Head's Welcome

Welcome to the Department’s Website. In these pages you will find information about our programs, requirements, resources, public events, news and the research being carried out by students, instructors and Faculty members.

Our Department is the primary centre in the city of Calgary for the study of the language, cultures and literature of French, Italian and Spanish speaking worlds. We believe that the knowledge and skills we impart are essential to the success of students and future leaders in a trans-cultural world.

Our Faculty members teach, carry out research and publish in a wide range of disciplines: literature, culture, art and literature, film, exile, migration, creative writing, literary theories, European thought, second language acquisition and linguistics, teaching methodologies, technologies in the second language class, and others.

We are an International Department with ties to Europe, Africa and the Americas. Department members participate in international research groups and have organized major international conferences at the University of Calgary. Students are welcome to apply for scholarships to study in France, for the Study Abroad Program in Perugia, Italy, or for the Summer Credit Travel Study in Mexico.

The Department contributes to the Calgary and Alberta communities in a number of ways. We have participated in provincial curriculum development for French and Spanish, supported high school language teachers and Alberta Learning in numerous projects. We are active participants in the training of teachers of languages and back the efforts of the Provincial Government to promote the study of languages in grades 4-12 beginning 2006. The Department has hosted Mexican writers through WordFest and has shared in the activities of the Latin American Studies program. We have organized the Annual Week of the Italian Language in the World in collaboration with the Italian Community and the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We are planning activities in conjunction with the Alliance Française and the Calgary Italian community.

Thank you for your interest in our Department. We look forward to sharing our expertise with you and to assisting you personally.