This information is part of the Colgate University catalog, 2022-23.
Faculty |
---|
Professors Gallucci, Julien (Chair), Plata Parga, Rugg Associate Professors Facchini, Pérez-Carbonell, Riley, Stolova, Zegarra Assistant Professor Sandoval-Leon Senior Lecturers Escudero Moro, Mejía-Barrera, Merklin, Ramakrishnan Visiting Assistant Professors Brown, Fonseca Malavasi |
The aim of this department is to provide students with a solid foundation in the languages, cultures, literatures, and other forms of artistic production of the French-, Italian-, and Spanish-speaking worlds. Language courses work to improve students' abilities in speaking, comprehending, reading, and writing in French, Italian, or Spanish, while providing an introduction to culture. Structured in levels of increasing complexity, literature, film or theater courses foster the improvement of analytical and critical skills, an enhanced aesthetic appreciation of works of literary, cinematic or theaterical works, and a broader understanding of linguistic and cultural diversity. Many of the courses offered in the department may be taken by students who do not plan to major in French or Spanish but who would like to maintain or develop their knowledge of these languages and cultures. Given the multicultural nature of the United States today, familiarity with a second language and culture will enhance a student's preparation for a career in any profession. Advanced study of Spanish (300 level and higher) makes the student eligible for the intimate contact with a foreign culture available through the department's study group abroad. A major in French or Spanish can be particularly useful in the fields of law, business, international trade, journalism, education, and public administration.
The department offers majors and minors in both French and Spanish, but not in Italian. Courses counting toward these majors are conducted entirely in the appropriate language.
Awards
The Award for Excellence in French Studies — awarded in recognition of consistently outstanding performance in French.
The Award for Excellence in Italian Studies — awarded in recognition of consistently outstanding performance in Italian.
The Award for Excellence in Spanish Studies — awarded in recognition of exceptional contributions to the life of the Spanish program within the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures.
The Charles A. Choquette Memorial Prize — established in honor of Charles Choquette, professor of French and Spanish from 1927 to 1967 and chair from 1953 to 1962. This prize is awarded to one or more students for excellence in French language and literature.
David B. Jutten Prize for Romance Languages — established in 1914 for a prize for excellence in Romance languages.
Advanced Placement and Transfer Credit
University credit is automatically granted to entering students who achieve a score of 4 or higher on AP examinations in French language and Spanish language or literature. Major credit is granted for a score of 5.
The following course equivalents are established: In French, language grade of 4 = 202; language grade of 5 = 361. In Spanish, language grade of 4 = 202; language grade of 5 = 361; literature grade of 4 = 202; literature grade of 5 = 202, and exemption from a major credit at the 350 level.
Students with an AP language grade of 3 may take FREN 202 or SPAN 202 or higher. Students with an AP language or literature grade of 4 or higher must register at the 300 level to continue their study of French or Spanish. No more than two AP or transfer credits, or combination of the two, may be counted for a French or Spanish major or minor.
No more than one major or minor credit may be transferred from an approved program. To be accepted, such courses must be comparable in quality and scope to courses offered at Colgate. Students who hope to transfer a credit from an approved program must provide the department chair with documentation about the course for approval prior to enrolling in that program, and may be asked to present their work to the chair for evaluation upon return.
Honors and High Honors
French
Departmental honors requires a cumulative GPA of 3.00 and an average in all major courses of 3.30. After selecting a topic and adviser, the student registers for FREN 490 during one of the semesters of the senior year and writes a paper of significant length and depth. The quality of the paper determines whether the student receives honors (A– or higher required).
Departmental high honors requires a cumulative GPA of 3.00 and an average in all major courses of 3.70. After selecting a topic and adviser, the student registers for FREN 491 in the seventh term in order to compile a bibliography, gather materials, and begin the preparation of a thesis. The student then registers for FREN 490 in the eighth term in order to complete the thesis. The final version serves as the basis for an oral examination by three or more members of the faculty. The quality of the thesis and of the oral defense determines whether the student receives high honors (A or higher) or honors (A–).
A 490-course registration must be in addition to the minimum major requirement. The expected length of an honors paper or high honors thesis is established by the adviser in consultation with the department chair.
Spanish
Departmental honors requires a cumulative GPA of 3.00 and an average in all major courses of 3.30. After selecting a topic and adviser, the student registers for SPAN 490 during one of the semesters of the senior year and writes a paper of significant length and depth. The quality of the paper determines whether the student receives honors (A– or higher required).
Departmental high honors requires a cumulative GPA of 3.00 and an average in all major courses of 3.70. After selecting a topic and adviser, the student registers for SPAN 491 in the seventh term in order to compile a bibliography, gather materials, and begin the preparation of a thesis. The student then registers for SPAN 490 in the eighth term in order to complete the thesis. The final version serves as the basis for an oral examination by three or more members of the faculty. The quality of the thesis and of the oral defense determines whether the student receives high honors (A or higher)or honors (A–).
A 490-course registration must be in addition to the minimum major requirement. The expected length of an honors paper or high honors thesis is established by the adviser in consultation with the department chair.
Study Groups
Spain
The Spain Study Group operates in Santiago de Compostela and Madrid each fall semester. In order to be eligible, a student must satisfactorily complete at least one 350-level survey and SPAN 361.
The study group experience is an integral part of the Spanish program, and all qualified majors are expected to participate. Preference is given to majors and minors, but qualified non-majors are encouraged to apply.
The department has established the following policies for its study group in Madrid: two credits toward the Spanish major or minor may be earned; students must register for a full load of courses; students may not take a fifth course; all courses must be taken for a standard letter grade. Only in unusual circumstances will the department chair grant exceptions to these rules.
