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We will update this page when we make significant changes to course information. This does not necessarily include minor corrections or formatting.
If you ever want to ask us about a change, you can contact us at webeditor at warwick dot ac dot uk.
24 September 2024
Updated content:
Old:
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 highly qualified historian and a linguist with advanced intercultural skills. You will also have a deep understanding of key issues and developments in Italy’s past and present, and a multifaceted understanding of the study of history.
History at Warwick asks you to look critically at the motivations, context and characters behind the events that define world history from the Renaissance to the present day. Our far-reaching approach allows you to explore historical topics in depth from around the globe. The department's expertise spans the British Isles, continental Europe, Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Latin and North America.
An Italian and History 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.
You will normally spend your second or third year abroad, consolidating and enhancing your learning.
Study abroad
The Year Abroad is a distinctive and invaluable part of any degree in Modern Languages, as it enables you to further refine your skills through linguistic and cultural immersion. If you are unable to spend a year abroad, you may transfer to a three-year degree. In such cases, 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
- Completing 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.
The year abroad options are flexible. Find out more about flexible Year Abroad options.
New:
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.
Study abroad
The Year Abroad is a distinctive and invaluable part of any degree in Modern Languages, as it enables you to further refine your skills through linguistic and cultural immersion. If you are unable to spend a year abroad, you may transfer to a three-year degree. In such cases, 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
- Completing 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.
The year abroad options are flexible. Find out more about flexible Year Abroad options.
Core modules
Old:
History and Italian is a joint degree equally weighted between both disciplines and studied in both departments.
In your first year you will study Italian language and culture at an appropriate level, alongside cultural options in Italian Studies that allow you to explore key themes and concepts. You will take a core History module called ‘Making of the Modern World’, which contextualises later modern history by providing a framework in which major historical processes of the later modern era are studied on a world-wide scale. Alongside this, you will be able to choose one optional module in History.
Throughout your degree you will continue to study Italian language at an appropriate level, alongside cultural options in Italian Studies and a wide variety of options in History. Optional modules range from studying Early Modern history to exploring the cultural approaches to contemporary Italy. Our modules reflect the research specialisms of academics in the Italian and History departments. Italian modules cover a broad range of subjects including culture, society, literature, politics, film and history.
Having acquired fundamental skills in your first year, you will go on to develop your linguistic and cultural expertise through Italian and History modules in the intermediate and final years. Alongside core modules, you will be able to develop your own interests. Our modules reflect the research specialisms of academics in the Italian and History departments and cover a broad range of subjects in culture, society, literature, politics, philosophy, film and history.
You will spend either the second or third year of your course in Italy consolidating your language learning.
After the Year Abroad, you will continue your study of Italian language and will be able to choose from a wide variety of options in both departments.
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.
Read more about Modern Italian Language for BeginnersLink opens in a new windowLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2024/25 year of study).
or
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.
Read more about Modern Italian Language 1 (Intermediate)Link opens in a new windowLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2024/25 year of study).
or
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.
Read more about Modern Italian Language 1 (Advanced)Link opens in a new windowLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2024/25 year of study).
An Italian cultural module:
Introducing Italy: Local and Global Perspectives
How do we define Italy? What do we mean by Italian culture and identity? One of the defining features of Italy has been how it has engaged with other countries, powers and cultures throughout its history, even before it officially became a nation state in 1861.
This module examines how Italian identities have been formed through interaction with other cultures and how Italian thought and culture has shaped the world around us from medieval times to the present day. The module traces the development of a standard Italian language and its relationship with dialects and local identities. It examines the processes leading to the establishment of an Italian nation state. We will consider internal diversity within Italy (regional and linguistic diversity, ethnic diversity, gender and sexuality), before moving on to look at Italy's cultural influence globally, from anglophone receptions of Dante's Divine Comedy and the influence of Renaissance thought in Europe, to stardom in Italian film.
The last section of the module questions the impact of mobility on questions of belonging, examining Italian emigration, the colonial period, and contemporary immigration. The module aims to situate the study of Italy within a global perspective, whilst maintaining a focus on local specificities.
Read more about Introducing Italy: Local and Global Perspectives, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2024/25 year of study).
History module:
Making of the Modern World
We live in the here and now. But what got us here? This module studies the string of major social, political, and cultural developments that established our modern world. Radical (and not so radical) ideas from the Enlightenment, the industrial revolution’s structural transformations of how we work, build and buy things, and the struggles and stumbles of imperialism, capitalism and globalisation have gone far to set terms of life in the twenty-first century. The module will also help you develop your critical voice as a historian while asking comparative questions about historical difference across the world.
