The advent of a global economy and worldwide deregulation in commerce offer many opportunities for those fluent in Italian. Stated simply, it has become imperative that U.S. companies seek people with international cultural and linguistic experience. Degrees in Italian can also lead to careers in teaching. While traditionally many of our majors have entered graduate programs in the U.S. or abroad with the goal of pursuing scholarly professions, now an equal number pursue post-graduate studies in social work, law and medicine. Language Courses Beginning, intermediate and advanced courses aim to provide students with a sound basis for communicating effectively and accurately in Italian.
Emphasis is placed equally on listening, speaking, reading and writing.
Students of language are also introduced to contemporary Italian life and culture. Advanced language courses include Italian 100, a composition course, and Italian 131, a theater course which provides the student with the opportunity to interpret and perform one-act plays in Italian. Further conversation skills can be developed through the Italian 8A,B and C series in spoken Italian offered on a rotating basis. These are lecture courses, accompanied by weekly break-down groups of twenty students per discussion. All three courses fulfill General Education requirements within UCLA's College of Letters and Science.