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Department of Romance Languages

 Collection
Identifier: UA 0004.0025

Scope and Contents

This collection contains the official records that reflect the history and activities of the Department of Romance Languages in the College of Arts and Sciences from 1954-2015. This collection contains material related to annual reports produced by the Department for the Office of the Provost, committee reports, flyers of events sponsored by the Department, handbooks for undergraduate students, memorandums, graduate program proposals, an archive of the department's website, and information about the history of the Department.

Dates

  • 1954 - 2015

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright is retained by the creators of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law. Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information. Please see our Sensitive Materials Statement.

Biographical or Historical Information

During the first year of the State Normal and Industrial School (now The University of North Carolina at Greensboro), the foreign languages of German, Latin, and French were taught under the Department of Ancient and Modern Languages. In 1916, the Department of Romance Languages was established by combining the Spanish and French curriculums. Winfield S. Barney was appointed head of the Department in 1919 and would serve until his retirement in 1953. Interest in the Department quickly grew that by 1919, only the Department of English had a higher enrollment.

During the next few decades, the Department continued to teach Spanish, French, and Italian. In 1964, a proposal for a master's degree program in French was approved and in 1967, one for Spanish was approved as well. However, in the 1970s, interest in foreign languages waned as the foreign language requirement was modified for graduation. There was an attempt to establish a PhD program in the late 1960s and early 1970s, but nothing came of the movement due to a lack of support from the campus administration. Currently, the Department offers a Bachelor of Arts degree in four major romance languages: French, Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese.

Extent

0.84 Linear Feet (2 boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

The Department of Romance Languages was created in 1916 with the merging of the Spanish and French curriculums. Today, the Department includes the languages of French, Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese.

Arrangement Note

The arrangement scheme for this collection was imposed during processing in the absence of a useable original order. This collection is arranged into two series with Series 1 arranged in alphabetical order while Series 2 is in chronological order. Series 1: General Files, 1954-2015 Series 2: Annual Reports, 1970-1997

Method of Acquisition

Periodically transferred from the Department of Romance Languages.

Offensive Language Statement

The UNC Greensboro University Libraries collects, preserves, and makes accessible unique and historical materials for learning and research. The nature of historical materials is such that some material may represent positions, norms, and values that are offensive and objectionable. These materials represent the opinions and actions of their creators. By providing access to these records in our reading room and through our digital collections, we recognize that archives and rare books can play a vital role in holding those creators accountable and in helping us learn from the past.

Our finding aids and other collection descriptions may occasionally re-use language provided by creators or former holders of the materials, but we strive to place outdated or offensive terminology in context. That said, we recognize that we may not always make the right decision and welcome feedback from all sources so we can learn and adjust our practices. Please contact us at scua@uncg.edu if you encounter problematic language in our finding aids or other collection description. We will review the language and, as appropriate, update it in a way that balances preservation of the original context with our ongoing commitment to describing materials with respectful and inclusive language.

Processing Information

Processed by Sean A. Mulligan, January 2011 Encoded by Sean A. Mulligan, January 2011

Title
Department of Romance Languages
Author
Processed by: Sean A. Mulligan; machine-readable finding aid created by: Sean A. Mulligan
Date
2011
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
eng

Repository Details

Part of the Martha Blakeney Hodges Special Collections and University Archives Repository

Contact:
P.O. Box 26170
320 College Ave.
Greensboro NC 27402-6170 US
336-334-5246