Upon successful completion of the program, students earn 16 Boston University units.
This program is open to students with all levels of Italian. Students with no prior knowledge of Italian are required to enroll in First-Term Italian.
Please note that a minimum enrollment is necessary for a BU Padua course to be offered for the term, and availability is subject to change. All courses are taught by local faculty.
Required Course
Students with no previous knowledge of Italian are required to enroll in CAS LI 111 First Term Italian.
CAS LI 111 First-Semester Italian
This course for beginners offers intensive listening, oral, and written practice of Italian. Reading comprehension is also included. By the end of this course you will be able to greet others, exchange information about family, friends and acquaintances, home, classes, work experience, food, schedules, vacations, pastimes, and getting around an Italian city.
Units: 4
BU Hub areas:
Individual in Community
Elective Courses
Elective courses can be selected from the BU Padua Center as well as the University of Padua course offerings. Course availability varies based upon enrollments, class schedules, and student’s Italian language proficiency and requirements.
Students will select a combination of three BU Padua Center courses and one University of Padua course, or take all four courses at the BU Padua Center. Individual advising is provided through the BU Padua Center.
For University of Padua courses, a high degree of flexibility is required. Students must be aware that they are enrolling in an institution abroad that will function differently from a US institution.
Language Courses
Fall Only
CAS LI 211 Third-Semester Italian
Prerequisite: two terms of college-level Italian, or placement exam results.
Third semester Italian is for students who can already understand and use orally and in writing a variety of regular and irregular verbs in the present and past tense. The students will improve their knowledge of Italian in the areas of communication, cultures, connections and comparisons
Units: 4
BU Hub areas:
Individual in Community
Spring Only
CAS LI 112 Second-Semester Italian
Prerequisite: CAS LI 111; or placement exam results.
Continues the CAS LI 111 basic text: grammar, conversation, compositions. Conducted in Italian. Lab required. Four hours weekly.
Units: 4
BU Hub areas:
Individual in Community
CAS LI 212 Fourth-Semester Italian
Prerequisite: three terms of college-level Italian, or placement exam results.
Fourth semester Italian is for students who can already understand and use orally and in writing a variety of regular and irregular verbs in the present, past, future and conditional tenses. Students will further their knowledge of Italian in the areas of communication, cultures, connections and comparisons
Units: 4
BU Hub areas:
Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Individual in Community
Elective Courses Taught in English
All courses below are held at the BU Padua Center.
CAS AH 349 Between the Lily and the Lion: Art in Renaissance Padua
During the course students will learn to identify critical developments in art history in the city of Padua from the beginning of the 1300 to the end of the 1500 and how to draw relevant comparisons with contemporary work in Florence and Venice. In so doing students will be able to reconstruct the cultural and artistic exchanges that gave birth to the phenomenon called Renaissance.
Units: 4
BU Hub areas:
Aesthetic Exploration
Historical Consciousness
CAS HI 263 Modern Italian History
This course follows the history of Italy’s rapid transformation from agricultural economy to industrial and post-industrial country. Starting from Italy’s “liberal” period of 1870s through World War I, the course then introduces students to Fascism and the Mussolini era. From post-war republicanism, the course moves on to the 1970s, and traces the historical roots of current economic crises and issues. On-site classes are part of this course.
Units: 4
SHA HF 323/CAS SO 333 Italian Food Culture and Society: Foundations, Transitions and Representations
The course will introduce students to the peculiarities of the Italian food system from a cultural, social and economic perspective. Drawing from assumptions developed within Food Studies, and in particular within the Anthropology of Food, and Sociology of Food and Nutrition, students will acquire knowledge and literacy concerning identity, sustainability, globalization and socio-cultural change, as well as ethnographic, visual and qualitative methods which will help them understand and analyze our contemporary societies and, in particular, the Italian one.
Units: 4
BU Hub areas:
Social Inquiry I
Ethical Reasoning
CAS IR 334 European Politics and Policy Challenges: Italy and the United States
The course will explore how and why the European Union was born as well as the concept of Europeanization. Starting from this topic, students will learn how EU member states differentiate themselves in terms of institutional setting, party systems, politics and policies. By observing the current political and institutional development of the European member states, and drawing a comparison with the U.S., the course also aims at exploring a possible democratic deficit in the EU and the multi-level policymaking in the European Union.
