Romance Languages

Degree Type Bachelor of Arts
Department Romance Languages
Academic Division The College
Offerings Major
Diverse and dedicated faculty in the Department of Romance Languages at Washington and Lee aim to foster an intellectual and vital interest in language itself, to provide students with the skills and motivation to use the target language in a multiplicity of contexts, and to promote cultural fluency through the examination of literary, historical and cultural texts, as well as other forms of expression. Through Romance Languages, students can prepare for engagement in a wider world of expanding opportunities and enrichment.

About the Major

The Romance Languages major combines an emphasis in French or Spanish language, literature and culture, and Hispanic linguistics, with language and cultural proficiency in a second Romance language, which could be French, Italian, Portuguese or Spanish. There are two components to the major: Complete the French or Spanish major with one fewer 200-level elective (27 credits), and complete six credits at the 200-level of a second Romance language. To meet the second component, students typically start with Elementary Spanish or French (111), or Accelerated Elementary Portuguese or Italian (113).

The affiliated Latin American and Caribbean Studies Program (LACS) provides the intellectual excitement of an interdisciplinary approach to the exploration of multicultural societies that speak French, Portuguese and Spanish.

Foreign Language FDR

One of the Foundation and Distribution Requirements at Washington and Lee is proficiency in a foreign language. Romance Languages offers coursework toward language proficiency in French, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese, and fulfillment of the foreign language FDR.

If you have a background in French or Spanish and wish to study the same language at W&L, take the placement test to determine the right class for you. Placement 161: Register for French or Spanish 161; Placement 164: Register for French or Spanish 164; Placement 200: Register for any French or Spanish 200-level course.

If you have a background in French or Spanish and wish to start a new language, take the placement test and register for Italian or Portuguese 113, Spanish 111 or French 111. If you have studied little or no French or Spanish and would like to study one of those languages, register for French or Spanish 111.

If you have studied Italian or Portuguese, contact the department for course placement.

Opportunities for Students

Romance Languages is affiliated with study abroad programs in most of Spanish America, Portugal and Brazil, Italy, Spain and France. An extended study abroad experience sets students on the road to linguistic and cultural fluency and is strongly encouraged by our faculty. For students who are pursuing Portuguese or Italian as a second language for the Romance Languages major, study abroad is an excellent way to complete the major.

Back in Lexington, language tables such as Table Français, Mesa Española and Bate-Papo Brasileiro meet twice a week and are a great way for students to practice languages with W&L’s native teaching assistants and faculty.

The English for Speakers of Other Languages Program (ESOL) facilitates communication within the increasingly diverse population of Rockbridge County.

Other opportunities include Casa Hispánica, where students live and speak Spanish, and which serves as a weekly meeting place for cultural activities; French and Portuguese language student-run clubs; Romance Languages Poetry Night; and Pluma, a Spanish-language literary journal.

In addition, students are encouraged to participate in our honors program, which allows engagement in original research with a faculty member on a topic of interest. Completed projects are invaluable assets for graduate or professional school.

Faculty research projects in Art History or Digital Humanities; Spring Term study abroad courses in Italy, France, Argentina, Cádiz and Sevilla, Spain; and Environmental Studies in the Brazilian Amazon offer additional opportunities for progress in language and cultural fluency.

After W&L

Our majors have gone on to pursue graduate study as well as careers in which language and cultural proficiency have proven invaluable. A number of graduates have been successful in gaining prestigious Fulbright Fellowships, no doubt in part due to their strong performance as majors. Recent examples include:

  • Keturah Nichols ’12, Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship (ETA), Brazil
  • Kendre Barnes ’13, Fulbright ETA, Panamá
  • Anna Paden Carson ’16, Fulbright ETA, Colombia
  • Harrison Westgarth ’17, Fulbright Research Fellowship, Brazil
  • John Dannehl ’17, Fulbright ETA, Spain
  • Jared Shely ’18, Fulbright ETA, Colombia

Matthew Bailey

Department Head
P: 540-458-8160
E: baileym@wlu.edu

Shirley Richardson

Administrative Assistant
P: 540-458-8821
E: srichard@wlu.edu

Sample Courses

At W&L, we believe education and experience go hand-in-hand. You'll be encouraged to dive in, explore and discover connections that will broaden your perspective.
SPAN 211

Spanish Civilization & Culture

A survey of significant developments in Spanish civilization. The course addresses Spanish heritage and the present-day cultural patterns formed by its legacies. Readings, discussions and papers, primarily in Spanish, allow for further development of communication skills.

