World Languages, Literatures, and Cultures
The courses offered by the Department of World Languages, Literatures, and Cultures enrich the intellectual and aesthetic development of Holy Cross students through the study of foreign languages, literatures, and cultures. Language study lies at the very heart of the broader liberal arts curriculum and serves as a vehicle for understanding the cultural worldview of speakers of other languages. As such, it plays a key role in the multicultural or cross-cultural dimension of majors, minors and concentrations. The department offers courses in Arabic, American Sign Language (ASL), Chinese, French, German, Italian, Russian, and literatures in translation. Major programs are offered in Chinese Studies, French Studies, German Studies, Italian Studies, Russian Studies and Studies in World Literatures (STLW). Minor programs are offered in Chinese Studies, Deaf Studies, French Studies, German Studies, Italian Studies, and Russian Studies. Students have also used the department’s language and literature courses in the Center for Interdisciplinary Studies (CIS)-sponsored concentrations and student-designed multidisciplinary majors and minors. See the descriptions for each in the section of this Catalog titled Center for Interdisciplinary Studies.
Department advisors for majors and minors help students become aware of the College’s many academic opportunities and assist them with their individual curriculum. Classroom instruction in the languages is complemented by small-group practice with native foreign-language assistants and through the use of state-of-the-art facilities in the Multimedia Resource Center. Co-curricular activities are provided by language tables, language clubs, honor societies, film series, lectures and cultural outings.
The department also offers a major program in Studies in World Literatures. Courses are conducted in English and employ translated texts. The program is designed to introduce students to representative works of various national literatures while highlighting the commonalities and differences among these works. Courses instruct students in approaches to textual interpretation and criticism, as well as guide them toward an understanding of the cultural themes reflected in the respective works.
All students, and language majors in particular, are encouraged to avail themselves of study abroad opportunities, which strengthen language skills and cultural understanding. The College offers semester- or year-long programs in French-speaking African countries, China, France, Germany, Italy, and Latvia as well as summer programs.
All Holy Cross students must satisfy the College’s Common Area Requirement for language study. This requirement is satisfied by two consecutive courses of language study. Students who wish to satisfy this requirement by continuing the study of a language must begin their study at the level at which they are placed by the College’s placement procedures. A score of 4 or 5 in the Advanced Placement exam for a particular language satisfies one semester of this two-semester Common Area requirement provided the student continues the study in that language at Holy Cross for at least one additional semester. Students who wish to satisfy the requirement with a language which they have not previously studied can do so with two semesters at the elementary level of a language.
Advanced Placement Credit
Holy Cross awards credit for Advanced Placement exams taken through the College Board Advanced Placement Program and the International Baccalaureate Program and will accept some Advanced Level General Certificate of Education (A-Level) exams. One unit of credit is awarded for an Advanced Placement score of 4 or 5 in any discipline recognized by the College. One unit of credit is awarded for a score of 6 or 7 on a Higher Level International Baccalaureate Examination in a liberal arts subject. One unit of credit is awarded for a score of A/A* or B on an A Level exam in a liberal arts subject. The College does not award credit for the IB Standard Exam or the A-Level Exam. AP, IB, and A-Level credit may be used to satisfy deficiencies and common area requirements. Each academic department has its own policy regarding the use of AP or IB credit for placement in courses and progress in the major. The Department Chair must also review the A-Level score to determine placement in courses and progress in the major. See departmental descriptions for further information.
Students with AP credit in a modern language or literature earn placement in the curriculum but not progress toward the minimum number of courses required by the major. Students who take a course that duplicates the AP award in a language will forfeit the AP credit. Students with AP credit in the literature of a modern language will not be permitted to enroll in a course below the 300 level.
Amy Singleton Adams, Ph.D., Monsignor Murray Professor in Arts and Humanities
Susan Amatangelo, Ph.D., Professor
Jean Ouédraogo, Ph.D., The Eleanor Howard O'Leary Chair in French/Francophonic Culture
Thibaut Schilt, Ph.D., Professor
Giovanni Spani, Ph.D., Professor, Chair
Ji Hao, Ph.D., Associate Professor
Olga S. Partan, Ph.D., Associate Professor
Sylvia M. Schmitz-Burgard, Ph.D., Associate Professor
Emma Burston, Ph.D., Assistant Professor
Giusy Di Filippo, Ph.D., Assistant Professor
Yongli Li, Ph.D., Assistant Professor
Yu-Jung Lin, Ph.D., Assistant Professor
Ibrahim Abdessalam Muhammad Abuserriah, M.A., Senior Lecturer
Adele Eleanor Parker, Ph.D., Senior Lecturer
Catherine Freddo, Ph.D., Visiting Assistant Professor
Luwei Wang, Ph.D., Visiting Assistant Professor
Aida Feng, Cand. Ph.D., Visiting Instructor
Jessica Marchi, M.Ed, Visiting Lecturer
Viviana Dragani, M.A., Visiting Lecturer
Diana Dukhanova, Ph.D., Visiting Lecturer
Abdelkrim Mouhib, Ph.D, Visiting Lecturer
Alexandra Place, M.A., Visiting Lecturer
Alma Richeh, LL.M, Visiting Lecturer
Academic Plans within World Languages, Literatures, and Cultures
Other Academic Plans Accepting/Requiring World Languages, Literatures, and Cultures Coursework
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Arabic (ARAB)
ARAB 101 — Elementary Arabic 1 Course count: 1
This course, designed for students with no previous study of Arabic, introduces the students of the script system of Arabic language, ensures the acquisition of basic speaking, listening, reading and writing in Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) and an introduction to the Arab culture around the world. Five class hours weekly. One and one-quarter units.
Prerequisite: Placement score of ARAB 99-LG
GPA units: 1.25
Common Area: Language Studies
Typically Offered: Fall
ARAB 102 — Elementary Arabic 2 Course count: 1
This course focuses on the basic linguistic and cultural fundamentals of Arabic in a communicative approach that allows the students to increase their linguistic abilities in reading, writing, listening and speaking in uncomplicated situations.
Prerequisite: ARAB 101 or equivalent
GPA units: 1.25
Common Area: Language Studies
Typically Offered: Spring
ARAB 150 — Introduction to Arabic Culture Course count: 1
This course introduces students to the basic aspects of Arabic culture. Through primary sources, literature and visual materials, the course focuses on the major themes and issues crucial to comprehending the culture of the Arab world. Among the topics students will explore are Arabic language and dialects, religion, food and cuisine, familial ties, customs and traditions, cinema and TV, major trends in modern poetry and novel, music, migration and diaspora. The class is conducted in English and no previous knowledge of Arabic is required. This course is intended solely for students who have no prior knowledge of Arab culture.
GPA units: 1
Common Area: Cross-Cultural Studies
ARAB 201 — Intermediate Arabic 1 Course count: 1
This course reviews and expands the fundamentals of the language through oral and written expression accompanied by readings and culture.
Prerequisite: Elementary Arabic 2
GPA units: 1.25
Common Area: Language Studies
Typically Offered: Fall
ARAB 202 — Intermediate Arabic 2 Course count: 1
This course presents more complex structures and embraces cultural competence by means of discussing TV shows and current newspapers.
Prerequisite: ARAB 201 or equivalent
GPA units: 1.25
Common Area: Language Studies
Typically Offered: Spring
ARAB 250 — Modern Arabic Literature in Translation Course count: 1
This course will introduce students to the modern literature of the Arab world. It will examine works by writers from different nationalities in the Arab world, all written in or translated into English. We will touch upon themes such as Nahda, colonialism and post-colonialism, nationalism, globalization, diversity, memory, and tradition. As we are exploring the primary readings, we will focus on two broad topics: modern Arab literature between the East and the West and the scene after the Arab Spring. This course constitutes an interdisciplinary exploration of Arab culture, society and thought through reading fiction works. It investigates identity formation and cultural construction, as well as politics and ideology in literature. The course examines how texts construct and perpetuate an often-problematic version of cultural identity. We will explore how unique histories, traditions, and politics are significant factors in reading and analyzing literature. We will investigate how literature addressed to the western reader often perpetuates a stereotypical version of the Arab Middle East that homogenizes its populations and fails to account for its complexity. The course will conclude with literary work during and in the aftermath of Arab Spring Revolutions.
GPA units: 1
Common Area: Cross-Cultural Studies, Literature
Typically Offered: Fall
ARAB 301 — Third Year Arabic Course count: 1
Focus on the continued development of spoken Modern Standard Arabic and written Arabic through text and multi-media resources.
Prerequisite: ARAB 202 or permission of instructor.
GPA units: 1
Common Area: Language Studies
Typically Offered: Fall
ARAB 392 — Tutorial Course count: 1
GPA units: 1
Typically Offered: Fall, Spring
ARAB 491 — Tutorial Course count: 1
GPA units: 1
Typically Offered: Fall, Spring
ARAB 492 — Tutorial Course count: 1
GPA units: 1
Typically Offered: Fall, Spring
Chinese (CHIN)
CHIN 101 — Elementary Chinese 1 Course count: 1
An introduction to spoken Mandarin and written Chinese. Providing a foundation in speaking, listening, reading, writing, and communication skills and an introduction to the Chinese culture.
Students who have taken any higher level CHIN course may not register for CHIN 101. No previous knowledge of language.
GPA units: 1.25
Common Area: Language Studies
Typically Offered: Fall
CHIN 102 — Elementary Chinese 2 Course count: 1
An introduction to spoken Mandarin and written Chinese. Providing a foundation in speaking, listening, reading, writing, and communication skills and an introduction to the Chinese culture.
Prerequisite: CHIN 101 or equivalent. Students who have taken any higher level CHIN course may not register for CHIN 102.
GPA units: 1.25
Common Area: Language Studies
Typically Offered: Spring
CHIN 103 — Introduction to Chinese Culture Course count: 1
An introduction to the history, geography, literature, and social issues of China through readings, films, music, poetry, and web-based resources. Taught in English. Three class hours weekly. One unit.
