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About the Major
The Department of Romance Languages and Literatures (RL&L) is a cornerstone of the humanities at Wesleyan and the University’s gateway to the French-, Italian-, and Spanish-speaking worlds. We represent literary and cultural traditions that extend from the Middle Ages to the present. We teach languages, literatures, and cultures that span Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas. Our students develop and apply their knowledge and skills through the extracurricular activities and study-abroad opportunities that we promote. Through a network of collaborations across departments and divisions, we support a wide array of majors, academic programs, and initiatives.
Students interested in enrolling in French, Italian, or Spanish at the elementary or intermediate levels are urged to do so during their first and sophomore years.
Department policy gives priority to first-year and sophomore students in our language classes (numbered 101-112) to allow students to study abroad and to meet the requirements of those programs requiring language study. Juniors and seniors who wish to take elementary and intermediate language courses should submit an online enrollment request and attend the first class. They may be accepted during the drop/add period if seats become available. Should a junior or senior enroll in the first course of an ampersand sequence (such as 101-102), he or she will have priority for the second course, just like first-year and sophomore students.
Romance Studies
The Romance studies major provides students the opportunity to develop a broad knowledge of two or more of the Romance cultures taught at Wesleyan (French, Italian, Spanish) through a flexible, interdisciplinary program combining course work in a number of fields that may serve as the basis for future work or further academic or professional studies. Students who are interested in this major should contact the chair of the department.
- Nine courses at or above determined levels (FREN223, ITAL112, SPAN221) in two Romance Languages
- Determination of a “major” (five courses, “1L”) and “minor” (four courses “2L”) focus
- A minimum of two comparative projects to be completed on Wesleyan’s Middletown campus in a course within each of the two language groups
- At least one course taken in both 1L and 2L following the student’s study-abroad experience
- At least one course taken in both 1L and 2L in the student’s senior year
- Study abroad for 2L to take place on a Wesleyan-sponsored study-abroad program. Alternatively, students may, with the advisor’s advanced statement of support, study on another approved program. This practice is intended to promote the intellectual coherence of a major in which students acquire one language (2L) more recently than another.
- Students may take one course through the medium of English in 1L only.
- With the advisor’s approval, students may satisfy the comparative requirement by way of course work and/or written work conducted on a study abroad program.
- Students whose 1L placement is higher than FREN215, ITAL112, SPAN221 are required to complete nine courses, two of which may be in English in 1L only.
- Up to three courses taken during study abroad may be used for the major, combining both 1L and 2L, unless the student has very high standing in 1L. See the sample transcripts below.
- Except in extremely rare circumstances, students may not double major in any of the majors sponsored by the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures: RMST, IBST, SPAN, FRST, ITST.
- Senior essays or theses must be comparative and involve the literatures and/or cultures of both 1L and 2L.
Sample transcripts: two students, staggered start of 2L, study abroad one semester
| YR | SEM | Student 1 1L (major) | Student 1 2L (minor) | Student 2 1L (major) | Student 2 2L (minor) |
| FR | F | 1L 221 | 2L 101 | 1L 221 | |
| S | 1L 2++ | 2L 102 | 1L 2++ | |
|
| SO | F | 1L 2++ | 2L 111 | |
2L 101 |
| S | |
2L 112 | 1L 2++ or Eng (or 0)* | 2L 102 | |
| JU | F |
Wes abroad 1L Wes abroad 1L Wes abroad (not RLANG or 2L) Wes abroad (not RLANG or 2L) |
|
1L 2++ or Eng (or 0)* | 2L 111 |
| S | 1L 2++ OR related course in English*/**(Or 0) | 2L 2++ (or 0) | |
Wes abroad 2LWes abroad 2L Wes abroad (1L or not RLANG) Wes abroad (1L or not RLANG) |
|
| SE | |
1L 2++ OR Eng*/**(Or 0)____________1L 2++ OR Eng*/**(Or 0) | 2L 2++ ** (or 0) 2L 2++ ** (or 0) | 1L 2++ or Eng (or 0)** 1L 2++ or Eng (or 0)** | 2L 2++ **2L 2++ ** |
- *1 course on the subject matter of the culture/country in English permitted for the major in 1L.
- **Students required to take at least one course in both 1L and 2L following study abroad.
- Students required to take at least 1 course in both 1L and 2L in the senior year.
