Semester General Studies Program
The General Studies program is the most popular option for study abroad students as it allows for maximum flexibility when choosing courses at the Umbra Institute. Students build their own semester by choosing freely from the courses offered and enrolling full-time for 12-18 credits which must include one course in Italian language or an elective course taught in Italian for advanced students.
Students may choose freely from the wide variety of available courses (minimum of 12 credits per semester). See our courses page for an up-to-date list.
A typical semester for a General Studies student may look as follows:
ITAL 101: Elementary Italian – 4 cr
COMM 290: Intercultural Communication – 3 cr
ENG 325: From Literature to Social Media: Reading and Writing Italian Food – 3 cr
ENV 320: Water Resources: Environment, Society, and Power – 3 cr
PSYC 460: Organizational Behavior: An Evidence-Based Approach – 3 cr
Total: 17 credits
Students who are uncertain of their proficiency level in Italian, select the course that they feel is most suitable on their course selection form. During Orientation, Umbra Italian faculty will administer a placement exam to ensure that they are enrolled in the appropriate level.
The Umbra Institute offers the following Italian courses:
- ITLN 101: Elementary Italian I – 4 cr.
- ITLN 102: Elementary Italian II – 4 cr.
- ITLN 110: Intensive Elementary Italian – 6 cr.
- ITLN 201: Intermediate Italian I – 4 cr.
- ITLN 202: Intermediate Italian II – 5 cr.
- ITLN 210: Intensive Intermediate Italian – 6 cr.
- ITLN 310: Advanced Italian: Conversation & Composition – 6 cr.
- LIIT 420: Il Racconto Italiano: Italian Short Story – 3 cr.
- ISIL 498: Independent Study in Italian Language – 3 cr.
Scholars Program
Students who meet the selection criteria may enroll in the Scholars Program to integrate research into part of their curriculum. Click here for more information.
i-Courses
For many students studying in Italy means taking advantage of the unparalleled opportunities to study and practice Italian with native speakers. For students at the intermediate level who have learned enough Italian to begin to use it but not enough to take a course exclusively in Italian, Umbra has created the “i-course“. These are courses taught in English with an added one-hour per week component taught in Italian and specifically designed for beginner intermediates. The instructor knows well the student proficiency level and works to assist in that capacity. With i-courses students can begin using their Italian skills to learn to explore new subjects before they reach full proficiency further accelerating their learning of Italian. These unique 3-credit courses ending in “i” in the course catalog and on the website (ex. Blockbusters and Bestsellers, Contemporary Italy, History and Cinema of Organized Crime, and others) include an additional one-credit Italian language section for a total of 4 credits. They provide an academic credit that can be transferred to specific areas such as literature, media studies, sociology as well as an Italian major or minor at the your home institution. Please click here to find out more!
Independent Study and Research Courses
At times students may find courses have been cancelled or not offered in their required subject. In such cases students can petition to be enrolled in an Independent Study course or a more ambitious Independent Research Project. These options are designed to provide students the opportunity to take courses that have few or no enrollments, or complete a significant research assignment in a topic of their choice as one component of their study abroad experience.
To apply now for the General Studies program, click here!