GPA units: 1
Common Area: Cross-Cultural Studies
CHIN 192 — Tutorial Course count: 1
GPA units: 1
Typically Offered: Fall, Spring
CHIN 199-F02 — Modern Chinese Popular Culture Course count: 1
A critical survey of modern Chinese popular culture, focusing on the growing cultural influence and widespread popularity of cultural productions from the Sinophone world. The core focus will be on popular culture from the Peoples Republic of China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. Students will examine the socio-political and economic contexts in which Chinese popular culture has gradually gained regional and global recognition. Special attention will be paid to the roles of aesthetic and intellectual movements, ideological shifts, technological innovations, and government regulatory strategies that have shaped these cultural phenomena. Through analysis of a wide range of genres and cultural forms, students will explore topics such as media globalization, literary adaptation, and cultural censorship. The course will span from martial arts TV dramas to commercial blockbusters, and from 1930s Jazz music to 2020s Douyin videos.
GPA units: 1
Common Area: Cross-Cultural Studies
CHIN 199-R01 — Fantastic Beasts Course count: 1
This course explores humananimal relationships in China from past to present, examining how animals (both supernatural and worldly) have shaped cultural imagination, social life, and storytelling. Students will investigate animals as cultural symbols, humananimal encounters across historical and social contexts, and ethical and philosophical debates about animals and humanity. Through critical analysis of literary works in dialogue with Chinese philosophy, religion, art, popular culture, and modern media, students will explore the complex and ongoing interactions between humans and animals throughout Chinese history and society.
GPA units: 1
Common Area: Cross-Cultural Studies, Literature
CHIN 199-S03 — Animal Worlds: Multispecies Narratives in Sinophone Societies Course count: 1
What can a butterfly, a monkey, or a fox teach us about being humanand about worlds beyond the human? This course explores how animals shape storytelling, cultural imagination, and everyday life in Sinophone societies. Reading across ancient myths, philosophical texts, modern literature, and contemporary film, we encounter animals as companions, laborers, commodities, shape-shifters, and beings with lives of their own. How do stories draw and unsettle boundaries between species? How do animal figures express desires, organize social hierarchies, or challenge ideas about gender, morality, and power? What happens when we approach animals as living beings whose experiences exceed the meanings humans assign to them? Drawing on ecocriticism, animal studies, and posthumanist thought, we examine how narrative form and perspective invite us to imagine other creatures sensory worlds and question human-centered understandings of agency and value. We also situate these narratives within changing practices of agriculture, urbanization, and technological development, connecting cultural representation to the material conditions of multispecies life. Through discussion, close reading, film analysis, and creative projects, students explore how storytelling can reshape our responsibilities toward other beings and our visions of a shared future.
GPA units: 1
Common Area: Cross-Cultural Studies
CHIN 201 — Intermediate Chinese 1 Course count: 1
Continued focus on the development of oral and written communication skills and on the strengthening of cultural competency in Chinese through the use of written texts and multimedia resources. Five class hours weekly. One and one-quarter units each semester.
Recommended prerequisite: CHIN 102 or equivalent. Students who have taken any higher level CHIN course may not register for CHIN 201.
GPA units: 1.25
Common Area: Language Studies
Typically Offered: Fall
CHIN 202 — Intermediate Chinese 2 Course count: 1
Continued focus on the development of oral and written communication skills and on the strengthening of cultural competency in Chinese through the use of written texts and multimedia resources. Five class hours weekly. One and one-quarter units each semester.
Prerequisite: CHIN 201 or equivalent. Students who have taken any higher level CHIN course may not register for CHIN 202.
GPA units: 1.25
Common Area: Language Studies
Typically Offered: Spring
CHIN 250 — Traditional Chinese Literature Course count: 1
Introduction to major works in traditional Chinese literature. One Unit.
GPA units: 1
Common Area: Literature
CHIN 251 — China and the Environment Course count: 1
GPA units: 1
Common Area: Cross-Cultural Studies
CHIN 255 — Chin Cult Through Camera's Eye Course count: 1
An exploration of Chinese culture through 20th- and 21st-century Chinese cinema. Taught in English. One unit.
GPA units: 1
Common Area: Cross-Cultural Studies
CHIN 260 — Chinese Linguistics Course count: 1
An overview of the history and structure of the Chinese language.
GPA units: 1
Common Area: Social Science
CHIN 261 — Tongues in Transit: Language, Migration, and Ageing Course count: 1
This course explores the intersection of language, migration, and aging, with a focus on the experiences of immigrants from different age groups, including a case study of Asian American immigration stories.
GPA units: 1
Common Area: Cross-Cultural Studies, Social Science
Typically Offered: Alternate Years
CHIN 270 — The Legend of the Monkey King Course count: 1
GPA units: 1
Common Area: Cross-Cultural Studies, Literature
CHIN 280 — Chinese Food Odyssey Course count: 1
Have you eaten yet? As one of the most common greetings among people in China, it suggests the important role food plays in Chinese culture and society. This course examines the Chinese culinary tradition and practice from antiquity to the present and explores diverse representations of food in historical accounts, literature, traditional arts, and the modern media. In this journey to Chinese cultures heart through its stomach, we will savor every bite: both food for thought and food for stomach. While digging into our food, we will also discuss a variety of topics related to the subject of Chinese food, such as food and culture values, food and identity, food and hunger, and Chinese food in the West. Students will develop critical eating skills and will further embrace cultural diversity through food.
GPA units: 1
Common Area: Cross-Cultural Studies, Literature
CHIN 292 — Tutorial Course count: 1
GPA units: 1
Typically Offered: Fall, Spring
CHIN 299-S03 — Futures and Presents through Chinese Science Fiction Course count: 1
How does imagining the future change the way we understand the present? This course explores contemporary Chinese science fiction through its depictions of humanenvironment relations. Focusing on twenty-first-century literature, we ask: How do speculative narratives envision Earth and its possible futures? What do these imagined worlds reveal about contemporary understandings of nature, technology, and planetary life? How might they help us rethink the relationships among humans, nonhuman beings, and their environments? From ecological catastrophe to visions of sustainable societies, from transformed landscapes to vast planetary systems, we examine how science fiction both responds to present conditions and imagines alternative ways of inhabiting the world. We pay particular attention to how these narratives connect Chinas social and environmental transformations to questions of resource use, technological development, and collective survival. Through close reading, discussion, and critical analysis, students develop an ecocritical approach to literature, exploring how setting, narrative perspective, and scale shape representations of environmental change. Throughout the course, we consider how speculative storytelling can challenge familiar assumptions about humannature relations and open possibilities for more just and sustainable futures.
GPA units: 1
Common Area: Literature
CHIN 301 — Third Year Chinese 1 Course count: 1
Continued focus on the development of oral and written communication skills and cultural competency through the use of traditional Chinese readings and multimedia resources. Five class hours weekly. One and one-quarter units each semester.
Prerequisite: CHIN 202 or permission of the instructor. Students who have taken any higher level CHIN course may not enroll in CHIN 301
GPA units: 1.25
Common Area: Language Studies
Typically Offered: Fall
CHIN 302 — Third Year Chinese 2 Course count: 1
Continued focus on the development of oral and written communication skills and cultural competency through the use of traditional Chinese readings and multimedia resources. Five class hours weekly. One and one-quarter units each semester.
Prerequisite: CHIN 301 or equivalent.
GPA units: 1.25
Common Area: Language Studies
Typically Offered: Spring
CHIN 392 — Tutorial Course count: 1
GPA units: 1
Typically Offered: Fall, Spring
CHIN 401 — Fourth Year Chinese 1 Course count: 1
Continued development of oral and written communication skills and cultural competency through the use of readings, videos, and other multimedia resources. One unit each semester.
Prerequisite: CHIN 302 or Study Abroad in China, or permission of the instructor.
GPA units: 1.25
Common Area: Language Studies
Typically Offered: Fall
CHIN 402 — Fourth Year Chinese 2 Course count: 1
Continued development of oral and written communication skills and cultural competency through the use of readings, videos, and other multimedia resources. One unit each semester.
Prerequisite: CHIN 401 or Study Abroad in China
GPA units: 1.25
Common Area: Language Studies
Typically Offered: Spring
CHIN 403 — Topics in Contemp Chin Society Course count: 1
This course continues its focus on the development of higher level skills in spoken Mandarin and formal, written Chinese.
Prerequisite: CHIN 302 or permission of instructor.
GPA units: 1.25
Common Area: Language Studies
CHIN 404 — Introduction to Literary Chinese 1 Course count: 1
An introduction to the classical literary language of China.
Prerequisite: Any 400 level Chinese class or permission from the instructor.
GPA units: 1
Common Area: Language Studies
Typically Offered: Annually
CHIN 491 — Tutorial Course count: 1
GPA units: 1
Typically Offered: Fall, Spring
CHIN 492 — Tutorial Course count: 1
GPA units: 1
Typically Offered: Fall, Spring
French (FREN)
FREN 101 — Elementary French 1 Course count: 1
This first half of an introduction to the fundamentals of the French language focuses on the acquisition of the basic listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills and presents an introduction to the cultures of the French-speaking world. This course is restricted to students with no previous study of French. Five class hours weekly. Conducted in French.
Students who have taken any higher level FREN course may not register for FREN 101. No previous knowledge of language.
GPA units: 1.25
Common Area: Language Studies
Typically Offered: Annually Fall
FREN 102 — Elementary French 2 Course count: 1
This second half of an introduction to the fundamentals of the French language reinforces and deepens basic listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills in French as well as knowledge of the cultures of the French-speaking world.
Prerequisite: Students must complete a language placement exam or FREN 101 in order to enroll in this course. Students who have taken any higher level FREN course may not register for FREN 102.
GPA units: 1.25
Common Area: Language Studies
Typically Offered: Fall, Spring
FREN 201 — Intermediate French 1 Course count: 1
The first half of a review of the fundamentals of French supplemented by reading of literary and cultural material and by practice in oral expression.
Prerequisite: Students must complete a language placement exam or FREN 102 in order to enroll in this course. Students who have taken any higher level FREN course may not register for FREN 201.
GPA units: 1
Common Area: Language Studies
Typically Offered: Fall, Spring
FREN 202 — Intermediate French 2 Course count: 1
The second half of a review of the fundamentals of French supplemented by reading of literary and cultural material and by practice in oral expression.
Prerequisite: Students must complete a language placement exam or FREN 201 in order to enroll in this course. Students who have taken any higher level FREN course may not register for FREN 202.
GPA units: 1
Common Area: Language Studies
Typically Offered: Fall, Spring
FREN 301 — French Composition & Conversatn Course count: 1
Designed for gaining proficiency in oral and written French. Emphasis on developing correctness and fluency in everyday situations. Regular methods of instruction include discussions, web activities, skits, listening comprehension, grammar review. Required for French majors and minors. Recommended for first-year students with advanced placement. Four class hours weekly. French.
Prerequisite: Students must complete a language placement exam, FREN 202 or have French AP credit in order to enroll in this course. Students who have taken any higher level FREN course may not register for FREN 301.
GPA units: 1
Common Area: Language Studies
Typically Offered: Fall, Spring
FREN 302 — Approaches To Reading & Writing Course count: 1
Designed to give students the tools to read and write critically in French. Students will examine texts representative of major genres and will acquire lexical flexibility, rhetorical skills and stylistic proficiency. Conducted in French.
Prerequisite: FREN 301 or equivalent.
GPA units: 1
Common Area: Language Studies
Typically Offered: Every Third Year
FREN 303 — French Life & Letters/MA-1800 Course count: 1
An overview of French life and letters from the Middle Ages to 1800. Focus is on literature, but other types of material are included to provide insights into the cultural, historical, and ideological contexts. Designed to give students the tools to read and write critically in French. Students will examine texts representative of major genres and will acquire lexical flexibility, rhetorical skills and stylistic proficiency. Conducted in French.
Prerequisite: FREN 301
GPA units: 1
Common Area: Language Studies
Typically Offered: Every Third Year
FREN 304 — French Life & Letters: 19th, 20th, 21st Centuries Course count: 1
An overview of French life and letters from 1800 to the present. Focus is on literature, but other types of material are included to provide insights into the cultural, historical, and ideological contexts. Designed to give students the tools to read and write critically in French. Students will examine texts representative of major genres and will acquire lexical flexibility, rhetorical skills and stylistic proficiency. Conducted in French.
Prerequisite: FREN 301
GPA units: 1
Common Area: Language Studies
Typically Offered: Every Third Year
FREN 305 — Writing Around the Arts Course count: 1
Arts will be the thematic focus of the course and will encompass readings on urbanism and architecture, film, advertising, comic books, choreography, equestrian theater, political songs, painting, and photography. Designed to give students the tools to read and write critically in French. Students will examine texts representative of major genres and will acquire lexical flexibility, rhetorical skills and stylistic proficiency. Conducted in French.
Prerequisite: FREN 301
GPA units: 1
Common Area: Language Studies
Typically Offered: Every Third Year
FREN 306 — Paris Through the Looking Glass Course count: 1
Paris will be the thematic focus of the course and will encompass a variety of readings on the City of Lights' history, urban design and landscape, landmarks and symbols, cultural institutions, artistic and intellectual neighborhoods. We will also examine how poets, novelists, playwrights, and filmmakers have represented Paris by studying sample(s) of their respective art form. Designed to give students the tools to read and write critically in French. Students will examine texts representative of major genres (poetry, theater, novel) and will acquire lexical flexibility, rhetorical skills and stylistic proficiency. Conducted in French.
Prerequisite: FREN 301
GPA units: 1
Common Area: Language Studies
Typically Offered: Every Third Year
FREN 307 — The Fantastic Course count: 1
The general theme of the Fantastic is the focus of this course. As a literary and cinematic genre, the Fantastic is characterized by the intrusion of the supernatural into our natural world. This intrusion, which can take many forms, destabilizes both the reader/spectator and the characters within the text itself. Students will study a variety of works on the topic. Designed to give students the tools to read and write critically in French. Students will examine texts representative of major genres and will acquire lexical flexibility, rhetorical skills and stylistic proficiency. Conducted in French.
Prerequisite: FREN 301
GPA units: 1
Common Area: Language Studies
Typically Offered: Every Third Year
FREN 308 — Francophone Journeys Course count: 1
In this course, students analyze works of literature written by francophone authors that feature a voyage, either literal or metaphorical. Focus is on literature, but other types of material are included to provide insights into the cultural, historical and ideological contexts. Designed to give students the tools to read and write critically in French. Students will examine texts representative of major genres and will acquire lexical flexibility, rhetorical skills, and stylistic proficiency. Conducted in French.
Prerequisite: French 301
GPA units: 1
Common Area: Language Studies
Typically Offered: Every Third Year
FREN 309 — France's Faces Course count: 1
In this course, we will analyze works of literature written by authors of diverse backgrounds based in France. One of the course's goals is to explore the many faces of the country, not just that of the Parisian elite. Focus is on literature, but other types of material are included to provide insights into the culture, historical and ideological contexts. Designed to give students the tools to read and write critically in French. Students will examine texts representative of major genres and will acquire lexical flexibility, rhetorical skills, and stylistic proficiency. The course will bring student' proficiency to the level of accuracy and clarity required for the satisfactory completion of 400-level course. Conducted in French [counts toward the French major and minor. Satisfies the College's Language Common Area Requirement]
Prerequisite: FREN 301
GPA units: 1
Common Area: Language Studies
Typically Offered: Every Third Year
FREN 310 — Laughing Matters Course count: 1
This course develops advanced French proficiency through the practice of five academic writing exercises (summary of a text, formal analysis, critical review, research paper or dissertation, etc., all in French) and formal oral presentations while fostering cultural comparison through analysis of French versus American traditions of humor and comedy and each cultures rhetorical structures (from Voltaires mastery of irony to Ionescos absurdist plays). Students interpret diverse French cultural products, from Molière's classical theater to contemporary Netflix series Drôle, to understand how comedic practices reveal French social perspectives, political attitudes, and historical evolution. The course examines linguistic diversity within francophone communities and explores how humor functions as both communication tool and political instrument, demonstrating the interplay between French language structures and cultural worldviews.
Prerequisite: FREN 301
GPA units: 1
Common Area: Language Studies
Typically Offered: Every Third Year
FREN 401 — Advanced French Course count: 1
Designed for students who seek to reach an advanced level of proficiency in French. The four skills are stressed. Particular emphasis on exercises that focus on complex language structures.
Prerequisite: Two French courses at the 300 Level.
GPA units: 1
Common Area: Language Studies
Typically Offered: Every Third Year
FREN 402 — Translation Course count: 1
Through the translation of selected passages, seeks to teach students to write with precision and clarity in both French and English. Conducted in French.
Prerequisite: Two 300-level FREN courses or equivalent.
GPA units: 1
Common Area: Language Studies
Typically Offered: Every Third Year
FREN 406 — Fiction Writing Course count: 1
Even though the French commonly do not believe that one can learn how to become a successful fiction writer by taking courses in creative writing, they admit that there are certain tricks and techniques pertaining to the art of writing that one must know in order to write a fine piece of literature. In this course, we shall take up the challenge. We shall first read samples of fictional works (excerpts, a fable, a tale, a short story, a novel), take them apart to understand how they are fabricated, and analyze each component at play in detail. Students will then compose similar short pieces. By the end of the semester, students will try their hand at a larger piece of fiction in French. Conducted in French.
Prerequisite: Two 300 level FREN Courses
GPA units: 1
Typically Offered: Every Third Year
FREN 427 — 20Th -21st Century Novel Course count: 1
The major trends and theories by prominent 20th-21st Century novelists are considered. Selected works by authors such as Gide, Proust, Mauriac, Sartre, Colette, Camus, Breton, De Beauvoir, Beckett, Bernanos, Giono, Vian, Queneau, Perec, Pagnol, Tournier, Robbe-Grillet, Sarraute, Duras, Hyvrard, Modiano, Sollers, Lainé, Wittig, Roche, Yourcenar, Leduc, Ernaux, Angot, Germain and others. This course fulfills the literature requirement for the major. Conducted in French.
Prerequisite:Two 300-level French courses or the equivalent.
GPA units: 1
Common Area: Literature
Typically Offered: Every Third Year
FREN 428 — The French Short Story Course count: 1
This course provides an overview of the development of the French short story in its historical and sociopolitical context, particularly from the nineteenth century to the present day. It discusses the convergence in the modern age of a proliferation of press publications, changes in the status of writers, and the development of the concept of individuality, all of which which led to a wealth of new short works. We will consider the specificities of the genrewhat differentiates the short story from the novel or prose poetry?as well as the qualities of acclaimed short stories in French. Conducted in French. [Counts toward the French and Francophone Studies major and minor. Satisfies the Colleges and the French majors Literature Requirement]
Prerequisite: Two 300 level French courses.
GPA units: 1
Common Area: Literature
Typically Offered: Every Third Year
FREN 431 — Contemporary France Course count: 1
Focuses on current issues in contemporary France. Politics, society, the arts, domestic and international affairs, education, the media, feminism, etc., are among the topics analyzed and discussed. Conducted in French.
Prerequisite: Two 300-level FREN courses.
GPA units: 1
Typically Offered: Every Third Year
FREN 441 — Francophone Protest Poetics Course count: 1
A critical examination of contemporary Francophone music and new poetic forms such as slamming across Africa, Europe, North-America and spanning genres such as afro-pop, hip hop, reggae, zouk. The course seeks to highlight the use of music and spoken work as instruments to contest the prevailing political discourse and a platform to engage social changes.
Prerequisite: Two 300-level FREN courses.
GPA units: 1
Common Area: Arts
FREN 442 — Emerging Francophone Classics Course count: 1
Emerging Francophone Classics introduces students to recent texts by renowned Francophone writers from Africa, the Caribbean, and the African diaspora. The course engages students in the examination of issues and themes such as immigration, cultural identity, and gender through authors such as Dany Laferrière (Lénigme du retour), Boubabcar Boris Diop (Le temps de Tamango), Véronique Tadjo (Loin de mon père), Fatou Diome (Celles qui attendent), Maryse Condé (Le Cur à rire et à pleurer), Fawzia Zouari (Ce pays dont je meurs), etc. It explores literary aesthetics associated with the individual writers as well as the linguistic influences of their regions of origin.
Prerequisite: Two 300-level FREN courses.
GPA units: 1
Common Area: Cross-Cultural Studies, Literature
Typically Offered: Every Third Year
FREN 443 — Global Francophone Cultures Course count: 1
This course focuses on the history and contemporary issues of Francophone cultures outside of France: in Europe, the Maghreb, sub-Saharan Africa, the Americas, and Southeast Asia. Political and sociocultural contexts, domestic and international affairs, decolonization, and postcolonialism will be among the topics analyzed and discussed. Various readings (from academic books, journals, newspapers, and the Internet) will accompany our discussions, as well as several French-language films. As this is an advanced course, students will conduct a certain amount of independent research and, taking turns as part of their oral presentations, will select texts to be read by the professor and the entire class.
Prerequisite: Two 300-level FREN courses or equivalent.
GPA units: 1
Common Area: Cross-Cultural Studies
Typically Offered: Every Third Year
FREN 471 — Masterpieces of French Cinema Course count: 1
This course focuses on cinematic masterpieces, understood as either popular or critical successes, or both, in order to provide students with an in-depth study of French and French-language filmmaking from its inception in 1895 to the present. We move chronologically, and cover a variety of trends, periods, and genres, including the 1920s Avant-Garde, Poetic Realism, Occupation Cinema, the Tradition of Quality, the French New Wave, Beur and Banlieue filmmaking, the popular comedy, the documentary, and the road movie. We also explore French-language cinema produced outside Metropolitan France. Conducted in French.
Prerequisite: Two 300-level FREN courses
GPA units: 1
Common Area: Arts
Typically Offered: Every Third Year
FREN 472 — Race & Gender in French Cinema Course count: 1
This course introduces students to the politics of representation in contemporary French-language cinema, from France but also other corners of the French-speaking world. We focus specifically on issues of race, gender and sexuality as they emerge in a variety of filmic texts of the last few decades. Other considerations will include class, ethnicity, hybridity and multiculturalism. Key theoretical paradigms such as feminist film studies, queer theory and postcolonial thought will be utilized to contextualize and comprehend these categories. Conducted in French.
Prerequisite: Two 300-Level French courses
GPA units: 1
Common Area: Arts
Typically Offered: Every Third Year
FREN 491 — Tutorial Course count: 1
Eligible students may elect one or both of these courses with the permission of the section coordinator. Tutorials are normally offered only to students who have previously taken all other advanced courses offered in a given semester.
GPA units: 1
Typically Offered: Fall, Spring
FREN 492 — Tutorial Course count: 1
Eligible students may elect one or both of these courses with the permission of the section coordinator. Tutorials are normally offered only to students who have previously taken all other advanced courses offered in a given semester.
GPA units: 1
Typically Offered: Fall, Spring
German (GERM)
GERM 101 — Elementary German 1 Course count: 1
Designed for students with no previous study of German, aimed at the acquisition of a basic speaking, reading and writing knowledge. Five class hours weekly, including two hours of practicum.
Students who have taken any higher level GERM course may not register for GERM 101. No previous knowledge of language.
GPA units: 1.25
Common Area: Language Studies
Typically Offered: Fall
GERM 102 — Elementary German 2 Course count: 1
Designed for students with no previous study of German, aimed at the acquisition of a basic speaking, reading and writing knowledge. Five class hours weekly, including two hours of practicum.
Recommended prerequisite: GERM 101 or equivalent. Students who have taken any higher level GERM course may not register for GERM 102.
GPA units: 1.25
Common Area: Language Studies
Typically Offered: Spring
GERM 201 — Intermediate German 1 Course count: 1
A review of the fundamentals of the German language, supplemented by readings in literary and cultural texts as well as practice in oral and written expression. Five class hours weekly and laboratory practice.
Recommended prerequisite: GERM 102 or equivalent. Students who have taken any higher level GERM course may not register for GERM 201.
GPA units: 1.25
Common Area: Language Studies
Typically Offered: Fall
GERM 202 — Intermediate German 2 Course count: 1
A review of the fundamentals of the German language, supplemented by readings in literary and cultural texts as well as practice in oral and written expression. Five class hours weekly and laboratory practice.
Recommended prerequisite: GERM 201 or equivalent. Students who have taken any higher level GERM course may not register for GERM 202.
GPA units: 1.25
Common Area: Language Studies
Typically Offered: Spring
GERM 250 — Metropolis Berlin Course count: 1
The city of Berlin represents a microcosm of change and growth in European society yet maintains a unique identity. Its development from a royal city to the capital of a united Germany will be examined through the lenses of literature, film, art, and architecture. In English.
GPA units: 1
Common Area: Historical Studies
Typically Offered: Every Third Year
GERM 255 — German Practicum Course count: 0
Prerequisite: German majors or minors who have taken Germ 301.
GPA units: 0
Typically Offered: Fall, Spring
GERM 260 — What Was Nature? Germany and the Global Ecological Crisis Course count: 1
Thinking about nature often compels us to think in the past tense. Whether imagined as a paradisical realm before the arrival of Humans or the imposition of Culture, or as a network of ecological relations prior to exploitation and extraction, we have no shortage of narratives telling us what nature was, or perspectives that start from the end of nature. What would it mean to think nature differently? What if the idea of nature were to begin anew each time it is invoked, in literature, art,science, and critical thought?The course focuses on four foundational notions of nature that inform environmental politics in current European discourses: Nature as a network of interconnected parts; nature as an existence in physical, geographical, and political space; nature as a legal person; and finally, nature as an extractable resource. Taking this class provides you with specific contexts for the emergence of these frameworks as they appear in German-language writers, thinkers, and artists from the Enlightenment to the present-day. If you want to know how conceptions of nature have oscillated from the local to the global (and back again), if you want to know the role of the sustainability in the history of the German Green Party or what can be done about Germany's ongoing colonial legacy, if you wonder what it would mean to give animals, plants, and waters "human" rights, or how we got to our recent phenomenon of "green capitalism"--- all these questions, and others, are addressed in this class.Drawing from interdisciplinary, multi-medial encounters with nature in our present moment of ecological disaster, we will explore the disastrous signifier that is Nature, a category which offers no unified notion of beginnings and ends, but rather speaks in multiple tongues across the affordances of space and time.This course is open to all students and does not presuppose any specialized expertise in the fields named above. The readings and discussions for GERM 260 are in English. Depending on interest, a weekly German-language practicum may be offered.
GPA units: 1
Common Area: Cross-Cultural Studies
Typically Offered: Annually Fall
GERM 301 — German Composition & Conversation Course count: 1
Designed for students wishing to acquire proficiency in spoken and written German. Discussions focus on current and historic events, address stylistic devices and rhetorical strategies in literary texts, and explore students' interests. Weekly oral and written assignments with grammar review as necessary. Required for German majors and recommended for first-year students with advanced placement. In German.
Prerequisite: GERM 202 or equivalent
GPA units: 1
Typically Offered: Fall
GERM 303 — German Culture 1750-1890 Course count: 1
An introduction to outstanding examples of German thought, art, and cultural developments in the 18th and 19th centuries. Important German cultural figures such as Frederick the Great, Goethe, Beethoven, Nietzsche and Marx are discussed. Readings, lectures, and discussions in German.
Prerequisite: GERM 301 or equivalent
GPA units: 1
Common Area: Historical Studies, Literature
Typically Offered: Alternate Years
GERM 304 — German Culture/20th Century Course count: 1
An introduction to political and cultural developments in Germany in the 20th century. Aspects of the Weimar Republic, the Third Reich, East and West Germany, and the United Germany are studied. Readings, lectures, and discussions in German.
Prerequisite: GERM 301 or equivalent
GPA units: 1
Common Area: Historical Studies, Literature
Typically Offered: Alternate Years
GERM 399-S01 — Staging the Self Course count: 1
What does it mean to stage a Self? How do elements like dramaturgy, body, text, and performance condition the way a person appears before a public? And, conversely, how does something like a "public"-- understood as a kind of political and social body-- emerge from various representations of subjectivity? This course examines the co-constitutive formation of the individual and the collective by focusing on major works of German theater and drama from 1780 to the present. Topics of discussion include the rise of the bourgeois on the stage; the constitution and fragmentation of the psychic subject; bodies produced under the discourses of the institution; epic theater; and transformations of the private-public relation through emergent mass media such as film, radio, and social media.
Prerequisite: GERM 301 or equivalent
GPA units: 1
Common Area: Literature
GERM 401 — Goethe & Schiller Course count: 1
Analysis of representative works of Lessing, Goethe, Schiller and their contemporaries within the context of the German Enlightenment and German Idealism and their major philosophical, aesthetic and moral concerns. Readings and discussions in German.
