Welcome to the Department of Spanish, French, Italian and Portuguese at the University of Illinois, Chicago.

A message from the head:

I am very proud to be able to introduce you to SFIP. Big changes are taking place right now. With five new faculty hires in two years (and more in the near future) and a complete revamping of our undergraduate and graduate programs in the works, SFIP is quickly becoming one of the most exciting places to study Romance languages in the country. If you click on the tabs to your left you will find information about our undergraduate and basic language programs in Spanish, French and Italian, as well as our graduate programs in Hispanic linguistics (MA and PhD), Hispanic literatures (MA and PhD) and French literature (MA). You can also find out about the interests of the faculty and the graduate students, as well as their accomplishments and some of the activities taking place in the department.
Thanks very much for your interest in our department. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Dianna Niebylski,
Department Head

Our Graduate Program in Hispanic Linguistics offers M.A. and Ph.D. programs led by nationally and internationally renowned faculty. Students may pursue coursework and research in a variety of areas including theoretical linguistics, sociolinguistics and second language acquisition. Several of our faculty members focus their research on bilingualism - heritage language maintenance, code-switching, acquisition and attrition. Exciting opportunities for research exist using an eye-tracker and a brand-new neuroimaging laboratory.

Our M.A. and Ph.D. Programs in Hispanic Literatures has particular strengths in Early Modern Studies, Modernismo and Contemporary Literature and Culture. Other Faculty areas of expertise include Cultural and Urban Studies, Gender Studies and Humor Studies. Several of our current Ph.D.'s have designed their. thesis project so as to work in conjunction with our world-class English Department and our multi-faceted Latin American and Latino Studies Program. Additionally, graduate students in both Spanish and French can take advantage of our superb Humanities Center and our Great Cities Program.

Our M.A. Program in French Literature has particular strengths in Medieval, Early Modern, 18th, 19th and 20th Century literature. Our M.A. French students have an excellent record of placement with top Ph.D. programs around the country.

At the Undergraduate level we offer majors in Spanish, Spanish education, French, French education and Italian. We also offer lower-level courses in Portuguese. SFIP is one of tne of the largest and most dynamic departments in the College of Arts & Sciences, with about 120 undergraduate majors, including oru majors in teacher education. Our programs emphasize scholarly research, preparing our students to be competitive candidates for graduate school. A culturally-oriented curriculum and a wide choice of foreign study programs promise an unprecedented rate of success for our undergraduate majors.

HIGHLIGHTS:

The following is only a partial list some of the highlights that make our Department unique among other excellent departments of Romance Languages and Linguistics.

The City in Literature and Culture

Teacher Education Program

OUR LOCATION:

Because of our privileged location – we are in the heart of downtown in the city of Chicago – our language and literature programs are richly supplemented by many of the City’s cultural institutions, institutions to which both our faculty and our students have easy recourse.  Among these are:

The Instituto Cervantes is a public institution created in 1991 for the promotion and teaching of the Spanish language. The Instituto Cervantes also has as its mission to nurture the growth of the Spanish and Spanish-American culture.

The Newberry Library, free and open to the public, is one of the world’s leading independent research libraries.  Focusing on the humanities, the Library’s evolving collections embrace the history and literature of the civilizations of Western Europe and the Americas.  The Newberry offers a host of exhibits, lectures, classes, concerts, and other public programming related to the collections, in addition to highly acclaimed fellowships and programs for scholars, teachers, and undergraduates.

International Latino Cultural Center. One of the first of its kind in the US, the center's mission is to develop and promote awareness of Latin America and Latino cultures. Its Latin Film Festival is now recognized as a premier venue for new Latin American and Latino filmmakers. Other cultural activities include a popular music concert series and numerous exhibits.

Italidea is a not-for profit organization for the purpose of promoting and expanding the knowledge of Italian language and culture throughout the Chicago metropolitan area. Theorganization works in close relationship with the Education Office of the Consulate General of Italy and with the Istituto Italiano di Cultura, Italidea organizes a variety of private courses and promotes several public school programs for the teaching of the Italian language, providing financial support for teachers'salaries as well as instructional materials.