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Italian and Theatre Studies BA (R3WA)

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Learn more about our Italian and Theatre Studies degree at Warwick

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R3WA

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Bachelor of Arts (BA)

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4 years full-time, normally including a year abroad

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26 September 2022

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Modern Languages and Cultures

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University of Warwick

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By studying Italian and Theatre Studies at Warwick you'll develop an in-depth knowledge of Italian language and culture while also exploring theatre and performance studies through both practice and theory. Italian may be studied ab initio.

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This degree allows you to develop an in-depth knowledge of Italian language and culture while also exploring theatre and performance studies through both practice and theory.

You benefit from the full range of expertise on offer in both departments, including cultural and historical modules in the School of Modern Languages, and specialisms in the Department of Theatre and Performance Studies including theatre in the African context, contemporary European theatre, applied theatre and playwriting.

You will normally spend your second or third year abroad, consolidating and enhancing your learning.

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This is a joint degree where Theatre Studies and Italian are equally weighted. Our course combines in-depth study of the Italian language and culture (including Italian theatre) with the opportunity to explore wider aspects of theatre and cultures.

Italian at Warwick gives you the opportunity to study the language, literature, culture, politics and history of one of Europe’s most ancient civilisations, offering specialist teaching from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance to today’s multicultural Italy. The degree is designed to develop high level skills in language, communication, critical thinking and analysis.

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We employ a variety of teaching styles within the School of Modern Languages including:

Lectures
Seminars (consisting of around 15 students and focussing on student participation)
Written and spoken language classes in small groups

You will spend the rest of your time:

Studying independently
Preparing for classes
Reading
Analysing materials set for study
Writing essays
Working on your language skills

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Seminars generally involve around 15 students, with oral classes with 8-10 students.

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You will have around 10-12 hours of teaching per week.

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We will track your progress through:

Language assignments
Essays
Presentations
Portfolio submissions
Examinations (written and oral)

To help you improve your skills you will receive detailed and personalised feedback throughout your course.

Your intermediate- and final-year marks each contribute 50% of your final degree classification.

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Study abroad

We strongly recommend that you take a year abroad as part of your modern languages degree, if you are able to. If you are unable to take a year abroad you will move to a three-year. You will be required to complete further language reinforcement work. You will also be encouraged to spend time abroad in other ways, during vacation times.

You will usually spend your year abroad doing one of three things:

Working as a language assistant teaching English in a primary or secondary school
Studying full-time at a partner university in your chosen country
On a work placement

Most students going to Italy opt for an exchange at a partner university. Some are successful in obtaining a (highly competitive) language assistantship. Most students apply through the British Council's English Language Assistant scheme during the first term of their second year at Warwick.

Find out more about flexible Year Abroad options.

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A level typical offer

ABB to include a modern or classical language.

A level contextual offer

We welcome applications from candidates who meet the contextual eligibility criteria and whose predicted grades are close to, or slightly below, the contextual offer level. The typical contextual offer is BBB including grade B in a modern foreign language or Latin/Ancient Greek. See if you're eligible.

General GCSE requirements

Unless specified differently above, you will also need a minimum of GCSE grade 4 or C (or an equivalent qualification) in English Language and either Mathematics or a Science subject. Find out more about our entry requirements and the qualifications we accept. We advise that you also check the English Language requirements for your course which may specify a higher GCSE English requirement. Please find the information about this below.

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IB typical offer

34 to include 5 at Higher Level in a modern or classical language.

IB contextual offer

We welcome applications from candidates who meet the contextual eligibility criteria and whose predicted grades are close to, or slightly below, the contextual offer level. The typical contextual offer is 32 including grade 5 in a Higher Level modern foreign language or Latin/Ancient Greek. See if you're eligible.

General GCSE requirements

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We welcome applications from students taking BTECs alongside an A level in a modern or classical language.

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Year One

Modern Italian Language for Beginners

Would you like the challenge of learning a new language at university? This foundation module for absolute beginners combines the acquisition of core language skills with knowledge of broader aspects of Italian culture, equipping you with the tools to engage with a wide range of relevant, contemporary topics in Italian. Opportunities to practise your Italian vary from role play to quizzes, working both individually and in your group. Successful completion will mean you are able to hold a conversation in Italian, read newspapers and get the gist of TV and radio programmes in Italian.

