Showcase – Department of Romance and Classical Studies

RCS Scholarly and Creative Activity

The Department of Romance and Classical Studies is comprised of active scholars, creators, instructors, advisors, staff and students. We dedicate our productive energies and contributions to many communities, on campus and beyond.

NEWS

College Mourns the Passing of Emeritus Professor of Renaissance French

November 19, 2025

The College of Arts & Letters is mourning the passing of Dr. Ehsan Ahmed, Emeritus Professor of Renaissance French, who was a faculty member of Michigan State University’s Department of Romance and Classical Studies for 23 years. Ahmed was an extraordinary scholar, teacher, and colleague who was known for his generosity, intellect, and steady presence. The Department of Romance and Classical Studies is planning a celebration of life event on Friday, Dec. 5, 2025, from 5 to 7 p.m. in Wells Hall Room B 342.

New Awards Recognize Exceptional Contributions to Mentoring Undergraduate Students

October 1, 2025

The College of Arts & Letters at Michigan State University created two new awards this year to acknowledge faculty and staff who make exceptional contributions to mentoring students outside the classroom. These two Outstanding Undergraduate Mentorship Awards are nominated by students, endorsed by their chair or director, and selected by a student committee.

Collage of six professional headshots arranged in two rows of three. Top row: a smiling man in a suit jacket, a woman with curly hair wearing large earrings, and a smiling man with a beard in a plaid shirt and sweater. Bottom row: a man in a vest and collared shirt, a smiling woman with glasses and long hair, and a woman in a turtleneck sweater in front of a bookshelf.

2025 Faculty Award Winners Recognized for Outstanding Achievement

September 30, 2025

The College of Arts & Letters honored its Faculty Award Winners at the 2025 College of Arts & Letters Faculty and Staff Welcome Reception on Sept. 29 at the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center. These faculty members were recognized for their outstanding leadership, teaching, innovation, and community engagement, as well as the significant impact they have made in enhancing curriculum and student experiences.

Special Topics and Programs

SPN412: Latin Popular Music and Globalization

FRN440: Cartoons, Graphic Novels and Film in the Francophone and Arab Worlds

FRN450: Memory and Culture of French-Indochina

SPN462: Don Quixote Rides the Silver Screen

PRT350: Luso-Brazilian Modern and Contemporary Short Stories

PRT340: Topics in Luso-Brazilian Culture – Film Adaptation

PRT340: History of Portuguese Encounters

PRT340: Topics in Culture – Regional Cultures of Brazil

Summer Study Abroad: Spanish for Healthcare in Oaxaca

PRT350: The Short Stories of Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis

PRT320: Advanced Portuguese – Journey Into Brazil

SPN472: Puerto Rico’s Colonial Odyssey and Resistance

FRN440: French Literature in the Jazz Age

FRN420: Gained in Translation – French-English Translation

SPN412: Boleros to Protest Song – Music Genres from Spanish America

SPN452: Bridging Cultures – Mastering the Art of Translation

SPN412: Gender and Sexuality in Latin America

SPN491: Sorcery and the Supernatural in the Renaissance

Pláticas: Spanish Conversation Meets 4 Times a Week

PRT350: Introduction to Literary Analysis – Brazil’s “Belle Époque”

SPN482: Evolution of the Spanish Language

FRN440: Cartoons, Graphic Novels and Film in the Francophone and Arab Worlds

SPN452: Spanish Language for the Medical Professions

CLA190: Introduction to the Study of the Classics

FRN350: French History in Painting and Visual Arts

FRN450: Dreams of Freedom in Color – Cultures of the Francosphere

SPN491: Race, Sexual Identity, and Gender in Contemporary Latin America

SPN 472: Peruvian Science Fiction and Futurism

FRN 440: Perspectives in Literature and the Arts of the Francosphere – Comics

FILM AND MEDIA

RESCHEDULED Pre-Release Screening: Safoi Babana-Hampton’s “Choeurs Atlantiques”

A collection of six film posters arranged in two rows. From left to right in the top row: "La Nuit du 12" (a woman in a red coat at night), "The Beast" (a close-up of a woman's face), and "Retour à Séoul" (a woman in a black coat in front of neon lgihts). Bottom row: "Other People's Children" (a smiling woman and man with a child), "Le Mépris" (a woman lounging in a room above the ocean), and "Banel & Adama" (a woman in a red dress laying on cracked earth).

Albertine Cinémathèque French Film Festival Returns to MSU

Sculpture of large pistol tied in knot

Boehm Awarded Grant to Develop “Our Knotted Gun” Documentary

Prof. Safoi Babana-Hampton Releases Film Trailer

Photos four Italian films

20th Annual Italian Film Festival Returns to MSU

Film Festival Shines Spotlight on Latinx Culture and Global Issues

Faculty Highlights

College Mourns the Passing of Emeritus Professor of Renaissance French

The College of Arts & Letters is mourning the passing of Dr. Ehsan Ahmed, Emeritus Professor of Renaissance French, who was a faculty member of Michigan State University’s Department of Romance and Classical Studies for 23 years. Ahmed was an extraordinary scholar, teacher, and colleague who was known for his generosity, intellect, and steady presence. The Department of Romance and Classical Studies is planning a celebration of life event on Friday, Dec. 5, 2025, from 5 to 7 p.m. in Wells Hall Room B 342.

November 19, 2025

New Awards Recognize Exceptional Contributions to Mentoring Undergraduate Students

The College of Arts & Letters at Michigan State University created two new awards this year to acknowledge faculty and staff who make exceptional contributions to mentoring students outside the classroom. These two Outstanding Undergraduate Mentorship Awards are nominated by students, endorsed by their chair or director, and selected by a student committee.

October 1, 2025

Collage of six professional headshots arranged in two rows of three. Top row: a smiling man in a suit jacket, a woman with curly hair wearing large earrings, and a smiling man with a beard in a plaid shirt and sweater. Bottom row: a man in a vest and collared shirt, a smiling woman with glasses and long hair, and a woman in a turtleneck sweater in front of a bookshelf.

2025 Faculty Award Winners Recognized for Outstanding Achievement

The College of Arts & Letters honored its Faculty Award Winners at the 2025 College of Arts & Letters Faculty and Staff Welcome Reception on Sept. 29 at the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center. These faculty members were recognized for their outstanding leadership, teaching, innovation, and community engagement, as well as the significant impact they have made in enhancing curriculum and student experiences.

September 30, 2025

student Highlights

Francophone Resistance fighters during World War II

Alt-text: A collage of four headshots of women arranged in a 2x2 grid. Top left: A woman with curly red hair, glasses, and red lipstick, wearing a dark top. Top right: A woman with short curly dark hair, glasses, and a wide smile, wearing colorful beaded earrings. Bottom left: A woman with long brown hair, smiling, wearing a black top. Bottom right: A woman with long straight brown hair, a natural expression, and a light-colored top, standing in front of a neutral background.

Graduate Candidates Receive 2025-26 Dissertation Fellowship Awards

A Journey Across Languages, Cultures, and Service to Becoming the Outstanding Senior Achievement Award Winner

Graduating Senior on Career Path that Combines Both Food Science and French Degrees

Spanish Major Receives 2025 Aguila Award (MSU Student of the Year)

Who Protects Those Who Heal? An RCS Student Honors Project

Tell Us What You Think

We Have Three Questions on This Page

Take the Survey

Connect With Us