Courses
AS.210
Provides a multi-faceted approach to teaching language and culture to the novice French student. The first semester emphasizes listening and speaking, while laying the foundation in grammar structures, reading, and writing. This course is designed for true beginners: Students with any previous background must take the placement test: https://learnmore.jhu.edu/browse/ksas/internal/selfenroll/courses/as-french-placement-test. May not be taken on a Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory basis. Contact: Bruce Anderson (bander36@jhu.edu)
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4)
The second semester of this intensive course for beginners provides students with the linguistic tools to read excerpts from a play (Antigone by Jean Anouilh), to polish a written autobiography, and to perform short oral skits. A variety of cultural materials help students acquire grammatical structures and expand their vocabulary. Recommended course background: AS 210.101 or placement test score: https://learnmore.jhu.edu/browse/ksas/internal/selfenroll/courses/as-french-placement-test. May not be taken on a Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory basis. Contact: Claude Guillemard (cguille1@jhu.edu)
AS Foundational Abilities: Citizens and Society (FA4)
This beginner course is specifically designed for students who have had some exposure to French. They must take the mandatory placement test: http://www.advising.jhu.edu/placement_french.php, and receive between 30 and 49. They will cover the first semester of French Elements at a pace suited for "false beginners" with major online components to supplement class instruction. Must complete the year with 210.102 to obtain credit. May not be taken on a Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory basis.
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4)
This beginning French course is a fast-paced, intensive introduction to the French language and the culture of France and the French-speaking world, covering the content of French Elements 1 and 2 (AS 210.101-102) but in one semester. As such, it is meant for students who have some previous classroom or independent study of French (as assessed by a placement exam), or who are native or bilingual speakers of another Romance language. Classroom activities will emphasize spoken communication on a variety of topics, using relevant vocabulary and grammar. Extensive use of online resources outside of class will build skills in listening, reading, and writing. Completion of this class will allow students to enroll in Intermediate French 1 (AS 210.201).
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3)
This beginner’s course will help you develop foundational linguistic skills in Italian while offering an overview of Italian food cultures, both past and present. By the end of this course, you will be able to navigate everyday situations (e.g. ordering a meal at a restaurant, describing your favorite dishes, talking about likes and dislikes) entirely in Italian, and will develop an appreciation for the history of Italian cuisine. Upon completion of this course, students are encouraged to enroll in AS210.152 (Italian Elements II) in the Spring term. Advanced speakers of other Romance languages (e.g. French, Spanish, Portuguese) are encouraged to enroll in AS.210.175 (Accelerated Italian for Speakers of Other Romance Languages I). Open to first-year students only.
Prerequisite(s): Students who are taking/who took AS.210.151 or higher Italian language course are not allowed to register.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4)
This is an introductory Spanish language course. On completion of this course, the students will have acquired the basic communication and grammatical skills necessary for speaking, writing, listening and reading in Spanish. Students will demonstrate these skills through their performance in class, by completing several online assignments, and by taking part in three group presentations in addition to two comprehensive exams which focus on the following thematic topics: Greetings, University Life, Family and Leisure. Students will also be introduced to the culture, history and geography of various Spanish and Latin American countries. The content covered in Spanish Elements 1 is the foundation for all consecutive Spanish courses. A placement exam is required to ensure the appropriate level. Your enrollment in Spanish Elements I will not be considered for approval until you have emailed the Spanish Language Director. No new enrollments permitted after 4th class session.
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4)
This introductory Spanish language course is a continuation of the content covered in Spanish Elements I. On completion of this course, the students will have further developed the communication and grammatical skills necessary for speaking, writing, listening and reading in Spanish. Students will demonstrate these skills through their performance in class, by completing several online assignments, and by taking part in three group presentations in addition to two comprehensive exams which focus on the following thematic topics: Food, Sports, Shopping, Travel, and Health. Students will also be introduced to the culture, history and geography of various Spanish and Latin American countries. The content covered in Spanish Elements II prepares the students for Intermediate Spanish.No new enrollments permitted after 4th class session.Prerequisite: AS.210.111 or appropriate placement exam score.
Prerequisite(s): AS.210.111 or Spanish placement exam score.
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4)
Elementary Modern Hebrew is the first exposure to the language as currently used in Israel in all its functional contexts. All components of the language are discussed: reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Simple idiomatic sentences and short texts in Hebrew are used. Students learn the Hebrew alphabet, words and short sentences. Cultural aspects of Israel will be intertwined throughout the course curriculum.
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4)
Hebrew for Beginners 121 is a continuation of Hebrew 120 and as such, students are required to have a foundation in Hebrew. The course will enhance and continue to expose students to Hebrew grammar, vocabulary, and syntax. All components of the Hebrew language will be emphasized in this course; we will highlight verbs, adjectives, and the ability to read longer texts. Speaking in Hebrew will also be highlighted to promote students’ engagement and communication. Cultural aspects of the language will be incorporated into lessons too
Prerequisite(s): AS.384.115 OR AS.210.120
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4)
This course sequence (AS.210.151 and AS.210.152) is an introduction to Italian for students with no previous exposure to the language. By the end of the academic year, you will be able to meet basic needs in an Italian-only environment. Examples include introducing yourself, asking for and giving directions, ordering a meal at a restaurant, describing and asking information about places and people, and engaging in a simple phone conversation. Advanced speakers of other Romance languages (e.g. French, Spanish, Portuguese) are encouraged to enroll in AS.210.175 (Accelerated Italian for Speakers of Other Romance Languages I)
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4)
Course helps students develop basic listening, reading, writing, speaking, and interactional skills in Italian. The content of the course is highly communicative, and students are constantly presented with real-life, task-based activities. Course adopts a continuous assessment system (no mid-term and no final). May not be taken Satisfactory/ Unsatisfactory. No previous knowledge of Italian is required.
Prerequisite(s): AS.210.151 OR AS.210.106 or Placement Exam Part I.
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4)
Four-skills introduction to the German language and culture. Develops proficiency in speaking, writing, reading and listening skills through the use of basic texts, multi-media and communicative language activities. Online tools required. May not be taken on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory basis. Tuesday section is a mandatory hour.
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4)
Continuation to the introduction to the German language and a development of reading, speaking, writing & listening through the use of basic texts and communicative activities. The culture of the German-language countries is also incorporated into the curriculum. May not be taken on a S/U basis. Prerequisites: AS.210.161 or Placement Exam. Tuesday hour is mandatory.
Prerequisite(s): AS.210.161 or appropriate score on placement exam.
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4)
Look at Jewish history and culture backwards and forwards through the Yiddish language! The vernacular of Ashkenazi Jews for a thousand years, Yiddish connects back to recent and distant generations in Europe, America, and elsewhere. But Yiddish is not just a bridge to the past, it is also the center of vibrant contemporary cultures, both religious and secular. This four-skills language class (reading, writing, listening, speaking) places emphasis on the active use of Yiddish in oral and written communication while guiding students towards the use of Yiddish as a tool for the study of Yiddish literature and Ashkenazi history and culture.
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4)
This course will focus on the Yiddish language as a key to understanding the culture of Yiddish-speaking Jews. Topics in Yiddish literature, cultural history and contemporary culture will be explored through written and aural texts, and these primary sources will be used as a springboard for work on all the language skills: reading, writing, listening, and speaking.
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4)
No previous knowledge of Portuguese is required. This one-year sequence is a Portuguese introductory course for non-romance language speakers. The course introduces students to the basic skills in reading, writing, and speaking the language. Emphasis is placed on oral communication with extensive training in written and listening skills. Class participation is encouraged from the very beginning. Upon the successful completion of this course with a grade of C or higher, students may enroll in 210.172 Portuguese Elements II. May not be taken on a Satisfactory / Unsatisfactory basis. No Prereq. THERE IS NO FINAL EXAM.
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4)
This course expands students’ knowledge of the basic language skills: reading, writing, listening, speaking. It uses a multifaceted approach to immerse students in the cultures of Brazil, Portugal, and Portuguese-speaking Africa. The focus of the course is on oral communication with extensive training in grammar. The course is conducted entirely in Portuguese. Upon the successful completion of this course with a grade of C or higher, students may enroll in 210.271 Portuguese Intermediate I. May not be taken on a Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory basis. Pre-requisites: 210.171 or placement test
Prerequisite(s): C or higher in AS.210.171 (formerly AS.210.177) or placement test.