Prerequisite: GERM 301 or equivalent
GPA units: 1
Common Area: Literature
Typically Offered: Every Third Year
GERM 403 — 19c German Lit (Novella) Course count: 1
A study of German literature in the age of burgeoning industrialism and materialism, extending from the late romanticism through the era of realism. Works of representative authors such as Heine, Büchner, Grillparzer, Droste-Hülshoff, Stifter, Keller, Meyer and Fontane. Readings and discussions in German.
Prerequisite: GERM 301 or equivalent
GPA units: 1
Common Area: Literature
GERM 405 — Kafka, Hesse, Mann and their Contemporaries Course count: 1
Introduction to the most significant masters of German prose in the first half of the 20th century. Works of representative writers such as Hauptmann, Schnitzler, Mann, Kafka, Hesse, Brecht. Readings and discussions in German.
Prerequisite: GERM 301 or equivalent
GPA units: 1
Common Area: Literature
Typically Offered: Every Third Year
GERM 406 — Contemporary German Literature Course count: 1
A study of German texts created around the turn of the millennium in the newly unified Germany.
Prerequisite: GERM 301 or equivalent
GPA units: 1
Common Area: Literature
Typically Offered: Every Third Year
GERM 407 — German Law & Literature Course count: 1
Prerequisite: GERM 301 or equivalent
GPA units: 1
GERM 491 — Tutorial Course count: 1
GPA units: 1
Typically Offered: Fall, Spring
GERM 492 — Tutorial Course count: 1
Eligible third-year students may elect German 491, 492 with permission of department chair and instructor. Topics to be determined by instructor. Recent topics: Modern German Drama, East German Literature.
GPA units: 1
Typically Offered: Fall, Spring
Italian (ITAL)
ITAL 101 — Elementary Italian 1 Course count: 1
Designed for students with little or no knowledge of Italian language, this course provides an overview of basic Italian grammar with an emphasis on oral and written communication, listening comprehension, and reading. Five class hours weekly and laboratory practice.
Students who have taken any higher level ITAL course may not register for this class. No previous knowledge of language.
GPA units: 1.25
Common Area: Language Studies
Typically Offered: Annually Fall
ITAL 102 — Elementary Italian 2 Course count: 1
Designed for students with little or no knowledge of Italian language, this course provides an overview of basic Italian grammar with an emphasis on oral and written communication, listening comprehension, and reading. Five class hours weekly and laboratory practice.
Recommended prerequisite: ITAL 101 or equivalent. Students who have taken any higher level ITAL course may not register for ITAL 102.
GPA units: 1.25
Common Area: Language Studies
Typically Offered: Spring
ITAL 103 — Intensive Elementary Italian Course count: 1
Students who have taken any higher level ITAL course may not register for this class. No previous knowledge of language.
GPA units: 1.25
Common Area: Language Studies
Typically Offered: Spring
ITAL 199-F02 — Italian American Film and Culture Course count: 1
Explores representations of Italian Americans in film and literature, from early Hollywood to contemporary media. Through figures like Rudolph Valentino, The Godfather's Michael Corleone, and writers such as John Fante and Diane di Prima, students will examine how stereotypes over time were constructed, recycled, and eventually challenged. Topics include identity, assimilation, generational standing, and the intersections of ethnicity, class, gender, and sexuality in both popular and critical narratives. Conducted in English.
GPA units: 1
Common Area: Cross-Cultural Studies
ITAL 201 — Intermediate Italian 1 Course count: 1
Provides a review of Italian grammar with an emphasis on oral and written communication. Students also read and discuss Italian literature and cultural material. Four class hours weekly and laboratory practice.
Prerequisite: Students must complete a language placement exam or ITAL 102 or ITAL 103 in order to enroll in this course.. Students who have taken any higher level ITAL course may not register for ITAL 201.
GPA units: 1
Common Area: Language Studies
Typically Offered: Annually Fall
ITAL 202 — Intermediate Italian 2 Course count: 1
Provides a review of Italian grammar with an emphasis on oral and written communication. Students also read and discuss Italian literature and cultural material. Four class hours weekly and laboratory practice.
Recommended prerequisite: ITAL 201 or equivalent. Students who have taken any higher level ITAL course may not register for ITAL 202.
GPA units: 1
Common Area: Language Studies
Typically Offered: Spring
ITAL 260 — Dante Course count: 1
This course will focus on Dante's Inferno, guiding students through an exploration of its historical, narrative, and allegorical intricacies. It provides a platform for discussing enduring ethical dilemmas with modern relevance, encompassing topics such as the nature of evil, hubris, desire, gender portrayal, freedom of thought, punishment, redemption, church-state relations, economics and social justice. As students accompany Dante on his journey through the torment-filled realms of Hell, they will sharpen their abilities in analyzing and constructing persuasive arguments by closely examining both primary and secondary materials. The course will be conducted in English.
GPA units: 1
Common Area: Literature
Typically Offered: Annually Fall
ITAL 299-F01 — How to Be a Crusader: Heroism and Virtue in the Italian Renaissance Epic Course count: 1
What does it mean to be a hero and who gets to decide? This upper-level seminar explores the evolving ideals of heroism, virtue, and moral responsibility in the Italian Renaissance epic tradition. Through close reading and discussion, we will examine how poets and thinkers reimagine the figure of the crusader not only as a warrior, but as a moral agent navigating love, duty, faith, violence, and human limitation. The course centers on major works of the Italian Renaissance, including excerpts from Orlando Innamorato, Orlando Furioso, Gerusalemme Liberata, and Morgante. Together, these texts offer a rich and often contradictory vision of heroism: at once chivalric and ironic, pious and skeptical, idealized and deeply human. We will consider how these works engage with classical epic models, medieval romance traditions, and contemporary debates about ethics, religion, and political life. This course is taught in English, and all readings will be available in translation.
GPA units: 1
Common Area: Literature
ITAL 301 — Italian Comp & Conv Course count: 1
Offers students intensive oral and written practice in Italian language through an exploration of Italian culture. Authentic materials such as literary texts, newspaper and magazine articles, and video are utilized as a basis for class discussion and written compositions. Grammar is reviewed in context.
Prerequisite: Students must complete a language placement exam or ITAL 202 in order to enroll in this course. Students who have taken any higher level ITAL course may not register for ITAL 301.
GPA units: 1
Common Area: Language Studies
Typically Offered: Annually Fall
ITAL 323 — Intro to Contemporary Italy Course count: 1
Explores the history and the culture of Italy from Fascism to contemporary Italy, passing through the economic boom, the ¿Leaden Years,¿ and the Mafia. Along with historical and cultural information, students will read newspaper articles, letters, excerpts from novels and short stories from authors such as Calvino, Levi, and others. They will also see films by directors like Scola, e Sica, and Giordana.
Prerequisite: ITAL 301
GPA units: 1
Typically Offered: Spring
ITAL 325 — Boccaccio's Decameron Course count: 1
A study of selected Novellas from Giovanni Boccaccio's masterpiece, The Decameron. Students will learn about the culture, literary tradition, and language of 14th-century Italy. In addition to reading and analyzing the most important of Boccaccio's one hundred stories, they will explore themes, such as merchant culture, the condition of women, and the art of the practical joke, that recur throughout the work. Students will also view selected episodes from Pasolini's homonymous film. Conducted in Italian.
Prerequisite: ITAL 301
GPA units: 1
Common Area: Literature
ITAL 328 — Medieval-Renaissance Medicine Course count: 1
In this course we will review the long-term development of Western medicine in the pre-modern period, including its contact and exchange with other medical cultures. What makes a person healthy or unhealthy? What do health care practitioners and patients do to fight illness and promote health? How does society support and regulate the practice of medicine? The course will deal with these and other questions about health care during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, a period of the of European history that included the widespread use of herbal remedies, the arrival of the Black Death, and the increasing importance of both anatomical observation and astrology.
Enrollment limited to 1st and 2nd year students only
GPA units: 1
Common Area: Literature
Typically Offered: Alternate Years
ITAL 340 — Black Italy Course count: 1
This course explores the historical, cultural, and social dimensions of the African diaspora and its impact on Italy. The course delves into the experiences of people of African descent in Italy, examining topics such as migration, identity, racism, integration, and cultural exchanges. It also explores the contributions of Black Italians to various aspects of Italian society, including arts, literature, sports, and music. The aim is to foster a deeper understanding of the complex interplay between race, ethnicity, and nationality within the Italian context and to encourage critical thinking about issues of diversity and inclusion.
Prerequisite: ITAL 301 or equivalent.
GPA units: 1
Common Area: Cross-Cultural Studies
Typically Offered: Annually
ITAL 370 — Italian Philology Course count: 1
The course aims to provide students with the elementary background knowledge needed to appreciate the relevance of a few, selected Medieval/Renaissance authors, along with an adequate knowledge of their works in terms of form, structure, style, imagery, and themes. Students will become familiar with the writings of Dante, Petrarch, Boccaccio, Manetti, Bibbiena, Aretino, Machiavelli and other Renaissance authors. The course will also explore the history of the book throughout the Middle Ages and the Renaissance with particular emphasis on its development in Western culture. The course will also focus on the physical aspects of texts, their production, manufacture, authorship, publication, distribution, and reception. The course is intended 1) to develop students' understanding of the creative context in which the texts originated, namely the world of the Late Middle Ages and Renaissance and its varying social contexts; 2) to introduce the terminology associated with the period; 3) to help students to develop critical approaches to the texts; 4) to learn how the physical and material formats of books have evolved over the time and 5) to understand the practice of manuscript creation, production, dissemination and reception in the larger social, economic and political context of the Middle Ages and Renaissance.
Prerequisite: ITAL 301 or equivalent.
GPA units: 1
Common Area: Language Studies
Typically Offered: Fall
ITAL 411 — Italian Renaissance Literature Course count: 1
Representative works of the 14th, 15th, and 16th centuries are studied in the context of Renaissance culture and history. Selected works by Petrarch, Boccaccio, Machiavelli, Leon Battista Alberti, Poliziano, and Castiglione will be studied. Conducted in Italian.
