Italian has been taught at Queen's since 1896 in the old Department of Romance Languages. The Department of Spanish and Italian was formed in 1920 under the guidance of Professor J.H. Brovedani, who remained head of the department until 1949. The program expanded in the 1970s. Aside from providing elective courses for undergraduate and graduate students from other disciplines, a Medial concentration in Italian was added. Currently, the admission to the medial Plan is suspended, but students are encouraged to pursue the minor in Italian, which benefits many major Plans such Art History, Drama, English, Film or Music.