BA in Romance Languages - Italian in New York United States | New York University

Romance languages form a family of closely related dialects that originated from vernacular Latin following the collapse of the Roman Empire in the 5th century. During the High Middle Ages and Renaissance, these evolved into the linguistic foundations of contemporary Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese, and others. The literary masterpieces from these periods laid the groundwork for the national literary traditions of their cultures.

The College of Arts and Science offers a nine-course Romance languages major, jointly managed by the Italian, French, and Spanish & Portuguese departments. Students select any two of these four languages, completing five courses in their primary language and four in their secondary. This structure enables majors to benefit from the extensive curriculum and resources of our internationally recognized language departments while learning from eminent scholars across two disciplines.

The program emphasizes developing speaking and writing proficiency before advancing to literary and cultural studies. To enhance language skills and foster intercultural awareness, students are encouraged to study abroad at NYU's global sites in Buenos Aires, Florence, Madrid, or Paris. While at Washington Square, students can participate in lectures, exhibitions, film screenings, and cultural events hosted by the language departments and NYU's cultural centers - Maison Française, Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò, and King Juan Carlos I of Spain Center - as well as various New York cultural institutions.