Prerequisite: ITAL 301 or equivalent
GPA units: 1
Common Area: Language Studies, Literature
Typically Offered: Every Third Year
ITAL 415 — Sicily through Literature & Film Course count: 1
Introduces students to the celebrated literature of Sicily, the land of mythology and the Mafia, and home to many of Italy¿s most important writers. The course concentrates on modern Italian literature, tracing the evolution of Sicily¿s culture from the Unification in 1861 to today. Students will read works by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, Giovanni Verga, Maria Messina, Luigi Pirandello, Leonardo Sciascia, and Andrea Camilleri and see films based on their works.
Prerequisite: ITAL 301
GPA units: 1
Common Area: Cross-Cultural Studies
ITAL 420 — Twentieth Century Novel & World War 2 Course count: 1
A study of 20th-century Italian narrative that focuses on the experience of the war. Topics include Fascist policies, the partisan resistance, the Holocaust and Italian Jews. Authors studied include Ignazio Silone, Giorgio Bassani, Cesare Pavese, Natalia Ginzburg, Primo Levi, and Renata Viganò. Students will also view and discuss films adapted from several of the works in class. Conducted in Italian.
Prerequisite: ITAL 301 or equivalent
GPA units: 1
Common Area: Historical Studies, Literature
ITAL 453 — Italian Women's Autobiography Course count: 1
In this course you will learn about Italian womens writing through the study of diverse female authors and their autobiographical novels that span the 20th- and 21st centuries. The texts will be examined in the context of Italian womens history, the twentieth-century womens movement, and feminist theory. The question of gender, racial, and class identity will be addressed through an analysis of different characters and at least one novel by an Italian woman author of color. We will also pose and explore the larger questions suggested by the readings: How do the experiences of women living in another century and in another country relate to our own? Why are most women writers excluded from the literary canon? How does the woman artist/writer find her voice in a patriarchal society? Two overarching considerations of the course are whether womens rights are still considered a pressing concern by todays young women and men; and whether it is still necessary to teach a course such as this one, which focuses exclusively on literature written by (cisgender) women. Finally, in addition to offering a new perspective on Italian literature and society, the course will give you the opportunity to hone your writing and speaking skills in Italian.
Prerequisite: ITAL 301 or equivalent
GPA units: 1
Common Area: Literature
Typically Offered: Alternate Years
ITAL 457 — Making Modern Italy: Innovation in Italian Society, Culture, and Art Course count: 1
The 1800s was a revolutionary century that led to Italys liberation from foreign rulers and to its unification under a monarchy. As the modern Italian state was taking shape, remarkable social, cultural, and artistic change was happening: the emergence of the middle class, industry, and journalism; the birth of movements, like feminism and communism; and the evolution of new artistic forms, including photography, cinema, and the Realist narrative style. Many contemporary phenomena that we associate with contemporary life, like fashion and the Mafia, also had their beginnings in the nineteenth century. This course shows the relevance of the 1800s to our perception of today's Italy through readings, film, and other media, and asks you to develop and share your own research on this transformative century in Italy's history.
Prerequisite: ITAL 301 or equivalent
GPA units: 1
Common Area: Literature
Typically Offered: Alternate Years
ITAL 491 — Tutorial Course count: 1
Eligible third-year students may elect one or both of these courses only with the permission of the department chair. For students who have previously taken all other advanced courses offered in a given semester.
GPA units: 1
Typically Offered: Annually
Russian (RUSS)
RUSS 101 — Elementary Russian 1 Course count: 1
Promotes active communicative skills along with the basics of Russian grammar. By course end, read, write, understand, and speak Russian in a broad range of everyday situations. Various aspects of Russian culture and life are introduced through the medium of language. Five class hours weekly and language lab practice. One and one-quarter units each semester.
Students must take the Russian language placement exam. Students who have taken any higher level RUSS course may not earn credit for RUSS 101. No previous knowledge of language.
GPA units: 1.25
Common Area: Language Studies
Typically Offered: Fall
RUSS 102 — Elementary Russian 2 Course count: 1
Promotes active communicative skills along with the basics of Russian grammar. By course end, read, write, understand, and speak Russian in a broad range of everyday situations. Various aspects of Russian culture and life are introduced through the medium of language. Five class hours weekly and language lab practice. One and one-quarter units each semester.
Prerequisite: RUSS 101 or equivalent. Students who have taken any higher level RUSS course may not earn credit for RUSS 102.
GPA units: 1.25
Common Area: Language Studies
Typically Offered: Spring
RUSS 201 — Intermediate Russian 1 Course count: 1
Designed to activate students' spoken Russian, a wide variety of in-class activities allow students to practice Russian needed for most everyday situations. Textbook and workbook are supplemented with audio and videotapes. Conducted in Russian.
Recommended prerequisite: RUSS 102 or equivalent. Students who have taken any higher level RUSS course may not earn credit for RUSS 201.
GPA units: 1.25
Common Area: Language Studies
Typically Offered: Fall
RUSS 202 — Intermediate Russian 2: Language In Action Course count: 1
Designed to activate students' spoken Russian, a wide variety of in-class activities allow students to practice Russian needed for most everyday situations. Textbook and workbook are supplemented with audio and videotapes. Conducted in Russian.
Prerequisite: RUSS 201 or equivalent. Students who have taken any higher level RUSS course may not earn credit for RUSS 202.
GPA units: 1.25
Common Area: Language Studies
Typically Offered: Spring
RUSS 249 — Russian Propaganda Course count: 1
This course examines the evolution of propaganda techniques in Russia, including their cultural, political, and historical contexts, from the Tsarist regime to the present. It explores key historical turning points where propaganda played a pivotal role in shaping Russian society and global perceptions.
GPA units: 1
Common Area: Historical Studies
Typically Offered: Alternate Years
RUSS 250 — Madness in Russian Literature Course count: 1
From current events in post-Soviet Russia to classic Russian literature, Madness is an ubiquitous element of the Russian experience. We will cover a broad range of works-from medieval to post-Soviet masterpieces-to investigate the evolution of madness in Russian culture. The protagonists of the novels, plays, and short stories we will explore range from holy fools to everyday madmen to chronically troubled spirits. The reading will include Griboyedov's The Trouble with Reason, Pushkin's Queen of Spades, Gogol's The Diary of a Madman, Dostoevsky's The Idiot, Chekhov's The Black Monk and Ward No 6, Kuzmin's Venetian Madcaps, Nabokov's The Defense, Bulgakov's The Master and Margarita, and Pelevin's Buddha's Little Fingers. We will also examine manifestations of fictional insanity in film, opera, and the visual arts.
GPA units: 1
Common Area: Literature
RUSS 251 — Tales of Desire Course count: 1
This course treats the representation of desire in great works of the Western literary tradition. We will examine the transformation of this great literary theme over the ages and in various literary genres. The readings will include Euripides' Hippolytus, Dante's La Vita Nuova, The Don Juan stories of Tirso de Molina, Bryon and Pushkin, Flaubert's Madame Bovary, Tolstoy's Anna Karenina and Nabokov's Lolita. Conducted in English. One unit.
GPA units: 1
Common Area: Cross-Cultural Studies, Literature
RUSS 252 — Russian Fantasy and Science Fiction Course count: 1
This class takes students on a multidimensional journey through 300 years of Soviet and Russian fantasy and science fiction literature. Drawing on a broad range of media including film and visual art, we will explore the roots of the genre in Russia; the influence of Western science fiction and fantasy on its development; the role of the Russian Revolution, religious philosophy, Communist utopianism, technology, and space travel on its 20th century evolution; the role of the genre in Soviet social engineering; and new ideas that have emerged in the genre since the collapse of the Soviet Union, including the role of science fiction and fantasy in both upholding and challenging contemporary Russian imperialism and militarism. We will examine the key questions of the genre, including: the human beings place in the universe; the existence of life beyond Planet Earth; mortality and its transcendence; the presence or absence of a deity; the difficulty of social progress; the role of science and technology in shaping human interaction; the ethics of scientific and technological advancement and the role of the state therein; the evolution of concepts of gender, sexual relations, marriage, and reproduction in utopian and futuristic societies; and many more.
GPA units: 1
Common Area: Literature
Typically Offered: Every Third Year
RUSS 253 — Fire & Ice: Siberia In Fiction Course count: 1
This course considers Siberia narrative as a distinct tradition (rather than a motif or sub-genre of Russian literature). Of primary importance to this distinction is a world view that regards nature as intrinsically sacred (a characterization that challenges characterizations of Siberia as a frozen wasteland or vast prison camp). While this perception of the earth as iconic is expressed in various ways from ancient oral tales of indigenous Siberian peoples to twenty-first century novels, important shared aspects of the relationship between the Siberian landscape and the people who inhabit it define, shape, and unite the tradition. In it, for example, we repeatedly see the perception of the natural world as an intentional (if not sentient) creator, whose immanence is experienced in the profound yet revelatory silence of Siberias steppe, taiga, and tundra. At its core, the Siberian narrative tradition describes the perception and experience of Siberia as a transcendent and sacred space which, I believe, may answer the following questions: What makes Siberian space sacred? What does it mean to be Siberian? What does Siberia mean to Russia?Readings, films, and discussions in this course focus on the idea of the sacred that grows out of human relationships of the various peoples of Siberia, non-indigenous natives, and other less willing residents of Siberia with its landmass and natural world. You will learn about the geology, ecology, and human history of Siberia and the belief systems and environmental philosophy that grows out of lived experience there. You explore expression and perceptions of the sacred in the following ways: narrative traditions of indigenous Siberian peoples; the rise of Russian monasticism/colonialism in Siberia starting in the sixteenth century and the development of hesychastic prayer practice in Russian Orthodoxy; the dueling views of Siberia from the nineteenth century as both a miraculous land (heaven) and a land of exile (hell); the representation of Siberia as a magical realm of creative and spiritual transformation and transcendence, which includes the discovery of Siberian shamanism by twentieth-century Russian Avant-garde; the birth of the ecology movement in twentieth-century Siberia in part a response to Soviet-era misperceptions and misuses of the environment and natural resources -- and the role of native Siberian narrative and its ecological values. Topics on nineteenth- and twentieth-century narrative include consideration of narratives about the tsarist and Soviet prison that challenge the idea of the sacred in Siberian space. Invited lectures will combine current trends in Siberian narrative and reconsider the future role of Siberia as it relates to global warming, natural resources, and the political and economic policies of the Russian Federation.
