The French and Italian Department provides an intensive training in French and/or Italian literary history, theory, and criticism. The Department has long been a leader in connecting the literary to broader issues in philosophy, anthropology, history of science, and cultural history. The Department of French and Italian offers students the opportunity to pursue course work at all levels in the languages, cultures, literatures, and intellectual histories of the French and Italian traditions. Whether interested in French or Italian studies, students will find a broad range of courses covering language acquisition and refinement, literary history and criticism, cultural history and theory, continental philosophy, and romance linguistics.

The French section offers a Bachelor of Arts in French, as well as a Minor in French. Similarly, the Italian sections offers B.A. in Italian and a Minor in Italian. In addition, each section offers a 'Literature and Philosophy' track to majors, leading to B.A. degrees in French and Philosophy or Italian and Philosophy. The literature and philosophy specialization offers students the opportunity to pursue interdisciplinary studies at the intersection of literature and philosophy in a structured manner and alongside similarly interested students from a variety of humanistic disciplines.

Additionally, the Division of Literatures, Cultures, and Languages offers an undergraduate minor in Modern Languages. This minor draws on literature and language courses offered in this and other literature departments.

There is a French theme house on campus, La Maison française, and an Italian one, La Casa Italiana. Both are undergradaute residences that provide opportunities to experience French or Italian culture in a social setting and to practice the languages.

Stanford has campuses in Florence and Paris at which students can study for a quarter ore more. See BOSP in Florence and in Paris for details.