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Bonjour/Ciao ! I'm an incoming French Ph.D. candidate, and one of the stipulations of my Ph.D. is that I need to demonstrate a basic reading proficiency in two languages other than French. I have chosen German and Italian for a variety of reasons. I'm hoping to take my exams within the first two/three semesters, and have been told that I can either (1) take classes or (2) go the more common route, which is self-study through a guide book. I have a pretty rudimentary knowledge in both languages. I'm hoping to do the equivalent of a "double-minor" in my program, which will take up a ton of my allotted credit allowance, so I'm really not wanting to take a formal class. While I'm having a fairly easy time finding German resources (there are a TON for reading comprehension), I'm having a rather difficult time finding them for Italian; does anybody have experience taking the Italian reading proficiency exam who can recommend a book/study plan? Grazie mille !

Hello everyone, surprisingly, there's no thread for Italian this year and I thought I create one. I applied for 4 PhD programs and still waiting for a reply. I had two interviews a few weeks ago but nothing since. Do you people want to share your experiences as well? Cheers, P. EDIT: Yes, I am freaking out and I have a bad feeling about this whole thing.

Hey everyone, I'm hoping to get some insight or guidance from those of you who either are, or have been, in my position. I will attempt not to drone on endlessly with this, so please hang in there! I finished my BA in Classics in Chicago last year, and have just about (two more weeks) finished the Post-Bacc Program in Classics at UCLA (did well, feel confident in some strong letters of recommendation). I will be applying to PhD programs this fall. From the get-go, I always intended on applying solely to Classics programs, but the Post-Bacc Program has served me very well in tailoring my research interests to what very well may result in applying to programs outside of Classics. I am a Latinist, and at the mid-point of fluency in Italian. Many of my research interests involve applying modern theory to the ancient world. To be candid, I do not enjoy Greek at all, nor do I really have any interest in pursuing Classics as a whole (I think?). What I am thinking of doing is taking more Italian and Latin courses while sending in apps for fall 2018. To give a better example of what I'm interested in, I am currently doing research and writing on the reception of Plautine humor among Romans during a time of political turmoil, its relevance to Freudian theory on humor, and the use of comedic violence as catharsis while still acting as a tool for maintaining social boundaries. In a nutshell, this is almost like a history of humor. I want to study things such as the transition from the Latin-speaking world to the Italian-speaking world, the evolution of combat sports in Rome through their reception an development in modern times, etc. BASICALLY: I love the Latin language, the Italian language, sociological theory being applied to Roman contexts, and the development of the Roman world into Italy. So...please, if you have any suggestions, I would love to know what umbrella you think this falls under. As of right now, I'm thinking of applying to anthropology, sociology, and classics programs. I'm finding it hard to see where I would fit. Maybe even a history program? Maybe Italian programs?? What do you think? I'm also reaching out to members in several departments to hear their input, but I'd love to find out what everyone here thinks, seeing as you may have been in this predicament yourself. Thank you!!

Can anyone recommend an intensive, rigorous summer Italian course, preferably located in Italy? This summer I want to improve my spoken and written Italian (currently at the A2 level) but most language schools in Italy are geared towards retirees and tourists... not exactly what I'm looking for!

Any recommendations for PhD programs in 16th- and 17th-century Italian art? I have already have an MA in Art History and solid language skills. I know that in the past five years a number of scholars in Early Modern art have retired, especially in the Baroque and the 17th century, so I am also considering working with scholars who focus on Medieval or Renaissance Italian art. Of course, funding is also a concern. Thoughts?

Hi all! I am a first-year student studying art history, and a requirement of my university's program is that I study two different languages. I am planning on taking a course this summer so I can put lots of focus into it. I am currently taking French, and am between taking either Italian or German this summer. I am interested in going to graduate school as well (and know that a lot of schools require reading knowledge of certain languages) and am most interested in the Renaissance and Baroque eras as of yet, so that's why I am focusing on Italian and German. I'm split because on one hand I have been told Italian will be much easier for me since I know French (I am at B2 level if that helps), and since I am more interested in the Renaissance I thought it might be better? I might also want to apply to the Venice Guggenheim internship in the future, and a requirement is that you know some Italian. However, I have personally been really interested in German culture/language for a while and have picked up a little bit. Someone suggested that I take German in the summer because it's harder and I'll have more time to focus on it, and Italian I can take another time because it'll be easier for me to pick up? Any suggestions or experience in how either or both of the languages helped in grad school/the art field/jobs in the non-art field would be amazing and appreciated! Or any tips on studying those languages!

Hello, all! I am an Art Historian seeking advice from others who have studied, or focus in, the Italian language. Can anyone recommend an intensive, rigorous summer Italian course, preferably located in Italy? This summer I want to improve my spoken and written Italian (currently at the A2 level) but most language schools in Italy are geared towards retirees and tourists... I've heard the five-week course at the University of Bologna is strong, but have not been able to find reviews online.

Hello, all! I am an Art Historian seeking advice from my peers who have studied Italian. Can anyone recommend an intensive, rigorous summer Italian course, preferably located in Italy? This summer I want to improve my spoken and written Italian (currently at the A2 level) but most language schools in Italy are geared towards retirees and tourists... I've heard the five-week course at the University of Bologna is strong, but have not been able to find reviews online.

Would someone be so kind as to recommend an Italian Philosophical Dictionary on par with Waibl and Herdina's one for German Philosophy? Here's why: I was annotating the English edition of a book originally in Italian that has an unexpectedly large amount of Italian Philosophical terms. I'm not familiar with several of them (most of which seem to originate with Gallupi). Neither is anyone else I know. I can read Italian tolerably (though I am by no means proficient). I hope no one finds posting this in Italian instead of Philosophy offensive as I'm finding in the Anglophone world, Italian Philosophy is more likely to be studied by Italianists than anyone in a Philosophy department. Thanks for any input in advance.

Hello, I was wondering if anyone knows any good comparative literature programs that specialize in Italian--Italian will be my main foreign language, Spanish will probably be my secondary language if not Latin. I'm mostly looking at Northeastern schools since I'm from there-- the ivies obviously, uconn, umass amherst-- but I haven't been able to find which schools are best for which languages, if there's even a distinction among them. Thanks