M.A. in Italian: Options- four summers at the graduate level in the Italian School (completing a total of 12 Middlebury "units," or courses)
- one summer in the Italian School and an academic year at the School in Italy (Florence only)
Program Details
The M.A. degree consists of twelve courses to be taken in a combination of a summer in Vermont and an academic year in Florence at the C.V. Starr-Middlebury School in Italy or over a series of four summers on the Vermont campus.
Students must successfully complete a preliminary summer of study (summer of application) on the Vermont campus before being officially accepted to degree candidacy. During the required preliminary summer in Vermont, students normally take three courses.
Summer Study in Vermont
2008 GRADUATE COURSES IN VERMONT
Since 1932 the success of the summer session has been due to the fact that students and faculty live under the same roof and take part in all the cultural and social activities sponsored by the School: film screenings, lectures, concerts, plays, dinners, parties, and picnics. All of this contributes to create a cordial and collegial atmosphere that is very conducive to learning and is unlikely to be duplicated elsewhere. What makes the Middlebury experience unique is its long-standing observance of the "language pledge," a commitment each student makes in writing to use the Italian language exclusively for the duration of the session.
Academic Year in Italy
The school, or Sede, in Florence is located in the Palazzo Giugni, a sixteenth-century palace designed by the renowned Bartolomeo Ammannati, which is situated in the academic heart of the old city, an area bustling with coffee shops, bookstores, cultural clubs, and academic buildings.
After successfully completing three courses (units), including a 600-level literature course, at the summer session on the Vermont campus, M.A. degree candidates begin the academic year with four semester-long courses in language, literature, and culture/communication at the Sede and one course(composed of two modules) at the University of Florence. During the second semester, students must complete an independent research project, one course at the Sede and one course at the University of Florence. After consultation with the Director, students will choose courses offered by the Facoltà di Lettere e Filosofia in the areas of art history, history, political science, linguistics, theater studies, philology, archaeology, or literature. Students must fulfill the distribution requirements indicated for the specialization, or “stream”, that they have chosen.