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4)
NO PREVIOUS KNOWLEDGE OF PORTUGUESE IS REQUIRED. This fast-paced one-semester course covers all content for Portuguese Elementary. This course is designed as an accelerated introductory course for speakers with a sound knowledge of Spanish OR other romance languages (e.g. French and Italian). The course will cover introductory aspects of Portuguese grammar and present relevant points of the cultures of the Portuguese speaking countries. Upon the successful completion of this course with a grade of C or higher, students may enroll in 210.271 Portuguese Intermediate. May not be taken on a Satisfactory / Unsatisfactory basis. No Prereq. THERE IS NO FINAL EXAM.
This course sequence (AS210.175 and AS210.176) is designed for advanced speakers of other Romance languages (e.g. French, Spanish, Portuguese), and will cover the same material as the regular-track Italian Elements I and II (AS.210.151 and AS.210.152) and Intermediate Italian I and II (AS.210.251 and AS.210.252) courses. Upon successful completion of both semesters, students will be allowed to register for AS.210.351 (Advanced Italian I).
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4)
This is the second part of an elementary Italian language course sequence designed for advanced speakers of other romance languages (e.g. French, Spanish, Portuguese). This course will cover the same material as the regular-track Intermediate Italian I and II courses. Students completing this course with a grade of B or higher will be allowed to register for AS210.351 (Advanced Italian I) in the Fall term. Pre-requisite: Completion of AS.210.175 with a grade of B or higher, or Italian Language Program Director permission.
Prerequisite(s): AS.210.175 with a B or higher
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4)
This course develops skills in speaking, listening comprehension, reading, and writing.Systematic review of language structures with strong focus on oral communication and acquisition of vocabulary; extensive practice in writing and speaking; readings and films from French-speaking countries. Recommended course background: AS.210.102 or AS.210.105 or placement test score: https://learnmore.jhu.edu/browse/ksas/internal/selfenroll/courses/as-french-placement-test. Contact: Suzanne Roos (sroos@jhu.edu)
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4)
This course develops skills in speaking, listening comprehension, reading, and writing. Systematic review of language structures with strong focus on oral communication and acquisition of vocabulary; extensive practice in writing and speaking; readings and films from French-speaking countries. Recommended course background: AS.210.201 or placement test score: https://learnmore.jhu.edu/browse/ksas/internal/selfenroll/courses/as-french-placement-test. Contact: Suzanne Roos (sroos@jhu.edu)
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4)
Intermediate Spanish I is a comprehensive study of Spanish designed for students who have attained an advanced elementary level in the language. The course is organized around a thematic approach to topics relevant to contemporary Hispanic culture. Students will practice the four language skills in the classroom through guided grammatical and creative conversational activities and through the completion of three comprehensive exams. Outside of class, students will complete extensive online assignments and write three major compositions (as part of the three exams). In addition, students will broaden their knowledge of Hispanic culture by viewing a Spanish-language film and by reading several literary selections. Successful completion of Intermediate Spanish I will prepare students for the next level of Spanish (Intermediate Spanish II).There is no final exam. No new enrollments permitted after the third class session.
Prerequisite(s): AS.210.112 or appropriate Spanish placement exam score.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4)
Intermediate Spanish II is a comprehensive study of Spanish designed for students who have attained a mid-intermediate level in the language or who have completed Spanish 212. The course is organized around a thematic approach to topics relevant to contemporary Hispanic culture. Students will practice the four language skills in the classroom through guided grammatical and creative conversational activities and through the completion of three comprehensive exams. Outside of class, students will complete extensive online assignments and write three major compositions (as part of the three exams). In addition, students will broaden their knowledge of Hispanic culture by viewing a Spanish-language film and by reading several literary selections. Successful completion of Intermediate Spanish II will prepare students for the next level of Spanish (Advanced Spanish I).There is no final exam. No new enrollments permitted after the fourth class session.
Prerequisite(s): AS.210.211 or appropriate Spanish placement exam score.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4)
Intermediate Modern Hebrew enhances and enforces previous knowledge of Hebrew as acquired from previous foundational coursework and/or experience. Grammatical aspects of the language such as past and present tenses as well as combined and complex sentence syntax and construction would be applied. Reading comprehension and writing skills will be emphasized. Modern Israeli cultural links and facets of the Hebrew language will also be introduced to inform the holistic understanding of the modern language.
Prerequisite(s): AS.384.116 OR AS.210.121 or equivalent
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4)
Please change description to: Intermediate Hebrew level II is a continuation of the course Hebrew 220 and as such is a requirement for entry. In the course, grammatical aspects of the language will be introduced in the focus of past and future tenses. Combined and complex sentences with proper syntax and reading comprehension and writing skills will be required. Modern Israeli cultural aspects of the Hebrew language will be introduced as well and will be part of the holistic understanding of the modern language.
Prerequisite(s): AS.384.215 OR AS.210.220
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4)
This course sequence (AS.210.251 and AS.210.252) will reinforce your ability to engage in complex daily tasks in Italian, and will introduce you to more formal academic and real-world topics. By the end of the academic year, you will be able to write a strong résumé and cover letter in the European format, sit a job interview in Italian, and participate in debates on simple topics. You will also read five engaging short stories, watch several Italian films, and discuss topics such as emigration and immigration from/to Italy, the protection of the environment, and the history of the Italian South.
Prerequisite(s): AS.210.152 or placement exam.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4)
Taught in Italian. Course continues building on the four essential skills for communication presented in Intermediate Italian I (listening, speaking, reading, writing) on topics of increasing complexity. Course adopts a continuous assessment system.
Prerequisite(s): AS.210.251 OR appropriate placement exam scores (Parts I & II).
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4)
Taught in German. This course continues the same four-skills approach (speaking, writing, reading and listening) from the first-year sequence, introducing and practicing more advanced topics and structures. Expansion and extension through topical readings and discussion and multi-media materials. Online tools required. Prereq: 210.162 or placement exam. May not be taken on an S/U basis.
Prerequisite(s): AS.210.162 or placement by exam.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4)
Taught in German. This course is designed to continue the four skills (reading, writing, speaking and listening) approach to learning German. Readings and discussions are topically based and include fairy tales, poems, art and film, as well as readings on contemporary themes such as Germany’s green movement. Students will also review and deepen their understanding of the grammatical concepts of German. Prereq: 210.261 or placement exam May not be taken on an S/U basis.
Prerequisite(s): AS.210.261 or placement by exam.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4)
For students who have completed one year of Yiddish language study or equivalent, this course will provide the opportunity to broaden and deepen their knowledge of Yiddish culture while continuing to improve their skills in reading, writing, listening and speaking Yiddish. Alongside textbook-based language work, students will read, listen to and interact with a variety of texts, for example literature, journalism and oral history.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4)
Continuation of Intermediate Yiddish I: this course will focus on the Yiddish language as a key to understanding the culture of Yiddish-speaking Jews. Topics in Yiddish literature, cultural history and contemporary culture will be explored through written and aural texts, and these primary sources will be used as a springboard for work on all the language skills: reading, writing, listening, and speaking.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4)
This course will allow students at any stage of Yiddish language acquisition to hone their skills in reading, writing, listening and speaking. The program will be individualized for each student according to his or her needs while at the same time providing joint activities in which all can participate.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4)
Taught in German. This course is designed for intermediate and above students who wish to improve their conversational and oral presentational language skills. The syllabus aims to provide useful, relevant language and necessary discourse structures to hold conversations and presentation on varied topics of an everyday, as well as academic nature. Students will practice German to build confidence, develop fluency and improve pronunciation and accuracy. Short texts, audio and films will provide the basis for discussion. Students fields of study and interests will be incorporated into the syllabus and tasks will be matched to the ability level of the students enrolled. Recommended course background: 210.262 or at least 3 semesters of college instruction or the equivalent. May be taken concurrently with other courses in German. May be taken S/U. Not for major or minor credit.
