Romance Languages and Literatures Major

Program Requirements

  • Total Units Required: A minimum of 42 units at the 3000 and 4000 levels, distributed among French, Italian, and Spanish
  • Grade Requirement: Students will need to take these courses for a grade (not Pass/No Pass) and earn a B- or better, with a B average overall, per departmental requirements of all majors.

Required Courses

Like our other majors, the Romance languages and literatures major requires a writing-intensive course and a capstone experience. Further details are available on the Romance Languages and Literatures website.

  • Language I: Six courses, all at the 3000 or 4000 level:
    • If Language I is French:
      • FRENCH 3070
      • One 3200-level “In Perspective” course
      • One 3700- to 3900-level “In Depth” course
      • Two 4000-level courses
      • One other course from among the 3000- and 4000-level offerings
    • If Language I is Italian:
      • ITAL 3070
      • ITAL 3090
      • Two from among ITAL 3230, ITAL 3240;, and ITAL 3270
      • Two 4000-level courses
    • If Language I is Spanish:
      • SPAN 3020
      • SPAN 3030
      • Two “Debating Cultures” courses
      • Two 4000-level courses
  • Language II: Five courses, all at the 3000 or 4000 level:
    •  If Language II is French:
      • FRENCH 3070
      • One 3200-level “In Perspective” course
      • One 3700- to 3900-level “In Depth” course
      • One 4000-level course
      • One other course from among the 3000- and 4000-level offerings
    • If Language II is Italian:
      • ITAL 3070
      • ITAL 3090
      • Two from among ITAL 3230, ITAL 3240, and ITAL 3270
      • One 4000-level course
    • If Language II is Spanish:
      • SPAN 3020
      • SPAN 3030
      • Two “Debating Cultures” courses
      • One 4000-level course
  • Language III: Four courses, all at the 3000 or 4000 level:
    • If Language III is French:
      • FRENCH 3070
      • One 3200-level “In Perspective” course
      • One 3700- to 3900-level “In Depth” course
      • One other course from among the 3000- and 4000-level offerings
    • If Language III is Italian:
      • ITAL 3070
      • ITAL 3090
      • Two from among ITAL 3230, ITAL 3240, and ITAL 3270
    • If Language III is Spanish:
      • SPAN 3020
      • SPAN 3030
      • Two “Debating Cultures” courses
  • One writing-intensive course in Spanish, Italian, or French 
  • A capstone experience, either by completing Latin Honors or by completing a senior undergraduate seminar during the junior or senior year with a grade of B+ or better

We encourage students to think about doing an honors thesis, perhaps combining French and Spanish. The 6 units of SPAN 4950 or FRENCH 4997 would be above and beyond the requirements listed above for each language.

Students need approval from directors of undergraduate studies for Italian, French, and Spanish for this major.

Additional Information

Students who plan to teach or pursue graduate study should consider taking a second foreign language as well as linguistics courses. In all departmental courses for the major, the student must receive a grade of B- or better. Each student's progress toward achieving the objectives of the major will be assessed on a regular basis and by a variety of means. More information is available in the departmental mission statement.

Spanish Honors in Linguistics

To qualify for Spanish Honors in Linguistics in the major by thesis, a student must complete linguistic research and prepare and orally defend an honors thesis, which is judged by an honors faculty committee. The honors thesis in linguistics may include scientific experiments conducted in Spanish. The written thesis will include several drafts, all of which will be written in Spanish.

Study Abroad

Students are encouraged to participate in a study abroad program. Programs are available in France, Italy, Spain, and Chile. Up to six units from each approved study abroad program may count toward the major. A minimum of 33 of the 42 units required for the major must be taken in residence. Courses not taken at Washington University may count toward the major only with departmental permission.

Senior Honors

Students who have maintained at least a 3.65 overall cumulative grade point average through the end of the junior year are encouraged to work toward Latin honors (i.e., cum laude, magna cum laude, or summa cum laude). To qualify for Latin honors in the major by thesis, a student must complete special literary research and prepare and orally defend an honors thesis, which is judged by an honors faculty committee. To qualify for Latin honors by course work, the student must complete four literature courses at the 4000 level (including two in literature before 1800) and present two critical essays written for those courses to be judged by an honors faculty committee. Recommendations for honors are based on performance, the quality of the thesis or critical essays, and the cumulative GPA.

Visit the Romance Languages and Literatures page
for additional information about this program.

Contact Info

Phone:314-935-5175
Email:rll@wustl.edu
Website:http://rll.wustl.edu