Major

A major 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 42 credits, at least 30 of which must be at the 300- or 400-level. Students must have completed at least one of FREN 202, ITAL 202, SPAN 202, or PORT 202, or demonstrated a proficiency level of A2 on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) 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:

  • 200-level courses in FREN, ITAL, SPAN, or PORT

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 A2 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 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 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 A2 on CEFR in one language. For example, if a student has a A2 level in French, this student can choose to take upper level 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

21 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 390 (3)
    • 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
  • 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 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 17th-Century Italian Literature and Culture
    • RMST 457 (3) Classics of 18th-Century Italian Literature and Culture
    • RMST 458 (3) Topics in 19th-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 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

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

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Declaring a Major


Course Planning

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