AS Foundational Abilities: Citizens and Society (FA4)
Students in courses in History, CTL, Art History, Classics, Near Eastern Studies, WGS, and Philosophy augment their studies in those disciplines by reading short excerpts from the material assigned in the original German. The selected excerpts rotate among the disciplines, exposing students to a variety of texts and giving students the opportunity to collaborate across disciplines and acquaint themselves with the scholarly language in their respective majors and minors.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3)
Whether we consider them enchanting or naive, fairy tales and their narrative forms have inspired a wealth of cultural production. In this course, we will read and talk about German fairy tales (in German) and look at some spin-offs and parodies they have inspired. Students will hone their skills in reading, identifying plot, settings, characters and symbols while expanding their bank of vocabulary and grammatical structures. Speaking activities in class will be adjusted to the level of participants. Short creative writing assignments throughout the semester will culminate in students writing their own version of a fairy tale. Not for German major or minor credit. May be taken S/U
Prerequisite(s): AS.210.161 AND AS.210.162 or equivalent.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3)
For students who have completed at least one year of Yiddish language study, this course will provide the opportunity to broaden and deepen their knowledge of Yiddish culture while continuing to improve their skills in reading, writing, listening and speaking Yiddish. Alongside textbook-based language work, students will read, listen to and interact with a variety of texts, for example literature, journalism and oral history. Prerequisite: AS.210.164 or equivalent, or permission of instructor.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4)
Intermediate Portuguese I is designed for students who have attained an advanced elementary level in the language. The course offers training in the skills of the language with emphasis on expanding grammatical knowledge and vocabulary, while developing ease and fluency in the language through the use of a multifaceted approach. Course materials immerse students in the cultures of Brazil, Portugal, and Portuguese-speaking Africa, and reflect the mix of cultures at work in the contemporary Lusophone world. Upon the successful completion of Intermediate Portuguese I, students may enroll in the next level, Intermediate Portuguese II – AS.210.272. May not be taken on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory basis. Prereq: AS.210.275 or placement test. THERE IS NO FINAL EXAM
Prerequisite(s): AS.210.178 or AS.210.275 or equivalent score on placement test or instructor approval.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4)
Intermediate Portuguese II is designed for students who have attained a mid-intermediate level in the language or completed Intermediate Portuguese I AS.210.271. The course offers training in the skills of the language with emphasis on advancing grammatical knowledge, expanding vocabulary, and developing fluency in the language through the use of a multifaceted approach. Course materials immerse students in the cultures of Brazil, Portugal, and Portuguese-speaking Africa, and reflect the mix of cultures at work in the contemporary Lusophone world. Successful completion of Intermediate Portuguese II will prepare students for the next level Advanced Portuguese I – AS.210.371. May not be taken on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory basis. Prereq: AS.210.271 (old AS.210.277) or placement test. THERE IS NO FINAL EXAM.
Prerequisite(s): AS.210.277 or equivalent score on placement test or instructor approval.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4)
Improve your Portuguese conversational and speaking skills through colorful Brazilian media. This course is designed for highly motivated undergraduate and graduate students who want to SPEAK Portuguese. Conversation sessions provide intensive work on communication skills through discussion on issues raised in films, news media & music. Grammar will be reviewed as needed outside of class with tutors or TA, freeing class time for more communicative activities. May not be taken on a Satisfactory / Unsatisfactory basis. Prereq: one semester of Portuguese, two semesters of Spanish or Placement test.
Prerequisite(s): AS.210.275 OR AS.210.277 OR AS.210.278 OR AS.210.391 OR AS.210.392
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4)
Students in AS.210.301 will focus primarily on written expression, learning to ‘decipher’ classic and contemporary texts in order to expand their French vocabulary and communicate their ideas in writing with clarity and accuracy. (A primary focus on oral expression is provided in AS.210.302; the two advanced-level courses may be taken in either order or simultaneously.) Recommended Course Background: AS.210.202 or appropriate score on Placement test I: https://learnmore.jhu.edu/browse/ksas/internal/selfenroll/courses/as-french-placement-test
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Writing and Communication (FA1), Culture and Aesthetics (FA3)
Writing Intensive
Students in 210.302 will focus primarily on oral expression through individual and group work on contemporary media (music, film, current events) in order to expand their vocabulary and become fluent in conversation across social-cultural contexts. (A primary focus on written expression is provided in 210.301; the two advanced-level courses may be taken in either order or simultaneously.) Recommended Course Background: AS.210.202 or appropriate score on Placement test I: https://learnmore.jhu.edu/browse/ksas/internal/selfenroll/courses/as-french-placement-test
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Writing and Communication (FA1), Culture and Aesthetics (FA3)
In this interactive language course (not exclusively designed for pre-meds), students learn how to communicate in the fields of public health, medicine, and humanitarian aid in a French-speaking environment. While acquiring new lexical and syntactic tools weekly, students examine and debate the current structures and issues of the French health system, through a variety of media (governmental websites, mainstream and specialized newspapers, movies, blogs, first-account books, etc.). A final project is tailored to each student’s own area of interest. Please note that this course is taught by a language instructor, not a medical expert. Recommended course background: AS.210.301 or AS.210.302 or permission of instructor. Students interested in taking the exam for the French For Health Diploma should contact the instructor (cguille1@jhu.edu) and visit the following website: https://www.lefrancaisdesaffaires.fr/tests-diplomes/diplomes-francais-professionnel-dfp/sante/
Prerequisite(s): AS.210.301 OR AS.210.302
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Citizens and Society (FA4), Ethics and Foundations (FA5)
This course proposes to enhance students’ verbal (pronunciation, intonation, syntax, vocabulary) and nonverbal skills (body language, vocal projection, spatial awareness) by performing excerpts from French and Francophone plays ranging from the Middle Ages to the 21st century. A closer analysis of these excerpts will lead us to consider how theater uses the physicality and immediacy of human experience to create a more universal form of connectivity with the world.Recommended course background: AS.210.301.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3)
This course introduces students to the sound system of French: its development over centuries, its standardized Parisian form versus regional and international dialects and accents, and the popularity of "word games" (abbreviations, acronyms, and verlan). The course will include extensive practice in perceiving, articulating, and transcribing sounds, words, and intonation groups through viewing film clips, listening to songs, and completing in class lab assignments. Recorded speech samples obtained at the beginning, middle, and end of the semester will allow students to track their progress in moving toward more native pronunciation and intonation. Recommended Course Background: AS.210.202 or equivalent
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Citizens and Society (FA4)
This course is a comprehensive study of the Spanish language focused on the continuing development of students’ communicative abilities and their knowledge of Hispanic cultures. Students will expand their use of basic structures of Spanish with a special emphasis on more difficult grammatical and vocabulary aspects, and further improve both their oral and written skills. Students will sharper their critical thinking skills and listening abilities utilizing movies and written texts. This course combines an extensive use of an online component with class participation and three exams. Upon successful completion of this course, students will have acquired extended complex language tools that facilitate proficiency in Spanish and its use in various professional contexts. There is no final exam. No new enrollments permitted after the third class session.
Prerequisite(s): AS.210.212 OR appropriate Spanish placement exam score.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4)
This course is thorough review of the Spanish language focused on the development of students’ communicative abilities and their knowledge of Hispanic cultures. Students will both expand their knowledge of the basic structures of Spanish, with special emphasis on more difficult grammatical and vocabulary aspects, and further improve on oral and written skills. Students will increase their critical thinking skills and listening abilities utilizing movies and written texts. This course combines an extensive use of an online component, class participation and three exams. Upon successful completion of this course, students will have acquired more complex language tools to become proficient in Spanish and its use in various professional contexts. There is no final exam. No new enrollments permitted after the third class session.
Prerequisite(s): AS.210.311 or appropriate Spanish placement exam score.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4)
Medical Spanish is a comprehensive examination of vocabulary and grammar for students who either work or intend to work in medicine and health-related fields in Spanish-speaking environments. The student will be able to participate in conversations on topics such as contrasting health systems, body structures, disorders and conditions, consulting your doctor, physical and mental health, first-aid, hospitalization and surgery on completion of this course. In completing the course’s final project students will apply, synthesize, and reflect on what has been learned in the class by creating a professional dossier individualized to their professional interests. There is no final exam. Not open to native speakers of Spanish. No new enrollments permitted after the third class session.
Prerequisite(s): AS.210.311 OR AS.210.312 or appropriate Spanish placement exam score.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Writing and Communication (FA1), Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4)
Writing Intensive
Spanish for international business is an overview of business topics in an international Spanish-speaking context with an emphasis on deep review of grammar and vocabulary acquisition. On completion of this course the student will have developed the ability to read and critically discuss business and government relations in Latin America and will have examine entrepreneurship, finance, marketing, business ethics, human resources and commerce in the Spanish speaking world. In completing the course’s final project students will apply, synthesize, and reflect on what has been covered in the class by creating a professional dossier individualized to their own professional interests. Concepts learned in this course will be directly applicable to careers linked to international relations and will apply to various careers in business. There is no final exam. May not be taken satisfactory/unsatisfactory. Not open to native speakers of Spanish. No new enrollments permitted after the third class session. Language Program Director: Loreto Sanchez-Serrano
Prerequisite(s): AS.210.311 or or appropriate Spanish placement exam score.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Writing and Communication (FA1), Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4)
Spanish for international relations is an advanced examination of grammar and an analysis of international relations’ topics in Spanish. By completion of this course the student will have developed the ability to read, critically discuss and demonstrate mastery of political and socio-economic issues in Spanish-speaking environments. Potential topics include a survey of the professions in international relations, NGOs in Latin America, intellectual property, cultural diplomacy, remesas, regional coalitions and treaties, and the environment. Class presentations and final projects will allow students to apply, synthesize, and reflect on what has been learned in the class by participating in a global simulation that will include a written exercise individualized to their professional interests. Not open to native speakers of Spanish. No new enrollments permitted after the 4th class session.