Units: 4
BU Hub areas:
Individual in Community
Social Inquiry II
CFA MH 340 Italian Music: From Renaissance to 20th Century Avant-Garde
The course examines the history, evolution, and main aesthetic features of Italian music from the 16th century to the mid-20th century. Italy played a central role in the development of music, witnessing the birth of opera, the cantata, oratorio, sonata, concerto, and symphony, all of which were disseminated internationally, creating a cohesive, international musical style. The main aim of the course is to provide students with a comprehensive view on the making and developments of the main Italian music genres, from Renaissance to post-WWII Avant-gardes.
Units: 4
BU Hub areas:
Aesthetic Exploration
Historical Consciousness
Elective Courses Taught in Italian
Please note: Some courses may carry language prerequisites as indicated in course syllabi.
CAS HI 260 The Venetian Republic: Rise and Fall of a Global Power
Founded around the 5th-6th century by former Roman fleeing the barbarian invasions, Venice has been for centuries one of the strongest and most powerful political entities. Venice was for centuries one of the most powerful political global powers until its fall in 1797.
Units: 4
BU Hub areas:
Historical Consciousness
Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Research and Information Literacy
CAS LI 303 Exploring Padua: Culture, Language, and Life
Spring only.
Prerequisite: CAS LI 212, fourth-term college-level Italian, or the equivalent.
The students explore the city of Padua and its surroundings, developing their analytic skills in order to understand and analyze contemporary culture, language and traditions which set their roots in ancient history, art, science and literature. Students familiarize themselves with some of the hot topics regarding life in Padua and in the Veneto area. They actively investigate places, become aware of the national and regional identity, face linguistic issues, establish relationships, explore academic as well as socio-political life, an discuss about the trends of tourism and economy in Italy.
Units: 4
BU Hub areas:
Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Oral and/or Signed Communication
Writing-Intensive Course
CAS LI 354 Contemporary Italian Literature
Spring only.
Prerequisite: 4 terms of college level Italian or the equivalent
The course will explore the main literary works and movements of contemporary Italian literature, starting from the end of the Second World War until today, and will provide students with the skills to conduct an analysis of literary works in Italian. Students will also learn figurative language, the terminology that is necessary to understand and speak about literature and will learn to identify and interpret different literary genres such as short stories, novels, and novellas, graphic novels.
Units: 4
BU Hub areas:
Aesthetic Exploration
Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Writing-Intensive Course
Fall Only
CAS LI 308 Venetian Landscapes: A Contemporary Grand Tour
Prerequisite: CAS LI 212, fourth-term college-level Italian, or the equivalent.
The Veneto region, where Padua always played and still plays a lively cultural role, has inspired artists, musicians, writers throughout the centuries. Johann W. Goethe, Lord Byron and Henry James, among others, wrote beautiful memories of their Italian journeys and left us extraordinary depictions of cities like Padua, Venice and Verona, surrounded by hills, mountains, lagoons and rural landscapes. Following the path of these famous travelers, the course aims to offer students the opportunity to discover the Veneto region through literary and cultural experiences. By means of on-site lessons, readings and field trips, students are able to recognize the local identity that deepens its roots into the landscape (natural and human), culture (progress and tradition), language (Italian and dialect), history and society.
Units: 4
BU Hub areas:
Global Citizenship & Intercultural Literacy
Oral and/or Signed Communication
CAS LI 355 Italian Migrant Literature
Prerequisite: 4 terms of college level Italian or the equivalent.
While at the end of the Nineteenth Century and the first half of the Twentieth Century, Italy was a country of emigration, recent history shows that it has become the country of destination for many people. This change concerns diverse aspects of life at various levels: social, anthropological, economic, but also linguistic and cultural. The course introduces students to different aspects of Italian migrant literature (e.g. history, style, topics) from its appearing in the late Eighties to today. Students will approach literary works written by authors with different intercultural backgrounds.
Units: 4
BU Hub areas:
Aesthetic Exploration
Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Writing-Intensive Course
University of Padua Elective Courses
University of Padua courses are taught either in Italian or in English. Students will select the appropriate course based on individual advising that they will receive once they arrive in Padua.
Please note that the University of Padua term starts a month after the beginning of the Padua program. The availability of a particular course cannot be guaranteed. Flexibility is highly recommended.
The list of courses below are courses that have been offered in past terms, and is subject to variation from one term to another. There is no guarantee that the courses below will be offered during your desired term of enrollment. Some courses may also be in conflict with courses held at the BU Padua Center. It is highly recommended that each student identify alternate course choices in addition to their primary choices.
For a complete list of courses, visit the UNIPD website.
BU Study Abroad students have taken courses in the following University of Padua departments in past terms: