Honours in Italian Studies
The School Honours website also contains important information about Honours.
Coordinator: Raffaele Lampugnani
Why Complete an Honours Degree in Italian Studies?
An Honours degree offers the opportunity to learn more about a particular discipline or to go more deeply into a special area and conduct independent research.
Employment opportunities are enhanced for Honours graduates.
The Honours degree opens the door to all kinds of postgraduate study through the research skills gained in the fourth year of study.
The value of an Honours degree is in the training that students receive as researchers, in the ability to frame a research question, to investigate and evaluate the work already done in the research area, to develop the methodology to respond to the question, to work increasingly independently and intensively, reporting on research, confronting criticism and developing ideas with others, developing writing skills for a sustained and complex text, editing work for clarity, coherence and cohesion within length requirements.
The Honours Degree is in itself testimony to the acquisition of research and writing skills, to independent analytical and critical thought.
Admission to Honours
Students may be admitted to the Honours program in Italian Studies if they have
- completed a major in Italian Studies at Monash University or at another university;
- achieved results at an average of distinction level (70/100) in units to the value of 24 points (of which at least 18 points must be at 3rd year level ).
Work Requirements
The Honours Thesis
Students must undertake a 24-pt research project under the supervision (or joint supervision) of staff from the Italian Studies Program. The thesis will be of 15-18,000 words in length. It can be undertaken as
- a 24-point unit (ITA4000) in one semester – usually when coursework is completed beforehand as study abroad;
- two 12-point units (ITA4000(A) and ITA4000(B)) in successive semesters, usually when completing other units on campus.
The thesis is normally written in English. Students who have sufficient proficiency may have permission to write in Italian.
Candidates are asked to submit a thesis proposal – a precise subject or a broader area in which they wish to work – to the Honours Co-ordinator. That proposal will be forwarded to potential supervisors. The matching of supervisor and student will be done in consultation with the student. Candidates may wish to discuss a possible thesis proposal initially with a member of staff of their choice.
Research and Coursework combinations
| Points
Structure | |
| Honours
in Italian Studies |
24 points Thesis (or translation project) or 24 points Thesis (or translation project) or 24 points Thesis (or translation project) |
Joint Honours is available with other disciplines (12 points of coursework for each discipline and a jointly-supervised research project across the two discipline areas).
Supervision is available in a range of aspects of Italian Studies
- Contemporary and Nineteenth-century Italian literature; Verismo, Neorealismo, Poetry;
- Medieval and Renaissance Studies, Narrative, Poetry;
- Life-Writing, Autobiography;
- Cultural Studies, Popular Culture (especially in literature and cinema);
- Italian cinema and Italian-Australian Cinema;
- Italian society and history; issues of national and regional identity;
- The Italian Migrant Experience in Australia;
- Italo-Australian Texts;
- Aspects of Linguistic Transference in the Italian Community in Australia.
Departments may grant an extension of time for submission of the honours thesis or for final coursework up to the last day of the examination period of the semester in which the work is due. Applications for extensions beyond this date must be made to the Committee for Undergraduate Studies.
Fourth Year Units in Italian Studies
- ITA4000 / ITA4000(A) / ITA4000(B) Honours Dissertation (full-year or first and second semester)
- ITA4090 Italian Studies 9
- ITA4100 Italian Studies 10
- ITA4340 Women In Italy: Representations And Realities
- ITA4370 Tradurre/Tradire: Italian Literary Translation
- ITA4440 / ITA4440(A) / ITA4440(B) Special Reading Course ( (full-year or first or second semester)
- ITA4460 The Italian Experience in Australia
- ITA4480 Dante
- ITA4490 Language Study Abroad Program (either semester)