Graduate School Bulletin

Languages and Cultural Studies

The Department of Languages and Cultural Studies, within the College of Arts and Sciences, offers a wide variety of programs emphasizing study of the European languages, literatures, and cultures, courses in pedagogical methodology, supervised teaching experience, and advanced training for careers related to international affairs. The Department is committed to providing the best possible graduate education: two of several of its members have been named Distinguished Professors, and four have received the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching. The proximity of numerous cultural institutions such as the Center for Italian Studies on campus, the Goethe House in New York, Alliance Française, the Kosciuszko Foundation, the New York Public Library, and the Harriman Institute of Columbia University, enhance the quality of graduate study in the Department.

The programs have been designed with today’s career opportunities in mind. Students are encouraged to shape a personal curriculum, drawing on other Departments engaged in issues pertinent to European languages, cultural history and pedagogy such as Comparative Studies, History, Linguistics, Music, Philosophy, Political Science, and Theater Arts. The Department supports exchange programs with European universities abroad, in France, Germany, Russia, Poland, and Italy.

More detailed program information is available from the Department office and on the Internet at www.sunysb.edu/eurolangs https://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/languages-cultural-studies/. Part-time study is permitted; most graduate courses are offered during the late afternoons or evenings. Our advisors work closely with students in designing a program to meet individual needs and interests.

Degree Programs

M.A. Curriculum
The M.A. curriculum for each language program is designed to introduce students to research in European languages, literatures, and cultures leading to a doctoral degree, preparation for teaching on the college, university, or secondary school level, as well as careers involving international expertise. Students specialize in one of the offered languages, literary histories, and cultures, or create a combined program (i.e., two Romance languages), with the help of their advisors. Most courses are conducted in the target language. Experienced teaching assistants are encouraged to design and teach advanced courses on the undergraduate level. A carefully developed advising system enables students to tailor specially structured programs to suit their individual needs and interests.

M.A. Program in Romance Languages
The Department offers an M.A. in Romance Languages with possible concentrations in French and Spanish, Italian and Spanish, and French and Italian. The curriculum is formulated according to the individual student’s needs and interests. It is a flexible program that suits students who wish to go on to doctoral work as well as those who wish to complete their studies with the Master’s degree. There are two possible tracks:

Track A, Literature and Culture: Designed for students who wish to follow a traditional M.A. program or intend to proceed toward further study on the Ph.D. level. Typically students design a curriculum that includes literature, linguistics, and culture courses in one of the Romance languages or in a combination of two Romance languages. This track gives the students a choice of writing a Master’s Thesis or passing a Comprehensive Examination to qualify for the degree.

Track B, Language Pedagogy for Secondary School Teachers : Designed for students who have completed provisional requirements to teach languages in secondary schools and are required by State regulations to complete a Master’s degree. The track is specifically designed for students who have completed the Teacher Preparation Program in Foreign Languages at the undergraduate level. It allows secondary school teachers to further concentrate in the target language and culture they teach, or in a combination of two Romance languages. All courses are offered no earlier than 5:30 p.m. to meet the time constraints of secondary school teachers.