Graduate Certificate Programs in Italian Studies

Complete the online form to Graduate Certificate.

The graduate certificate in Italian Studies provides an opportunity for students to complement their doctoral studies with a coordinated multidisciplinary training in the Program in Italian Studies, and take part in an intellectually stimulating interdisciplinary community.

Graduate students may come from any department in the Humanities and Social Sciences in which interdisciplinary training in Italian history, culture, and language is desirable, including (but not limited to):.

Students are expected to demonstrate competence in Italian speaking, writing, and reading for admission, at which point a recommendation will be made for further Italian study as necessary.

Italian language proficiency sufficient to conduct original research using Italian as a research tool.

Participation in 2-3 graduate courses that deal with Italian Studies OR Independent research on an Italian topic (could be a portion of a dissertation, conference papers, or published articles).

Students are urged to participate in Italian Studies activities, which include lectures, works-in-progress talks and conferences.

Normally, the dissertation should center on a topic of significance in Italian language and culture.

An Italian Studies certificate may also be awarded to students whose dissertations, though outside Italian Studies, show exceptional knowledge and expertise in Italian Studies, as demonstrated in seminars, conference papers, or publications.

Second-year students and post-generals students may be admitted, depending upon their background, experience, and area of concentration.

Students are supported by graduate fellowships from their own department. Additional small grants may be available to help support research trips to Italian archives and libraries. To apply for a grant, email Wendy Heller or Marie Basso. In addition, graduate students with sufficient language skills may have the opportunity to precept language courses in the French and Italian.

Certificate in Language and Intercultural Communication Italian.

Program Learning Outcomes for the Certificate in Language and Intercultural Communication.

Upon completing the certificate in Language and Intercultural Communication, students will be able to:.

Speak in the target language with or to native speakers with enough fluency and minimal obstacles for both the student and the interlocutor, even in spontaneous situations.

Write in the target language in a clear, detailed, relatively complex, and context appropriate manner.

Understand key socio-cultural differences associated with the target language.

Requirements for the Certificate in Language and Intercultural Communication Italian.

Students pursuing the Certificate in Language and Intercultural Communication must complete:.

A minimum of 4 courses (12 credit hours) to satisfy certificate requirements.

A maximum of 2 courses (6 credit hours) transfer credit. For additional departmental guidelines regarding transfer credit, see the Policies tab.

An Experiential Learning opportunity through an approved program.

A minimum overall GPA of 2.00 in required coursework with a minimum grade of C (2.00 grade points) in each course.

Total Credit Hours Required for the Certificate in Language and Intercultural Communication Italian.

At least 3 courses (9 credit hours) of the required 4 courses (12 credit hours) must be in the target language (Italian).

ITAL 222, AP OTH Credit Italian Language, will not fulfill this requirement.

After completing the Certificate requirements and as a result of the assessment, students are placed at their level of proficiency following the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). The CEFR level reached will be noted in an official letter from CLIC, as well as via a notation on the student official Rice academic transcript.

Policies for the Certificate in Language and Intercultural Communication Italian.

Students are required to take a Language Placement Test to ensure that they are placed in the appropriate course in their target language. Placement tests are administered online prior to and during both fall and spring registration.

Students pursuing the certificate in Language and Intercultural Communication should be aware of the following program restriction:.

As noted in Majors, Minors, and Certificates, students may declare their intent to pursue a university certificate only after they have first declared a major.

Some departments and programs have additional restrictions on transfer credit.

Students pursuing the certificate in Language and Intercultural Communication should be aware of the following program-specific transfer credit guidelines:.

No than 2 courses (6 credit hours) of transfer credit from U.S. or international universities of similar standing as Rice may apply towards the certificate.

The Center for Languages and Intercultural Communication (CLIC) will determine equivalency for foreign language classes taken at other colleges or universities and approve them for transfer credit.

Students wanting Rice equivalent credit should obtain approval in writing from CLIC before taking language courses outside of Rice.

Students who study abroad should have their transfer credits pre-approved by CLIC before they commit to a study-abroad program.

When requesting Rice equivalent credit for foreign language acquisition courses, students should submit no less than the following to CLIC for approval:.

A course syllabus for the course they wish to take or have taken, or a web address of the program if one is available.

The determination of distribution credit eligibility is done initially as part of the new course creation process.

Distribution courses from the Center for Languages and Intercultural Communication (CLIC) are broad in theme and scope. Students in these courses will develop increased intercultural and interactional competence, which includes a critical understanding of the sociolinguistic and sociocultural aspects shared by the community of users of the target language. These courses encourage students to probe the modes of knowledge and inquiry characteristic of the humanities. A central component of these courses is the development of students' critical thinking and analytical abilities. This is accomplished through the analysis of spoken and written interactions which allows students to understand linguistic forms, uses of vocabulary, varieties of intonation, social situations and their effects on language use, and language behavior in different situations. The ultimate goals are to question students' own sociolinguistic and sociocultural norms and give them the tools to appropriately engage with the target language communities. These courses will also provide students with the essential knowledge and tools for thinking critically history and culture, and for understanding the centrality of such capacity to informed participation in social, political, and professional life since it is precisely through understanding the language of history and culture that students can understand these.

Opportunities for the Certificate in Language and Intercultural Communication Italian.

Some departments have department-specific Honors awards or designations.

The Center for Languages and Intercultural Communication invests in students participating in experiential learning programs by occasionally offering scholarships to offset the cost. When funding is available, the scholarships are offered in the spring semester for study abroad or experiential learning programs taking place the following summer or academic year.