Read more about the Making of the Modern World moduleLink opens in a new windowLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2023/24 year of study).
Plus one optional module in History (30 credits)
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.
Read more about Modern Italian Language 2Link opens in a new windowLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2024/25 year of study).
or
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.
Read more about Modern Italian Language 3Link opens in a new windowLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2024/25 year of study).
A selection of optional modules in Italian Studies and the School of Modern Languages and Cultures.
Optional modules in History must include at least 30 CATS of Early Modern (pre-1800) material.
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.
Read more about Modern Italian Language 4Link opens in a new windowLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2024/25 year of study).
A selection of optional modules in Italian Studies and the School of Modern Languages and Cultures (30 credits)
Optional modules in History (60 credits)
Optional modules
New:
History and Italian is a joint degree, equally weighted between both disciplines and studied in both departments.
In your first year, you will study Italian language and culture at an appropriate level, alongside cultural options in Italian Studies that allow you to explore key themes and concepts. You will take a core History module called ‘Making of the Modern World’, which contextualises later modern history by providing a framework in which major historical processes of the later modern era are studied on a world-wide scale. Alongside this, you will be able to choose one optional module in History.
Throughout your degree you will continue to study Italian language at an appropriate level, alongside cultural options in Italian Studies and a wide variety of options in History. Optional modules range from studying Early Modern history to exploring the cultural approaches to contemporary Italy. Our modules reflect the research specialisms of academics in the Italian and History departments. Italian modules cover a broad range of subjects including culture, society, literature, politics, film and history.
Having acquired fundamental skills in your first year, you will go on to develop your linguistic and cultural expertise through Italian and History modules in the intermediate and final years. Alongside core modules, you will be able to develop your own interests. Our modules reflect the research specialisms of academics in the Italian and History departments and cover a broad range of subjects in culture, society, literature, politics, philosophy, film and history.
You will spend either the second or third year of your course in Italy, consolidating your language learning. After the Year Abroad, you will continue your study of the Italian language and will be able to choose from a wide variety of options in both departments, including a dissertation module.
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.
Read more about Modern Italian Language for BeginnersLink opens in a new windowLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2024/25 year of study).
or
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.
Read more about Modern Italian Language 1 (Intermediate)Link opens in a new windowLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2024/25 year of study).
or
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.
Read more about Modern Italian Language 1 (Advanced)Link opens in a new windowLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2024/25 year of study).
An Italian cultural module:
Introducing Italy: Local and Global Perspectives
How do we define Italy? What do we mean by Italian culture and identity? One of the defining features of Italy has been how it has engaged with other countries, powers and cultures throughout its history, even before it officially became a nation state in 1861.
This module examines how Italian identities have been formed through interaction with other cultures and how Italian thought and culture has shaped the world around us from medieval times to the present day. The module traces the development of a standard Italian language and its relationship with dialects and local identities. It examines the processes leading to the establishment of an Italian nation state. We will consider internal diversity within Italy (regional and linguistic diversity, ethnic diversity, gender and sexuality), before moving on to look at Italy's cultural influence globally, from anglophone receptions of Dante's Divine Comedy and the influence of Renaissance thought in Europe, to stardom in Italian film.
The last section of the module questions the impact of mobility on questions of belonging, examining Italian emigration, the colonial period, and contemporary immigration. The module aims to situate the study of Italy within a global perspective, whilst maintaining a focus on local specificities.
Read more about Introducing Italy: Local and Global Perspectives, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2024/25 year of study).
History module:
Making of the Modern World
We live in the here and now. But what got us here? This module studies the string of major social, political, and cultural developments that established our modern world. Radical (and not so radical) ideas from the Enlightenment, the industrial revolution’s structural transformations of how we work, build and buy things, and the struggles and stumbles of imperialism, capitalism and globalisation have gone far to set terms of life in the twenty-first century. The module will also help you develop your critical voice as a historian while asking comparative questions about historical difference across the world.
Read more about the Making of the Modern World moduleLink opens in a new windowLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2024/25 year of study).
Plus one optional module in History (30 credits)
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.
Read more about Modern Italian Language 2Link opens in a new windowLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2024/25 year of study).
or
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.
Read more about Modern Italian Language 3Link opens in a new windowLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2024/25 year of study).
A selection of optional modules in Italian Studies and the School of Modern Languages and Cultures.
Optional modules in History must include at least 30 CATS of Early Modern (pre-1800) material.
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.
Read more about Modern Italian Language 4Link opens in a new windowLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2024/25 year of study).
A selection of optional modules in Italian Studies and the School of Modern Languages and Cultures (30 credits)
Optional modules in History (60 credits)
Optional modules