The Department of Romance Languages and Literatures offers a broad variety of courses in the cultures and literatures of Italy and the French-speaking and Spanish-speaking worlds. All courses are designed to enhance students' understanding and appreciation of Francophone, Italian and Hispanic cultures while preparing them to communicate well with people from all lands, in any work they pursue.

Our students are also encouraged to extend their studies in Romance Languages at Bowdoin through participation in a wide range of excellent programs for study abroad in France, Italy, Spain, as well as many countries in Latin America and Africa where French or Spanish is spoken. In developing students' skills in cultural, linguistic and literary understanding of these countries the department carries on a rich tradition established by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, appointed as the first chair of Modern Languages at Bowdoin in 1826, to train young people in the modern languages and open doors to other cultures through the study of literature.