BA in Italian and Linguistics in Boston United States | Boston University

The Italian & Linguistics program allows students to merge the examination of human language from multiple viewpoints with Italian language, literature, and cultural studies. Through linguistics coursework, students investigate language structures (phonetics, morphology, syntax, and semantics) alongside language universals, diversity among languages, sociolinguistic aspects, and historical evolution. Simultaneously, they develop advanced Italian language skills (reading, writing, speaking, comprehension) while cultivating an analytical appreciation of Italy's cultural heritage, literary movements, artistic expressions, and significant texts. Collaborative projects and faculty mentorship regularly facilitate interdisciplinary connections between these dual focuses. Participation in study abroad programs is highly recommended and can be seamlessly integrated with proper planning.

This combined major develops valuable linguistic abilities and cross-cultural awareness, offering strong preparation for diverse career paths such as language teaching, assessment development, translation services, global commerce, speech pathology, vocal training, tech industries, legal professions, healthcare fields, early childhood education, and community services. It also establishes a foundation for advanced studies in linguistics, literature, regional specialties, and cognitive sciences.

Program Objectives
Graduates completing the Italian & Linguistics combined major will demonstrate:

Comprehension of core linguistic research questions regarding structural principles, universal patterns, language acquisition, historical development, variation, and sociocultural applications, supported by theoretical knowledge across linguistic subfields.
Skill in recognizing and accurately characterizing linguistic patterns within data sets, plus the capacity to develop rigorous analyses by formulating, evaluating, and refining explanatory hypotheses.
Advanced competency in Italian across all communication modalities: reading comprehension, written expression, oral fluency, and aural interpretation.
Critical examination of Italian cultural production, literary history, artistic conventions, and canonical texts.
Structured exploration of early Italian vernaculars (12th-17th centuries) including Umbrian, Sicilian, Tuscan dialects, and the development of standardized literary Italian.