COMMON REQUIREMENTS FOR CONCENTRATION IN RLL
These Common Requirements, adopted by the department and approved by the Educational Policy Committee in spring of 2015, replace the previous system of individual track requirements. They take effect officially for concentrators entering RLL in 2015. Junior and senior concentrators may opt to follow either the old guidelines or the new ones, which may afford greater flexibility.
RLL concentrators take twelve courses (48 units, each course equals 4 units); honors concentrators take an additional two courses, for a total of fourteen courses (56 units).
Each individual Plans of Study must include the following categories:
A. Language and culture courses at the 40, 50, 60 levels.* A minimum of two, a maximum of three courses.
Concentration language requirement: By the end of the junior year, concentrators are expected to demonstrate advanced oral and written proficiency in one Romance Language (two for Romance Studies concentrators). Advanced proficiency may be demonstrated by a score of 780 or above on the SATII or on the Harvard Placement Test, or by completion of a course at the 50-level or above with a grade of B or higher
* See Special Field Worksheets for listing of approved courses in each language.
Note that students who place out of category A, add courses in categories B, D or E, or approved Gateway courses (see below).
B. Introductory courses in literary and cultural history at the 70, 80, 90, 100 levels.* A minimum of two courses.
* See Special Field Worksheets for recommended courses for each field.
C. Sophomore Tutorial: (97*). One course.
* In 2015-16 tutorials are offered in each language. The sophomore tutorial in Romance Studies (ROM-STD 97), designed for and required of all concentrators, will be introduced in 2016-17.
- D. RLL courses* at the 80, 90, 100** and 200 levels. A minimum of four courses.***
* At least three of these courses must be taught in the target language.
** At least two of these courses must be at the 100 level or above.
*** At least one course in category B or D should deal with literature and culture before 1800.
E. Courses in related fields.* A minimum of two, a maximum four courses.
*Courses related to the study of Romance languages and literatures are chosen, in consultation with the Faculty Adviser and the DUS, from such fields as Anthropology, Classics, Comparative Literature, Economics, Government, History, History of Art and Architecture, History of Science, Linguistics, Music, Philosophy, Psychology; Sociology; Women, Gender and Sexuality; Visual and Environmental Studies, and others.
Other coursework that may be approved for concentration credit:
Gateway courses: one General Education course and one Freshman Seminar may, on approval from the DUS, receive concentration credit in categories B, D and E.
Though not a requirement, Study abroad, during the summer* and the academic year** is strongly encouraged.***
*Summer courses taught in a Romance language may be approved for up to two courses of concentration credit.
**Term-time study abroad courses are eligible for a maximum of three courses for one semester, or six courses for a full year.
***The department works closely with the Office of International Education to recommend particular programs based on each student's specific needs and academic and cultural interests.
Note that RLL concentrators must take a minimum of six courses counted for the concentration in residence; honors concentrators must take a minimum of eight concentration courses in residence.
Courses taken for concentration credit may not be taken Pass/Fail (with the exception of an approved Freshman Seminar).
Substitutions of work not listed above may be made at the discretion of the faculty adviser and the DUS.
Clarification of Requirement Numbers:
Minimum requirement totals add up to eleven courses, leaving one elective course to be selected from another category, within the maximum numbers indicated for requirement in categories A and E, gateway courses and study abroad. Students whose language proficiency places them out of category A have an additional two courses to choose from another category, again within stipulated maximum numbers.
To plan and track your progress in the concentration, see the Special Field Worksheets below.
COMMON REQUIREMENTS FOR HONORS CONCENTRATION IN RLL
All honors concentrators take a minimum of fourteen courses.
Honors eligibility: Concentrators with a minimum concentration GPA of 3.45 are eligible to participate in the honors program. Applications for the Junior Tutorial (98 or 100-level tutorial) are due by April 30 of the sophomore year. Preliminary Senior Thesis Proposals are due April 30 of the junior year. Both applications are reviewed by the Faculty Adviser, the DUS and RLL faculty members at the annual degree meeting in May.
The department offers two Honors Tracks:
The Thesis Option is structured around the researching and preparation of a Senior Thesis. Students who choose this track spend one semester of the third year writing a Junior Essay. This may be done through an independent tutorial (French, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish or Romance Studies 98) or in conjunction with a 100-level literature course. In either case, the student works one-on-one with an assigned tutor. Upon successful completion of the Junior Paper, the concentrator enrolls in the two-semester Senior Tutorial (French, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish or Romance Studies 99, taken SAT/UNSAT) devoted to the preparation of the Senior Thesis under the direction of a Faculty Adviser, with weekly assistance from an assigned tutor and scheduled department-wide thesis workshops. The Senior Thesis is due in early March. Thesis writers present their work in a one-hour oral defense, scheduled during Reading Period in May of their senior year.
The Non-Thesis Option requires, in place of the two-semester thesis tutorial, two additional courses at the 100-levels or above, completed with a grade of A or A-. Students seeking honors eligibility who prefer not to write a thesis may take two courses at the 100-level or above in the Special Field, in addition to the twelve courses stipulated in Common Requirements for the Concentration in RLL. Students who take two additional courses at the 100-level, or one additional course at the 100-level and one additional course at the 200-level, with a minimum grade of A- in each, can be recommended for a departmental degree of Honors (but not High or Highest Honors). Students who take two additional courses at the 200-level with a minimum grade of A- in each can be recommended for a departmental degree of Honors or High Honors (but not Highest Honors). To be considered for Highest Honors, students must pursue the Thesis Option.
COMMON REQUIREMENTS FOR JOINT CONCENTRATION WITH RLL
Joint concentration is a THESIS HONORS concentration.
Joint concentrators with another department or program take at least six courses in RLL, plus two semesters of senior tutorial in the primary concentration.
For all joint concentrators with RLL as the primary concentration, RLL requires six courses in RLL plus the two-semester Senior Honors Tutorial (French, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish or Romance Studies 99a and 99b). The required six courses are:
A. One course* in language and culture at the 40, 50, or 60 level.**
* See Special Field Worksheets for listing of approved courses in each language.
** Placement in language courses is determined by the Harvard Placement Test, the SAT II, or an AP score.
Note that students who place out of category A in "Common Requirements for Concentration in RLL" above, add one course from categories B, D or E, or one approved Gateway course.
B. One course introductory historical or field survey at the 70, 80, 90, 100 levels.*
*See Special Field Worksheets for required/recommended courses for each field.
C. Sophomore Tutorial: (97*). One course.
* In 2015-16 tutorials are offered in each language. The sophomore tutorial in Romance Studies (ROM-STD 97), designed for and required of all concentrators, will be introduced in 2016-17.
D. Three RLL courses* at the 80 level and above. May include one related Freshman Seminar or one related General Education course approved by the DUS.
*For students whose primary concentration is RLL, one of these courses must be 98 (or 100-level option) Junior Tutorial.
SECONDARY FIELDS IN RLL
Concentrators in other departments and programs are invited to pursue a Secondary Field in any one of the Special Fields described above. For Secondary Field requirements in RLL, see the Secondary Fields pages.