Italian (Thesis) (M.A.) (45 credits)
Offered by: Languages,Literatures,Cultures (Faculty of Arts)
Degree: Master of Arts
Program credit weight: 45
Program Description
The Master of Arts in Italian is a 45-credit program focusing on Italian literature, film, culture, literary theory, a thesis proposal, and a thesis. Areas of interest include film studies, nineteenth-century studies, transnational studies, gender studies, Calvino, Bertolucci, Early Renaissance Naples and Venice, vernacular and Neo-Latin poetry, among others.
Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.
Thesis Courses (24 credits)
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ITAL 698 | Thesis Proposal. | 6 |
Thesis Proposal. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A written presentation which will include: (a) a review of the literature pertinent to the thesis, (b) the definition of the thesis research project within the parameters of the critical literature, and (c) an indication of how the research project will be carried out. | ||
| ITAL 699 | Thesis. | 18 |
Thesis. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Completion of the thesis. | ||
Required Courses (12 credits)
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ITAL 602 | The Literary Tradition. | 3 |
The Literary Tradition. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The course highlights the importance of tradition in literature and focuses on different aspects of Italian literary history. | ||
| ITAL 610 | Bibliography of Italian Literature. | 3 |
Bibliography of Italian Literature. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Tools for literary research: encyclopedias, dictionaries, bibliographies, journals, Internet sites, library catalogues. Tools for linguistic research: historical, specialized, Italian-dialect, etymological vocabularies. History of the book: manuscript, early printing, catalogues of incunabula and of early books. | ||
| ITAL 619 | Topics in Literary Theory. | 3 |
Topics in Literary Theory. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An introduction to some of the main subjects and authors of modern literary theory. Topics may include reception theory, deconstruction, postmodernism, cultural studies, formalism and structuralism, semiotics, gender studies, psychoanalysis, Marxism, translation and subjectivity. | ||
| ITAL 680 | Research Seminar. | 3 |
Research Seminar. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Presentation and discussion of research work. | ||
Complementary Courses (9 credits)
9 additional course credits, chosen in consultation with an adviser from among the graduate courses offered by the Department. The three courses should cover three distinct chronological periods in Italian literature.
A maximum of 6 credits of graduate courses may be taken outside the Italian Studies Department, upon the advice of the Supervisor and with the permission of the Graduate Studies Director.
In exceptional cases, when program requirements cannot be fulfilled otherwise, students may take ITAL 606 Individual Reading Course 1. and ITAL 607 Individual Reading Course 2. offered as tutorials.
Typically, the first year of the program will consist of: Literary Theory course, ITAL 610 Bibliography of Italian Literature., the three complementary courses and ITAL 698 Thesis Proposal.. The second year will include ITAL 602 The Literary Tradition., ITAL 680 Research Seminar. and the thesis.