PORT 113

Accelerated Elementary Portuguese

An accelerated course in elementary Portuguese emphasizing grammar and the skills of speaking, writing, reading and listening comprehension.

FREN 280

Civilisation et Culture Francophones

A study of significant aspects of culture and civilization in francophone countries. Topics may include: contemporary Africa, pre-colonial Africa, West Indian history and culture, and Canadian contemporary issues. Readings, discussion and papers in French allow for further development of communication skills.

FREN 283

Histoire des Idées

This course retraces the evolution of thought in France across centuries through the examination of intellectual, cultural and artistic movements. Readings, discussions and papers in French allow for further development of communication skills.

ITAL 163

Accelerated Intermediate Italian

This course develops intermediate communicative Italian vocabulary and active intermediate competence in the language. The traditional skills of world-language instruction (structure, listening comprehension, reading, writing and speaking) are stressed.

ITAL 295A

Topics in Italian Culture

A panorama of issues and debates of contemporary Italy. All material is introduced and examined through the lens of film, media and contemporary literature, and students have ample opportunity to improve their listening and speaking skills through discussion of texts, films and media clips. Topics include immigration, university life, women and gender, work and unemployment, gastronomy, travel and history. An important goal of this course is also to review and develop grammar and vocabulary. Students practice targeted linguistic forms through the context of contemporary Italian culture and society. All classes, discussions, homework and projects are conducted entirely in Italian.

Meet the Faculty

At W&L, students enjoy small classes and close relationships with professors who educate and nurture.
Matthew Bailey Department Chair, Professor of Spanish
Bailey teaches Spanish language, culture and literature. His research interests include medieval Spanish literature and culture, and more specifically, medieval epic narrative.
Jeff Barnett S. Blount Mason Jr. Professor of Spanish
Barnett teaches courses in Spanish language, translation, and Spanish-American literature and culture. His research deals with modern Latin American narrative and cultural studies as well as literary translation.
Mónica Botta Associate Professor of Spanish; Program Head, Latin American and Caribbean Studies
Botta teaches courses in Latin American Theater, literature and culture. She has researched Latin American culture with an emphasis on post-dictatorship periods.
Javier Buenadicha Visiting Instructor of Spanish
Buenadicha studied history, mass communication and applied linguistics in Spain and now teaches Spanish language at the elementary and intermediate levels. His research interests focus on history of Spain in the 20th century.
Patricia Hardin Adjunct Instructor of Italian; Visiting Instructor of German
Mohamed Kamara Associate Professor of French; Program Chair, Africana Studies
Professor Kamara holds degrees in French, English and Secondary Education. He teaches French courses in the Department of Romance Languages and heads the university's Africana Studies Program.
Dick Kuettner Adjunct Professor of Romance Languages and Teacher Education; Director, Global Discovery Laboratories
In addition to his responsibilities at the Ruscio Center for Global Learning, Kuettner teaches courses on teaching methods for world languages.
John Lambeth Professor of French
Lambeth teaches courses on 20th and 21st century French language narrative in literature and film. He has researched French culture, Muslim immigration to French countries, and French detective fiction.
James R. Leva Visiting Assistant Professor of French
Ellen Mayock Ernest Williams II Professor of Spanish
At Washington and Lee, Mayock has taught courses in Spanish, Latin American and Caribbean Studies, and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. Her research focuses on gender and its intersections in literature and film, feminist theories and practice, and representations of conflict and violence. Mayock also writes poetry and creative nonfiction.
Stephen P. McCormick Associate Professor of French and Italian
McCormick teaches courses on French language and culture. He also supervises the French study abroad program. He has researched old French epic and medieval/early modern Italian cartography.
Seth Michelson Assistant Professor of Spanish
Michelson teaches the poetry of the hemispheric Americas, as well as a diversity of courses on the literatures, cultures and languages of the region. His research focuses on poetry and state violence, and he is the author of numerous book chapters, articles and essays on the subject, among others.
Christina Pinto-Bailey Visiting Associate Professor of Spanish and Portuguese
Pinto-Bailey teaches courses in Spanish and Portuguese languages, Latin American culture, civilization, and literatures. Her research focuses on gender and racial issues in fiction and poetry by Latin American/Brazilian women.
Antonio Reyes Associate Professor of Spanish
Reyes teaches courses on Political Discourse and Language Ideology, as well as a spring course in his native Cádiz, Spain. He has published a monograph: Voice in Political Discourse.