- Courses in bold: accepted as courses for RMST major
- 1L = major language focus: either French, Italian, or Spanish
- 2L = minor language focus: either French, Italian, or Spanish
- F = Fall / S = Spring
Sample transcripts: two students, staggered start of 2L, study abroad two semesters, 1 in each of the target cultures
| YR | SEM | Student 1 1L (major) | Student 1 2L (minor) | Student 2 1L (major) | Student 2 2L (minor) |
| FR | F | 1L 221 | 2L 101 | 1L 221 | |
| S | 1L 2++ | 2L 102 | 1L 2++ | |
|
| SO | F | 1L 2++ | 2L 111 | |
2L 101 |
| S | |
2L 112 | 1L 2++ or Eng (or 0) | 2L 102 | |
| JU | F |
Wes abroad (or another program) Wes abroad (not RLANG) abroad (not RLANG) |
|
|
Wes abroad Wes abroad (not RLANG) abroad (not RLANG) |
| S | |
Wes abroad (or another program) Wes abroad(not RLANG) abroad (not RLANG) |
Wes abroad Wes abroad (not RLANG) abroad (not RLANG) |
|
|
| SE | |
1L 2++ OR Eng(Or 0)____________ 1L 2++ OR Eng(Or 0) |
2L 2++ (or 0)2L 2++ (or 0) |
1L 2++ or Eng (or 0) 1L 2++ or Eng (or 0) |
2L 221 2L 2++ |
- *1 course in English on subject/culture permitted for the major in 1L.
- **Students required to take at least one course in both 1L and 2L following study abroad.
- Students required to take at least 1 course in both 1L and 2L in the senior year.
- Courses in bold: accepted as courses for RMST major
- F = Fall / S = Spring
- 1L = major language focus: either French, Italian, or Spanish
- 2L = minor language focus: either French, Italian, or Spanish
Sample transcripts: students with very high placement in 1L
| YR | SEM | Student 1 1L (major) | Student 1 2L (minor) | Student 2 1L (major) | Student 2 2L (minor) |
| FR | F | 1L 2++ or Eng* | 2L 101 | 1L 2++ | |
| S | 1L 2++ or Eng* | 2L 102 | 1L 2++ | |
|
| SO | F | 1L 2++ | 2L 111 | |
2L 101 |
| S | |
2L 112 | 1L 2++ or Eng (or 0)* | 2L 102 | |
| JU | F |
Wes abroad (or another program) Wes abroad (not RLANG or 2L) abroad (not RLANG or 2L) |
|
|
2L 111 |
| S | |
2L 2++** (or 0) |
Wes abroad (or another program) Abroad 2L abroad (not RLANG) abroad (not RLANG) |
|
|
| SE | |
1L 2++ OR Eng**/***(Or 0)____________ 1L 2++ OR Eng**/***(Or 0) |
2L 2++ ** (or 0)2L 2++ ** (or 0) |
1L 2++ or Eng (or 0)*/**/***1L 2++ or Eng (or 0) */**/*** |
2L 221 **2L 2++ |
- *2 courses in English on subject culture/country permitted for the major in 1L.
- **Students required to take at least one course in both 1L and 2L following study abroad.
- Students required to take at least one course in both 1L and 2L in the senior year.
- Courses in bold: accepted as courses for RMST major
- F = Fall / S = Spring
- 1L = major language focus: either French, Italian, or Spanish
- 2L = minor language focus: either French, Italian, or Spanish
All majors are strongly encouraged to spend at least one semester studying abroad in a Romance-language-speaking country. In addition to Wesleyan's own programs in Bologna, Madrid, and Paris, there are currently Wesleyan-approved study-abroad programs in Argentina, Brazil, Cameroon, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, France (internships in Francophone Europe in Paris, Aix-en-Provence, Grenoble), Italy (Florence, Padua, Rome), Madagascar, Mexico, and Senegal. Wesleyan also sends one exchange student a year to the Institut d'Etudes Politiques in Paris. Students who have strong academic reasons for wishing to participate in other programs may also petition the International Studies Committee for permission to do so. For information on the approved programs and the petition process, contact the Office of International Studies, 105 Fisk Hall (gwinter@wesleyan.edu).
Majors with a minimum grade point average of 92 in courses taken for the major may choose to complete a one- or two-semester project for departmental honors. The course credit(s) associated with the project are not applicable to the nine required for completion of the major. See department web site, click on Honors & Regulations.
See department web site, click on Honors & Regulations.
See department web site, click on Honors & Regulations.
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