Prerequisite(s): AS.210.311 or appropriate webcape score
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Writing and Communication (FA1), Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4)
Writing Intensive
Conversational Spanish surveys high-interest themes, discusses short films by contemporary Hispanic filmmakers and offers a thorough review of grammar. The student will be able to participate in conversations on topics such as personality traits, social media, political power, art and lifestyles on completion of this course. Conversational skills mastered during the course apply to all careers interconnected by Spanish. There is no final exam. Not open to native speakers of Spanish. No new enrollments permitted after the third class session.
Prerequisite(s): AS.210.311 or appropriate Spanish placement exam score.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4)
This third-year course is a hands-on and process-oriented introduction to discussion and compositional analysis. On completion of this course, students will have improved their Spanish writing skills in various types of compositions they might be expected to write in academic settings and in real-life formats such as film reviews, letters to the editor, cover letters, etc. The course also focuses on refinement of grammar and vocabulary use. Not open to native speakers of Spanish. .
Prerequisite(s): AS.210.312 or appropriate Spanish placement exam score.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Writing and Communication (FA1), Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4)
Writing Intensive
Spanish for engineering is a comprehensive examination of vocabulary and grammar for students who either work or intend to work in the engineering field to develop their communicative strategies in the field of engineering. On completion of this course, students will be able to participate in conversations on topics such as applications of biomedical engineering in the diagnosis and treatment of different medical conditions, efficient use of energy and materials, design and construction of public works, development of electrical systems and development of solutions to environmental problems. In completing the course’s final project students will apply, synthesize, and reflect on what has been learned in the class by creating a professional dossier individualized to their professional interests.There is no final exam. May not be taken satisfactory/unsatisfactory. Not open to native speakers of Spanish. No new enrollments permitted after the third-class session.
Prerequisite(s): AS.210.311
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Writing and Communication (FA1), Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4)
Writing Intensive
Spanish for Public Health is a comprehensive examination of vocabulary and grammar for students who either work or intend to work in the Public Health field such as government agencies, health care organizations, nonprofits, or health insurer companies, in Spanish-speaking environments. On completion of this course, the student will be able to participate in conversations on topics including health systems, reproductive biology, nutrition, epidemiology, mental health, and environmental health. In completing the course’s final project students will apply, synthesize, and reflect on what has been learned in the class by creating a professional dossier individualized to their professional interests.
Prerequisite(s): AS.210.311
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Writing and Communication (FA1), Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4)
Writing Intensive
Advanced Modern Hebrew I will focus on conversational and interactive language skills to expose learners to attributes of different genres and layers of the language. Students will be introduced to various original texts and lingual patterns to better understand and formulate proper syntax. The course will include contemporary readings from Israeli journalism and essays, along with other relevant Hebrew resources to inform class discussions and students’ reflective writings. Israeli cultural aspects will be integral to the course curriculum.
Prerequisite(s): AS.384.216 OR AS.210.221 or equivalent
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Writing and Communication (FA1), Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4)
Writing Intensive
This course will expand students’ fluencies in Modern Hebrew through Hebrew-dialogic Israeli and Palestinian cinema, examining and comparing several layers of a contemporary Hebrew-speaking society. For this class, students will view, discuss, and write about films with Hebrew as the primary spoken language. Through aural interpretation and subtitles, students will understand, analyze, and reflectively discuss the diversity of Hebrew-speaking cultures within society and the provenance and intentionalities of the dialects exhibited throughout a given film. Linguistic nuance, slang, and interpretive aspects of Hebrew as shown in the chosen films will prompt students to examine this modality of the expression of contemporary Hebrew. The course will be taught primarily in Hebrew and will be open to students who have matriculated to at least 200-level coursework of Modern Hebrew.
Prerequisite(s): AS.384.315 OR AS.210.320 or instructor permission
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Writing and Communication (FA1), Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4)
Writing Intensive
This highly interactive course focuses on complex historical and contemporary themes, and is ideal, among others, for students who are specializing in international studies, medicine, psychology, and cognitive science. Students will analyze authentic texts and audiovisual materials on topics including the history of the Sicilian mafia, mental health and the deinstitutionalization movement in Italy, Europe and Italy in the 1960s-1980s, the role of curiosity and amazement in scientific discovery and art, and intercultural differences around hilarity. Taught in Italian.
Prerequisite(s): AS.210.252 or placement exam
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Writing and Communication (FA1), Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4), Democracy (FA4.1)
Writing Intensive
Course presents a systematic introduction to a variety of complex cultural and historical topics related to present-day Italy, emphasizing intercultural comparisons, interdisciplinarity, and encouraging a personal exploration of such topics. Course adopts a continuous assessment system (no mid-term and no final).
Prerequisite(s): AS.210.351 OR appropriate placement exam scores (Parts I, II and III).
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Writing and Communication (FA1), Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4), Democracy (FA4.1)
Writing Intensive
Taught in German. Topically, this course focuses on defining moments in cultural history in German speaking countries in the 2nd half of the 20th century. Films, texts, including a full-length novel, and other media provide a basis for discussing events in post-war Germany from 1945 to 2000. A review and expansion of advanced grammatical concepts and vocabulary underlies the course. Focus on improving expression in writing and speaking. May not be taken on an S/U basis.
Prerequisite(s): AS.210.262 or placement exam.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Writing and Communication (FA1), Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4)
Writing Intensive
Taught in German. Topically, this course focuses on contemporary issues such as national identity, multiculturalism and the lingering social consequences of major 20th century historical events. Readings include literary and journalistic texts, as well as radio broadcasts, internet sites, music and film. Students read a full-length novel. Emphasis is placed on improving mastery of German grammar, development of self-editing skills and practice in spoken German for academic use. Introduction/Review of advanced grammar.
Prerequisite(s): AS.210.361 or equivalent score on placement test.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Writing and Communication (FA1), Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4)
Writing Intensive
Taught in German. Course is designed to familiarize students with the vocabulary and standards for doing business in Germany. Taking a cultural approach, students read texts and engage in discussion that elucidate the works of business, commerce & industry in Germany, the world’s third largest economy. Emphasis is placed on vocabulary expansion and writing as it relates to business and business cases. May not be taken S/U. Recommended background: at least 4 semesters of college German (210.262) or equivalent.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Citizens and Society (FA4), Projects and Methods (FA6)
Taught in German. An introduction to the concepts and linguistic tools necessary for understanding the German health care system and public health fields. Designed for students with B1 or above language skills in German. Readings, role plays, videos and research projects will form the basis for learning. Linguistic focus on expanding vocabulary, increasing reading and listening comprehension while also honing grammatical control to increase accuracy in speaking and writing. Topics include the German health-care system, the body, typical interactions between patients and health care professionals, as well as the history of iconic institutions such as Berlin’s Charite. Prerequisite: 4 semesters of college German or equivalent or permission of German LPD.
Prerequisite(s): AS.210.262 OR AS.210.361 OR AS.210.362
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Citizens and Society (FA4)
Taught in German. This course is designed to provide language training in German tailored to students of science & engineering. Germany has long been a world leader in engineering, most notably in chemical and mechanical engineering. Over the past decades, Germany also has taken a lead in environmental sciences and information technology. In addition, Germany is now becoming an increasingly attractive place to pursue degrees in the technical fields. This course will provide practice and expansion in all language skill areas: analysis of texts, hands-on-activities, preparation of presentations, and discussion of topics. Specific areas of interest to the course members will be taken into consideration for the selection of materials. [Does not replace 210.362 as prerequisite for upper level courses or as major requirement.]
