The Italian School

Graduate and undergraduate courses in Italian are offered during the summer on the Vermont campus. During the academic year, graduate and junior year programs are offered at the Middlebury School in Florence. Juniors also have the option of studying at the University of Ferrara. All programs of study emphasize both the development of language skills and the understanding of Italian culture. Classes from beginning courses through the doctoral level are taught in Italian, and all summer programs are intensive. We determine placement by language proficiency rather than by length of previous exposure to the language.

A summer at the Language Schools is an intensive one by design. In first- and second-level intensive courses, students can expect to spend four to five hours per day in class, in addition to other homework. The demanding pace of the program is sustained through the low student-teacher ratio.

Graduate Degrees

A normal load for graduate students is three courses per summer, to be selected in consultation with the director and the associate director. First-year graduate students are placed in the courses most appropriate to their linguistic proficiency as determined by the results of placement tests taken prior to registration. Some students may be required to take one or more courses at a lower level without graduate credit before beginning a full load of graduate work.

*Only in exceptional circumstances and with the permission of the director may students be allowed to be registered in more than 3 (three) courses during a summer session.

Master of Arts: Candidates for the degree of Master of Arts must hold a baccalaureate degree or equivalent from an accredited institution of higher education. The Graduate Record Examination is not required.

The M.A. degree in Italian consists of four streams or areas of concentration. Students must select one stream as a major. The M.A. degree is comprised of twelve courses to be taken over a series of summers on the Vermont campus or in a combination of a summer in Vermont and an academic year in Florence. Students who complete degree requirements in Florence must present an independent research project worth two units of credit.

Students must successfully complete a preliminary summer of study (summer of application) on the Vermont campus before being officially accepted to degree candidacy. During this summer, students take three courses, one of which must be a literature course at the 600 level or above, and one of which must be a civilization course.

Admission to the School in Italy is based on performance in the summer courses and on faculty recommendations.

A highly qualified undergraduate student may accumulate a maximum of six graduate units toward a Middlebury M.A. degree before receipt of the B.A. degree or equivalent, but these units may not count toward both degrees.

Students must fulfill the following minimum distribution requirements for the M.A. degree:

General Studies in Italian*

1 language course (unit) at the 500-level, 1 language or linguistics course (unit) at the 600-level, 2 units in civilization, 3 in literature. Students who plan to teach and who are completing the M.A. on the Middlebury campus must also include one unit in methodology or professional preparation.

* This stream is meant for students who prefer to not "specialize" in any specific area. The courses required for this stream are culled from the other streams.

Literary Studies

1 language or stylistics course (unit); 1 course on Methods of Critical and Applied Analysis (or 1 course equivalent at the 600 level or above approved by the director); 5 units in literature; 3 units to be chosen from culture/communication and/or linguistics courses.

Language and Linguistics

1 language or stylistics course (unit); 1 course on Methods of Critical and Applied Analysis (or 1 course equivalent at the 600 level or above approved by the director); 5 units in linguistics; 3 units to be chosen from literature and/or culture/communication courses.

Culture and Communication

1 language or stylistics course (unit); 1 course on Methods of Critical and Applied Analysis (or 1 course equivalent at the 600 level or above approved by the director); 5 units in culture and communication; 3 units to be chosen from literature and/or linguistics courses.

Mediterranean Studies

The MA in Mediterranean Studies will enable students to develop insight into the history and culture that have shaped a vital region, helping them to interpret and address the complex issues of today’s world in the age of globalization. This innovative program is designed for students seeking a career in International Affairs, Economic Development, Diplomacy, Politics, Economics, Journalism, or Education.

Program Details

The MA degree consists of 11 course units (five in one language, six in a second language) to be taken in a combination of summers in Vermont and semesters in one of the C.V. Starr-Middlebury Schools Abroad, and one independent research paper worth one unit of credit in one of the two languages studied, for a total of 12 units.

NB: Applicants to this program must be at the graduate level in both languages and will be required to take the graduate placement exams in both languages.

Doctor of Modern Languages: The D.M.L. degree differs from the traditional Ph.D. in its emphasis on a combination of scholarly and practical training. A master degree in Italian is a prerequisite for admission to the program. Degree requirements include: a qualifying paper; eight upper-level graduate courses in Italian; three graduate courses in a second language (French, German, Russian, or Spanish); comprehensive examinations in the first language; residency abroad; proof of successful teaching experience; a dissertation and its oral defense.

All new students are required to complete a summer of application on the Vermont campus during which they enroll for credit in two advanced graduate courses in Italian and write a qualifying paper.

Inquiries should be addressed to the office of the dean of the Language Schools and Schools Abroad at Sunderland Language Center, Middlebury College, Middlebury, VT 05753 (802) 443-5508.

Credit is defined in terms of units. One unit equals three semester hours. The seven-week session (levels 100-399) normally carries a total of three units (nine semester hours) of credit.

