Fostering Knowledge of the Human Experience

We study French, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish, as well as the cultures throughout the world where they are spoken and written, and the classical languages and cultural heritage of Greece and Rome, enabling us to become proficient in these languages, literatures, and cultures, and to think critically about the world.

We offer

Individualized Attention

Small class sizes from award-winning faculty, staff and advisors

Service Learning & Research

Programs and classes dedicated to service learning and research opportunities

Career Connections

Establishing connections for mentors, guest speakers, and networking events

Program opportunities

Roman coliseum with streaks of car lights driving below

Classics & Mediterranean Studies

A minor in Classical and Mediterranean Studies encourages a greater appreciation of our classical past, and a deeper contemplation of the traditions and ideas that have shaped the world.

paris seine river, with bridge across it

French

French programs include B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. degrees as well as several minors. Programs are designed for students to develop excellent reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills in the French language and build an understanding of the history and cultures of the French-speaking world.

Canal in Italy with buildings lining the side

Italian

A minor in Italian provides students the opportunity to acquire advanced knowledge of Italian language and cultures with additional education abroad opportunities.

Boat on a river in the city Porto

PORTUGUESE

The Portuguese minor creates a more globally aware, internationally focused student with knowledge of the language as well as the cultures of the Portuguese-speaking world.

Street lights and streaking car lights in centre Madrid

SPANISH

Spanish programs include B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. degrees as well as several minors. Programs encompass the richness and diversity of language, literature, and culture in the Spanish-speaking world. There are also opportunities for language and cultural immersion through education abroad and other experiences.

Program opportunities

Roman coliseum with streaks of car lights driving below

Classics & Mediterranean Studies

A minor in Classical and Mediterranean Studies encourages a greater appreciation of our classical past, and a deeper contemplation of the traditions and ideas that have shaped world.

paris seine river, with bridge across it

French

Designed for students who want to develop excellent reading, writing, listening and speaking skills in the French language and build a strong understanding of the history and culture. French offers a minor, B.A., M.A., and Ph.D.

Canal in Italy with buildings lining the side

Italian

A minor in Italian provides students the opportunity to acquire advanced knowledge of Italian language and cultures with study abroad opportunities. 

Street lights and streaking car lights in centre Madrid

Spanish

This program encompasses the richness and diversity within the language, literature and culture. It provides opportunities for immersion in Spanish-speaking cultures through a study abroad. Spanish offers a minor, B.A., M.A., and Ph.D.

Boat on a river in the city Porto

Portuguese

The Portuguese minor creates a more globally-aware, internationally-focused for students with knowledge of the language as well as the Portuguese culture.

Mierda Mexico, street with colorful building on either side

Hispanic studies

The program prepares students in the language, literatures, and cultures of the Hispanic world, with an emphasis on literary, linguistic and cultural studies and scholarly investigation. Hispanic Studies offers a M.A. and Ph.D.

student clubs

The language clubs in RCS offer the opportunity to learn about and share experiences related to diverse cultures, languages, and people.

Classics Society

French Club

Italian Club

Spanish Club

PORTUGUESE Club

featured News

A portrait of Dr. Rocío Quispe Agnoli smiling at the camera. She wears a black embroidered top and gold jewelry against a blue background.
Faculty

Rocío Quispe Agnoli to Deliver Legacy Lecture April 2

After 26 years as a faculty member in the Department of Romance and Classical Studies at Michigan State University, Rocío Quispe Agnoli, Professor of Latin American Literatures and Cultures, will begin a new chapter as an Emeritum Professor at the end of this academic year.  Before that, she will deliver the 2026 College of Arts & Letters Legacy Lecture, an honor recognizing her contributions to the college, the university, and the broader MSU community. Quispe Agnoli will deliver her Legacy Lecture, titled “The Hispanicverse: An Ocean of Knowledge,” on Thursday, April 2, 2026, at 6 p.m. at the Kellogg

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March 20, 2026
Cristina Rivera Garza speaks into a microphone at the left end of a faculty panel, flanked by another MSU faculty members seated before a full audience. A small high-top table with water bottles sits at the center of the panel arrangement.
Event

Pulitzer Prize-Winning Mexican Author Engages MSU Community in Conversations on Storytelling, Memory, and Justice

The Michigan State University community had the opportunity this week to hear from and engage with Pulitzer Prize-winning Mexican author Cristina Rivera Garza during a campus visit centered on her acclaimed book, Liliana’s Invincible Summer. Organized by Alejandra Márquez Guajardo, Assistant Professor of Spanish in MSU’s Department of Romance and Classical Studies, and Laurie Medina, Director of MSU’s Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies, the visit brought together students, faculty, and community members for an evening of reading, conversation, and reflection on the power of storytelling as a space for remembrance, imagination, and collective care. The visit also

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March 13, 2026
Children and adults seated in blue chairs around white tables in an outdoor pavilion. A woman in burgundy clothing points at a whiteboard. Participants include a child in a yellow-green shirt, a person in a black shirt with teal design, and a person in a tan/cream colored blanket. Sunlight and green outdoor landscape visible through the open structure.
News

MSU-Led Initiative Strengthens and Expands Access to Less Commonly Taught and Indigenous Language Education Across North America

After nearly a decade of transformative language revitalization work, Michigan State University’s Center for Language Teaching Advancement (CeLTA) in the College of Arts & Letters has completed a landmark initiative strengthening and expanding access to less commonly taught and Indigenous language education at dozens of universities and in communities across the United States and Canada. From 2016 to 2025, the Less Commonly Taught and Indigenous Languages Partnership, funded by the Mellon Foundation, leveraged the established strengths of the Big Ten Academic Alliance (BTAA) to collaboratively develop sustainable models for less commonly taught language (LCTL) instruction grounded in proficiency-oriented best practices. Overall, the $3.5 million

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March 11, 2026
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featured News

Image of paper people of all colors and sizes holding hands

RCS DEI Committee Series Workshop: Inclusive Language in the Classroom

Come join us on Friday, November 11, 2022 from 3-4:30 pm in Wells Hall A334! 

How do we use inclusive language when teaching Romance Languages?

LEARN MORE >

Citizen Scholar Interns in Argentina

Spanish major Carla Simone experienced a different culture while teaching English to students in first through seventh grade at Colegio Norbridge in Buenos Aires, Argentina, as part of a two-month summer internship.

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me-award-ceremony

“Working closely with faculty gives me a different perspective than just a student viewpoint. I get to see how the department and administration works and I know it will help me in the future when I become a Professor.”

Jonathan Montalvo

PhD graduate, Hispanic Cultural Studies Program

Learn More >

Events

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