Prerequisite(s): AS.210.262 OR AS.210.361 OR AS.210.362 or equivalent or placement exam.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Citizens and Society (FA4)
This course will provide students who have completed at least two years of Yiddish with the opportunity to hone their skills in all four language areas: reading, writing, listening, and speaking. In addition to advanced grammar study and readings in Yiddish literature, the course will take into account the interests of each individual student, allowing time for students to read Yiddish texts pertinent to their own research and writing.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4)
Continuation of Advanced Yiddish I (AS.210.367). Students will continue to hone their skills in all four language areas: reading, writing, listening, and speaking. In addition to advanced grammar study and readings in Yiddish literature, the course will take into account the interests of each individual student, allowing time for students to read Yiddish texts pertinent to their own research and writing.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4)
Designed to sharpen students’ abilities in contemporary spoken and written Portuguese. This third-year course fosters the development of complex language skills that enhance fluency, accuracy and general proficiency in Portuguese and its appropriate use in professional and informal contexts. Students will briefly review previous grammar structures and concentrate on new complex grammar concepts. Using a variety of cultural items such as current news, short stories, plays, films, videos, newspaper articles, and popular music, students discuss diverse topics followed by intense writing and oral discussion with the aim of developing critical thinking and solid communication skills.Successful completion of Advanced Portuguese I will prepare students for the next level, Advanced Portuguese II, AS.210.372. May not be taken on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory basis. Prereq: AS.210.272 or (old AS.210.278) or placement test. THERE IS NO FINAL EXAM.
Prerequisite(s): AS.210.278 OR AS.210.272 or equivalent score on placement test or instructor approval.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Writing and Communication (FA1), Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4)
Writing Intensive
This course examines both sociolinguistic and cultural aspects of the French-speaking world and the relationship between la francophonie and France itself. We focus on five regions—Sub-Saharan Africa (Cameroun and Senegal), Northern Africa (Morocco and Algeria), the Caribbean (Martinique and Haiti), North America (Quebec), and Europe (Belgium)—and consider language features unique to those regional varieties, the status of French as opposed to other indigenous languages and creoles, the demographics of their speakers, and the representation of their culture in media (particularly in short stories, poetry, song, and film). A semester-long research project on one of these main areas will allow students to combine their study of the French-speaking world with other disciplines of interest to them.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4)
Contacts and Contrasts in Spanish for the Professions harnesses a comparative approach to reviewing grammar and learning Spanish by offering translation practice from English to Spanish and thrusting synthesis of prior courses into coherent professional tools. Techniques may include comparing texts of medicine, public health, literature, technology, politics, and journalism between Spanish and English. Students will identify and differentiate terminology specific to these various fields and will focus on practicing correct uses of the grammatical structures relevant to English and Spanish in translation and cultural contact. In the course’s term projects, students will apply, synthesize, and reflect on their knowledge of Spanish by completing a translation exercise individualized to their professional interests. Strategies of communication mastered in this course will help students of Spanish throughout their careers.
Prerequisite(s): AS.210.313 OR AS.210.314 OR AS.210.315 OR AS.210.318 OR AS.210.319
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Writing and Communication (FA1), Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4)
Writing Intensive
This fourth-year course involves a specially designed project related to the student’s minor concentration. On completion of this course, the student will be able to use the Spanish language in real world contexts. The student-designed project may be related to each student´s current employment context or developed in agencies or organizations that complement student’s research and experimental background while contributing to the improvement of his/her language proficiency. There is no final exam. No new enrollments permitted after first week of class.
Prerequisite(s): AS.210.411
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Writing and Communication (FA1), Citizens and Society (FA4), Projects and Methods (FA6)
Writing Intensive
This forth-year course is an in-depth examination of the Spanish grammar, including a wider range of idiomatic expressions and usages than students might have previously encountered. On completion of this course, students will be able to achieve the ACTFL Advanced-Mid to high level in oral and written expression as well as in reading and listening skills. The course will also help to prepare students for the DELE Intermediate or Superior levels, offered by the Instituto Cervantes. May not be taken satisfactory/unsatisfactory. Not open to native speakers of Spanish. No new enrollments permitted after the 4th class session.
Prerequisite(s): ( AS.210.312 OR AS.210.317 ) AND ( AS.210.313 OR AS.210.314 OR AS.210.315 )
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Writing and Communication (FA1), Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4)
Writing Intensive
This interactive, writing intensive course has a double agenda: 1) to guide students towards linguistic proficiency in French by exposing them to an extended range of stylistic, idiomatic and grammatical expressions; 2) to strengthen students' individual voices in written and oral expression. Recommended Course Background: AS.210.301 and AS.210.302 or permission of instructor. Contact Kristin Cook-Gailloud (kcg@jhu.edu).
Prerequisite(s): AS.210.301
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Writing and Communication (FA1), Citizens and Society (FA4)
Writing Intensive
This course is designed to open up the world of Yiddish culture and letters by helping students develop the skills necessary to read Yiddish texts in the original. Students will learn the Yiddish alphabet and be introduced to Yiddish vocabulary and grammatical structures, as well as to resources for reading Yiddish such as dictionaries and grammar guides. Students will read and translate texts of increasing difficulty and will have the opportunity to tackle texts in their own field of interest. A “fast track” will be offered to students with prior knowledge of German. No prior knowledge of Yiddish is necessary.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4)
This course aims to provide proficiency in reading and translating?a variety of French texts from the humanities and social sciences. It is designed for undergraduate and graduate students with little or no background in French who wish to acquire a knowledge of French for research purposes 2) for Ph.D. candidates preparing to fulfill their a Foreign Language Proficiency requirement. Please note that this course does not provide speaking and listening skills, and can therefore not be taken as a substitute for other classes in the French Language curriculum (AS.210.xxx).
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3)
Directed readings with Portuguese faculty.
Prerequisite(s): You must request Independent Academic Work using the Independent Academic Work form found in Student Self-Service: Registration, Online Forms.
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4)
Graduate students only. Seniors may enroll with permission from LPD and instructor.Taught in English. This is the first semester of a year-long course designed for graduate students in other fields who wish to gain a reading knowledge of the German language. Seniors who intend to do graduate study in other disciplines are also welcome. Instruction includes an introduction to German vocabulary and grammatical structures as well as discussion of relevant translation practices. The goal of the course is for students to gain confidence in reading a variety of texts, including those in their own fields of study. No knowledge of German is assumed.
Distribution Area: Humanities
Taught in English. Seniors by permission & Graduate students only. This course is designed for graduate students in other departments who wish to gain reading knowledge of the German language and translation practice from German to English. This course is a continuation of the Fall semester. Focus on advanced grammatical structures and vocabulary. For certification or credit.
Prerequisite(s): AS.210.661 or permission of instructor.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS.211
Seminar participants immerse on stories and issues affecting Hispanics in the US, specifically questioning if social media and information created by artificial intelligence perpetuate subordination and miscommunication. By investigating platforms such as TikTok, Youtube and Twitter this course hones foundational critical thinking skills in the arts and humanities. Upon completion of this seminar, you will innovate and perfect research questions to continue studies in Hispanic and Latin American cultures. The course focusses on reading and analysis of distinct influencers such as #latinasinmedicine, @lin-manuel, @CDC, @johnshopkinssph, @WHO. Critical reading required.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Citizens and Society (FA4), Ethics and Foundations (FA5)
This course is a survey of U.S. Latinx literature that introduces students to the major trends in the tradition. While Latinx literature draws on literary traditions that span more than 400 years, our course will focus on more contemporary forms of the tradition, its “canon,” and how authors are currently “queering” this canon. Emphasizing the historical and aesthetic networks established in the Latinx literary canon that continue into the present while exploring the relationship between genre and socio-historical issues, we will read from a diverse tradition and range of genres that reflect the contested definition of “Latinx” and its shifting demographics in the U.S. We will also investigate how U.S. Latinx literature speaks to and expands “American” literary traditions, and how unique ethnic identities such as Mexican American, Nuyorican, Cuban American, and Dominican American offer different yet interconnecting representations of what it means to be Latinx in the U.S. This class ultimately underscores the heterogeneity of Latinx literature and asks how particular generic conventions stage the constructions of race, gender, sexuality, and class to establish a historically grounded understanding of the diverse literary voices and aesthetics that comprise U.S. Latinx literature.
Did you know that Brazil is very similar to the United States? This course is intended as an introduction to the culture and civilization of Brazil. It is designed to provide students with basic information about Brazilian history, politics, economy, art, literature, popular culture, theater, cinema, and music. The course will focus on how Indigenous, Asian, African, and European cultural influences have interacted to create the new and unique civilization that is Brazil today. The course is taught in English.No Prereq. THERE IS NO FINAL EXAM.
