Course summary

Our History and Italian (BA) degree will allow you to choose a complementary combination of modules focusing on areas ranging from Italian literature, culture, and politics, to the history of the European and non-European worlds. You will develop an in-depth knowledge of the Italian language and culture and a multifaceted, international understanding of the study of history. Italian may be studied ab initio. You will graduate as a highly qualified linguist, with advanced intercultural skills and a sophisticated understanding of key concepts and debates in two Arts disciplines. The specialist communication, research, critical and evaluative skills you will gain are all highly sought after by employers. History and Italian is a joint degree, equally weighted between both disciplines and studied in both departments. You will graduate from this course as both a specialist historian and a highly qualified linguist with advanced intercultural skills. You will also have a deep understanding of Italy’s past and present, and a multifaceted knowledge of the study of history. A History and Italian degree will allow you to combine two specialisms. Firstly, you will be able to develop and refine your skills as a linguist through a programme of modules exploring the Italian language and the culture, history and politics of Italy. Alongside this, you will pursue your interests in history, with core and optional modules on topics including the history of the Renaissance, the modern history of Britain, France and Russia, and the history of the non-European world. There is a core Italian language module in every year of study. Additional first-year core modules will introduce you to Italian literature and culture, and to key concepts and narratives in the study of modern history. In your intermediate and final years, a wide range of History and Italian optional modules is open to you, spanning topics from literature and critical theory to history, politics, philosophy and film. In your final year, you can choose to write a dissertation on a topic from Italian or History, or one that brings together your interests in the two. This course is aimed at students who wish to unite linguistic proficiency with sophisticated historical and cultural analysis. Your second or third year is normally spent abroad, either as a language assistant, working, or studying at one of our partner universities. This is an invaluable opportunity to immerse yourself in the linguistic and cultural contexts where Italian is spoken, enhance your language skills and build international connections. You will have access to outstanding facilities and resources. This includes flexible collaborative and individual learning spaces, as well as a vast selection of print, digital and multimedia learning materials. You will finish your degree as a proficient, internationally mobile linguist with a deep understanding of key issues and developments in Italy’s past and present, and an advanced knowledge of global histories.