The Department of French and Italian offers a liberal arts major designed to give students a thorough grounding in the language, literature, and culture of one or more of the subjects it teaches, seen as independent disciplines or in combination with other languages and cognate subjects. Its courses provide practical instruction in the French and Italian languages and an introduction to the history and development of those languages; the literatures and cultures of France and Italy in all periods, from medieval to contemporary; and literature in French written in other parts of Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas. Students are also encouraged to complement their courses in French and/or Italian with related and varied courses in other literatures, in art history, history, political science, sociology, comparative literature, or other humanities subjects.
 
Graduates in French and Italian go on to a wide variety of careers. Some undertake graduate study in literature or other disciplines; others enter the world of business or are recruited into management training programs. Our graduates have also won admission to the most prestigious medical and law schools in the country. Whether you are planning a career in the humanities, education, journalism, government, science, or business, the study of a foreign language, literature, and culture offers a useful and challenging option in your university education.