Distribution Area: Humanities
Writing Intensive
This course traces the history of Italian cinema from the silent era to the new millennium, highlighting its main trends and genres, and reflecting on the major transformations modern and contemporary Italian society experienced over the twentieth and twentieth-first centuries. We shall examine iconic films such as Vittorio De Sica’s Bicycle Thieves, Federico Fellini’s La Dolce Vita, Michelangelo Antonioni’s L’Avventura, and Pier Paolo Pasolini’s Mamma Roma, that received international recognition and influenced other national, cinematic productions. We shall also look at the work of less famous, or independent filmmakers who received less critical attention. While this class takes an historical approach, it also includes a theoretical component and introduces students to the specificity of the cinematic language, examining films in relation to the mise-en-scène, frame composition, camera movements, editing, and sound. This class is taught in English.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4)
Italy and the “Italian style” have become synonym of exquisite taste, class, and elegance thanks to the quality of Italian craftsmanship. This course will explore some of the major factors that contributed to the rise of Italian fashion and Italian industrial design as iconic all around the world. The classes will focus on the main protagonists and art movements that influenced the development of Italian style. We will analyze trends, clothing, and style not only in a historical context, but also through a critical apparatus that will include themes related to gender, culture, power, and politics.The course is taught in English. No knowledge of Italian is required, but those who can read in Italian will have an opportunity to do so. Everyone will learn some Italian words and expressions.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4)
Without Amazonia, global warming could reach levels that threaten life on the planet. Yet, in an era of deforestation and climate change, Amazonia itself might be on the verge of disappearance, with disastrous consequences for the world. This course proposes interdisciplinary perspectives on Amazonia through a range of works drawn from history, anthropology, archeology, environmental studies, literature, and the arts. We’ll look at texts by European travelers and missionaries who contributed to the paradoxical image of Amazonia as a “virgin paradise” or a “green hell”; scientific studies and artists’ depictions of the region’s flora and fauna; the often-overlooked history of human occupation of the region; and projects to colonize, develop, or conserve the world’s largest tropical forest. What importance does Amazonia hold for Latin American and global geopolitics? How do art and literature, including indigenous writings, create, reinforce, or deconstruct clichés about the region? What alternative futures for our planet can Amazonia help us to imagine?
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4)
This course will highlight the change from a culture of mass media to social media in the recent media history. As examples of how story telling is affected throughout this paradigm shift, we will be taking into account such phenomena as AI storytelling, Video Vines, and News Feeds. In the age of Mass Media, spanning the rise of TV culture in the 1950s to the end of the 20th century, media had a unifying effect on American culture. With the rise of Cable TV in the 1990s to the ubiquity of internet entertainment sources to the invention of the iPhone and the rise of social media, this cultural unanimity had been shattered. In some ways this has caused a positive effect, as the forms of storytelling have proliferated and diversified, and there is more room for different voices and perspectives today than every before. In other ways the effects have been more insidious, with some critics pointing to social media as one of the main factors in the rise of our post-truth age. The age of social media has also certainly increased a sense of insecurity (FOMO) and attention deficit disorder in the millennials.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3)
This course is a broad introduction to the fields of medical and mental health interpreting. Modules will include: (1) Three-way communication: managing role expectations and interpersonal dynamics; (2) Basic interpreting skills and techniques in a healthcare setting; (3) Ethical principles, dilemmas, and confidentiality; (4) Elements of medical interpreting; (5) Elements of mental health interpreting; (6) Trauma-informed interpreting: serving the refugee population. The course is taught in English, and has no foreign language pre-requisites.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Citizens and Society (FA4), Ethics and Foundations (FA5)
This course will survey German ideas—in philosophy, social and political theory, and drama—since the Enlightenment. Authors include Kant, Schiller, Lessing, Goethe, Hegel, Marx, Nietzsche, Weber, Horkheimer, and Adorno.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Writing and Communication (FA1), Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Ethics and Foundations (FA5)
Writing Intensive
Who was Niccolò Machiavelli? We often hear the term “Machiavellian” in reference to actors in business or politics, but what does it really mean? What does Machiavelli teach us about the nature and the dynamics of political power? Can Machiavelli’s thought offer insights into today’s politics and fast-changing world? The course aims to answer these questions by addressing three topics. First, we will study Machiavelli’s life and times, particularly the events connected to his production and the context in which he wrote his main writings. We will see how the fifteenth-century Florentine humanism and the massive political changes affecting early modern Europe shaped Machiavelli’s mindset. Second, we will familiarize ourselves with Machiavelli’s thought by reading The Prince and excerpts from Discourses on Livy. Third, we will get acquainted with some of the main trends in the reception of Machiavelli in the 20th and 21st centuries. Special attention will be paid to interpretations of Machiavelli by Antonio Gramsci, Leo Strauss, Isaiah Berlin, John Greville Agard Pocock, Quentin Skinner, and John P. McCormick. We will also pay attention to modern television programs and films that show the width and depth of Machiavelli's legacy.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3)
Nietzsche and Literature is devoted to exploring the philosophy and literary works of the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, and studying his impact on literature and literary modernism. Readings will include works by Nietzsche and by the literary writers he influenced, including Rainer Maria Rilke, Stefan George, Thomas Mann, Stefan Zweig, Hugo von Hofmannsthal, Franz Kafka, Jorge Luis Borges, Hermann Hesse, James Joyce, Wallace Stevens, and William Butler Yeats, and Else Lasker-Schüler.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Writing and Communication (FA1), Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Ethics and Foundations (FA5)
TAUGHT IN ENGLISH. Since Plato, inspiration and madness have been understood as closely related, if not identical, terms. For Plato, the experience of beauty awakens a memory in the soul that leads the soul to take flight and to abandon the earth. This understanding of enthusiasm returns in accounts of poetic inspiration in the twentieth-century from Freud’s writing on Leonardo and Karl Jaspers’s study Strindberg and Van Gogh, Swedenborg and Hölderlin (1922) to Blanchot’s Space of Literature (1943) and Deleuze and Guattari’s Anti-Oedipus (1970). In this course we will read theoretical works by Plato, Freud, Binswanger, Jaspers, Blanchot, Deleuze, and Foucault and “inspired” literary writing by Hölderlin, Dickinson, Baudelaire, Melville, Kafka, Walser, Schreber, Artaud, and Borges. To what extent is inspiration mad and how does madness color insight into the phenomenon?
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Ethics and Foundations (FA5)
This seminar examines some of the ways we define, represent, and think about the concept of labor in capitalism. We will analyze and compare a wide variety of texts (literary, visual, and theoretical) that embody different, often contradictory, notions of the work we do, why we do it, and how it affects us. As we investigate different types of work—productive and unproductive, physical & intellectual, factory & office—a few of the questions we will ask are: What methods have writers and artists used to depict labor in the 20th and 21st centuries? How is labor stratified along racial and gender lines? Is it possible to imagine a post-work society? The course curates a range of cultural artifacts (short stories, manifestos, novel excerpts, visual art, and film) that employ aesthetic strategies like irony, humor, absurdity, and duration to represent the dynamics of labor in capitalism. Theoretical texts then provide varied conceptual viewpoints from which to compare, contrast, and synthesize our impressions and interpretations of art and literary works. By the end of the semester, we will have traced a trajectory of labor in capitalism from the early 20th century to our own strange and precarious present.
AS Foundational Abilities: Writing and Communication (FA1), Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Ethics and Foundations (FA5)
Writing Intensive
If the modern-day Romance languages all evolved from Latin, how and why do they differ in so many important ways? What drives language change in the first place and why should this be the case? We approach these questions not only from a linguistic perspective (analyzing Romance sound systems, vocabulary, morphosyntax, and semantics), but from a cognitive-psychological and a socio-political perspective as well. Recommended Course Background: At least intermediate-level proficiency in a Romance language as assessed by coursework or placement exam; some previous coursework in linguistics is desirable but not necessary.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Citizens and Society (FA4), Projects and Methods (FA6)
iddish was the language of European Jews for 1000 years. From the 19th century to the present day it has been a language that millions of Americans — Jewish immigrants and their descendants–have spoken, written in, conducted their daily lives in, and created culture in. This course will examine literature, film, newspapers, and more to explore how Jewish immigrants to America shaped their identities—as Jews, as Americans, and as former Europeans. What role did maintaining, adapting, or abandoning a minority language play in the creation of Jewish American identity—cultural, ethnic, or religious? How was this language perceived by the majority culture? How was it used to represent the experiences of other minoritized groups? What processes of linguistic and cultural translation were involved in finding a space for Yiddish in America, in its original or translated into English? The overarching subjects of this course include migration, race, ethnicity, multilingualism, and assimilation. We will analyze literature (novels, poetry, drama); film; comedy; and other media. All texts in English.
