Ciao Studenti!
7/28/2021
Dive into Italian Culture with the Mount’s Newest B.A. Degree
Benvenuti to all the students who are passionate about the language, literature, history, and culture of Italy and its diaspora! The Mount now offers an interdisciplinary B.A. in Italian and Italian Diaspora Studies that will satisfy your thirst for knowledge with Italian flair.
The program highlights the global and transnational dimensions of the Italian experience by integrating into its curriculum Italian emigrants and their children in the United States and throughout the world, according to David Aliano, Associate Professor of Italian and History.
“Placing the University of Mount Saint Vincent at the forefront of new trends in the field, the program integrates into its curriculum the practical application of the Italian language skills and cultural competencies acquired through the major to other fields of study through interdisciplinary offerings drawn from the humanities, social sciences, media studies, and business,” Dr. Aliano said. “Its greatest strength lies in the broad cross-disciplinary skills that it develops, along with the specialized area studies knowledge of Italy and its diaspora in combination with practical Italian language skills. As such, those who select the major will expand and enhance their qualifications across a wide range of disciplines and career paths.”
After conducting an analysis of departmental enrollment and survey data collected over the past five years, the Department of Modern Languages faculty realized there was sustained student interest in the study of Italian at the University of Mount Saint Vincent, according to Dr. Aliano.
“Our analysis of economic, demographic, and market data which we conducted in developing the new program further highlighted the value of this type of degree to specific career opportunities open to our graduates across a range of fields locally, nationally, and internationally,” he said.
The Department of Modern Languages’ development of the new major was also inspired by the College’s mission. Through the teaching of the Italian language and especially through an examination of the Italian immigrant experience, the major will instill in students a greater awareness of and sensitivity towards the needs of diverse peoples and cultures and in so doing will “foster an understanding of our common humanity, a commitment to human dignity, and a full appreciation of our obligations to each other,” according to Dr. Aliano.
The degree adds value to the development of the whole person by instilling a knowledge and appreciation of a wide range of culturally significant topics—from Italian art, music, and cinema to Italian fashion, marketing, and design.
The Italian and Italian Diaspora Studies major places the University of Mount Saint Vincent at the forefront of new trends in the field both in initiating an interdisciplinary language-based area studies degree as well as specifically an Italian studies degree that integrates Italian diasporic identities from around the world into its curriculum. The new degree elevates the College’s profile and prestige, which the Department anticipates will attract new incoming students interested in immersing themselves in Italian Studies and/or Italian American Studies.
The B.A. in Italian and Italian Diaspora Studies prepares students for further study and to work in Italy or locally in an Italian cultural context such as international business organizations—banking, food, film, fashion, and wine industries, healthcare, non-governmental organizations, the State Department, the United Nations, teaching, and publishing, according to Dr. Aliano.
The College’s New York City location was also a a decisive factor in the development of the new program. NYC is the center of Italian cultural and business activity in the United States and provides students with unique networking, research, and internship opportunities among the City’s many Italian cultural institutes and centers.
The history of Italians in the diaspora is interwoven into the fabric of New York City’s life, embedded throughout its neighborhoods, on its streets, in its restaurants, and in its shops. And the Mount’s location provides students with everyday experiential learning opportunities to encounter the Italian-American experience firsthand.
The Italian language skills, the international cultural competency, and the interdisciplinary training that this major provides will train graduates to be excellent job candidates in an increasingly competitive global economy, according to Dr. Aliano. Students will be well positioned for advanced study in the fields of education, international relations, peace studies, and conflict resolution as well as graduate research in the social sciences and the humanities.
“The knowledge and cross-disciplinary skills this major provides, especially if combined with an appropriate second major or minor, will make these graduates exceptionally adept at adjusting and responding to the ever-changing demands of today’s labor market,” Dr. Aliano said.
Students can study the new major on its own but it is most valuable either as a second major or combined with an appropriate minor that will complement and amplify the value of the student’s other field by providing specialized skills and interdisciplinary knowledge that will expand and enhance their qualifications across a wide range of disciplines and careers, according to Dr. Aliano.
“Pairing the major with a closely-related field such as history, English, or Spanish, would expand our graduate’s potential career paths and make them more attractive candidates for highly competitive positions in those fields and market data research indicates that the pairing of this type of degree with a business, media studies, or a STEM-related major or minor is especially advantageous to our students in the job market,” Dr. Aliano said. “All students are invited to consider this major and its relevance to their other areas of study.”
About the University of Mount Saint Vincent
Founded in 1847 by the Sisters of Charity, the University of Mount Saint Vincent offers nationally recognized liberal arts education and a select array of professional fields of study on a landmark campus overlooking the Hudson River. Committed to the education of the whole person, and enriched by the unparalleled cultural, educational, and career opportunities of New York City, the College equips students with the knowledge, skills, and experiences necessary for lives of professional accomplishment, service, and leadership in the 21st century.