About Us
The Department of Romance Languages at Hunter College offers language, culture and literature courses in French, Italian, Spanish (the target languages and major fields), as well as literature and culture courses in English. Our degrees include the undergraduate major and Masters degrees in French, Italian and Spanish. We also offer a Romance Languages major that combines knowledge and understanding of two Romance literatures and cultures. Besides these offerings, the Department has recently added a major concentration in Spanish-English/English-Spanish Translation and Interpretation, a new expansion of its vision of providing professional training within the context of traditional liberal arts.
In addition, the Department is also committed to equipping students for professional life: it has continued Hunter’s tradition in teacher preparation, and, in conjunction with the School of Education it sponsors TOP (Teacher Opportunity Program), a selective scholarship-cum-practicum program leading to an M.A. in Spanish/Education.
Hunter’s location is an important factor that enhances the character of its many programs; the Romance Languages Department enjoys a very good relationship with its neighbors, such as: The Americas Society, The Instituto Italiano Di Cultura, The Italian Consulate, The Alliance Française, The French Consulate, The Frick Museum, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and only a few subway stops away, with The Instituto Cervantes, Repertorio Español, The Museo del Barrio, The Centro Camões, and the The New York Public Library, as well as many other cultural institutions that hold important collections of French, Italian, Spanish and Latin American literature, art, and film.
The Department provides several programs of study abroad, in Spain, Argentina, Italy and France both during winter intercession and during the summer. They have all been successful and have allowed our students to live the cultures and the languages they study. Please click here for more information on our study abroad programs.
Our department is among the most active Romance Languages Department in New York City. Our faculty has impressive records in research, publishing and other professional activities. Several professors edit or serve on the editorial boards of important professional journals or book series such as Forum Italicum, Canadian Journal of Italian Studies. Five professors are affiliated with the CUNY Graduate School and University Center doctoral programs: at the Graduate Center they regularly teach courses, serve as Executive Officers, serve on Committees and supervise dissertations. The Romance Languages faculty also teaches in the Thomas Hunter Program, the Honors College, the program in Comparative Literature which the Romance Languages Department houses. The Department also offers a wide program of extra curricular activities: film programs, conversation groups, student journals (La Academia Literaria), lectures and a Romance Languages Film Festival which brings film makers and actors to the College.