian Culture (4 units)

• Electives: chosen from Italian literature, cultural studies, history, and film. See elective selections below (20 units/5 courses).
  • Up to 8 units or 2 courses with primary readings and discussion in English may be counted toward the total major unit requirement offered in the Italian Studies department and departments such as History of Art, History, and occasionally, Medieval Studies or Music. Courses in other departments may be taken with advance permission of the Faculty Advisor.
  • Upper-division Italian Studies classes with instruction in English may be taken in Italian (by completing readings and written work in Italian) if the student has completed Italian 101, and with permission of the instructor.

Electives offered by Italian Studies (some in Italian, others in English): 101*, 102*, 105*, 109, 110, 112, 115, 117, 120, 130A, 130B, 160, 163, 170, 175

*Once the Italian Studies 101, 102 or 105 requirement is fulfilled, 101, 102 and/or 105 can be repeated for elective credit with Faculty Advisor approval, if the content is sufficiently different.

Elective selections in affiliated departments (in English): Art and History of Art 145, 160, 161,162; History 106A, 106B, 149, C157

Education Abroad: Up to 12 units/3 courses may count toward upper-division requirements with Faculty Advisor approval. At least 12 units must be taken in residence. All courses for the major must be taken on a lettergrade basis. A grade point average of 2.0 must be maintained in the major and overall.

The Honors Program:
To enter the honors program, in addition to having a minimum overall grade point average of 3.3, majors must have completed at least 20 upper division units in the major with a minimum grade point average of 3.5. Candidates must enroll in Italian Studies H195 for one semester in their senior year, during which they will carry out research and write an honors thesis under the guidance of a faculty member. Students who meet the gradepoint requirements must still first consult with the Faculty Advisor in order to pursue an honors thesis.

The Department of Italian Studies offers two minor tracks: a minor in Italian Studies, and a minor in Transnational Italian Studies.

For more information, course planning, or declaring a minor, contact Amanda Minafo, staff Undergraduate Advisor, at issaug@berkeley.edu.

To declare a minor: Students with coursework completed or in progress, complete this form.  Students with no coursework yet, or with questions about the declaration form, contact undergraduate advisor, Amanda Minafo, at issaug@berkeley.edu.

Italian Studies Minor (38 units)

Lower-Division (18 units):

• Italian language courses to include Italian Studies 1, 2, 3 and 4, Elementary/Intermediate/Advanced Italian or their equivalent in linguistic proficiency.

Upper-Division (20 units):

• Language: Italian Studies 101, Advanced Writing Workshop (4 units)

• Introduction to Italian Culture and Literature: Italian Studies 105, History of Italian Culture (4 units)

• Electives: 3 courses (or 12 units)
  • One course (4 units) with primary readings and discussion in English may be counted toward the minor unit requirement. As noted, such courses may be taken in other departments with advance permission of the Faculty Advisor.
  • Upper-division Italian Studies classes with instruction in English may be taken in Italian (by completing readings and written work in Italian) if the student has completed Italian 101, and with permission of the instructor.

Electives offered by Italian Studies (some in Italian, others in English): 102, 105*, 109, 110, 112, 115, 117, 120, 130A, 130B, 160, 163, 170, 175

*Once the Italian Studies 101 and 105 requirements are fulfilled, 101 and 105 can be repeated for elective credit with Faculty Advisor approval, if the content is sufficiently different.

Elective selections in affiliated departments (in English): Art and History of Art 145, 160, 161,162; History 106A, 106B, 149, C157

At least 12 units must be taken in residence.

Education Abroad: No more than two courses (8 units) may count toward upper-division requirements.

All courses for the minor must be taken on a letter grade basis. An overall grade point average of 2.0 is required in upper division courses used for the minor.

Effective for students graduating in Summer 2023 and forward: You must declare your minor prior to the first day of classes of your Expected Graduation Term (EGT). If your EGT is a Summer term, the deadline to declare a minor is anytime prior to the first day of classes for Summer Session A.

To declare the minor: Students with coursework completed or in progress, complete this form.  Students with no coursework yet, or with questions about the declaration form, contact undergraduate advisor, Amanda Minafo, at issaug@berkeley.edu.

In your final semester, complete the College of Letters & Science Minor Completion form and return it to issaug@berkeley.edu.

This policy has been updated as of December 2022.

Transnational Italian Studies Minor (28-34 units)

The Minor in Transnational Italian Studies focuses on Italy’s many dimensions of political thought, labor theory, migration, refugee, and race studies, the fine arts, opera, food, and poetry, in global contexts. It consists of five upper-division courses in the Department of Italian Studies. Courses or seminars taught by Italian Studies faculty in other departments are also acceptable, with the approval of the Undergraduate Faculty Advisor.

