Arts & Languages Department

Broaden your horizons as you immerse yourself in an enriching study of the arts developed in cultures around the world.

Students enrolled in our Arts & Languages Department gain the skills needed to become engaged and informed contributors to a multicultural and ever-changing society.

By experiencing various means of expression through art, literature, theater and much more, you will develop an appreciation for worldwide cultures, while gaining the practical language skills that will help you to succeed in many fields in the future.

Three students stand in the art gallery while one students explains a painting.

Arts Leadership (BA)

Spanish (BA)

A student with a pony tail and glasses smiles and looks up toward the front of the room during class.

Spanish and Adolescent Education (BA/MST)

The Iona College Dance Ensemble performs on stage.

Dance (Minor)

A student stands in the Colosseum in Rome, Italy.

Italian (Minor)

Music (Minor)

2019 Iona College graduate Gisela and two other actors on stage in a play.

Theatre (Minor)

A female student stands at an easel painting in the campus quad.

Visual Arts (Minor)

Contact Us

Arts & Languages Department

Thomas E. Mussio, Ph.D., Chair
tmussio@iona.edu

Hannah Park, Ph.D., Assistant Chair
hpark@iona.edu

Three students sit at a table on campus and talk.

Fine & Performing Arts Mission

The Fine & Performing Arts Program supports the mission of Iona University through its commitment to developing creativity, problem-solving and independent and adaptable thinking skills in its students through the study of four arts disciplines - music, dance, theatre, and visual arts. In the liberal arts tradition, the Fine & Performing Arts Program further provides all students with the foundation for aesthetic literacy as the study in the arts builds the bridges necessary for connecting knowledge with the greater issues of value and meaning and inculcates lifelong learners with an enduring integration of mind, body and spirit.
(Revised, December 2012)

Fine & Performing Arts Student Outcomes

The Fine & Performing Arts Program strives to:

Provide knowledge and skills for aesthetic literacy.
Develop awareness of design/composition elements/techniques.
Deeper knowledge of/acceptance of self.
Develop appreciation/reverence for human experience in the arts.
Inculcate cultural/personal diversity, tolerance for disagreement.
Explore ethical, value, and moral meanings in the arts.
Provide opportunities for personal expression via studio activities.
Integration of arts studies with on-campus arts events.
Connection of Iona arts studies with New York City cultural resources.

Foreign Languages Mission

The Foreign Languages Program of Iona University is devoted to academic excellence and seeks to provide students with a solid foundation in foreign languages and cultures. At both the undergraduate and graduate levels the department offers stimulating courses of study based in liberal learning, with the view that students who complete a program in foreign languages will be able to participate more fully in today's rapidly evolving workplace and social climate.

Students will be challenged to develop their skills in critical and analytical thinking and oral and written communication.
Students will be exposed to ideas, beliefs, and writings that will promote their intellectual, cultural, and moral development.
Through participation in programs at home and abroad, students will deepen their self-awareness and commitment to thoughtfulness, tolerance, decency, and compassion.
Students will enjoy an atmosphere that inspires a life-long love of learning that will enhance the quality of their lives.
A program in foreign languages will both support and interface with other areas of study such as international studies, international business and education.