Welcome to Italian studies at Rice University

Students interested in Italian studies at Rice may take courses in a number of disciplines, e.g., music, classical studies, history, architecture, art history, and English. (A more detailed account of university course offerings related to Italy and Italian culture is being prepared. The previous links can be helpful in the interim.) Italian language courses are offered through Center for the Study of Languages (CSL) which is supported by the Language Resource Center.

The Consulate General of Italy in Houston has played an important role in the development of the Italian studies at Rice, through fundraising, scholarship assistance, and participation in cultural initiatives. With thanks especially to Hon. Consul General Cristiano Maggipinto's involvement, new scholarship funding for Rice students has been made available. In the Fall of 2008, the Consulate General of Italy in Houston and the Isitituto Italiano di Cultura in Los Angeles collaborated with Rice's Shepherd School of Music, the Center for the Study of Languages, the Dean of Humanities, the Department of Classical Studies, and the Poetry and Poetics Workshop of the Humanities Resource Center to present the American premiere of an important contemporary musical work (Stabat mater) by the Italian composer Matteo D'Amico of Rome's celebrated musical insitution, the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia.

Other links have been established with the Italian Cultural & Community Center in Houston (ICCC) to strengthen relationships between Rice University and Houston's vibrant Italian community. The ICCC is in the heart of Houston's Museum District near Rice University, and serves as an excellent resource for Rice University students.

Two scholarships have been offered through the Center for the Study of Languages to students of Italian by the DONNE DI DOMANI and by Ugo di Portanova through the PREMIO LETTERARIO DI PORTANOVA.