GPA units: 1
Common Area: Cross-Cultural Studies, Studies in Religion
Typically Offered: Alternate Years, Spring
RUSS 254 — Russian Icons: Art & Soul Course count: 1
The Orthodox icon in Russia is a distinctive art form, a theological text, and an object of veneration. In this course, you will learn about the controversial history of icons, their 10th century introduction into Kievan Rus, and the development of native Russian icon types. You will study the icon painters Andrei Rublev, Theophanes the Greek, Dionisius, Daniil Chornyi, and Simon Ushakov and learn about the materials used to create icons, the precision of the icons composition (prorisi, podlinniki), and the meaning of its colors, its symbols, and its text. You will learn about many of the most important icon types, their narratives (skazanie) of the miraculous, and the idea of their presence. You will consider the relationship between icons and those who venerate them and how in this relationship we see the modern Russian cultural and national identity take shape. By the end of the course, you will be able to understand the meaning of icons historically, aesthetically, and theologically. You will also be able to begin analyzing icons as works of art and faith.
GPA units: 1
Common Area: Arts, Studies in Religion
Typically Offered: Every Third Year, Spring
RUSS 255 — Religions of Russia Course count: 1
The post-Soviet resurgence of the Russian Orthodox Church, a popular marker of Russian national and cultural identity, has played a key role in the development of Russian domestic and international policy in the 21st century. The Church enjoys a special protected legal status and a presence in Russian parliament as well as in most federally-funded institutions. Thus, understanding its influence is crucial to making sense of post-Soviet Russias conservative political and social turn, as well as its growing hostility to the West and its aggressive militarism. However, while about 75% of Russian citizens consider themselves Russian Orthodox, the Church is not the only major religious institution in the vast country. Russia is multiethnic and multiconfessional, with four officially recognized faiths Christianity, Judaism, Islam, and Buddhism - and a variety of popular pagan practices such as shamanism, as well as countless other unrecognized religious traditions and groups that are banned as cults or sects. In this interdisciplinary, discussion-centered course, we will explore the complex historical and contemporary religious landscape in Russia. We will examine how the various spiritual traditions have influenced its history, culture, politics, literature, art, and architecture from the medieval period to the present, including the central role of religion in Russias contested historical narrative of its national origins. We will pay particularly close attention to the Putin era (1999-present) and the role of religious institutions, organizations, and individuals in both pro-Kremlin and dissident political, artistic, and social movements. Readings from academic articles and books will be supplemented by fiction, journalism, film, visual art, music, and other media.
GPA units: 1
Common Area: Studies in Religion
Typically Offered: Every Third Year
RUSS 257 — Russian Drama and the West Course count: 1
Read Shakespeare, Moliere, Goldoni, and Ibsen and analyze their influence on such Russian playwrights as Pushkin, Gogol, Chekhov, Blok, Evreinov, and others. Special attention will be paid to Stanislavsky's acting system - a Hollywood favorite - and Meyerhold's experimentation on the Russian modern stage. Conducted in English. One unit.
GPA units: 1
Common Area: Cross-Cultural Studies, Literature
RUSS 258 — Russian Cinema Course count: 1
This course examines the development of Russian cinema from its silent pre-Revolutionary stage up to the Post-Soviet blockbusters. It focuses on the artistic and technical achievements of Russian filmmaking and their contribution to practical and theoretical aspects of western cinema. We will discuss the distinction between Russian cinema as an ideological tool of a totalitarian state, and western cinema as an entertainment industry. Screenings will include a variety of cinematic genres and styles such as Eisenstein's legendary The Battleship Potemkin (1925) and the Oscar-winning films Moscow Does not Believe in Tears (1979) and Burnt by the Sun (1994). Conducted in English.
GPA units: 1
Common Area: Arts, Cross-Cultural Studies
RUSS 259 — Fairytale: Russia & the World Course count: 1
This course explores the ritual origins and subsequent uses and functions of the folk, literary, and contemporary fairytale. Its methods include anthropological, psychological, archetypal, structural, feminist, and spiritual readings of the world's most important tales. The course is both theoretical and practical. It aims not only to help students understand the various functions and methods of treating fairytale, but also to give them the tools to work with the genre themselves. The course also discusses historical problems of the study and classification of the fairytale. The cross-cultural approach of the course is designed to familiarize students with non-Western tales that challenge their assumptions about cultural boundaries and question the notion of what it means to be civilized. Conducted in English. One unit.
GPA units: 1
Common Area: Cross-Cultural Studies, Literature
RUSS 260 — 19Th Century Russian Literature Course count: 1
This course considers the "Rabbles, Rebels, and Martyrs" of Russia's Golden Age of literature. During the 19th century, the Emancipation of the serfs, the Great Reforms, revolutionary activity and continued westernization changed Russian society dramatically. Perhaps it was these attempts at liberalization that produced the great works of Pushkin, Lermontov, Gogol, Turgenev, Dostoevsky and Tolstoy. Read the classic works of Russia's Golden Age: The Bronze Horseman, Hero of Our Time, The Overcoat, Crime and Punishment and Anna Karenina. Conducted in English. One unit.
GPA units: 1
Common Area: Literature
RUSS 261 — 20Th/21st Century Russian Literature Course count: 1
A survey of the major works, authors and movements of the 20th and 21st centuries. We will discuss the function of literature in the Russian society over the last one hundred years, from the modernist pre-revolutionary era to the present. We will focus on novels, short stories and poetry written during the Bolshevik Revolution and Civil War, Stalinism, the era of stagnation, and after the fall of communism. The reading will include such diverse writers as Checkhov, Blok, Zamyatin, Bulgakov, Nabokov, Akhmatova, Pasternak, Solzhenitsyn, Pelevin and others. Conducted in English. One unit.
GPA units: 1
Common Area: Literature
RUSS 263 — Soviet Art and Literature Course count: 1
In addition to pure propaganda, the Soviet doctrine of Socialist Realism also produced a rich tradition of art and literature that expressed the ideal of the "New Soviet Person." While introducing students to the wealth of Socialist Realist art and ways to interpret its hidden meanings and messages, this course traces the evolution of the "positive hero" in Soviet literature and art. We consider the meaning of Socialist Realism as a way to practice and understand art. We also discuss the merits and the dangers inherent in the relationship between this kind of literature and Soviet society, one that allowed a nation on its knees to rebuild and modernize as well as one that silenced countless authors. Students are also asked to discern how, in satirical or subversive works, the tenets of Socialist Realism are subverted and their values questioned and why, in today's Russia, there is a growing nostalgia (and market) for Socialist Realist art. Conducted in English. One unit.
GPA units: 1
Common Area: Arts, Literature
RUSS 264 — Writing Under Stalin Course count: 1
This course examines major literary works of the Stalinist era as the artistic expression of the history of twentieth century art, its writers and poets, and their relationship to the Soviet dictator, Joseph Stalin. The course teaches students how to discern symbolic systems that encode the works, often as a form of protest. It also considers the ethical issues at the heart of the works that concern such resistance and it risks and the role that art plays in such discussions. This course presents the social, political and cultural history of the Stalin-era Soviet Union (1922-1953) through primary and secondary historical sources, literature, arts, film (documentary and interpretive), and music. It attempts to piece together the history of stalinism, while asking students to consider the moral complexities of the time and it relevance to Russia as well as to other modern day nations. Students grapple with multiple voices that compete to own the history of Stalin, including that of Stalin himself. Conducted in English. One unit.
GPA units: 1
Common Area: Literature
RUSS 265 — Kyiv to Moscow: A Medieval Journey Course count: 1
The medieval era in present day Ukraine and Russia began with the founding of Kiev and, some say, ended only with Peter the Great in the late 17th century. Throughout those centuries, the Mongol invasion, the establishment of Christianity, the intrigues of its leaders and the development of a national consciousness produced stunning works of art, architecture, music, literature, and letters. This course explores these great works of art and literature within the context of the medieval period in Ukraine and Russia from the tenth century to the death of Ivan the Terrible. We read selections from the Primary Chronicles, lives of saints and holy fools, the letters of Ivan the Terrible, and Russias great epics. We will also focus on the historical, political and spiritual role of the Orthodox icon. We also consider how the medieval age as a political topic in opera and films such as Andrei Rublev, Mongol and 1612. Finally, we consider how modern writers, artists, and leaders including Stalin and Putin as well as have used medieval imagery for their own purposes. Because of the war in Ukraine the geographical capital of Kievan Rus we will also follow how the earlier conflict between the western and eastern parts of the county and Russias current invasion can be understood through the prism of once shared medieval art and culture.
GPA units: 1
Common Area: Arts, Historical Studies
Typically Offered: Every Third Year
RUSS 291 — Intermediate Russian Tutorial Course count: 1
GPA units: 1
RUSS 292 — Intermediate Russian Tutorial Course count: 1
GPA units: 1
RUSS 299-F04 — The Double Life of Soviet Culture Course count: 1
For seven decades, the Soviet Union lived a double cultural life: the official world of heroic novels and propaganda posters, and a shadow world of smuggled manuscripts, homemade tape recordings, whispered jokes, and criminal tattoos. This course explores both sides, moving across literature, film, music, fashion, and performance to ask how Soviet citizens built a parallel culture when the wrong sentence, song, or pair of pants could be a political act. Understanding that double life is key to making sense of the post-Soviet space today. (All sources in English. No prior knowledge of Russian history required.)
