Italian Studies at UNC-Chapel Hill
Students who have a B.A. or B.A. equivalent and have demonstrated proficiency in Italian may enter the M.A. program and then, with the Italian faculty’s approval, proceed to the Ph.D program. For the M.A. program, students must complete 30 credit hours (27 credit hours of coursework and 3 credit hours for the thesis).
Students take at least two courses in each of the following three epochs: Middle Ages; Renaissance; modern.
Either at the beginning of the fall semester of the second year or no later than the spring semester of the same year, students take a comprehensive written examination, intended to test their broad knowledge of Italy’s literary culture. Based on the students’ coursework and the M.A. Reading List, the examination consists of five exams, taken over a week:
For each of these five periods, students receive two questions, of which they select one. They must write two exams in Italian and three in English or vice-versa.
More: MA Reading List
Typically students write and defend the thesis, written in Italian or English, during the spring semester of the second year. M.A. candidates should invite a faculty member to direct the thesis at an early stage of the project’s conceptualizion; together with this director, they select two additional faculty members to serve on their thesis committee, submitting the names of the committee members to the Director of Graduate Studies. While the inspiration for the thesis may be found in a course, it requires a well-defined theoretical approach, further research, and extensive consultation with the thesis director. The thesis may expand a research paper written for a course or can develop an entirely new topic. It often lays the groundwork for the dissertation research.
In fact, a popular model for the thesis is that of the dissertation, although the thesis is much smaller in scope. According to this model, the thesis contains an introductory section, stating the research objectives, reviewing relevant criticism, and outlining the chapters. Another equally appropriate model is that of a well-focused research paper. Candidates following this model could dispense with lengthy introductions and focus on the analysis and interpretation of a text or a cultural aspect. Since additional models for the thesis may be equally viable, candidates are urged to discuss their projects with their thesis director and committee members. The thesis is always concluded with a bibliography, which follows the MLA style and the Graduate School’s Guide to the Preparation and Submission of Theses and Dissertations.
M.A. students are encouraged to pursue a minor in another Romance language and literature or in an allied discipline taught at the university.
M.A. students who continue their studies in pursuit of a Ph.D. receive support for five years.
More: Ph.D. Program
At least two courses in each of the following three literary epochs: Middle Ages, Renaissance, and modern epoch; required course: Italian 206: Literary Theory and Methods of Research.
M.A. students are encouraged to pursue a minor in another Romance language and literature or in an allied discipline taught at the university.
M.A. students who continue their studies in pursuit of a Ph.D. receive support for five years.
More: Ph.D. Program
Italian Studies
CB 3170, Dey Hall
UNC-Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3170
(919) 999-9999
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