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This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held in the Wilson Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in our reading room, and not digitally available through the World Wide Web. See the Duplication Policy section for more information.
Size | 4.5 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 1400 items) |
Abstract | The Department of Romance Languages was established in 1901 as the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures and became the academic department providing coursework in romance languages. In 1905, the name changed to Department of Romance Languages. Prior to 1901, romance and Germanic languages were taught in one department, known as the Department of Modern Languages. Records consist of budget and financial records, including a number of files on departmental trust funds; correspondence and reports, and departmental statistics. There are also a few files pertaining to foreign language institutes for elementary and secondary school teachers held in the 1960s and supported by the United States National Defense Education Act of 1958. |
Creator | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Department of Romance Languages. |
Curatorial Unit | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. University Archives. |
Language | English |
Processed by: University Archives Staff; Jennifer Coggins and Laura Smith, August 2018
Encoded by: ByteManagers Inc., 2008
Updated by: Nancy Kaiser, February 2021
Back to TopThe following terms from Library of Congress Subject Headings suggest topics, persons, geography, etc. interspersed through the entire collection; the terms do not usually represent discrete and easily identifiable portions of the collection--such as folders or items.
Clicking on a subject heading below will take you into the University Library's online catalog.
Instruction in romance languages at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill dates from the opening of the university in 1795. However, through the nineteenth century, this instruction, which emphasized the reading and translation of French literature, was combined with the study of "modern languages." A professorship of modern languages was created by the Board of Trustees on 15 December 1825. The responsibilities of the position included instruction in German as well as French. Throughout the century, the focus of language courses remained on reading and translation and only during the twentieth century did the courses broaden to include training in conversation. On 26 January 1886, the Department of Modern Languages was established by the Board of Trustees. In 1901, under President Venable, romance language (French and Spanish) courses were segregated from Germanic language instruction into a Department of Romance Languages and Literatures. Four years later, courses in Italian were added to the department's curriculum, and in 1905 the department's name was revised to Department of Romance Languages. Instruction in Portuguese became the third major component of the curriculum in the 1941-1942 academic year.
The graduate program in romance languages originated in "advanced" French courses developed during the 1894-1895 school year. The first departmental master's degree was awarded in 1908. The first doctoral degree was earned by J. C. Lyons in 1927.
Back to TopRecords of the Department of Romance Languages consist of budget and financial records, including a number of files on departmental trust funds; correspondence and reports, and departmental statistics. There are also a few files pertaining to foreign language institutes for elementary and secondary school teachers held in the 1960s and supported by the United States National Defense Education Act of 1958.
Back to TopFrank Dominguez served as Assistant Chair of the Department of Romance Languages from 1990-1995, as Chair from 1995-2003, and again as Assistant Chair from 2005-2008. This addition includes materials related to debates over the structure of the department and budget cuts in the early 2000s.
Aquisitions Information: RT 20180810.1.
Box 3 |
Reports, correspondence, and statistics, 1991-2009 (bulk 2005-2009) |