拉丁语言文学系主要研究四种最广泛使用的拉丁语言及其在全球范围内的文学传统。至少从19世纪初期开始，哈佛就开设了法语，意大利语和西班牙语课程。1886年增加了葡萄牙语。1900年，法语系与现代语言系的几个浪漫分支合并，组成浪漫语言和文学系。今天的学生还可以学习加泰罗尼亚语，文化历史和文学。RLL课程表彰了这个文化社区的共同起源以及其成员在整个历史过程中所采取的各种方向。这些课程为深入研究文学大师提供了机会，但丁，拉贝雷，卡梅斯，塞万提斯，普鲁斯特，博尔赫斯，佩索阿等人的作品影响了世界文学，为诗歌，戏剧和翻译
The Department of Romance Languages and Literatures focuses on the four most widely used Romance languages and on their literary traditions around the globe. Harvard has offered courses in French, Italian and Spanish since at least the early nineteenth century. Portuguese was added in 1886. In 1900, the Department of French merged with several Romance branches of the Modern Language Department to form the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures. Today's students can also study Catalan language, cultural history and literature. The RLL curriculum honors both the shared origins of this cultural community and the variety of directions its members have taken throughout history. Courses offer opportunities for intensive study of the literary masters --Dante, Rabelais, Camões, Cervantes, Proust, Borges, Pessoa and others-whose works have shaped world literature, for hands-on experience with poetry, theater, and translation, and for exploration of modern Romance literature and film in intersections with other languages and cultures, and in their vibrant presence in the United States. Recognition of the power of geography and history to shape cultural production makes many of our courses international, multilingual and interdisciplinary in scope. In addition to courses focused on a particular language or region, our Romance Studies offerings engage in comparative study of both classical and cutting-edge developments in the Romance languages and their cultures.