Language and Culture

A comprehensive introduction to American Sign Language (ASL), beginning with a focus on the linguistic aspects of ASL, including syntax, facial expression, vocabulary, and the manual alphabet. Students progress to conversational signing and finger spelling and develop an ability to communicate on a beginning level.

Credits: 4

In this continuation of American Sign Language I, emphasis is placed on conversational signing, syntax, and facial expression. Students are introduced to classifiers and directional verbs, and develop an ability to communicate on an intermediate level.

Credits: 4

PREREQ: ASL1000

For students who have had little or no previous exposure to the language. Introduces the basics of pronunciation and of the structural and writing systems of standard modern Chinese (Mandarin Chinese).

Credits: 4

A continuation of CHI 1010. Increased time is devoted to reading and writing. Development of oral skills remains the primary object of the course.

Credits: 4

PREREQ: CHI1010

Introduces various aspects of Chinese culture (e.g., values, customs, manners, and festivals) and discusses everyday life in contemporary Chinese society.

Credits: 3

Designed for students who have completed CHI 1010 and 1020 or the equivalent. Consolidates the foundation that students have acquired through previous coursework and introduces more complex grammatical structures and background cultural information.

Credits: 4

PREREQ: CHI1020

A continuation of CHI 2010. Consolidates the foundation that students have acquired through previous coursework and introduces more complex grammatical structures and background cultural information.

Credits: 4

PREREQ: CHI2010

Designed for students who have completed CHI 2010 and 2020 or studied the language for at least two years. Consolidates the knowledge and skills acquired through previous coursework and enhances reading, writing, and oral-expressive skills.

Credits: 4

PREREQ: CHI2020

For students who have had little or no previous exposure to the language. Presents the essential structures of spoken and written French by involving the student in situations that concretely represent the concepts of the language.

Credits: 4

A continuation of FRE 1010. Increased time is devoted to reading and writing. The development of oral skills remains the primary objective of the course.

Credits: 4

For students who are already familiar with the fundamentals of spoken and written French. Through a variety of written and oral assignments and exercises, students acquire a wider range of vocabulary, review basic structures, and become more comfortable interacting in spoken French. Students are encouraged to take risks and enjoy the adventure of language acquisition in an open and relaxed atmosphere.

Credits: 4

A continuation of FRE 2010. Concentrated work to help students acquire more nuanced vocabulary, with an introduction to slang. Students gain greater ease in reading through a variety of texts of increasing difficulty. The readings also serve as a basis for discussion, composition, and grammar review.

Credits: 4

For students who are already familiar with the fundamentals of French; placement in FRE 2070 or 3070 is determined by a brief exam. Designed to help students quickly acquire the ability to negotiate their immediate surroundings using the French language. Elements of grammar and syntax are introduced, reviewed, and complemented by readings from newspapers and other sources relevant to everyday life. Taught in French, with emphasis on the spoken language. (Offered in France, Summer)

Credits: 4

Offers a stress-free learning atmosphere to help students of French move toward fluency. Starting with a brief refresher on the basics through interactive situations in the classroom, students go on to invent situations, then perform, write about, and discuss them, increasing their command of the language and their comfort level in using it.

Credits: 4

In this continuation of FRE 3015, readings, writing, and conversational exercises are used to improve fluency in the French language. A variety of media are used to stimulate discussions. To increase their comfort level and command of French, students invent dramatic situations in the classroom that they perform, analyze, discuss, and debate.

Credits: 4

A study of major developments in French Caribbean literature of the 19th through 21st centuries. This course focuses on questions of language, race, gender, geography, and class, with emphasis on local, regional, and global frames of reference.

Credits: 4

For students who are already familiar with the fundamentals of French; placement in FRE 2070 or 3070 is determined by a brief exam. Uses material like television, magazines, newspapers, and literature to help students increase their knowledge of the language while introducing the various aspects of French life. Students also review and refine their knowledge of grammatical structures and work toward becoming familiar with idiomatic language and slang. Taught in French, with emphasis on the spoken language. (Offered in France, Summer)

Credits: 4

Some disconnect seems to exist between perception and production of letters, words, or sentences and spelling. French is no exception. In this course, students improve their comprehension and pronunciation skills by recognizing and applying the mechanism behind consonant and vowel sound productions. They also investigate the prosodic aspect of French language through its intonation, stress, syllabification, and rhythm patterns.

Credits: 4

PREREQ: FRE2020

French language has 300 million speakers and counting in the world. It is also used as lingua franca in various geographical locations. In this course, students investigate the state of the French language and dialects within the Francophone world. They also analyze the development of the language through time and assess its future based on its current global standing.

