Minor

A minor in Romance Studies allows students to gain an appreciation of the Romance languages, cultures and literatures through a uniquely interdisciplinary, transnational and cross-cultural perspective.


Degree Requirements

Students must complete a total of 30 credits, at least 18 of which must be at the 300- or 400-level. Students must have completed at least one of FREN 102, ITAL 102, SPAN 102, or PORT 102, or demonstrated a proficiency level of A1 on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages in one of the Romance languages by the completion of this program.

Students are encouraged to consult with the FHIS Student Programs Coordinator as early in their degree program as possible for guidance in planning a course of study that will best prepare them to achieve their academic and professional goals within the field.

6 credits from:

  • 100-level courses in FREN, ITAL, SPAN, PORT, or CTLN

Note: Students with no prior background in any of these Romance languages are encouraged to take lower-level courses towards this requirement. If students already have a proficiency level of A1 on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages in one of these Romance languages, students may be exempt from this requirement. Please contact FHIS Student Programs Coordinator for further inquiry.

6 credits from:

  • RMST 100 (3) Introduction to Romance Cultures
  • RMST 201 (3) Introduction to Literatures and Cultures of the Romance World I: Medieval to Early Modern
  • RMST 202 (3) Introduction to Literatures and Cultures of the Romance World II: Modern to Post-Modern
  • RMST 260 (3) Introduction to the Analysis of Portuguese and Brazilian Cultures
  • RMST 270 (3) Introduction to Hispanic Cultures
  • RMST 280 (3) Revolution!
  • or FREN, ITAL, SPAN, PORT, CTLN or LATN at any level

Note: These 6 credits cannot be exempt even though students already have a proficiency level of A1 on CEFR in one language. For example, if a student completed Grade 11 Core French or FREN 102, this student can choose to take more courses in French OR can also take lower level courses in one or several other Romance languages.

9 credits from:

  • RMST 300 (3) History of the Romance Languages
  • RMST 301 (3) Prose Fiction and Non-Fiction of the Romance World
  • RMST 302 (3) Theatre and Poetry of the Romance World

9 credits chosen from at least two of the following clusters:

  • Cluster R – Romance Studies:
    • RMST 303 (3) Short Fiction in Romance Literatures
    • RMST 304 (3) Afterlife of the Text: Rewritings and Adaptations
    • RMST 305 (3) Introduction to Romance Language Cinema
    • RMST 306 (3) Language Contact and Multilingualism in the Romance-speaking World
    • RMST 307 (3) Myths, Legends and Tales in Romance Literatures and Cultures
    • RMST 310 (3-9) Special Topics in Romance Studies
    • RMST 395 (3-6) Special Topics Abroad
    • RMST 400 (3) Romance Linguistics
    • RMST 402 (3) Visions of Nature and the Environment in the Romance World
    • RMST 419 (3) Studies in Romance Languages and Literature
    • RMST 495 (3) Research Intensive Seminar in Romance Studies
  • Cluster A – French:
    • RMST 321 (3) French Literature from the Middle Ages to the Revolution
    • RMST 322 (3) French Literatures since the Revolution
    • RMST 324 (3) Quebecois Literature and Culture
    • RMST 325 (3) French Cultural Identities
    • RMST 420 (3-9) Special Topics in Francophone Studies
  • Cluster B – Italian:
    • RMST 341 (3) Shifting Identities in Medieval and Early Modern Italy
    • RMST 342 (3) Italy since the Industrial Revolution
    • RMST 343 (3) Masterpieces of the Novella in Italian Literature
    • RMST 345 (3) Italian Fascism in Interdisciplinary Perspective
    • RMST 350 (3-9) Special Topics in Italian Studies
    • RMST 355 (3) Italian Cinema: Neorealism
    • RMST 452 (3) Italian Cinema in its Cultural Background
    • RMST 453 (3) Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy
    • RMST 454 (3) Topics in the Italian Literature and Culture of the Middle Ages
    • RMST 455 (3) Topics in the Italian Literature and Culture of the Renaissance
    • RMST 456 (3) Classics of Seventeenth-Century Italian Literature and Culture
    • RMST 457 (3) Classics of Eighteenth-Century Italian Literature and Culture
    • RMST 458 (3) Topics in Nineteenth-Century Italian Literature and Culture
    • RMST 459 (3) Topics in Modern and Contemporary Italian Literature and Culture
  • Cluster C – Portuguese:
    • RMST 361 (3) Studies in Portuguese and Brazilian Literature or PORT 392 (3) Studies in Portuguese and Brazilian Literature (in English)
    • RMST 460 (3) Studies in Portuguese and Brazilian Culture or PORT 405 (3) Studies in Portuguese and Brazilian Culture
  • Cluster D – Spanish:
    • RMST 371 (3) The Global Renaissance: Hispanic Cross-Cultural Contacts
    • RMST 372 (3) Hopscotch: Topics in Hispanic Literature or SPAN 312 (3) Hopscotch: Topics in Hispanic Literature (in English)
    • RMST 373 (3) Masterpieces in Hispanic Literature
    • RMST 374 (3) Mapping Gendered Spaces in Hispanic Literature and Culture
    • RMST 375 (3) The Caribbean: Frontiers of the Romance World
    • RMST 376 (3) Genre Transgressions in the Hispanic World
    • RMST 470 (3-9) Special Topics in Hispanic Studies
  • Cluster E – Other Languages:
    • RMST 390 (3) Barcelona

Note: Elective course requirements can also be fulfilled by language, literature, and culture classes taught in the target language (French, Italian, Spanish or other approved Romance languages) when students meet the necessary proficiency requirements in that language. Please contact FHIS Student Programs Coordinator for further inquiry. 

Program Diagram

Click on the diagram below to download the PDF.

RMST program diagram - minor


Declaring a Minor

Science students wishing to add a Romance Studies Minor to a Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree will choose their starting point according to their background, just as BA candidates do, but they will also have to present the Science Faculty’s Minor in an Arts Discipline Approval Form to the Student Programs Coordinator (fhis.undergrad@ubc.ca) to have it filled out and signed before returning it to the Science Advising Office.

BCom candidates will choose their starting point according to their background, just as BA candidates do, but they will also have to present the Sauder School of Business’s Arts Minor Study Plan to the Student Programs Coordinator (fhis.undergrad@ubc.ca) to have it filled out and signed before returning it to the Commerce Undergraduate Program Office.


Course Planning

On this page