Languages and Literatures – Intercultural Studies

What is the objective of the course? What is it?
What does it train you for?

The interclass Bachelor Degree Course Languages and Literatures – Intercultural Studies provides broad training in the field of foreign languages (level B2) and of the European and extra-European literatures and civilizations, allowing students to acquire specific skills in the context of intercultural and multilingual exchanges. The Bachelor Degree Course prepares students for employment in various contexts, from Language Mediation and Intercultural Communication to publishing, and the tourism industry related to the cultural, archaeological and artistic heritage of Sicily. More specifically, students who choose to enrol in class L-11 “Modern Languages and Literatures” will be prepared to find employment as language operators in economic, financial, commercial and cultural institutions, whereas those who enrol in class L-12 “Linguistic Mediation and Italian as a Second Language” will achieve effective skills in the teaching of Italian for foreigners. The Bachelor Degree program is completed by internships and traineeships at Italian and/or foreign companies, institutions, schools or universities, enabling students to apply, integrate and experiment the acquired knowledge and skills within a real business context.

What do you learn?

The Bachelor Degree program includes the following languages: English, French, Spanish, German, Arabic, Chinese and Russian. Students will achieve adequate knowledge of cultural and scientific contents and methods of the foreign languages, linguistic mediation and translation. They also acquire competences in at least two European or extra-European literatures, as well as a solid expertise in linguistic methodologies and in the diachronic study of the different and specific literary traditions. With respect to the teaching of foreign languages, students will be able to learn the graphemic, phonetic and morphosyntactic traits of the studied languages, also in relation to the different levels of the Common European Framework. As far as the literary disciplines are concerned, the Degree Course guarantees the acquisition of the main methods of approach to the literary text as well as of the various methods of textual interpretation.

What can you do with it?

Job opportunities:

• language operator in socio-cultural mediation, Linguistic Mediator and facilitator
• teaching Italian to foreigners
• negotiation interpretation
• translation in the economic-commercial, communication, cultural, tourist fields
• linguistic and cultural consultancy in industry and the tertiary sector (publishing, media, literary and cultural agencies, art and entertainment)
• organization and production of cultural and informative material in the tourism sector
• planning and implementation of intercultural events
• translation in the economic-commercial, communication, cultural, tourist fields

The Bachelor Degree Course provides students with the linguistic and cultural requisites needed to continue in Master Degree Courses in view of both teaching and research preparation. More precisely, they can enrol in the following Master Degree Courses of the University of Palermo: “Languages and Literatures: Interculturality and Education”, “Modern Languages and Translation for International Communications” and “Transnational German Studies”.