Credits: 4

PREREQ: FRE2020

Islands, because of their size and supposed isolation, have been the site of environmental and military experiments. Similarly, writers have used the island to build a textual laboratory in order to test their philosophical and narrative experiments. In this course, students will look at novels (including graphic novels) to examine this scientific, military and narrative instrumentalization of the island.

Credits: 4

Although sharing French as a common language, each Francophone countries have their distinctiveness. Students explore the French speaking world through different cultural aspects. The course outlines the history of select Francophone countries. Students will also examine literary, musical, and film works from each of these countries. Finally, students discuss a leading figure who has/had an influence on the country.

Credits: 4

PREREQ: FRE2020

Students are introduced to the theory of translation, as it has developed over time and has dealt with questions from linguists, poets, anthropologists, and gender theorists. Taken in conjunction with FRE 3735.

Credits: 2

COREQ: FRE3735

Students choose two works to translate throughout the semester; one from French to English, and the other from English to French. Supplemented by readings on translation theory and methodology.

Credits: 4

COREQ: FRE3730

For students who have had little or no previous exposure to the language, and for students who are majoring in language and culture. Presents the essential structures of spoken and written German by involving the student in interactive situations.

Credits: 4

A continuation of GER 1010. Increased time is devoted to reading and writing. Development of oral skills remains the primary objective of the course.

Credits: 4

PREREQ: GER1010

For beginning students and those with rudimentary training in Hebrew. The course stresses reading, writing, and speaking by involving students in situations that concretely express the concepts of the language.

Credits: 4

A continuation of HEB 1010. Students increase their fluency and confidence in comprehension through discussions of simple stories and increased grammar drill. Situations are presented and discussed in Hebrew.

Credits: 4

PREREQ: HEB1010

For students who have had little or no previous exposure to the language. Presents the essential structures of spoken and written Italian by involving the student in situations that concretely represent the concepts of the language.

Credits: 4

A continuation of ITA 1010. Increased time is devoted to reading and writing. The development of oral skills remains the primary objective of the course.

Credits: 4

PREREQ: ITA1010

For students already familiar with the fundamentals of spoken and written Italian. After a review of grammar through various reading assignments, students are given a context for discussion to increase vocabulary and speaking ease. Weekly compositions aid grammar review.

Credits: 4

PREREQ: ITA1020

A continuation of ITA 2010. Weekly compositions serve as an aid for grammar review.

Credits: 4

PREREQ: ITA2010

For students already familiar with the fundamentals of spoken and written Italian. Particular attention is given to conversation, encouraging the student to communicate in Italian. Various authentic materials (newspapers, videos, audio cassettes) are used to facilitate this process. (Offered in Italy, Summer)

Credits: 4

For students who have had at least four semesters of college Italian or the equivalent. Through selected readings on a variety of topics, students explore the more complex aspects of the Italian language. Discussions and written work based on the readings help students attain a higher level of fluency. (Offered in Italy, Summer)

Credits: 4

A survey of various teaching methods in second language instruction. Students become familiar with the theories of language learning that underlie these methodologies. Open to all students interested in second language teaching methods.

Credits: 4

An introduction to the study of syntax and its relationship to interpretation and meaning (semantics). Data from English and other languages are used to illustrate the basic principles and parameters that govern language facility. The course progresses from an introduction of the basic notions of syntactic theory to more complex phenomena observed in the world’s languages.

Credits: 4

The literatures of former French colonies are deeply concerned with questions of space: territory, displacement, indigeneity and migration. This course analyzes recurrent spatial tropes (the island, the plantation, the border, etc.) in the French-language literatures of the Caribbean, the Indian Ocean and Africa to see how received notions of space, including literature as textual space, are reinvented.

Credits: 4

We will look at French-language texts from the Caribbean, Indian Ocean and Africa. Emphasis will be on transnational conflicts and solidarities. Texts will be read and taught in English, but French majors and minors are encouraged to read the texts in the original French.

Credits: 4

An introduction to the study of linguistics, with a focus on Spanish. Students examine the theoretical aspects of numerous subfields of linguistics—phonetics, phonology, morphology, and syntax—and begin to apply this knowledge to the fields of dialectology and sociolinguistics. Taught in Spanish.

Credits: 4

An introduction to basic linguistic concepts, providing a background for understanding how language works and is used in everyday life. Topics include core areas of linguistics (e.g., phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics) and more applied areas of language study (e.g., sociolinguistics and second language acquisition).

Credits: 4

An exploration of literary translation for the contemporary moment. Students learn the basics of literary translation craft. Knowledge of languages other than English is not required for this course. Readings include Mary Jo Bang’s translation of Dante’s Purgatorio, Cecilia Rossi’s translations of Alejandra Pizarnik, and Victor Montejo’s translations of Jakaltek Mayan folktales. Students develop their own literary translations.

