Undergraduate Italian Studies
Study Italian language and culture to become a global professional.
Why Study Italian?
More than 62 million people across 16 different countries speak Italian. It is one of the most studied language in the world and the fourth most studied language in US colleges and high schools.
Italian culture has produced some of the greatest creative geniuses in the history of Western civilization. From Dante and Machiavelli, to Leonardo da Vinci and Galileo, Italians have made significant contributions to art, architecture, cuisine, government, literature, music, theology, and literature.
Our Italian Program
The Department of Modern Languages offers an undergraduate Italian minor with elementary, intermediate and advanced Italian courses that emphasize the language and culture of Italy. Students may also study Italian in order to fulfill a possible general education language requirement. Credit may be earned for studying Italian in Italy, and the Director of Italian will help students in selecting an outstanding program.
The minor in Italian requires the completion of 15 hours of Italian courses at the 200 level or above. A maximum of 9 credits for the minor may be taken through an approved study abroad program.
Faculty Expertise
Our Italian faculty have expertise including Italian pedagogical approaches to the teaching of Italian as a second language, Medieval Italian literature and manuscript studies, Italian Renaissance, modern and contemporary Italian poetry, 20th and 21st century Italian literature and film, and comparative studies.
For example, Dr. Valerio Cappozzo recently co-authored A Female Apostle in Medieval Italy: The Life of Clare of Rimini with the University of Pennsylvania Press. The English translation of an anonymous account of her life written at the time brings to a wider audience the life of Clare of Rimini (c. 1260 to c. 1324–29), an Italian holy woman who was beatified. Through this work, we also gain a better understanding of life in a medieval Italian city.
Meet the Faculty
Valerio Cappozzo
- Associate Professor of Modern Languages
Elisa Modolo
- Instructional Assistant Professor of Modern Languages
Featured Course
Ital 401: Advanced Italian I
This course refines students' skills in conversation and composition, while broadening their knowledge of historical and contemporary Italian society and culture. It is based on a linguistic and content analysis of the award-winning and critically acclaimed Italian movie La meglio gioventù (The Best of Youth) by Marco Tullio Giordana. Students review challenging grammar structures while comparing American (or their own native culture) culture and traditions to Italian events and specificities shown in the movie such as differences in the university system, the social and governmental response to catastrophic weather events, and the Mafia.
Learning to Communicate
"The department of Modern Languages is special because they teach how to communicate with a vast variety of people. By learning another language you gain the ability to express yourself with others and immerse yourself in other cultures in a way you would not be able to without speaking that person’s native language. My favorite things about the Department of Modern Languages are the sense of community, the constant support from those around me, and the family atmosphere."
Perla Arellano
B.A. in International Studies with minors in Italian and Intelligence & Security Studies '24
Beyond the Classroom
Italian Club
The Italian Club organizes several cultural activities throughout the semester that are open to all students. There are presentations and workshops on Italian culture, games, music, movies, and annual talent show. They even Zoom with former Italian instructors who offer cooking lessons from Italy (photo).
For more information, contact Dr. Elisa Modolo.
Italian Table (la Tavola Italiana)
Join our bimonthly informal conversation group. Practice your Italian, meet new friends, caffeinate your body, and exercise your mind!
First and third Tuesday 12:00p-1:00p @ the Residential College
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Gamma Kappa Alpha Italian Honor Society
Gamma Kappa Alpha, the National Collegiate Italian Honor Society, is devoted exclusively to students of Italian in four-year colleges and universities. In the Department of Modern Languages, our chapter of Gamma Kappa Alpha recognizes outstanding achievement in Italian among students at the University of Mississippi.
Gamma Kappa Alpha
Study Abroad
Faculty-led Study Abroad in Salerno
The Italian faculty-led program offers the possibility of earning Italian at the 100-, 200-, or 300-level in Salerno, Italy, with an intensive program on the beautiful Amalfi Coast. Students live with host families and enjoy practicing the language and tasting local food. They can take guided tours to many local destinations.
