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French & Italian News

Read article: The Daily Illini on French and Francophone events
The Daily Illini on French and Francophone events
The many French and Francophone events organized as part of the French Around the Corner initiative have made it into in our university’s independent, student-run newspaper, The Daily...
Read article: Online Information Session on our Graduate Programs
Online Information Session on our Graduate Programs
Dear prospective graduate students,Please join us at our online information session on graduate programs in French and in Italian at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.The information session will be held on Zoom on Friday, October 24, 2025 from 1 to 2:30 pm...
Read article: FRIT and Friends at the Humanities Open House
FRIT and Friends at the Humanities Open House
The University’s first-ever Humanities Open House, held on Saturday, October 4, 2025, was a success. The many events offered on or near the Main Quad highlighted the best of what the humanities have to offer — from academic programs, research, and resources to student- and alumni-...
Read article: "French Around The Corner" Public Engagement Project awarded LAS Inclusive Excellence funding
"French Around The Corner" Public Engagement Project awarded LAS Inclusive Excellence funding
The College of LAS has awarded a $6,000 Inclusive Excellence funding to Prof. Mroz for her innovative public engagement project titled French Around The Corner. "The Office of Inclusive Excellence is delighted to partner with...
Read article: Italian Movie Night - La vita è bella
Italian Movie Night - La vita è bella
Join us for Italian Movie Night (La vita è bella)Location: Armory (room 147)Date: Sep 25, 2025   5:00 pm  Sponsor: Department of French & ItalianContact: Leonardo Chiaranti (leo85@illinois.edu) and hectorc2@illinois....
Read article: Francophone Film Festival (Sept 12 - Dec 5)
Francophone Film Festival (Sept 12 - Dec 5)
The Department of French & Italian is proud to present this year's Francophone Film Festival of Champaign Urbana.Click on this link for more informationThe event will take...

Highlighted Courses

FR 215 picture

French in the Community

Tuesdays & Thursdays - 10-10:50 am, 1028 Lincoln Hall. Introduction to French-speaking communities in the Champaign-Urbana area. Students collaborate with community partners who serve French-speaking populations, developing contextualized oral proficiency and civic engagement and reflecting on the various cultures, practices, perspectives, and influences of French in our local community of Urbana-Champaign and the American Midwest. Class requires a service-learning component in addition to the regular class times. Students must arrange 20 hours of service learning outside of the classroom over the semester in coordination with the instructor. Taught in French.

ITAL 210

Practical Review of Italian

Mondays - 2-3:20 pm in G18, LCLB Wednesdays - online (arranged). Reviews challenges in Italian grammar, with emphasis on the verb system. Students enhance their ability to understand, speak, and write Italian through practice of the main grammatical structures of Italian. The review is integrated with contemporary print, audio, and visual materials that provide a comprehensive analysis of the language in practice, embedded in knowledge about Italian society, culture, and history. Some of these texts focus on the status and role of women in Italy.

Translation

Techniques in Translation

Tuesdays - online (arranged) Thursdays - 3-4:20 pm, 325 Gregory Hall. Practical introduction in the theories and techniques of translating technical, commercial, scientific, and literary texts from English into French and vice versa. This course may be taught in English or in French; check with the instructor. Same as TRST 419.

Masterpieces

Masterpieces in Italian Literature

Tuesdays and Thursdays, 2-3:20 pm, G46 LCLB. The course explores the boundaries between human and non human animals as they emerge from the fourteenth to the sixteenth century in Italy and Southern Europe. Through reading literary texts such as Giovanni Boccaccio’s Decameron, Moderata "Fonte’s Floridoro," Luigi Pulci’s "Morgante," and medical texts such as Girolamo Fracastoro’s "On Contagion," we will trace the formation of distinctions between species. Investigative categories will include the distinctions between humans and non humans include metamorphosis, contagion, education, taxonomy, subjugation, hunting, representation, anthropomorphism and zoomorphism, wilderness, misogyny, and promiscuity. Taught in English. Readings in Italian for Italian Majors and graduate students in Italian Studies.

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