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Ethics and Foundations (FA5)
As is clear from current events and debates surrounding monuments to the Confederacy, monuments play an outsize role in the public negotiation of history and identity and the creation of communal forms of memory. We will study the traditions of monuments and monumentality around the world – including statues and buildings along with alternative forms of monumentality – from antiquity to the present day. We will examine the ways that monuments have been favored methods for the powerful to signal identity and authorize history. This course will also explore the phenomenon of “counter-monumentality”, whereby monuments are transformed and infused with new meaning. These kinds of monuments can be mediums of expression and commemoration for minority and diaspora communities and other groups outside the economic and political systems that endow and erect traditional public monuments. The first half of the course will examine the theoretical framework of monumentality, with a focus on ancient monuments from the ancient Near East (e.g., Solomon’s temple). More contemporary examples will be explored in the second half of the course through lectures and also field trips. We will view contemporary debates around monuments in America in light of the long history of monuments and in comparison with global examples of monuments and counter-monuments. All readings in English.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4)
Course is taught in ENGLISH. Did you know that one of the first Latin American actresses to conquer Hollywood was Brazilian? Did you know that cinema has existed in Brazil since 1895, just six months after the first screening in Paris? This course is an introduction to both the academic study of cinema as a communicative art and to Brazilian film. The films selected focus on the late 1950s to the present and highlight import episodes and challenges in the advancement of Brazilian society as well as its cinematic production. Film aesthetics are analyzed through a number of critical perspectives, including class, race, gender as well as ethnicity, nationalism or national identity, colonialism, social changes, and the politics of representation. In this sense, the films, and documentaries that we will be watching and studying encompass the period from the rise of New Cinema (Cinema Novo) up to films exploring the most recent trends, including movies launched up to 2022. Students wishing to do the course work in English for 3 credits should register for section 01. Those wishing to earn 4 credits by doing the course work in Portuguese should register for section 02. No Prereq.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4), Democracy (FA4.1)
Writing Intensive
Beetles, fleas, bees, ants, ticks, butterflies: as the earth’s most abundant animals, insects affect our lives in countless ways. In this seminar, we will explore the diverse world of insects and other arthropods and analyze their appearance in philosophy, literature, and the sciences. Reading our way from John Donne’s “The Flea” and Robert Hooke’s “Micrographia” to Mandeville’s “The Fable of the Bees,” Uexküll’s biosemiotics, and Kafka’s “Metamorphosis,” we will ask how concepts and stories of insects reflect and shape the ways we imagine our ecological milieus. We will look more closely at how entomological imaginaries evolved over time and pursue lines of inquiry that will shed new light on human interactions with the environment, politics, and cultural diversity. This course covers a wide range of sources from different European languages (all made available in English translations) and is writing intensive.
AS Foundational Abilities: Writing and Communication (FA1), Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4)
Writing Intensive
The term 'Otherness' is known to be rooted in the Self-Other opposition as it emerged in German Idealism, adopted by psychoanalysis and transformed to Post-Colonial and Feminist theories. This theoretical framework will allow us to explore the role of the Other in literature and cinema. Students will become familiar with the historical development of the notion of the “stranger” through reading and analyzing various contemporary works of prose, poetry and cinema from various countries. We will analyze the ways in which these works depict Otherness and will investigate questions regarding their social, political and philosophical framework as well as the literary and cinematographic devices they employ. The course will have a comparative nature with the aim of learning more about the differences between the literary and cinematic representations.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Ethics and Foundations (FA5)
The museum boom of the last half-century has centered largely around museums dedicated to the culture and history of identity groups, including national, ethnic, religious, and minority groups. In this course we will examine such museums and consider their long history through a comparison of the theory and practice of Jewish museums with other identity museums. We will study the various museological traditions that engage identity, including the collection of art and antiquities, ethnographic exhibitions, history museums, heritage museums, art museums, and other museums of culture. Some of the questions we will ask include: what are museums for and who are they for? how do museums shape identity? and how do the various types of museums relate to one another? Our primary work will be to examine a variety of contemporary examples around the world with visits to local museums including the Jewish Museum of Maryland, the National Museum of African American History and Culture and the National Museum of the American Indian.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4), Democracy (FA4.1)
How has the Holocaust been represented in literature and film? Are there special challenges posed by genocide to the traditions of visual and literary representation? Where does the Holocaust fit in to the array of concerns that the visual arts and literature express? And where do art and literature fit in to the commemoration of communal tragedy and the working through of individual trauma entailed by thinking about and representing the Holocaust? These questions will guide our consideration of a range of texts — nonfiction, novels, poetry — in Yiddish, German, English, French and other languages (including works by Primo Levi and Isaac Bashevis Singer), as well as films from French documentaries to Hollywood blockbusters (including films by Alain Resnais, Claude Lanzmann, and Steven Spielberg). All readings in English.
Prerequisite(s): Cannot be taken by anyone who previously took AS.213.361
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4)
Modern Jewish culture is full of monsters, ghosts, golems, dybbuks, and other occult creatures. We will study the rich religious and folkloric traditions that these works draw on in order to better understand why Yiddish, German, Hebrew, and English literature from the 19th century to the present and why film from its beginnings are so full of the occult and the supernatural. We will pay special attention to the ways that monsters, spirits, and the like were deployed in modernist literature and film, in order to ask and answer major questions about modernity: what are the social and aesthetic consequences of technology and automation? what aspects of human nature are revealed by new insights into the psyche? All readings in English.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4)
This course explores the interplay between protest and cultural productions using the Israeli society as a case study. We will examine the formation and nature of political and social protest movements in Israel, such as the Israeli Black Panthers, Israeli feminism, the struggle for LGBTQ rights and the 2011 social justice protest. Dissent in the military and protest against war as well as civil activism in the context of the Palestinians-Israeli conflict will serve us to explore the notion of dissent in the face of collective ethos, memory and trauma. The literary, cinematic, theatrical and artistic productions of dissent will stand at the center of our discussion as well as the role of specific genres and media, including satire and comedy, television, popular music, dance and social media. We will ask ourselves questions such as how do cultural productions express dissent? What is the role of cultural productions in civil activism? And what is the connection between specific genre or media and expression of dissent? All material will be taught in English translation.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Citizens and Society (FA4), Democracy (FA4.1), Ethics and Foundations (FA5)
Writing Intensive
This class will explore the intersections of environmental and social justice issues through an analysis of literary fiction, documentaries and films, art, media, and archival materials. We will study how environmental issues are deeply connected with issues of race, class, gender, ethnicity, and the legacies of colonialism. We will pay close attention to the tensions encountered by notions such as environmentalism of the poor and the disparities that arise from a comparative and historical perspective Global South vis-à-vis Global North, and within the North, among the most vulnerable communities. We will consider the generative potential of storytelling and the arts for imagining an alternative socioeconomic and culture paradigm predicated on environmental sustainability and economic and social equity. This class is profoundly interdisciplinary, bringing together knowledge from all parts of students’ life. By the end of this course, students will see many connections between literary and cultural studies, environmental ethics, social justice, and civic engagement.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Citizens and Society (FA4), Ethics and Foundations (FA5)
This course is an approach to Twentieth century German history and culture via film and related readings in English translation. We will emphasize the national division thematically, and explore the audio and visual aspects of cinema by focusing on representative films embedded in larger narratives. Some prior familiarity with German culture is recommended but not required.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4)
From the epic movies of the silent era to neorealist and auteur films of the post-war period, all the way to contemporary Academy winner The Great Beauty, Italian cinema, has had and continues to have a global impact, and shape the imaginary of filmmakers all over the world. This course traces Italian film history from its origins to recent times, highlighting its main genres and trends beyond the icons of neorealist and auteur cinema, including the so-called ‘comedy Italian style,’ spaghetti westerns, horror, mafia-mockery films, feminist filmmaking, and ecocinema. While learning to probe the cinematic frame, and examine composition, camera movements, cinematography, editing, and sound, and interrogating issues of gender, class, and race, we will screen classics such as Bicycle Thieves, La Dolce Vita, and L’Avventura, but also forgotten archival films by pioneer women filmmakers, and works by emergent, independent filmmakers.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Writing and Communication (FA1), Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4)
Writing Intensive
That the nations of the world could ever work together seems utopian, but also unavoidable: migration, war, and not least climate change make some form of global coordination increasingly necessary. This course will give historical and philosophical depth to the idea of a cosmopolitan order and world peace by tracing it from its ancient sources through early modernity to today. At the center of the course will be the text that has been credited with founding the tradition of a world federation of nations, Immanuel Kant’s "Toward Perpetual Peace" (1795). Confronting recent and current political discourse, literature, and philosophy with Kant’s famous treatise, we will work to gain a new perspective on the idea of a world order. In addition to Kant, readings include Homer, Erasmus, Pico della Mirandola, Rousseau, Jeremy Bentham, Emily Dickinson, Tolstoy, Whitman, Rosa Luxemburg, Gandhi, Hannah Arendt, John Lennon, and Martin Luther King as well as lesser-known authors such as the Abbé de Saint-Pierre, Ellen Key, Odette Thibault, Simone Weil, and Claude Lefort. Taught in English.
