Department of Italian
Italian in Year 2
Part IB (Year 2)
The Part IB in MML is a recognised independent qualification in the outside world but it is also designed specifically to prepare you for advanced study in Part II of our Tripos. You will continue to improve your command of the language but you will spend proportionally more time and effort studying topics in Italian literature, art, culture, history, thought or philology. You will still be divided into two groups, with differing examination requirements, depending on whether you began Italian at Cambridge (taking Option A in your first year), or whether you arrived with an A-level in Italian (taking Option B in your first year); so in what follows please note the regulations and courses which concern you. You will, however, find that you are fully integrated with members of the other group in the teaching of the scheduled papers and in preparation for the Year Abroad (below); and by the time you take Part II all differences will have disappeared.Option A (ex-ab initio)
If you were an ab initio student in your first year, you will prepare yourself for the following examinations at the end of your second year:Language papers
- Paper IT B1: Use of Italian
- Paper IT B2: Translation from Italian and Oral B
Scheduled papers
- One of the scheduled papers in Italian Part IB, chosen from the list given below.
- Two further papers, which may be:
- Any two scheduled Part IB papers (either in Italian or your other Part I language); or
- Any one scheduled Part IB paper (either in Italian or your other Part I language) plus paper B3 in your other Part IA language.
Option B (ex post A-Level)
If you were a post A-level student in your first year, you will prepare yourself for the following examinations at the end of your second year.Language papers
- Paper IT B3: Translation into Italian and Italian through audio-visual media
- Paper B3 in your other Part I language.
Scheduled papers
- Three scheduled papers in either or both of your Part I languages.
Part 1B Scheduled Papers
There are four Italian papers available to students taking Part IB. For a full list, please see this page.Please note the following points
- All the papers are available to both options.
- You must take at least one of them, and you may take as many as three.
- Papers It 2, It 3, It 4 and It 5 are for Part IB students only. They are specifically designed (as will appear in the course descriptions) to develop the kind of skills you will need in your final year.
- Portfolio of essays option, It 2, It 3, It 4, It 5: It is possible to substitute the examination paper of one of these courses (and only one paper over all your languages) with a portfolio of three of your supervision essays (or other supervision work) done over the year. Please click here for more details.
Part IB (Year 2): both options
Preparations for the Year Abroad
You must spend your third year abroad, and - other things being equal - you could hardly do better than immerse yourself in the language and culture of Italy for eight months by studying at a university there, teaching as a Language Assistant in a school, or gaining experience in an office. This is the time when your two years of 'investment' will pay their 'dividends' handsomely. In recent years between twenty and twenty-five of your predecessors chose Italy every year and the Department will be drawing on their experiences to help you find the right occupation in the right place, and to prepare you in every way it can. In the Michaelmas term there will be an informal gathering for all second-years where you will have the chance to put questions, over a glass of wine, to the current fourth-years who spent last year in Italy. In the Michaelmas Term there will be four classes, given by Dr Alessandra Lombardi, dealing in a down to earth way with such things as the Italian Educational System (particularly the structure of university courses), job applications, and coping with the hassles of daily life. If you are thinking about spending the year in Italy in 2005-06, you may approach Dr Ledgeway at any time for advice and practical help. Further details will be given at the beginning of the Lent term. See also the separate section devoted to the Year Abroad - Departmental pages or Year Abroad - Faculty pages.
