Italian Department Creates New Major

By Marie Mirro

Desiderate studiare il mondo italiano?

For anyone who does want to study the Italian world, Miami is offering a new interdisciplinary major that already has seven people signed up.

Whether it is an Italian Renaissance class from the School of Fine Arts; the study of Roman civilization with a classics professor, or courses on Italian philosophers, dictators and republics from the history department, the Italian studies major offers a world of choices.

Since 1973 professor Peter Pedroni, who partially retired in the spring of 2003 after 35 years of teaching, had fought to introduce the new major.   The main problem, however, was a fear that more faculty would be needed.

But through the years, Miami added to existing programs faculty with expertise about the Italian world, curbing that concern.   For example, within the history department two associate professors, Renee Baernstein and Wietse de Bore, study Italy.   In addition, because of Pedroni's retirement, a part time Italian teacher will be hired.   And the major will continue to hire teaching assistants who are getting their master's degrees in French.

Even before the new major was approved in April 2003, Italian film classes as well as a study of Dante had been established.   Only two new classes were added--"Italy: Matrix of Civilization" and "Italian American Culture"--both within the department of French and Italian.

According to professor Sante Matteo, who helped shepherd the major through the approval process, the study of the Italian language has grown 30 percent since 1998.

At Miami's Oxford campus the Italian language program at beginning level enrolls the most students and offers the most sections: 176 students in 6 sections.   Beginning French enrolls 165 students, beginning German 97 and beginning Spanish 88.   Matteo attributes the growth in Italian to the popularity of the Spanish language.   Because Miami enrolls so many students whose high school Spanish lets them start at high levels, only four sections of Spanish at the beginning level are offered.   As a result, he said, "Students turn to Italian as their language to fulfill requirements."

And if Italian captures the imagination of some of those students, the new major is ready for them to pursue.

For more of Marie Mirro's articles:

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