Undergraduate courses Foreign and Regional Languages, Literature and Civilisations Track Italian
This programme is taught in French.
field(s) of training :
Arts, Literature, Languages
diploma level :
Bachelor's degree (three-year degree)
duration of the program :
3 years
Course overview
Did you know that Italy hosts the highest number of UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites? Not only is Italy fundamental in European history, it is also France’s second most important economic partner, taking part in intense cultural, professional and touristic exchanges.
You want to learn more about this language and discover new linguistic and historical perspectives? The bachelor’s degree in Foreign and Regional Languages, Literature and Civilisations specialised in Italian is the only programme in Normandy to offer a comprehensive training in Italian!
This three-year full-time programme is multidisciplinary and trains you in various aspects of the Italian language. To do so, the curriculum offers comprehensive courses on linguistics, literature and culture. Moreover, thanks to the practical and vocational courses, you will acquire know-how and transferrable skills useful to determine your future career.
Highlights
You wish to practice Italian and benefit from consistent tutoring? What about meeting native speakers and taking part in immersive events? With the bachelor’s programme specialised in Italian, you will benefit from:
- Numerous cultural activities to practice Italian and discover cultural productions (movie club, theatre, exhibitions, conversation sessions…)
- Personalised support in a student-oriented programme, including extra tutoring when needed
Welcoming international students
Since 2019, the University of Caen Normandy has been awarded the "Bienvenue en France" label by Campus France, highlighting the quality of the university's welcome for international students.
Application requirements
Entry requirements
To enter this bachelor’s, you do not have to speak Italian. However, you should
- Be interested in studying, reading, and various fields of culture
- Have completed secondary education, and obtained a high school diploma equivalent to the French baccalaureate
Language proficiency requirements
Minimum French proficiency level required: B2
Mininum Italian proficiency level required: A1 (for Year 1), B1 (for Year 2), B2 (for Year 3)
Specific conditions
Within the Faculty of Foreign Languages, the Applied Foreign Languages and the Foreign and Regional Languages, Literature and Civilisations bachelor’s degrees belong to the same department. As such, if you are registered in one of these programmes, you can change programme any time during the year to attend another bachelor’s of the same department.
Apply and register
The registration process takes place in 3 steps:
Application process
Admission and registration requirements may vary depending on your nationality, country of residence, foreign secondary school leaving certificate, and the nature of your programme of study. Discover how to apply to the University of Caen Normandy.
Course structure
Courses
- Take place on site in Campus 1 (Caen), within the Faculty of Foreign Languages of the university of Caen Normandy
- Are completed by documents on the e-learning platform eCampus
- Amount to 500 hours a year, around 20 hours a week
Course units
Italian proficiency is essential to the bachelor’s degree in Foreign and Regional Languages, Literature and Civilisations specialised in Italian. From Year 1 to Year 3, you will deepen your mastering of this language, with main courses in:
- Grammar
- Linguistics
- Translation
As well as courses related to Italian culture:
- Literature
- Civilisation
You will also attend a course related to French, as well as vocational courses to support your professional prospects.
In Year 1, in addition to linguistic and cultural courses, you will learn university methodology. You will also be able to choose an optional course either to broaden your knowledge in linguistics, benefit from extra tutoring, or study another language.
In Year 2, you will have to choose between various options:
- One language: to deepen your knowledge and skills in Italian
- Two languages: to attend complementary courses in another language
- As a second language: English or Spanish
- As a third language: German, Arabic, Polish, Portuguese, Russian
- Introduction to Teaching, to specialise in teaching Italian
Internships and placements
If you choose the Introduction to Teaching optional course in Year 3, the programme will include a compulsory internship. This internship will not be graded, however, it can be acknowledged as student commitment.
Coursework and assessment
The course lasts 3 years and is divided in 6 semesters. Courses are gathered in skills to be acquired, which make up course units. Course units are gathered in 2 skills units, a disciplinary skills unit and a transferrable skills unit.
Each course is graded through coursework only, from 0 to 20, 20 being the best grade: assessments can take place either in class, during the 12 weeks of training, or at the end of these weeks, during the 2 weeks dedicated to exams, or both. There are no final exams at the end of the semester or of the year, and you cannot retake an exam.
Grade compensation is organised without eliminatory marks and on the basis of the general average obtained in every course unit:
- For the courses of a same course unit and a same skill unit
- Over each semester
- Over the 2 semesters of a same year
The years do not compensate each other.