Florence: International Studies Institute Program
Florence is the largest city (~360,000 citizens) in Italy's Tuscany region. It is home to masterpieces of Renaissance art and architecture as well as the spectacular Santa Maria del Fiore cathedral, built beginning in 1296. The International Studies Institute (ISI) program offers a wide range of subjects including Italian language, with courses that incorporate the rich cultural offerings of Florence.
Why study Italian?
"It cannot be overstated enough as to how invaluable it is to study other languages and to experience other cultures. I wouldn’t be who or where I am today had I not discovered anthropology, philosophy, and Italian. My interdisciplinary background has bolstered my understanding of many concepts due to the more holistic perspective from which I now contemplate them. Humanity is the source and common denominator of all disciplines of thought; once one recognizes this it becomes impossible to overlook the interconnectivity of our world’s problems—as well as the solutions thereto."
Hailey Walley, Attorney
BA in Anthropology and Philosophy, minors in Environmental Studies & Italian (2019)
Outstanding Student Awards
We are proud of the outstanding Italian language students in the Department of Modern Languages.
| Year | Italian Awards |
| 2024 | 100 Level: Walker Coon 200 Level: Elizabeth Claire Dancila 300 Level: Miley Ray 400 Level: Carys Emma Gardner |
| 2023 | 100 Level: Brianna Haley Rodrigues 200 Level: Anna Skidmore 300 Level: Kasey Gusella 400 Level: Kaci Wilcox |
| 2022 | 100 Level: Carys Gardner 200 Level: Burgess Emillie 300 Level: Tim Kelly 400 Level: Hayden Young |
| 2021 | 102: Kasey Gusella 202: Oliver Graves 211: Kennady Hertz 361: Katie Dames |
| 2020 | 100 Level: Richard Springer 200 Level: Hayden Thomas Young 300 Level: Ragan Murrie Ketrow 400 Level: Lauren Elyse Cookston |
| 2019 | 100 Level: Aubrey Hart 200 Level: James Nicholas Sumrall 300 Level: Raquel Noboa Vera 400 Level: Nicholas Dante Bovenzi |
| 2018 | |
| 2017 | |
| 2016 | Mariegene Almand, Caleigh Ryan, Gabrielle Wells |
| 2015 | Kristin Nicole Leaptrott, Elizabeth C. Wann, Lauryn Audrie Skipper, Micaela Endara, Kristen Hare, Elizabeth McFadden |
| 2014 | Catherine Marie Albers, Megan Young, Melanie Culhane, Palmer Hodges, Savannah Bryant |
| 2013 | Hillary Laine Puckett, Sethelle Flowers, Catherine Albers, Kaitlin Moore, Rachel Fields, Elizabeth McClure, Madison Coburn, Juan Ordonez, Charlie Tran, Liria Frerer, Lorraine York |
| 2012 | Robert Liming Corban, Alexander Kitson, Azamat Bektemirov, Caroline Turner, Haley Park, Hillary Puckett, Holly Henning, Jordan Byrne, Kristin Leaptrott, Lorraine York, Marco Italia, Suzona Gvozdenovic |
| 2011 | Hardy Isaac DeLaughter, Hardy Isaac DeLaughte |
| 2010 | Amy Jane Vitell, Mary Margaret Rich, Mitchell Hobbs, Joshua McConnel, Amanda Mixon |
| 2009 | Guillaume Bernard Baron, Claire Brown, Lindsay Hieser, Amy Vitell, Mary Sanford, Kurt Smith, Elizabeth Bagley |
| 2008 | Lauren Rowe, Margaret Robertson, Meghan Milloy |
| 2007 | Andrew Ross DelMastro, Kari Giurintano, Timothy Herrington |
| 2006 | |
| 2005 | Christopher Franklin Tatum |
| 2004 | Katherine Sue Walker (First Year), Julie Rebecca Novarese (Second Year), Courtney Janos Garaci (Third Year) |