Italian Studies (PhD)

Department Website

Program Description

The Department of Italian Studies at New York University is recognized as one of the finest Italian programs in the country. It offers programs leading to the Master of Arts degree in Italian Studies and the PhD degree in Italian. Courses are taught by an outstanding faculty with specialization in key areas of Italian literature and cultural history. Specific strengths of the faculty lie in the fields of medieval and Renaissance studies, 20th-century literature, film, and culture; postmodern Italy; the application of new technologies to the humanities; and cultural theory. In addition to courses taught by faculty members, the program offers courses taught by eminent visiting professors from Italy and the United States. The Tiro a Segno fellowship in Italian-American culture allows the department to appoint prominent visiting professors to teach courses concerning the experience and contribution of Italian immigrants and Italian Americans to American culture and society.

The Italian program attracts full-time graduate students of superior quality from all parts of the world. In addition to training capable and creative scholars, one of the program's objectives is to promote the effective teaching of Italian at all levels. To this end, students teach several Italian language and literature courses, normally during the second and third years. The Italian program also welcomes qualified part-time students who wish to obtain a master’s degree. An interdisciplinary approach is recommended: students are encouraged to enroll in additional courses outside of the department, e.g., courses in history, cinema, comparative literature, and the fine arts.

NYU offers graduate students in Italian a number of unique resources. At this time, PhD students may pursue dissertation research and do independent work at magnificent Villa La Pietra, NYU’s center for study abroad in Florence, and at the Università di Firenze. Graduate students may also take advantage of the resources of Casa Italiana, one of the most active Italian cultural centers in New York. Casa Italiana hosts colloquia, lectures, film series, concerts, and art exhibits throughout the year. In addition, two conference series are now hosted by the Department: an annual graduate spring conference and a biennial joint conference organized by the Department in conjunction with the Istituto Italiano di Scienze Umane (SUM), intended to bring together Italian and US scholars within the disciplines of history and literature.

Admissions

All applicants to the Graduate School of Arts and Science (GSAS) are required to submit the general application requirements, which include:

• Academic Transcripts
• Test Scores (if required)
• Applicant Statements
• Résumé or Curriculum Vitae
• Letters of Recommendation, and
• A non-refundable application fee.

See Italian Studies for admission requirements and instructions specific to this program.

Program Requirements

The program requires the completion of 72 credits (at least 32 credits in residence at New York University). It is recommended that every student plan to spend at least one semester in Italy for research and/or course work. The program offers an optional concentration in Medieval and Renaissance Studies (see below for concentration requirements).

Course List

Course	Title	Credits
Major Requirements
Select two courses with focus on the 1200-1400 period		8
Select two courses with focus on the 1400-1600 period		8
Select two courses with focus on the 1600-1900 period		8
Select two courses with focus on the 1900-present period		8
ITAL-GA 3020	Ph.D. Exam Preparation Seminar	4
Electives
Other Elective Credits		36
Total Credits		72

Medieval and Renaissance Studies Concentration

The concentration in Medieval and Renaissance Studies is interdisciplinary in nature and creates a framework and community for diverse approaches to the study of the Middle Ages and Renaissance. It complements doctoral students’ work in their home departments with interdisciplinary study of the broad range of culture in the medieval and early modern periods, as well as of the theories and methods that attend them. The concentration is designed to train specialists who are firmly based in a traditional discipline but who can work across disciplinary boundaries, making use of varied theoretical approaches and methodological practices. 

Course List

Course	Title	Credits
Concentration Requirements
MEDI-GA 1100	Proseminar in Medieval & Renaissance Studies	4
MEDI-GA 2100	1	4
MEDI-GA 2000	Medieval & Renaissance Workshop 2	4
Select one approved course in the area of Medieval and Renaissance Media: Visual and Material Cultures		4
Select one approved course in a medieval or early modern topic		4
Total Credits		20

¹

Or other approved course.

²

2 points per semester taken twice in an academic year.

At least one course, not counting either the Proseminar or Workshop, must be taken outside a student’s home department. In addition, students pursuing the concentration will present a paper at least once either in the Workshop or in a conference offered by the Medieval and Renaissance Center.

Additional Program Requirements

Foreign Language Requirement

Students are required to demonstrate proficiency sufficient for research purposes in a language other than English or Italian. The choice of language is subject to approval by the student’s academic adviser or the director of graduate studies and depends on the student’s interests and area of specialization. Students specializing in the medieval and Renaissance periods are usually advised to demonstrate proficiency in Latin. Students specializing in the modern period are usually advised to choose from among French, German, or Spanish. Other languages must be approved by a departmental committee. Proficiency in Latin may be demonstrated in one of the following ways:

1. passing a regularly scheduled test prepared by the Department of Classics at the level of intermediate Latin or
2. showing an official college transcript with at least one course in Latin literature with texts read in Latin.