Italy
Several university departments, including the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures, collaborate in organizing the Venice Study Group. Basic Italian language knowledge required for application. Eligibility may also be gained in other ways.
For more information, see Off-Campus Study.
La Casa Pan-Latina Americana
Students have an additional opportunity for language and cultural study through residence in La Casa Pan-Latina Americana. The house provides a focal point for Latino students and a way for other students to share cultural knowledge and language skills.
Language Placement Regulations
Students wishing to continue a Romance language studied in secondary school should register for the appropriate courses indicated by the prerequisites. For help determining placement see Language Placement or Course Descriptions. Credit will not be granted to a student taking a course at a lower level than a course for which the prerequisites have been completed. Written permission from the department chair is required for an exception to this regulation. In all matters of language placement, the department makes the final determination.
Majors and Minors
Major
Minor
Courses
- FREN 121 - Introduction to French Language & Culture I
- FREN 122 - Introduction to French Language & Culture II
- FREN 195 - Elementary-Level French Language Abroad
- FREN 201 - Intermediate French: Conversation and Composition
- FREN 202 - Intermediate French: Language, Culture, and Literature
- FREN 291 - Independent Study
- FREN 295 - Intermediate-Level French Language Abroad
- FREN 351 - Introduction to French Literature: From Chivalry to Versailles
- FREN 352 - Introduction to French Literature: Birth of the Modern
- FREN 353 - Introduction to French Literature: Literary Innovations in the 20th to 21st Centuries
- FREN 354 - Introduction to French Literature: The Francophone World
- FREN 361 - French Composition, Grammar, and Conversation
- FREN 391 - Independent Study
- FREN 395 - Advanced-Level French Language Abroad
- FREN 421 - The Classical Stage
- FREN 423 - The 18th-Century Epistolary Novel in France
- FREN 425 - Libertine Fiction of the French 18th Century
- FREN 429 - The Age of Enlightenment
- FREN 430 - Literature of Adventure and Quest
- FREN 433 - The Court of Louis XIV
- FREN 441 - Readings in French Poetry I
- FREN 445 - Writing the Self in the 20th Century: Autobiography in French
- FREN 450 - French Narrative in the Early 20th Century
- FREN 453 - Contemporary Literature in French
- FREN 455 - Francophone Voices from North Africa
- FREN 481 - Major French Authors
- FREN 482 - Major French Authors
- FREN 490 - Honors
- FREN 491 - Independent Study
- ITAL 121 - Elementary Italian I
- ITAL 122 - Elementary Italian II
- ITAL 195 - Elementary-Level Italian Language Abroad
- ITAL 201 - Intermediate Italian
- ITAL 202 - Intermediate Italian: Language and Literature
- ITAL 224L - Required Film Screening
- ITAL 224 - Introduction to Italian Cinema
- ITAL 291 - Independent Study
- ITAL 295 - Intermediate-Level Italian Language Abroad
- ITAL 353 - Introduction to the Study of Italian Literature: Modern and Contemporary Italian Literature
- ITAL 354 - Modern Italian Culture
- ITAL 360L - Required Film Screening
- ITAL 360 - From the Page to the Screen (and Vice-Versa)
- ITAL 361 - Advanced Grammar, Composition, and Conversation
- ITAL 391 - Independent Study
- ITAL 395 - Advanced-Level Italian Language Abroad
- ITAL 491 - Independent Study
- SPAN 121 - Elementary Spanish I
- SPAN 122 - Elementary Spanish II
- SPAN 195 - Elementary-Level Spanish Language Abroad
- SPAN 201 - Intermediate Spanish
- SPAN 202 - Intermediate Spanish: Language and Literature
- SPAN 291 - Independent Study
- SPAN 295 - Intermediate-Level Spanish Language Abroad
- SPAN 351 - Spanish Literature: Knights and Troubadours in Medieval Spain
- SPAN 352 - Spanish Literature: Love and Honor in the Golden Age
- SPAN 353 - Spanish Literature: Modern Spain in Crisis
- SPAN 354 - Latin American Literature: Illusion, Fantasy, Magical Realism
- SPAN 355 - Latin American Literature: The Many Voices of Latin America
- SPAN 361 - Advanced Composition and Stylistics
- SPAN 380 - Perfecting Language (Madrid Study Group)
- SPAN 391 - Independent Study
- SPAN 395 - Advanced-Level Spanish Language Abroad
- SPAN 400 - Program Seminar (Madrid Study Group)
- SPAN 460 - Spanish Renaissance and Baroque Poetry
- SPAN 461 - Theater of the Golden Age
- SPAN 462 - Cervantes' Don Quijote
- SPAN 467 - Latin American Romanticism
- SPAN 468 - Visions and Re-visions of the Spanish Conquest: An Interdisciplinary Perspective
- SPAN 470 - Subject and the City: Imagined and Real
- SPAN 473 - Women and Censorship in Contemporary Spanish Novels
- SPAN 474 - Short Fiction in Contemporary Spain
- SPAN 475 - Spanish as a Global Language
- SPAN 476 - Linguistic History of Spain
- SPAN 477 - Women Writing in Latin America
- SPAN 478 - Literature of the Caribbean
- SPAN 481 - Major Hispanic Authors
- SPAN 482 - Major Hispanic Authors
- SPAN 483 - Spanish American Modernismo: Spleen, Femme Fatales, Artificial Paradises
- SPAN 485 - Latin American Novels Before the Boom (1910-1950)
- SPAN 486 - Latin American Dictatorship Theater
- SPAN 487 - Postdictatorial Transatlantic Theater
- SPAN 488 - Latin American Women Dramatists
- SPAN 490 - Honors
- SPAN 491 - Independent Study