Franklin Italian Immersion Program
Program Overview
The Franklin Immersion Experience is a multifaceted program in Italian language and culture. It offers an Italian-language experience grounded in a classroom experience, residential living in Italian and an all Italian-speaking Academic Travel program. Like all Franklin students, participants in the immersion experience live in the greater Lugano community; have the opportunity to travel regularly throughout Switzerland, Italy and other parts of Europe, and interact on a daily basis with the international community that is Franklin College. Our proximity to Italy and ability to offer a variety of courses taught in Italian help both study-abroad and Franklin students not only to become fluent in Italian but also to gain an understanding of the local culture; ultimately preparing them to enjoy more culturally enriched lives.
Why study Italian in Switzerland?
The Canton of Ticino is a rich and fascinating example of the vitality of the Italian language and culture outside of Italy. This vitality is reflected by the absolute preference given to the Italian language by the Lugano community, a phenomenon that does not fail to strike new visitors to the area. An international city steeped in Italian language and culture, Lugano plays a key role as a cultural and commercial center in Europe. A semester in Lugano offers a unique opportunity for students who wish to perfect their knowledge of Italian language and culture while benefiting from a rich variety of European perspectives.
Italian Immersion Experience
The Italian Immersion Spring Semester at Franklin is designed for students who have completed a minimum of four 3-credit or three 4-credit courses of Italian language or the equivalent. In addition to courses in Italian language at the 300-301 level (fifth and sixth semesters of college instruction), the Italian Immersion Experience includes courses not often available in US universities, including Italian Drama of the Renaissance: Experiments in Cross-Culturality, Carlo Goldoni: From Commedia dell'Arte to Bourgeois Comedy, and Workshop in Italian Theater. An additional opportunity stems from Franklin’s affiliation with the Facoltà di Teologia, closely associated with the Università della Svizzera Italiana (USI), through which students can take a supplementary course in film or philosophy. All courses are taught in Italian and all work is completed in Italian.
Every semester an Italian-speaking Academic Travel to Italy is offered for a minimum of ten days, with a focus on relevant aspects of the chosen Italian region's history and culture. Future academic travels will include Paestum, Pompeii, Naples and Rome; The Pianura Padana (The Po Valley); Tuscany, and The Republic of Venice, c.500-1797, between History and Art.
Bilingual Italian Experience
The bilingual Italian Semester at Franklin College is a flexible program that allows students double-majoring or double-minoring in Italian to make the most of their Franklin experience. Students can choose up to three courses from among those offered in the Italian Immersion Semester. The remaining 1-2 courses can be chosen from among the numerous courses taught in English. Students may also sign up for the bilingual Italian Semester in fall in preparation for the spring immersion experience.
