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

Two men walk and talk across a grassy campus courtyard in front of a brick academic building. One gestures with his hands while speaking, and a large red-and-black outdoor sculpture stands in the background among trees and landscaping.

New Chapter: College Integration Strengthens Arts and Humanities at MSU

June 24, 2026

A new chapter at Michigan State University begins July 1, 2026, as the College of Arts & Letters and Residential College in the Arts and Humanities (RCAH) officially integrate, creating new opportunities for students, faculty, and the campus community while strengthening the arts and humanities at MSU. The integration brings together the broad academic programs and creative resources of the College of Arts & Letters with RCAH’s distinctive community-engaged residential education model.

A student stands beside a tri-fold educational display about 4-H featuring bilingual English and Spanish information, photos, and the organization’s four-leaf clover emblem. The presentation board includes sections about 4-H history, membership, and programming, displayed on a table indoors.

Beyond Words: MSU Students Gain Translation Experience While Serving Communities

June 8, 2026

Translation is about more than converting words from one language to another. It requires cultural understanding, empathy, and an ability to connect people with information

A bustling science fair with diverse participants discussing poster presentations. The venue is filled with detailed posters and engaged attendees.

College of Arts & Letters Students Earn First-Place Awards at Undergraduate Research and Arts Forum

May 11, 2026

Eight students whose primary majors are in the College of Art & Letters received first-place awards for their research and creative scholarship presented at Michigan State University’s 28th annual University Undergraduate Research and Arts Forum (UURAF). Several other MSU students who received first-place awards were mentored by faculty within the College of Arts & Letters.

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

Two men walk and talk across a grassy campus courtyard in front of a brick academic building. One gestures with his hands while speaking, and a large red-and-black outdoor sculpture stands in the background among trees and landscaping.

New Chapter: College Integration Strengthens Arts and Humanities at MSU

A new chapter at Michigan State University begins July 1, 2026, as the College of Arts & Letters and Residential College in the Arts and Humanities (RCAH) officially integrate, creating new opportunities for students, faculty, and the campus community while strengthening the arts and humanities at MSU. The integration brings together the broad academic programs and creative resources of the College of Arts & Letters with RCAH’s distinctive community-engaged residential education model.

June 24, 2026

A student stands beside a tri-fold educational display about 4-H featuring bilingual English and Spanish information, photos, and the organization’s four-leaf clover emblem. The presentation board includes sections about 4-H history, membership, and programming, displayed on a table indoors.

Beyond Words: MSU Students Gain Translation Experience While Serving Communities

Translation is about more than converting words from one language to another. It requires cultural understanding, empathy, and an ability to connect people with information

June 8, 2026

A bustling science fair with diverse participants discussing poster presentations. The venue is filled with detailed posters and engaged attendees.

College of Arts & Letters Students Earn First-Place Awards at Undergraduate Research and Arts Forum

Eight students whose primary majors are in the College of Art & Letters received first-place awards for their research and creative scholarship presented at Michigan State University’s 28th annual University Undergraduate Research and Arts Forum (UURAF). Several other MSU students who received first-place awards were mentored by faculty within the College of Arts & Letters.

May 11, 2026

student Highlights

A student stands beside a tri-fold educational display about 4-H featuring bilingual English and Spanish information, photos, and the organization’s four-leaf clover emblem. The presentation board includes sections about 4-H history, membership, and programming, displayed on a table indoors.

Beyond Words: MSU Students Gain Translation Experience While Serving Communities

A bustling science fair with diverse participants discussing poster presentations. The venue is filled with detailed posters and engaged attendees.

College of Arts & Letters Students Earn First-Place Awards at Undergraduate Research and Arts Forum

Graduates in green caps and gowns sit in a spacious indoor arena. One cap features a large jeweled "S." The mood is celebratory and formal.

Perfect Achievement: 16 College of Arts & Letters Graduates Receive Board of Trustees Awards

A group photo of twelve people indoors. Two men stand holding large ceremonial checks above smiling individuals seated on a couch, exuding celebration.

Students Recognized with ‘Honors Giving Back Awards’ for Outstanding Community-Engaged Work

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.

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

Rachel Zhai stands at a podium holding notes while delivering an oral presentation to an audience seated in a lecture-style room at the Diversity Research Showcase.

Arts & Letters and RCAH Students Earn Awards at Diversity Research Showcase

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