Course description

The PhD programme in Historical Linguistics, Educational Linguistics and Italian Studies provides advanced skills for high-level research and professional activity through a critical and interdisciplinary approach to linguistic and literary analysis from theoretical, descriptive, educational, historical, philological and historical-critical perspectives. Particular emphasis is placed on the development of theoretical models, sociolinguistic frameworks and linguistic-educational models that reconstruct the contacts and intersections between different languages and cultures; the synchronic and diachronic analysis of Italian in its various varieties; and the interpretation of texts according to the methods of philological, historical-linguistic and literary-critical research.

Programme objectives

The PhD programme is divided into two curricula.

Curriculum 1: "Linguistics and the teaching of Italian as a foreign language" aims to develop advanced skills in the theories and methods of linguistic analysis, both theoretical and descriptive, with reference to both ancient and modern languages, with particular attention to multilingualism, second language acquisition, interlinguistic and intercultural processes. It also focuses on educational linguistic policies and issues of social inclusion through linguistic integration, especially in relation to migration phenomena and bilingualism.

Curriculum 2: 'Historical-Linguistic, Philological and Literary Studies of Italian' aims to develop advanced skills in the interdisciplinary analysis of texts, authors, aspects and periods in the history of the Italian language and literary tradition, including dialectal varieties and linguistic minorities. It further develops a philological approach to texts and focuses on 20th and 21st century literature, contemporary Italian language and its interaction with societal developments and the evolving needs of the educational system, especially with regard to new methodologies and tools.

Career opportunities and prospects

The educational and research activities of the PhD programme will enable graduates to enter various professional fields, including

- Scientific research and training (academic positions, research institutes);

- Project management and administration in cultural and educational organisations involved in language teaching and the language industry;

- Translation and lexicography, including work with dictionary publishers and online language resources;

- Language and language policy consultancy, particularly in the areas of language mediation and international relations;

- Management and processing of linguistic databases, activities related to digital humanities, natural language processing and corpus linguistics;

- Organisation and management of cultural activities, including publishing and journalism;

- Consultancy for inclusive and innovative teaching projects;

- Teaching literary subjects in the Italian school system and linguistic and Italian studies in foreign institutions.