As a sign of continued recovery from the Great Recession, the University of Nevada, Reno has revived some course offerings, including Italian studies. Beginning this fall, the Department of World Languages & Literature in the College of Liberal Arts will offer an Italian studies minor. The minor's courses include Italian language through film, conversation classes, culture and an interdisciplinary course on Contemporary Italy.

"Choosing the Italian minor will help students studying music, art, cuisine or civilization," Italian adjunct instructor and course coordinator Costantina Cunningham said. "Knowing Italian will enable you to better understand the language, and many large, multinational corporations - such as General Electric, Chrysler, IBM, Exxon mobil and Citibank - do business and have offices in America and seek those who speak Italian."

Cunningham, a native of Italy, was also educated there. She brings her first-hand experiences to the University and seeks students interested in the culture.

"I want students to know that learning Italian helps them in every other aspect of education they might be interested in," Cunningham said. "Learning Italian can help you trace your hereditary roots, give you a higher appreciation for fashion design, better enjoy classical and opera origins in music, view World Heritage Sites and their civilizations, and like I previously said, the Italian language is good for business."

Minor requirements equal 21 units of courses. Of the 21, 15 units must be core courses taken through the World Languages & Literature Department. These courses will be identified by the ITAL prefix. Students can also use ITAL credits to satisfy credits towards history, art, and Core Objective 11.

Along with on-campus learning, the University has an exchange program with Italy, in Reggio Emilia, Torino, Verona and Viterbo, through the University Studies Abroad Consortium.

"Italian is one of the most studied languages in United States colleges and I hope students take advantage of this great opportunity," Cunningham said.