The Italian Department at Rutgers University is committed to the research and teaching of Italian language, literature, and culture from all periods?from classical antiquity and Dante to opera, theater, and contemporary film and visual culture. Members of our graduate faculty approach Italian culture from a range of disciplinary and theoretical perspectives, such as philology, theology, political philosophy, cultural theory, film theory, postcolonial studies, and cultural studies of food, gender and sexuality. Students in our PhD program typically specialize in a 200-year period of Italian literature and culture before designating a unique field tailored to their research interests. In addition, our department offers extensive pedagogical training in all levels of Italian language, literature, and culture. Our doctoral students complete coursework in the Italian Department, as well as the programs in Comparative Literature and Cinema Studies, and the Departments of English, History, German, Spanish and Portuguese, French, Art History, and Philosophy. Students may also take advantage of graduate fellowships and seminars at the Rutgers Center for Cultural Analysis, the Center for Historical Analysis, Center for Race and Ethnicity, and the Institute for Research on Women.