Information for
Romance Languages & Literatures Concentrators

The Department of Romance Languages and Literatures offers concentrations in French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, and Romance Studies with a combined emphasis on language, literature, and culture. Each concentration is extremely flexible and allows students to develop individual programs of study that reflect their particular intellectual interests. Basic requirements (outlined in Fields of Concentration) ensure that concentrators acquire a fluent reading, writing, and speaking knowledge of a Romance language; gain a general familiarity with a long, rich and diverse literary tradition; and obtain an awareness of intellectual and political history up to the present. Courses in related fields constitute the interdisciplinary component of the program. Students may enroll in courses in disciplines as varied as History of Art and Architecture, Women's Studies, Anthropology, Government, Economics, History, Linguistics, Music, Literature, History and Literature, Sociology, and Philosophy. For the Romance Studies Honors concentration, students take courses in three languages and literatures, acquiring knowledge of specific national as well as cross-cultural traditions. Joint concentrators are likewise welcome in the department. Students may combine study of a Romance language with any of the aforementioned fields as well as with another literature (e.g., English, German, a different Romance language). Concentrators have also successfully fulfilled their pre-med requirements while pursuing their deep-rooted interest in a foreign culture. Career possibilities for Romance language concentrators include law, business, international relations, education and foreign service.

Courses in the department (A through Cb and 20 through 60) develop linguistic skills and introduce students to the literary tradition and culture of the target language. Courses numbered 60 and above, focusing on literature and culture, include surveys, tutorials and seminars. Survey courses provide students with a solid foundation in literary history and criticism. Small group tutorials initiate students into techniques of literary analysis. Seminars (all 90-level seminars and certain 100-level and all 200-level courses) and various 100-level lecture courses address selected topics. Single authors may be studied in depth, literary movements or periods may be analyzed from one or several theoretical perspectives; texts may be considered in the light of such issues as gender, politics and ethics. Classes in the department are generally small and allow for close contact and fruitful discussion between students and professors.

Such close contact between undergraduates and faculty is emphasized in the new tutorial system, in effect beginning September 2000. All concentrators will take one semester-long Sophomore Tutorial. Honors concentrators, in addition to the Sophomore Tutorial, are required to take a semester-long Junior Tutorial and a year-long Senior Tutorial, culminating in a senior thesis. The Junior and Senior tutorials provide weekly one-on-one instruction tailored, in consultation with a member of the Faculty and Tutorial Board, to fit each student's particular needs.

The linguistic preparation of students interested in Romance Languages and Literatures varies. Concentrators in French and Spanish often have had the opportunity to acquire a basic knowledge of the language while in high school. Those in Italian and Portuguese generally begin their study of language at Harvard. Some students in French and Spanish likewise enter the program with little or no exposure to the target language. Students who elect the Romance Studies concentration usually demonstrate an advanced knowledge of at least one Romance language upon entry. To accelerate language acquisition, beginning students might consider enrolling in extra courses, a summer immersion program and/or a summer program abroad. A.P. classes in literature are also helpful but not essential. All literature courses taken in the department count for concentration credit and required introductory courses expose students to major works of the literary tradition.

Students with previous experience in Romance languages are strongly encouraged to take the Harvard Placement Test (offered during Freshman Week) so that they may be placed in a language course at the proper level. Linguistic preparation is essential to understanding lectures, reading texts of various periods, participating in discussions and writing papers. Students who need to strengthen their linguistic skills, and who cannot take the above-mentioned courses during their first year, should enroll in related courses (e.g., Core, History of Art and Architecture, Government, Literature) while they improve their language proficiency.

Concentrators are strongly encouraged to spend a semester or a year abroad. Most courses taken in a foreign university may be used to fulfill concentration requirements; students must petition for credit in advance. Faculty in the department assist students in selecting the program best suited to their needs.

During orientation week, departmental representatives are available to confer with students and are present at the Freshman language advising and concentration information sessions. The department is also present at the Concentration Fair and holds an informational meeting during the spring term. Members of the department are also available to meet with incoming freshmen late in the spring term. The Director of Undergraduate Studies and the Assistant to the Director of Undergraduate Studies hold regular office hours throughout the year and readily offer advice on course selection, study abroad, thesis topics, and other related matters.

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The Graduate Program in
Portuguese and Luso-Brazilian Literatures

The Ph.D. program in Portuguese and Luso-Brazilian Literatures embraces all periods and genres of Portuguese and Brazilian literature. It allows students to develop a broad knowledge of both the Portuguese and the Portuguese-Brazilian literary tradition, also situating these by comparison within the realm of Hispanic literatures. Graduate students in Portuguese are afforded the opportunity to work with faculty in both areas; similarly, graduate students in Spanish may choose to "minor" in Portuguese literature.

The program in Portuguese is small, allowing its graduate students to work closely with individual faculty members. Graduate seminars focus on the work and influence of Camões, Pessoa, Bandeira, and Drummond de Andrade. At the same time, students are encouraged to take courses and consult with faculty outside the department treating diverse historical, economic, or political aspects of the literature and culture of Brazil, Portugal, and the Portuguese-speaking countries of Africa and Asia. Nearby Brown University offers classes, creditable toward the Ph.D. at Harvard, as well as independent dissertation study, with renowned scholars in the field.

The Portuguese section, and the Nancy Clark Smith Chair of the Language and the Literatures of Portugal, in collaboration with the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies, sponsors frequent colloquia and conferences on Portuguese and Brazilian Literatures and Cultures. Past distinguished speakers include Gilberto Freyre, Maria de Lourdes Belchior, Eduardo Lourenço, Ana Luisa Amaral, Almeida Faria, Vasco Graça Moura, Luciana S. Piccho, Eugénio de Andrade, and José Blanco, among others.

A number of literature faculty in Spanish have interests in Luso-Brazilian studies. The resulting collaboration between the two sections broadens the range of topics on which students in Portuguese may choose to focus. Furthermore, the future of the Ph.D. program in Portuguese holds the likely appointment of a senior Brazilianist to the section's faculty.

Joaquim-Francisco Coelho
Director of Graduate Studies in Portuguese