116-507 Italian Thesis

Admission to the postgraduate diploma or fourth-year honours in Italian.

The honours thesis in Italian provides students with the opportunity to develop research techniques and to benefit from the experience of researching and writing an independent thesis on a topic of their choice. The thesis is normally written in Italian but special permission may be obtained from the Head of the Italian Section for the thesis to be written in English. The main areas of specialisation are Italian linguistics, Italian cinema and cultural studies. Italian literature from the Middle Ages to the present. It is also possible to negotiate theses on other topics with the permission of the Head of the Italian Section after consultation with the appropriate lecturer.

• research skills, through frequent and systematic use of the library and other information sources, the definition of areas of inquiry and familiarisation with research methods;

• critical thinking and analysis;

• understanding of social, political, historical and cultural contexts and international awareness/openness to the world: through the contextualisation of judgements and knowledge, developing a critical self-awareness, being open to new ideas and new aspects of French and Italian culture, and by formulating arguments;

• communicating knowledge intelligibly and economically;

• attention to detail.

A thesis of 12,000 words (a 1000-word summary in Italian is required when the thesis is in English) 100% (due at the end of the second semester of enrolment)