Lower-Division Prerequisites (8-14 units)

One year of Italian language (5-10 units)

• Italian 1: Elementary Italian (5 units)
  and
  Italian 2: Elementary Italian (5 units)

or

• Italian 1R: Intensive Italian for Romance Language Speakers (5 units)
  equivalent of Italian 1 and 2.

One lower-division Italian Studies course (3 or 4 units):

• Italian 30: Dante (3 units)
• Italian 40: Italian Culture (4 units)

Upper-Division Requirements (20 units)

Five upper-division courses in Italian Studies, including those taught by Italian Studies faculty in other  departments. Most are repeatable for credit when the topic changes. Up to 2 can be taken outside the Department. All upper-division courses can be taken in English.

• ITALIAN 120: Topics in Italian Studies (4 units)
• ITALIAN 130A: Dante’s Inferno (in English) (4 units)
• ITALIAN 160: Studies in the History, Society, and Politics of the Italian Peninsula (in Italian) (4 units)
• ITALIAN 160S: Studies in the History, Society, and Politics of the Italian Peninsula (in English) (4 units)
• ITALIAN 170: The Italian Cinema: History, Genres, Authors (4 units)
• ITALIAN 105: History of Italian Culture (4 units) (Taught in Italian; prerequisite course required)

At least 12 units must be taken in residence.

Education Abroad: No more than two courses (8 units) may count toward upper-division requirements.

All courses for the minor must be taken on a letter grade basis, and an overall grade point average of 2.0 is required in upper division courses used for the minor.

To declare the minor: Students with coursework completed or in progress, complete this form.  Students with no coursework yet, or with questions about the declaration form, contact undergraduate advisor, Amanda Minafo, at issaug@berkeley.edu.

You must declare your minor no later than the semester before your Expected Graduation Term (EGT). If the semester before EGT is fall or spring, the deadline is the last day of RRR week. If the semester before EGT is summer, the deadline is the final Friday of Summer Sessions. See the College of Letters & Science Minors page for the Minor Completion Form.

Did you know?

Students entering with Advanced Placement, enrichment courses taken at community colleges while in high school or both are in a perfect position to work on a double major while attending UC Berkeley. Units awarded that fulfill University requirements do not have to be counted towards the 120-130 unit maximum for the Bachelor’s Degree allowing students to remain at Berkeley for 8 semesters while acquiring two majors.

Transfer students who have completed the equivalent of Italian 1-4 before admission need only complete 32 units of upper-division coursework in Italian Studies to earn a major. Students with native or extensive academic exposure to Italian may, with language proficiency screening by our Italian language program coordinator, find that they can be placed at a higher level of language study constituting a waiver of lower-level Italian courses allowing for fewer courses to be taken for the major with the possibility of acquiring a first or second major.

Up to two courses can be counted for credit between two major programs at Berkeley depending how closely related the major requirements which are, in effect, two courses counting as four, making it easier to double major. There are also several majors at UC Berkeley that require 4 semesters of lower-division language that may also be applied to lower-division language requirements for Italian Studies, e.g. Political Economy, Peace and Conflicts Studies, and so on. Think 4 courses applied to 2 sets of lower-division requirements giving you a way to make double majoring work for you.

Why Two Majors?

Berkeley is a unique learning environment with a diversity of majors, curriculum, research, and study abroad opportunities. Our double majors study in fields as far ranging as the biological sciences, history of art, mathematics, business, history, and comparative literature. It may surprise some but many of our double majors pursue pre-med requirements and as biological science majors, are looking for a balance between fulfilling career goals and feeding their intellectual and personal interests in the study of the language and culture of one of the oldest and most fascinating countries in Western history.

Have we given you something to think about?

Early planning is the key. Your next step is to see our staff advisor!

Who to Talk to:

Amanda Minafo,Undergraduate Student Services Advisor

The Department welcomes interested transfer students into its courses, and encourages them to choose Italian Studies as a major or minor. Many of our most successful students, including past winners of the annual departmental citation for outstanding achievement by a graduating senior, have begun their Berkeley careers as transfer students.

Click here for information about admission to Berkeley as a transfer student.

If you have taken lower-division Italian courses at a California community college, and want to know whether they will be transferable to Berkeley, you can find this out by using the statewide student transfer information Web site. If you are not sure how well your background in Italian will equip you for study in the Department, you should consult the Undergraduate Student Services Advisor or (for placement in language courses) Dr. Giuliana Perco.

If you are a transfer student considering a major in Italian Studies, you should talk to the Undergraduate Adviser as soon as possible after you arrive at Berkeley. The College of Letters and Science has strict deadlines for declaration of a major by incoming transfer students, and the Department stands ready to help you comply with College regulations. For information on requirements for the major, click here.

If you plan to minor in Italian Studies, you should talk to the Undergraduate Adviser no later than the beginning of the semester before your graduation term (in example, if you are graduating in Spring, see an advisor at the start of the preceding Fall). Students interested in the minor should plan an intent to minor with the Undergraduate Student Services Advisor. Click here for information on requirements for the minor.