A full six-week graduate program is comprised of three graduate courses for a total of three units (nine semester hours) of credit.

For transfer purposes, the student's home institution determines how many graduate or undergraduate credits will be granted for the summer's work at Middlebury. (All credits expire after ten years. The Middlebury College Language Schools do not calculate grade point average or class rank.)

Middlebury College considers a semester or academic year abroad equivalent to a semester or academic year in the U.S., but a student's home institution determines the number of credits ultimately awarded for work abroad. Undergraduates are therefore urged to discuss the question of transfer credits with their advisors before leaving.

After formal admission to a graduate degree program, candidates for the M.A. or D.M.L. degree may request permission from the director of Academic Records to transfer from another institution a maximum of the equivalent of one full-time summer of study at Middlebury. Only courses taken after successful completion of the initial summer and formal admission to degree candidacy may be transferred (i.e., courses taken at other institutions before the first summer of study may not be transferred toward a Middlebury graduate degree).

To obtain approval for transfer of credit, students must submit evidence that the courses they wish to transfer earn graduate credit towards an advanced degree at an accredited college or university. The courses must have been taught in Italian in the areas of language analysis and linguistics, culture and civilization, literature, or professional preparation and must not duplicate courses already taken for degree credit.

All units counted toward a degree must have been taken on a graded, not a pass/fail basis. Only grades of B- and above may be applied toward a Middlebury M.A. degree. Only grades of B+ and above may be applied toward a Middlebury D.M.L. degree.

All transfer credit courses must be completed by the 31st of May of the year of graduation for August degree candidates and by the 10th of January for March degree candidates. All credits and units expire after ten years, whether earned at Middlebury College or transferred from another institution.

Auditing

Non-enrolled students may occasionally be allowed to audit upper-level courses with the director's permission. Auditing is not permitted in levels 100-399, nor are students in those courses permitted to audit courses. . Auditing costs per week are $1,581 (tuition $936; room and board $645).

Middlebury College offers financial assistance to a substantial percentage of students attending the summer session and the graduate programs abroad. Information about the financial aid application process for the summer accompanies admissions materials published by the Language Schools each year.

The following scholarships have been established in honor of students, friends, or faculty of the Italian School: Cesare Barbieri Endowment Fund, Pierina B. and Salvatore J. Castiglione Scholarship Fund, Joan F. Giambalvo Scholarship Fund, Dr. Nicholas Locascio Scholarship Fund, Anna and Luke J. Nolfi Scholarship, Michelina Pietrangelo Memorial Scholarship Fund, Antonio and Ida Quaglia Memorial Scholarship in the Italian School and the Joel Smith Scholarship Fund.

The Lois Behrman Watson '51 Scholarship fund was established in 1987 to provide financial aid to teachers who are attending the Masters or Doctoral program of any of the Language Schools on the Middlebury campus or at the Schools Abroad.

The Betty Jones (M.A. ’86) Language Schools Financial Aid Fund was established in 1999 as part of the Bicentennial Campaign. Income from the fund provides financial aid to students attending the Language Schools.

Candidates for financial aid need not apply for a specific scholarship. All applicants will automatically be considered for an award from the appropriate scholarship listed above or from the general grant fund.

The Premio Famiglia Fede is a scholarship to support graduate students pursuing a Masters degree at the Middlebury College Language Schools and the C.V. Starr-Middlebury School Abroad in Florence, Italy. The Scholarship will fund the complete Masters program for one student per year for the next three years. This scholarship is targeted to students who have already embarked on a business career path and/or are seeking a career in business embracing the Italian language. Applicants must apply for this scholarship. Please visit: http://www.middlebury.edu/academics/ls/fellowships_scholarships/trust.htm for more details.

Awards

Each summer the Merlino-Mezzotero Award is given to a graduate student in Italian for academic achievement.

Upon acceptance, all students must pay a $300 non-refundable enrollment deposit to be applied to the tuition charges.

Students may apply for admission for a single summer at any level, for the junior year abroad program, or for one of the graduate degree programs to be completed over a series of summers in Vermont or in a combination of a summer in Vermont and an academic year in Florence. They may enroll in courses in one language school only and are normally enrolled in courses at one level only.

Students at the summer sessions must be high school graduates and we strongly recommend that they have completed at least one year of college-level study. Admission is granted on the basis of academic qualifications and the availability of space.

Final placement in courses is determined by student performance on examinations administered before the start of classes. By applying for admission, a student indicates willingness to accept the placement deemed proper by the School.

Applications are processed until the start of the program in June, but as the school may b e fully subscribed by mid-April, early application is desirable.

Application materials for the 2009 summer session and the 2009-10 academic year abroad is available from:

Sunderland Language Center

Middlebury College

Middlebury , Vermont 05753

802/443-5510

languages@middlebury.edu

www.middlebury.edu/~ls