3. Columbia in the World Today

LANGUAGE HOUSES AND THE ITALIAN ACADEMY AT COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY

The following provide a living and learning environment as well as special cultural resources:

Casa Hispánica

Home of the Department of Spanish and Portuguese, the journal Revista Hispánica Moderna, and the Hispanic Institute (founded in 1920), Casa Hispánica has an excellent library of Peninsular and Spanish-American literature. It also sponsors weekly Café y Conversación hours.

Deutsches Haus

This center for German language and culture, established in 1911, is open to members of the Columbia community and interested public. Deutsches Haus serves as a meeting place for students to expand their interest in and knowledge of Germanic languages. The recently renovated Max Kade Library contains German literature, major newspapers, and periodicals. Cultural events include frequent films, social activities, and lecture series in German and English, with speakers from the United States and Europe.

The Italian Academy for Advanced Studies in America

This research institute established by the Republic of Italy and Columbia is housed in Casa Italiana, a seven-story Florentine palazzo. The Casa was designed by McKim, Mead & White and has been officially declared a New York City historic landmark. The Academy offers a vision of Europe from an Italian perspective and provides insights into broader trends in contemporary culture, engaging scholars from around the world to undertake research, seminars, symposia, and publications. Exhibits and live concerts of classical music are presented.

La Maison Française

The oldest university foreign language cultural and study center in the United States (founded in 1910), La Maison annually sponsors over one hundred events, including lectures by prominent authorities in French literature, art, politics, and business; international colloquia; a film series; concerts and theatre performances; and weekly Café-Conversation gatherings.