School of Historical and European Studies
Italian Studies Program
Italian has been taught at La Trobe since 1974. In 1981 the University received from the Vaccari Foundation a grant to establish a Foundation Chair of Italian to be known as the Vaccari Chair of Italian Studies. The first professor, Giovanni Carsaniga, was appointed in 1982. The second, John Gatt-Rutter, took up his duties in 1991. The Program has consistently had a high community and academic profile. |
Teaching
Italian language is only available to students taught at the Melbourne
(Bundoora) campus. There is a fourth-year Honours program and the possibility
of undertaking Masters and PhD degrees by research.
Areas of study include:
- Modern Italy
- Medieval and Renaissance Literature
- Italian Literature and Society from Unification Until the Present
Time
- Translation Studies
- Italo-Australian Literature
Study Abroad
La Trobe University has exchange agreements with a number of Italian universities
and students regularly undertake study in Italy for which credit may be
granted towards their degree. Students may apply for La Trobe University
scholarships and for Italian government scholarships. Contact Dr Nicole
Prunster n.prunster@latrobe.edu.au
Community Links
The Program has strong links with the large Melbourne Italian community and Italian diplomatic authorities. Various staff members give public lectures, participate in initiatives at the Italian Cultural Institute and contribute to Italian language newspapers and radio programs.
Career Opportunities
A knowledge of the Italian language and culture is a distinct advantage in many careers involving interaction with other people. In professional fields such as the public service, hospitality, tourism, banking and nursing, knowledge of Italy and its language is considered highly advantageous and, at times, essential.
Other areas in which recent graduates of Italian Studies have found employment include: social work, art history and restoration, international airlines, journalism, multicultural television and radio, and teaching.
Graduate Profiles
See what some of our graduates are doing.
Vaccari Chair of Italian Studies
Italian has been taught at La Trobe University since 1974. The Vaccari Foundation, which had been established by the family of prominent Melbourne businessman Gualtiero Vaccari, endowed the Vaccari Chair of Italian Studies in 1981. The first Vaccari Professor was Giovanni Carsaniga who held the position between 1982 and 1989. The present Vaccari Professor is John Gatt-Rutter.
Gualtiero Vaccari came to Melbourne from the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy in 1912. During the Second World War, the Labor government of John Curtin appointed him as Italian Liaison Officer, in the absence of Italian diplomatic representatives. Apart from his success in various business ventures, he was also a significant figure in the establishment and development of Australia's post-war Italian immigration program, ably representing Italian migrants' interests to the Immigration Minister, Arthur Calwell. As well as endowing the La Trobe University Vaccari Chair in Italian Studies, the Vaccari Trust established by his family built two homes for the Italian aged in Melbourne and has also supported a wide range of academic and cultural activities.
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