About the department

RLL offers vibrant programs in French, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish. Our language classes have long been popular with undergraduates, including those interested in international travel and those who anticipate a global dimension to their future careers. All of our classes focus on culture writ large: we study great texts, and we do so with an eye to gender roles, traditions, communities, individual freedom, social obligations, and many other topics of critical importance today. We offer concentrations in French, Italian, and Spanish, as well as a composite major in Romance Languages, and courses in introductory Portuguese. Our Ph.D. programs in French and Spanish are comprehensive and designed to prepare careers in academia, with a focus on research and teaching.

During my time at WashU, the guidance of the professors in Romance Languages and Literatures was invaluable. The core seminars on literary and cultural theory and those on how to write proficiently and navigate the nuances of academia set the groundwork for me to develop myself as a productive and engaged academic.

―Iván Aguirre Darancou Assistant Professor of Hispanic Studies, University of California, Riverside
Carey named Dean’s Fellow for Educational Initiatives

Carey named Dean’s Fellow for Educational Initiatives

Learning the French way to better health

Learning the French way to better health