GPA units: 1
Common Area: Social Science
RUSS 299-S02 — Russian Language Pedagogy Tutorial Course count: 1
Russian Language Pedagogy is a small-group tutorial designed to prepare students to lead and support Russian language lab sessions. Meeting once weekly, the course introduces principles of active, communicative language pedagogy and explores practical strategies for fostering student engagement and proficiency. We will examine common hurdles faced by American learners of Russianincluding case usage, aspect, pronunciation, and motivationand discuss ways to address them through targeted practice and thoughtful classroom design. Particular attention will be given to language-lab techniques such as role-play simulations, gamified activities, creative and pattern-based drills, and task-based communication exercises. The goal of the tutorial is for students to develop a clear, reflective approach to teaching Russian at the beginning and intermediate levels, and to produce concrete lesson plans and activities they can implement in the language lab.
GPA units: 1
RUSS 301 — Russian Composition & Conversation Course count: 1
Continued development of oral and written language skills and cultural competency through the use of Russian literature, film, songs, and art.
Prerequisite: RUSS 202 or equivalent
GPA units: 1
Common Area: Language Studies
Typically Offered: Fall
RUSS 302 — Russian Translation: Theory & Practice Course count: 1
Walter Benjamin once wrote that [i]t is the task of the translator to release in his own language that pure language which is under the spell of another, to liberate the language imprisoned in a work in his re-creation of that work. By doing so, Benjamin frames translation as a complex relationship between two languages that requires deep thought on issues that range from finding the right word to the notion that there is a common sacred language that translation strives to express. In this course, you will explore various major philosophies and theories of translating from Russia and the West both from one language to the other and within a language itself. Topics will include the role and responsibilities of the translator, the meaning of the original text, the history of translation theories, theories and polemics of literary translation, translation as a literary art and tool of protest, strategies in specialized translations, and the importance of context in translation. You will also learn strategies of translation, as you continue to develop your Russian language skills by encountering a variety of advanced texts and implementing the kinds of strategies that make the process of translation an exciting way of exploring the complexities of two languages at once.
Prerequisite: RUSS 201 or equivalent
GPA units: 1
Common Area: Language Studies
Typically Offered: Every Third Year, Spring
RUSS 303 — Adv Studies in Russian Culture Course count: 1
An analysis of literary works and documentary material with the aim of probing Russian cultural traditions of the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries. All discussions, readings and course work in Russian. One unit.
Prerequisite: RUSS 301 or equivalent.
GPA units: 1
Common Area: Language Studies
RUSS 392 — Advanced Russian Tutorial Course count: 1
This is a mixed-level course appropriate for students with advanced Russian language abilities from coursework, study abroad or native heritage. The course approaches a chosen theme from various media and focuses on both oral and written literacy. Student interest determines the theme(s) of study and the course is then titled accordingly. This course may be taken more than once.
Prerequisite: RUSS 301 or equivalent
GPA units: 1
RUSS 399-01 — Modes of Protest in Russia Course count: 1
This course will focus on improving students' knowledge of advanced Russian language, including grammar, speaking, listening, reading, and writing, as well as students' understanding of contemporary Russian history, culture, and politics, by examining a selection of protest actions, speeches, performances, and works of art from the Putin era. The individuals, groups, and organizations studied will include the punk rock collective Pussy Riot, performance artist Petr Pavlensky, and visual artist Elena Osipova. We will use authentic contemporary materials including magazine and newspaper articles, YouTube videos, music, serialized television, and films to improve linguistic knowledge and cultural understanding.
GPA units: 1
Common Area: Language Studies
RUSS 491 — Tutorial Course count: 1
GPA units: 1
Typically Offered: Fall, Spring
RUSS 492 — Tutorial Course count: 1
GPA units: 1
Typically Offered: Fall, Spring
Studies in World Literature (STWL)
STWL 221 — Coming-of-Age: Writing Women in the 20th Century Course count: 1
The course will trace the historical conditions of women's education in the Western traditions with reference to women's 'historical silence' or 'mouthpiece function'. Women's writing will be read as an escape from, answer to, repudiation of a gender discourse favoring men's determination of self and society. Readings and discussions will focus on women's desire for knowledge as well as women's articulation of desire - the desire to be different without having to adapt to standards not set by themselves. The goal of self-determination will be differentiated with regard to both equal rights and equal responsibilities. Finally, the course will address women's conceptualization of history, literature, and language of their own.
Prereq: German 301 or equivalent
GPA units: 1
Common Area: Literature
STWL 222 — The Contemporary African Novel Course count: 1
An intensive examination of classical texts from twentieth century and contemporary Africa aimed at highlighting their particularities in expressing the colonial experience and its aftermath. Explores manifestations of traditional narrative forms in the modern novel and seeks to introduce students to the contributions of some of the most influential writers from the African continent.
GPA units: 1
Common Area: Arts
STWL 223 — Vert la France: Art, Literature, and the Environment Course count: 1
This course introduces French environmental history from the Enlightenment to the present day through the study of literature and film, challenging common assumptions about France's ecological past. Through literary and cinematic analysis of texts by Chateaubriand, Zola, Maupassant, George Sand, Jules Verne, Elysée Reclus, Colette, Jean Giono, and Maylis de Kerangal, and films by Georges Méliès, Agnès Varda, Sara Dosa, Cyprien Vial among others, we will examine how French writers and filmmakers have depicted French society's complex relationship with nature, often revealing surprising continuities and ruptures that contradict popular narratives about environmental change. We will analyze representations of industrialization, globalization, natural disasters, conservation efforts, and ecological anxiety (in texts as early as Voltaire's1756 "Poem on the Disaster of Lisbon" to uncover the myths and realities of French environmental history.
GPA units: 1
Common Area: Literature
Typically Offered: Every Third Year
STWL 233 — Introduction to French Cinema Course count: 1
This film course is designed to provide students with the opportunity to study the unique contributions that French-speaking filmmakers have made to the art of cinema. The course is both an introduction to the study of film, and an in-depth survey of French-language filmmaking. We discuss the history of French cinema (from the invention of the cinématographe by the Lumière brothers until today, including cinematic trends such as Poetic Realism, Occupation Cinema, the French New Wave and Young French Cinema) with particular emphasis on sound films (i.e., films made since 1930). We also examine both the qualities of individual films and the cultural and historical factors that have shaped the development of the medium. The course is taught in English and the films (in French with English subtitles) are analyzed in relation to an historical overview of French cinema, an introduction to film theory, key concepts of film studies and various articles on each specific film. Emphasis throughout the semester will be on close readings of the films. One unit.
GPA units: 1
Common Area: Arts
STWL 234 — Women Make Film Course count: 1
This course, titled after French philosopher Simone de Beauvoir's 1949 feminist manifesto The Second Sex, explores the unique contributions that women filmmakers have made to the art of cinema, from its inception to the present, with special attention to the contemporary period. Emphasis will be placed on French-language cinema (produced in France, Belgium, Quebec/Canada, North Africa and other francophone countries), but other national cinemas will be discussed as well. Counts toward the Studies in World Literatures (STWL) major, and the concentration in Gender, Sexuality and Women's Studies (GSWS). No prerequisite. Conducted in English. One Unit.
GPA units: 1
Common Area: Arts
STWL 235 — Topics in African Cinema Course count: 1
A topical examination of contemporary African societies and cultures as expressed through the camera lens. A study of films from across the continent focusing on the dynamics of change, gender, migrations, conflicts, politics, globalization, and marginalization. The course aims to highlight the internal diversity of perspectives and aesthetics in the representation of such issues. The course focuses less on the technical or theoretical considerations of the films and more so on the examination of the themes and issues they raise, internally and globally. (Films from Algeria, Mali, Mauritania, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Kenya, South Africa, etc.)
GPA units: 1
Common Area: Cross-Cultural Studies
Typically Offered: Every Third Year
STWL 236 — Picturing France Course count: 1
Intended as an introduction to French visual culture, this course takes a geographical approach to artistic innovation, region by region. We begin in the Dordogne, where the cave walls of Lascaux bear the oldest images in Western civilization to remind us that the human impulse to paint a scene, to capture light and animal movement, is as ancient as consciousness itself. Throughout the semester, we will explore Frances landscapes alongside the artistic movements they inspired with stops at Fontainebleau (the Barbizon school), in Normandy (Impressionism), in Brittany (Synthetism and Primitivism), in Auvergne and Franche-Comté (Realism), in Occitanie (Fauvism), and in Provence (Post-impressionism and Still Life). Through the identification of various artistic strategies and techniques and use of visual rhetoric (including color theory, composition, perspective, etc.), students will learn to write detailed analyses of the works studied in class and what they tell us about the regions in which they were produced.Not only will we study the masterpieces paintings, lithographs, illustrations, photographs that capture Frances many landscapes, we will also read about the cultures and traditions reflected in these works and the emerging technologies that played a role in their mass-production, through the writings of contemporary critics, canonical French authors, and art historians. Weekly readings and discussions will emphasize the relationships between art and the social, technological, and political changes that took place, while visits to local art museums will allow for an understanding of how French art travelled beyond the continent and the international networks at play. Recommended for students interested in art history and French cultural studies.
GPA units: 1
Common Area: Arts
Typically Offered: Every Third Year
STWL 291 — Tutorial Course count: 1
GPA units: 1
Typically Offered: Fall, Spring
STWL 292 — Tutorial Course count: 1
GPA units: 1
Typically Offered: Fall, Spring
STWL 392 — Tutorial Course count: 1
GPA units: 1
Typically Offered: Fall, Spring