Italian occupies a special position in Australia as a language of high culture and also a language spoken by one of the largest ethnic communities in the country. Students will have access to one of the richest European cultural traditions, from the Renaissance to the present day, and to the language of great opera, film, architecture, fashion and industrial design.

The Italian minor develops fluency in standard Italian and an understanding of idiomatic Italian. Attention is given to cultural, social and historical aspects of Italy. Language learning is thus integrated with the development of cultural awareness.

Language level placement tests are held prior to commencement. 

Students are advised to check prerequisites carefully and plan their minor accordingly.

Learning outcomes

Graduates within the Italian Studies minor will have the knowledge and skills to:

• Communicate confidently with a proficient Italian speaker using their acquired oral and aural skills.
• Read, comprehend and infer authors’ meanings in newspapers, magazines, literary and critical texts written in Italian.
• Write texts in Italian in the appropriate genre, with correct grammatical structures and thematic vocabulary relevant to the level of the student.
• Write brief creative/imaginative texts (poetry and short stories) individually and collaboratively
• Identify and differentiate aspects and issues of the cultures and societies associated with the Italian language
• Critique historical and cultural events related to Italian and its associated cultures and societies in a cross-cultural perspective
• Engage with authentic media such as Italian news, movies or music by analysing and evaluating their content.