Romance Languages & Literatures Program

Requirements for the Majors

The Romance languages and literatures major includes work in two of the following Romance languages: French, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish. The student will select two languages, one for primary and one for secondary emphasis. The student is also encouraged to attain intermediate-level competence in a third Romance language or Latin. Students interested in Portuguese should consult the chair of the committee for appropriate Five College courses.

Credits

A minimum of 40 credits
28 credits must be at the 300 level

Courses

The 28 credits at the 300 level should be divided as follows:
16 credits should be dedicated to the language and literature of primary emphasis.
12 credits should be dedicated to the language and literature of secondary emphasis.
French 203 and below and Spanish/Italian 201 and below do not count toward the 40-credit minimum.

Other

Advanced courses in the major should be chosen to provide both a varied background and a means of focusing and unifying the major.
In the years when it is offered, qualified students are expected to elect the Seminar in the Romance Languages and Literatures (Romlg 375).

Normally the student is well advised first to broaden her acquaintance with the two principal cultures in which she is working, then to select a more specific aspect--a topic, theme, period, literary form, or genre, for example--around which to organize her choice of courses. Students desiring to develop an advanced knowledge of languages as their specific focus can consider advanced language courses in French, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish that are available through the Five College Consortium.

No more than 4 credits of independent study (not including thesis credits) may be counted toward the 28 required credits at the 300 level. Independent Study credits taken as part of an honors thesis do not count toward the requirements for the major.

Romance languages and literatures is an interdisciplinary major. Students who pursue an interdisciplinary major automatically fulfill the College's "outside the major" requirement (see Outside the Major).

Study Abroad

Students should enhance their major by spending an academic year in a country where one of the languages of their major is spoken. Students who plan to take part in a study abroad program must consult both the chair of the Romance languages and literatures committee and the chair of the target language. Normally, credits earned while studying abroad satisfy some of the requirements of the major.

Allied Courses

Students are advised to complement their study of Romance languages and literatures with related courses in the fields of humanities and social sciences. These courses should broaden the cultural and linguistic expertise of the student.