The records of the Department of 77Romance Language provide some documentation of the administration of the department and several student organizations including Sigma Delta Pi, the Sociedad Hispanica and the Cercle Français. This record group is divided into five series: Department Administration, Faculty Information, Student Organizations, Topical, and Audio-Visual.
The first modern language taught at the University of Michigan was French, offered in 1847 by Louis Fasquelle. Spanish, Italian, Portuguese and German were added sporadically over the next four decades, taught by Fasquelle and other appointed instructors. In 1887 the Regents granted a petition for the official and separate formations of the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures and the Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures. Special courses in French, Spanish and German for engineering students were created in 1889. From 1904 until 1928 these courses were taught by a professor of modern languages within Engineering. In 1928, however, this responsibility was transferred back to each respective department in the College of Literature, Science and the Arts. The Department of Romance Languages and Literatures has continued to offer instruction in the languages, literatures, and civilizations of France, Spain, Latin America, Italy, and Portugal, with occasional courses in such fields as Rumanian, Catalan, and Francophone areas outside of France. Graduate courses have been offered since 1858, when the first advanced coursework in French was offered. In 1949 a program in Romance Linguistics was added to the department, including undergraduate coursework and a separate graduate degree program. This program is not currently offered.
The department has additionally been involved in several programs over the years. With the beginning of World War II, special language training courses were developed in all sections of the department for students soon to enter into military service. These courses continued until 1945. In the summer of 1942, staff from the department provided language and area studies for the Civil Affairs Specialist Training Program and language training for the Army Specialist Training Program. A special program was also set up during postwar years for the training of field officers for various postwar assignments in Latin America. In the summer of 1956 the department took an active part in the national Foreign Language in the Elementary School program, establishing training programs for elementary school teachers in the instruction of French and Spanish. In the summer of 1959 the department ran an institute supported by the National Defense Education Act offering special remedial training to high school language teachers and superintendents.
Extracurricular student activities have been active at different points in the department's history. The Cercle Français was organized in 1902 by and for students of French. This organization was particularly active from the 1930s through the 1950s, supported by both the University and City of Ann Arbor communities and producing an annual play and an annual French lecture series. Spanish organizations such as Sigma Delta Pi, the national Spanish honor society, and the Sociedad Hispanica, were active as well during this time.
Today the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures offers courses in French, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, and Romance Linguistics, focusing on language, literature, and culture. For current information about the department, see the department web site, located at the following URL: http://www.lsa.umich.edu/rll .
For more detailed information on the history of the department, particularly the early years, see the University of Michigan Encyclopedic Survey, and the folder entitled "Department History" located in Box 2 of this record group.
Chairs of the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures
| Date |
Event |
| 1900-1926 | Arthur Graves Canfield |
| 1926-1940 | Hugo Paul Thieme |
| 1940-1945 | Hayward Keniston |
| 1945-1951 | Irving A. Leonard |
| 1951-1959 | Charles Neff Staubach |
| 1959-1973 | James Calvin O'Neill |
| 1973-1983 | Frank P. Casa |
| 1977 | Roy J. Nelson (Acting) |
| 1984-1987 | Jean Rene Carduner |
| 1987-1990 | Thomas M. Kavanagh |
| 1990 | Noel M. Valis (Acting) |
| 1991-1992 | Thomas M. Kavanagh |
| 1992-1993 | Roy J. Nelson (Acting) |
| 1992-1997 | William R. Paulson |
| 1998 | Steven N. Dworkin |
| 1997-1999 | Jose M. Rabasa |
| 1999-2003 | Steven N. Dworkin |
| 2000 | William R. Paulson (Acting) |
| 2003-2006 | Peggy McCracken |
| 2006-2010 | Michelle Hanoosh |
| 2007-2008 | Christina Moreiras-Menor (Acting) |
| 2010- | Christina Moreiras-Menor |
