Study of Catalan provides a necessary tool for understanding contemporary Spanish society and politics as well as the entry key to one of the three major literatures of the Iberian Peninsula and one of Europe’s great literatures. Catalan was the first European vernacular to be used philosophically. It has a brilliant medieval and Renaissance literature, and a splendid modern literature in the 20th century, whose works are presented in a variety of courses in the Department of Iberian and Latin American Cultures (ILAC).

Stanford offers three quarters of instruction in Catalan, leading to substantial proficiency in the language. The language is particularly useful for students planning to study in Barcelona through the Stanford-sponsored Barcelona Consortium. It fulfills the University’s language requirement.