Credits: 4

For students who have had little or no previous exposure to the language. Presents the essential structures of spoken and written Portuguese by involving the student in situations that concretely represent the concepts of the language.

Credits: 4

A continuation of POR1010. Increased time is devoted to reading and writing. Development of oral skills remains the primary objective of the course.

Credits: 4

PREREQ: POR1010

For students who have had little or no previous exposure to the language. Presents the essential structures of spoken and written Spanish by involving the student in situations that concretely represent the concepts of the language.

Credits: 4

A continuation of SPA 1010. Increased time is devoted to reading and writing. Development of oral skills remains the primary objective of the course.

Credits: 4

For students already familiar with the fundamentals of spoken and written Spanish. Through various reading assignments, students are given a context for discussion to increase vocabulary and speaking ease. Weekly compositions serve as an aid for grammar review.

Credits: 4

Concentrated work to help students acquire more specialized vocabulary, with an introduction to slang. Students gain greater ease in reading through a variety of texts of increasing difficulty. These texts also serve as a basis for discussion, composition, and grammar review.

Credits: 4

For native speakers of Spanish who have had little or no formal training in the language. The focus is on expanding each student’s ability to read and write fluently, in preparation for the challenges of upper-level Spanish courses.

Credits: 4

Summer (offered in Spain)For students who need to review and extend the fundamentals of spoken and written Spanish. Particular attention is given to developing fluency in conversation, increasing understanding, encouraging students to communicate in Spanish, writing clear Spanish, and reading original materials like advertisements and magazines. Various authentic materials (audio cassettes, newspapers) are used to facilitate this process.

Credits: 4

Introduces students to the more complex aspects of the language, while promoting oral and written fluency through a variety of materials. Excerpts from novels, plays, poetry, periodicals, and films are used to promote classroom discussions with active student participation. Frequent oral presentations and weekly compositions required.

Credits: 4

A continuation of SPA2030. Students explore Hispanic culture and their heritage identity via discussion of films andreadings. Students learn advanced grammar, expand their vocabulary and refine their orthographic skills.

Credits: 4

PREREQ: SPA2030

Summer (offered in Spain)For students who have had at least four semesters of college Spanish or the equivalent. Through selected readings on a variety of topics, students explore the more complex aspects of the Spanish language. Discussions and written work based on the readings help students attain a high level of fluency.

Credits: 4

Conducted entirely in Spanish, this course focuses on reading, researching, and analyzing a variety of texts and consists primarily of literary, philosophical, and social discussions in the target language. It is designed to facilitate, improve, and develop reading and analytical skills as well as students’ confidence in their ability to speak Spanish in public. In addition to the extensive class discussions, students read two novel-length books and write two short essays in Spanish. Taught in Spanish

Credits: 4

The history of Hispanic poetry is examined through readings of its major poets from the Middle Ages through the modern period. Taught in Spanish

Credits: 4

Students explore the various languages and cultures that exist in Spanish-speaking countries. In general terms, the course is structured in two blocks: (1) Iberian Peninsula, pre- and post-Indo-European invasion; and (2) Latin America, pre- and post-Spanish invasion.

Credits: 4

An introduction to the structural analysis of Spanish, focusing on grammar, morphology, and syntax. Students examine the set of structural rules governing the composition of words (derivational and inflectional morphology) and phrases (constituents, word order, sentence structure).

Credits: 4

A study of modern Latin American poetry from Modernismo through the various avant garde movements of the first half of the 20th century. Poets read include Jose Marti, Ruben Dario, Vicente Huidobro, Cesar Vallejo, Nicolas Guillen, Pablo Neruda and Octavio Paz.

Credits: 4

PREREQ: SPA3015 Or SPA3070 Or SPA3260 Or SPA3340

Selected examples drawn from the significant number of Latin American writers who have made some of their most interesting contributions in this short form. Selected works from 19th- and 20th-century writers are read closely. Taught in Spanish.

Credits: 4

This theatrical translation workshop combines literary analysis and creative writing. Students read Latin American plays in Spanish, discuss them in English, and translate scenes, examining not only the words, but also gestural, visual and cultural meanings. For the final project, class collaboratively translates an entire play and stages a reading. Students should comprehend written Spanish. (Contact professor with questions.)

Credits: 4

Students learn translation theory and methodology applied to Spanish. Students practice translation techniques applied to a variety of text types, such as poetry, fiction, comics and films.

Credits: 4

Begins with a brief presentation of some theoretical aspects of translation, after which students become directly involved in translating both from English to Spanish and from Spanish to English. Literary texts representing a wide variety of styles are selected. Particular attention is given to idiomatic aspects of each language.

Credits: 4

PREREQ: SPA3016