Proficiency in French, German, or Spanish may be demonstrated by any of the methods described in the Degree Requirements section of this bulletin or by passing with a grade of B or better a graduate course taught in that language.

Qualifying Portfolio

To complete the course distribution requirement, students will submit all eight seminar papers written for the eight courses in the four required chronological periods, including instructors’ comments, as a dossier to be reviewed by faculty at the time of the formation of the Committee for the Doctoral Examination.

Qualifying Essay

After completion of the Distribution Requirement, students will enroll in a one-semester course supervised by two faculty members, during which students will write a 25-page Qualifying Essay based on a trans-chronological theme grounded in knowledge of the whole historical range of Italian Studies and connected with the student’s intended dissertation research.

Doctoral Examination

A Committee of at least three faculty members will review the Qualifying Essay, the Qualifying Portfolio and a sample teaching syllabus prepared by the student. The Examination will be an oral discussion with the Committee engaging the student’s chronological depth of knowledge of the field, based on the Essay, Portfolio, and Sample Syllabus. All candidates for the doctorate are expected to demonstrate sufficient comprehensive knowledge of Italian culture and history as well as good familiarity with an array of methodological, critical, and theoretical approaches. This examination may be repeated once after a period of no less than three months.

Prospectus Defense

Following successful completion of the Doctoral Examination, students will submit a one-page dissertation proposal to their chosen PhD advisor. Over the course of the subsequent semester or summer they will produce a 10-15-page dissertation Prospectus, including bibliography, outlining the principal hypotheses and arguments of the thesis, its theoretical basis, the methodologies and sources to be utilized, and how it will be structured. This prospectus must be defended orally before a Committee of three faculty members no later than the second week of the term following the summer or term devoted to the preparation of the Prospectus. The Prospectus will be submitted to the Committee two weeks before the scheduled Defense. After the successful completion of the Prospectus Defense, the student will be admitted to candidacy and begin dissertation research and writing. It is advisable that a draft of the first chapter of the dissertation will be submitted to the Ph.D. advisor by the end of the term following the one devoted to the preparation of the Prospectus.

Dissertation

When the dissertation is completed and approved by the adviser and at least two readers, an oral examination is scheduled at which the candidate presents and defends research results to a faculty committee of five.

Departmental Approval

All Graduate School of Arts & Science doctoral candidates must be approved for graduation by their department for the degree to be awarded.

Sample Plan of Study

Plan of Study Grid

1st Semester/Term		Credits
ITAL-GA	Distribution Requirement 1	4
ITAL-GA	Distribution Requirement 2	4
ITAL-GA	General Elective	4
	Credits	12
2nd Semester/Term
ITAL-GA	Distribution Requirement 3	4
ITAL-GA	Distribution Requirement 4	4
General Elective		4
	Credits	12
3rd Semester/Term
ITAL-GA	Distribution Requirement 5	4
ITAL-GA	Distribution Requirement 6	4
General Elective		4
	Credits	12
4th Semester/Term
ITAL-GA	Distribution Requirement 7	4
ITAL-GA	Distribution Requirement 8	4
General Elective		4
	Credits	12
5th Semester/Term
General Elective		4
General Elective		4
General Elective		4
	Credits	12
6th Semester/Term
ITAL-GA 3020	Ph.D. Exam Preparation Seminar	4
General Elective		4
General Elective		4
	Credits	12
	Total Credits	72

Following completion of the required coursework for the PhD, students are expected to maintain active status at New York University by enrolling in a research/writing course or a Maintain Matriculation (MAINT-GA 4747) course.  All non-course requirements must be fulfilled prior to degree conferral, although the specific timing of completion may vary from student-to-student.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the program, graduates will have:

1. A broad acquaintance with and understanding of medieval, early modern, and modern Italian literature, culture, and society ensured by the program distribution requirements that cover the following time periods: 1200-1400, 1400-1600, 1600-1900, and 1900-present.
2. Specialist knowledge at an advanced level of one or more fields of research and advanced competence in research methodologies appropriate to postgraduate work.
3. High proficiency in oral and written communication.
4. The ability to work independently to a high level and to manage their work schedule efficiently.
5. The ability to produce works that are of sufficient quality for publication and conference acceptance.

Policies

NYU Policies

University-wide policies can be found on the New York University Policy pages.

Graduate School of Arts and Science Policies

Academic Policies for the Graduate School of Arts and Science can be found on the Academic Policies page.