About the Department
About the Department
Mission
The Department of Romance Languages and Literatures is a community of scholar-teachers located in the humanities division of the College of Arts and Letters, the oldest, and traditionally the largest, of the four undergraduate colleges of Notre Dame. As the largest of Notre Dame's foreign language and literature departments, the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures plays a critical role in interpreting and expressing Notre Dame's complex identity as both a residential liberal arts college and a dynamic research university, and in contributing to the University's mission as a Catholic institution of international standing.
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Faculty
The Department of Romance Languages and Literatures features a vigorous cohort of mid-career and younger scholar-teachers with strong research profiles and publication records, national and in some cases international reputations, and a remarkable record of securing grants and outside support for research from the agencies (National Endowment for the Humanities, American Council of Learned Societies, Guggenheim, Fulbright) used by the National Research Council in its rankings. Faculty work in areas that intersect directly, along interdisciplinary and interdepartmental trajectories, with some of the University of Notre Dame’s strongest areas of research and teaching.
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Undergraduate Studies
The Department of Romance Languages and Literatures offers first and supplementary majors in French, Italian, and Spanish, as well as minors in French, Italian, and Portuguese. Students may also study two languages through our Romance Languages major or a concentration in Italian Studies. Starting Fall 2012, Romance Languages has paired with Economics to create the new International Ecomonics Romance Languages major. In addition to the satisfaction and advantages that multilingualism affords, our majors develop invaluable skills in critical, interpretive, and creative thinking that may be used in a variety of career paths. Our students' success rates are unparalleled. Graduates of our program are regularly accepted to some of the most prestigious doctoral programs in the country and have received Fulbright scholarships and other major post-baccalaureate awards.
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Graduate Studies
Over the last decade, the Department has embarked on an unprecedented period of doctoral-level research in addition to our already outstanding tradition in undergraduate education. The M.A. Program offers a comprehensive two-year course of study that cultivates strong theoretical and analytical skills. The Ph.D. in Literature is an innovative interdisciplinary program that allows intellectually creative students to design their own course of study both within and across traditional disciplinary boundaries. Students with interests in Medieval and Renaissance culture also are able to take advantage of the Ph.D. program offered through Notre Dame’s renowned Medieval Institute.
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