Modern Italian Language 1 (Intermediate)

Do you need to consolidate and expand your competence in Italian while enjoying talking about culture and society? If so, this is the module for you. You’ll be given opportunities to revise fundamental grammar and vocabulary before acquiring more complex grammatical constructions, including through translation. We will integrate cultural topics with your linguistic studies, so you have the chance to explore areas such as tourism, the arts, the environment and Italian traditions. You will have opportunities for individual and group presentations and to engage in activities that integrate the skills of listening, reading, writing and speaking. By the end of your course, you’ll be expected to be able to write competently in several registers, using appropriate styles and terminology, and to converse in Italian to a good standard.

Modern Italian Language 1 (Advanced)

Would you like to use your Italian A level (or equivalent) language skills creatively? This module will develop your linguistic and intercultural competence in Italian by means of advanced activities, including creative writing, translation, debates, presentations and drama. You will explore linguistic structures using resources in a variety of media and engage with authentic and sophisticated texts to compare cultural systems and express your opinion critically and creatively. In translation, you will experiment with different genres, registers and styles to enhance your cultural appreciation of Italian. Finally, you will have opportunities to explore cultural subjects and lead group discussions.

An Italian cultural module:

The History of Modern Italy

You will chart the course of cultural, political and social change in Italy over the past century, studying key moments in its history, including the rise of fascism, World War II, the economic boom of the late 1950s, and political extremism of the 1970s, through to contemporary issues such as immigration and recent economic and political crises. You will study these events through the lens of literary and cinematic works and gain an understanding of how they have contributed to the nature and identity of contemporary Italy, in order to prepare you for your year abroad and further study of Italian culture. You will also build your competence in textual analysis, independent research and essay-writing.

Introduction to Italian Culture

How should we ‘read’ a literary or visual text? What are the considerations of form, audience and context that enable us to make sense of a cultural product? In what ways should a performance be understood differently from something fixed on the page? You will address these questions by considering four representative avenues of expression in Italian culture, namely cinema, short stories, lyric poetry and theatre-writing. You will refine your skills of analysis and have the opportunity to sample different periods of Italian culture, from the Renaissance through to intellectuals such as Italo Calvino, Primo Levi, and the poet Giacomo Leopardi, representative of the Romantic tradition. You will end your course equipped with the appropriate technical vocabulary to discuss different art forms fluently and in an informed manner.

Theatre and Performance in Context

This module considers what theatre and performance can tell us about our histories, cultures, societies and identities. You’ll watch, read and study a range of theatre and performance from across historical, cultural and geographical borders, in order to see how it not only reflects society, but also seeks to change and shape it. The module is split into four blocks, considering theatre and gender, race, sexuality and class. This module will help you to hone your academic writing, research and presentation skills, which will serve you throughout your degree.

From Text to Performance

Through practical exploration of a number of selected plays and texts, in this module you will investigate the process of taking material from page to stage or performance, and the relationship between theory and practice. You will have the opportunity to experiment practically with realising multiple texts in performance, considering aspects such as staging, genre, narrative structure, performance strategies, dramaturgical thinking and directorial conceptualization, as well as the changing role and function of the audience.

Intermediate Year

Modern Italian Language 2

This module will extend and refine your competence in Italian. With an emphasis on the key skills of reading, listening, speaking and writing, you will consolidate your proficiency in both new and familiar grammatical and linguistic structures, and expand the range and sophistication of your vocabulary and use of register in spoken and written discourse. In addition to classroom exercises, advanced discursive written work and oral projects, you will also be directed to appropriate activities for self-study.

Modern Italian Language 3

On this module, you will develop your translation, writing and oral communication skills to advanced level. You will engage in translation as a practical skill, working to produce translations of literary, journalistic and academic texts with a focus on conveying nuances of meaning and culturally specific terms. You will develop greater fluency in different writing styles and genres. Oral sessions will increase your familiarity with more sophisticated registers of spoken Italian and raise your awareness of recent developments in Italian society so that you can discuss aspects of contemporary Italy in relation to your personal experiences.

A selection of optional modules in the School of Modern Languages and Cultures (30 credits) and in Theatre and Performance Studies (60 credits)

Final Year

Modern Italian Language 4

Building on Intermediate year language, you will deepen your writing, speaking and translation skills, paying particular attention to register and style and learning some of the underpinning translation theory. We approach translation not just as a linguistic exercise but as a practical skill, so you will work to produce translations of literary, journalistic and academic texts, and explore techniques for conveying semantic nuances, culturally specific terms and more sophisticated registers of spoken Italian. Both the writing and oral components of the course will raise your awareness of recent developments in Italian society and enable you to discuss relevant aspects of contemporary Italy in relation to your personal experience.

A selection of optional modules in the School of Modern Languages and Cultures (30 credits) and in Theatre and Performance Studies (60 credits)

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See the optional modules for BA Italian Studies.
See the optional modules for BA Theatre and Performance Studies.

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