To successfully complete a semester, you must have an average mark of at least 10 points out of 20. If you have not completed your semester, you can retake the courses units you failed; you do not have to retake the courses in which you have obtained at least 10 points out of 20.
Language
French
Italian
Study abroad
“In a text, there is always a part up for interpretation, a proposition of a world one could inhabit and, as such, envision as a very personal possibility.” The question is: how can one grasp “the work’s world” if one has never experienced a change of scenery themselves? And how can one grasp the fundamentals of a society without exposing themselves daily to the society’s contemporary politics, society and culture?
You wish to improve your Italian proficiency in full-immersion? Perfect your academic training and study abroad in an Italian-speaking country, in Europe or all around the world:
In addition to the compulsory internship in Year 3, the Department of Foreign and Regional Languages, Literature and Civilisations offers travel opportunities all around the world thanks to:
- Erasmus+ European exchange programme: Bergamo, Cagliari, Catania, Napoli 'L'Orientale', Salerno, Torino, Università per Stranieri di Perugia, Università per Stranieri di Siena
- Joint bachelor’s degree (doppio titolo) with bachelors’ (laurea Triennale) in “Laurea Lingua e Cultura Italiana” taught either in the Università per Stranieri di Siena or Università per Stranieri di Perugia
- University exchanges through networks and programmes such as the Quebec student exchange programme (BCI), the ISEP and Asia Exchange, allowing you to travel in various destinations: Africa, South America, Asia, Australia, Canada, United States of America, Europe, United Kingdom (including Warwick and Birmingham). You can’t speak Thai, Korean or Norwegian? Don’t worry: many universities offer courses in English.
Is going abroad expensive? It may be, depending on the destinations. You can go abroad for less than 500 euros, and you can benefit from cumulative financial supports (including scholarships).
When can I go abroad? Most students go abroad in Year 3, for a year or for the second semester. To do so, you need to apply for an exchange during the previous year.
You want to learn more about financial supports or discover other ways to go abroad? Read more (all in resources are in French) on the dedicated page of the Faculty of Foreign Languages and or that of the Service for the international mobility programmes, which co-organises study exchanges and international internships. You will also discover the experiences of other students who took these opportunities!
Learning outcome
By the end of this course, you will acquire knowledge and skills in Italian culture and language, notably in:
- Language proficiency (B2 or C1 level)
- Linguistics
- Translation
- Literature
- Civilisation
As such, you will be able to:
- Analyse and present any type of documents
- Use informatics, digital, audio-visual supports
- Master research and documentation tools
- Master written and oral skills
- Listen, understand and interact with English speakers and content
- Work in autonomy and in group
- Plan and manage a personal project
- Develop critical thinking
Further study
Once you’ve obtained your bachelor’s degree, you can pursue studies in literature, civilisation, linguistics, translation and multicultural exchanges. The University of Caen Normandy offers the following master’s degrees:
- Foreign and Regional Languages, Literature and Civilisations
- Cultural Studies: Literature and Civilisation
- Multilingual Linguistics
- Teaching, Educating and Training
- Secondary Education: Italian as a Foreign Language
- Primary Education
- Training Practices & Engineering: Educational Mobility and Tourism
- Linguistics
- French as a Foreign Language
- Linguistics and Data Processing
- Translation and Interpretation
- Book and Publishing Professions
- Publishing
- Library science
- Applied Foreign Languages
- European Projects Expert
- Sustainable development: Consultation and Communication Strategies
- Starting a Business Abroad
Careers
The bachelor’s degree is the first step to pursue careers related to Italian language. According to our last surveys, 8 out of 10 students went further with their studies after graduating from their bachelor’s degree. Hence your career will depend on your specialisation and the diploma you pursue after your bachelor’s.
Once you have specialised in Italian language and culture, you can work in the following fields:
- Culture
- Teaching
- Communication
- Administration
- Cultural mediation
- Translation
- Publishing, documentation, library
- International public services
- Research, after completing a PhD
You will find work in both private and public sectors, and will be able to take the public service examinations.
Address
Université de Caen Normandie
UFR LVE · Langues vivantes étrangères
MLI · Maison des langues et de l’international
Esplanade de la Paix · CS 14032 · 14032 CAEN cedex 5
France
Course leader
formation : Valeria Allaire · valeria.allaire@unicaen.fr