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The Department of Romance Studies gives voice to the literatures and cultures of those parts of the world where French, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish are or have been spoken. The undergraduate and graduate programs offer students a broad range of opportunities for language acquisition, as well as the chance to become sophisticated interpreters of cultures and deliver intellectual engagement across linguistic and textual boundaries.
Cornell’s College of Arts & Sciences honors the winners of its 2026 teaching and advising awards. Faculty members Nicole Giannella, Karola Mészáros and Landon Schnabel stand out this year, earning major awards for excellence; many instructors and teaching assistants received recognition, as well.
Scholars in Cornell’s College of Arts and Sciences are redefining trauma research across humanities, examining delayed memory’s effects on individuals, culture and history. Their insights from many different academic disciplines, including literature, history, archaeology and psychoanalysis connect trauma, testimony and collective witness.
Hannah Quigley is an American studies and Spanish major.
Annina Bradley majored in government and French.
Elizabeth Musso is a biological sciences and Italian major.
Cornell University Arts & Sciences ambassador shares advice for freshmen adjusting to college life. The College of Arts & Sciences column emphasizes campus libraries, exploring majors, professor mentorship, community and balanced self-care.
Cornell University will host “Indigenous Voices in Abiayala/Latin America,” on April 9 at 4:45 p.m., exploring Indigenous media self-representation in Latin America – known as Abiayala in the Guna language. Held in the in the A.D. White House and organized by Polly Lauer, a Klarman Postdoctoral Fellow in Romance studies in Cornell’s College of Arts and Sciences, the panel will feature scholars discussing Mapuche and Maya K’ishe’ cultural production, Indigenous languages and broadcasters’ fight to sustain native-language media such as Guatemala’s oldest Maya radio station.
The Department of Romance Studies offers three majors and four minors for undergraduate students, along with coursework in Polish. Explore the links below for detailed information each program:
The Department of Romance Studies strives to create an atmosphere of intense intellectual engagement across linguistic and textual boundaries.