Distribution Area: Humanities, Social and Behavioral Sciences
AS Foundational Abilities: Citizens and Society (FA4), Democracy (FA4.1), Ethics and Foundations (FA5)
The Romance Avant-Garde: The course will examine the revolutionary contributions of literary artists from the French, Italian, Spanish, and Latin American traditions to the Avantgarde movements of the 20th century.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3)
Writing Intensive
This course proposes a study of the culture of algorithms for students of the literate space. True (deep) literacy is the ability to interpret a discursive object in its cultural, historical, conceptual, material or political contexts. With the evolution of digital cultures, literate practices have evolved to incorporate the emerging cultural paradigms born of the encounter of algorithms and computability with social practices embedded in the earlier literate traditions. Indeed, modern computational environments invite a new algorithmic hermeneutics grounded in both literate and technical traditions. Multiple modern novels, online games or mangas engage with the algorithmic, and these will form a counterpoint to the technical and philosophical texts. We will consider works such as: • Leibniz, De l’Horizon de la doctrine humaine• Norbert Wiener, God and Golem, Inc.• Alan Turing, "Computing Machinery and Intelligence" (chapter 11)• Steven Wolfram: Computation and the Future of the Human Condition • Leslie Valiant, Probably, Approximately Correct• Dominique Cardon, À Quoi rêvent les algorithmes?• G. J. Chaitin, “Life As Evolving Software”• Various novels by Neal Stephenson• Leonid Korogodski, Pink Noise, A Posthuman Tale • Alain Damasio, Les Furtifs• Assassin’s Creed, especially “Unity”
Prerequisite(s): Students who have taken or are enrolled in AS.211.713 are not eligible to take AS.211.413.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Citizens and Society (FA4), Ethics and Foundations (FA5)
Over the last three decades Italy, historically a country of emigrants—many of whom suffered from discrimination in the societies they joined—became a destination for hundreds of thousands of migrants and refugees from various countries, and particularly from Africa. Significant numbers of these immigrants came to Italy as a result of the country’s limited, though violent colonial history; others arrive because Italy is the closest entry-point to Europe. How have these migratory flows challenged Italian society’s sense of itself? How have they transformed the notion of Italian national identity? In recent years, growing numbers of Afro- and Afro-descendant writers, filmmakers, artists and Black activists are responding through their work to pervasive xenophobia and racism while challenging Italy’s self-representation as a ‘White’ country. How are they forcing it to broaden the idea of ‘Italianess’? How do their counternarratives compel Italy to confront its ignored colonial past? And, in what way have Black youth in Italy embraced the #Blacklivesmatter movement? This multimedia course examines representation of blackness and racialized otherness, whiteness, and national identity through literary, film, and visual archival material in an intersectional framework. Examining Italy’s internal, ‘Southern question,’ retracing Italy’s colonial history, and recognizing the experiences of Italians of immigrant origins and those of immigrants themselves, we’ll explore compelling works by writers and filmmakers such as Igiaba Scego, Gagriella Ghermandi, Maza Megniste, Dagmawi Yimer, and others.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Democracy (FA4.1), Ethics and Foundations (FA5)
In The Great Derangement Indian novelist Amitav Ghosh writes that “the climate crisis is also a crisis of culture, and thus of imagination.” Worldwide, climate and environmental change is stirring the imaginary of novelists, filmmakers, and artists who are finding ways to frame, emplot, or even perform, an unmanageable phenomenon like climate change. How is climate change shaping new modes of storytelling and aesthetics? How do film, literature, and environmentally conscious art transform our perception of the world we inhabit and its unpredictable changes? Can climate change narratives help us to imagine futures of possibilities, maybe dystopian, uncertain, or even happy, but futures nonetheless? This multimedia course explores, through a transnational perspective, a variety of contemporary novels, films, and other media that attempt answer these questions.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Democracy (FA4.1), Ethics and Foundations (FA5)
This course begins with a close reading of Dante’s Vita nuova. Simultaneously a profound exploration of the power of love and an elaborate experimentation with poetic form, this enigmatic work is also a meditation on translation: of life to text; of prose to verse; of the divine to human, and vice versa. Key passages in the Divine Comedy, in which the poet rewrites Homer, Virgil, the Bible, and himself, will highlight the centrality of translation to the creative process. Questions of originality, appropriation, and revision will be further explored through works by Charles Baudelaire, Robert Penn Warren, Jorge Luis Borges, Louise Gluck, Elizabeth Alexander, Allegra Goodman, and Christine and the Queens, all of whom translate Dante’s new life into something uniquely their own.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Writing and Communication (FA1), Culture and Aesthetics (FA3)
Italy, once a land of emigrants, is now a place of arrival for people from Africa, eastern Europe, and beyond. This course explores themes of otherness and belonging, exile and assimilation, translation and transformation, myth and memory through a selection of films and literature about migration—to, from and within Italy. Readings will include Vita by Melania Mazzucco, Clash of Civilizations Over an Elevator in Piazza Vittorio by Amara Lakhous, and Adua by Igiaba Scego as well as excerpts from works by Luigi Pirandello, Giovanni Pascoli, Carlo Levi, and Mario Soldati. Films range from Visconti’s Rocco and His Brothers to Brusati’s Bread and Chocolate, Crialese’s The Golden Door, Matteo Garrone’s Io, Capitano, and Ferrente’s documentary about the Orchestra di Piazza Vittorio. Although our focus is Italy, there will be opportunities to reflect on expressions of migrant experiences in other languages, cultures, and art forms.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Ethics and Foundations (FA5)
How has the Holocaust been represented in literature? Are there special challenges posed by genocide to the social and aesthetic traditions of representation? Where does the Holocaust fit in to the array of concerns that literature expresses? And where does literature fit in to the commemoration of communal tragedy and the working through of individual trauma entailed by thinking about and representing the Holocaust? These questions will guide our consideration of a range of texts — nonfiction, novels, poetry — originally written in Yiddish, German, English, French and other languages (including works by Primo Levi and Isaac Bashevis Singer). A special focus will be works written during and in the immediate aftermath of the Holocaust. All readings in English.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4)
“Everything which we loved is lost! We are in a desert” – this emotional assertion was the reaction to Kazimir Malevich’s 1915 painting The Black Square, as the artist himself recalled it. This sentiment of fearing, warning and even witnessing the end of the world as we know it, will stand at the center of the course. We will study the literary and cinematic representations of this apocalyptic notion and investigate its theoretical, theological, physiological and aesthetic aspects. We will seek to trace the narrative dynamics as well as literary and cinematic means of apocalyptic representations in works from various periods, languages, cultures and religions. Among the issues to be discussed: what is the apocalypse, biblical apocalypse, dystopia and nostalgia, trauma and post trauma, war and the apocalypse, the Holocaust as the end of civilization, the atomic bomb, realism and anti-realism, political changes and the apocalypse in popular culture.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Citizens and Society (FA4), Ethics and Foundations (FA5)
Writing Intensive
This course is an introduction to the growing field of Translation Studies. Broadly speaking, the translation process involves three major phases: (1) ‘understanding’ what someone else has written; (2) exploring the linguistic/cultural tools available (or not) in another language to convey the original meaning; and (3) taking responsibility for one’s translation choices. What does it mean to ‘understand’ a text? Is it ever possible to find an ‘equivalent’ in another language? Can the translation process ever be objective, and what role, if any, does the translator’s voice play? What practical tools are available to facilitate the translation process? Drawing from interdisciplinary theories and approaches to translation, this course will attempt to reflect on these questions, and provide an opportunity for some hands-on translation practice. Language pre-requisite: Completion of, or concurrent enrollment in Advanced French I (AS.210.301), Advanced Italian I (AS.210.351), Advanced Spanish I (AS.210.311), or instructor permission.
Prerequisite(s): Completion of, or concurrent enrollment in Advanced French I (AS.210.301), Advanced Italian I (AS.210.351), Advanced Spanish I (AS.210.311), or instructor permission.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Writing and Communication (FA1), Ethics and Foundations (FA5), Projects and Methods (FA6)
Writing Intensive
Who were the witches? Why were they persecuted for hundreds of years? Why were women identified as the witches par excellence? How many witches were put to death between 1400 and 1800? What traits did European witch-mythologies share with other societies? After the witch-hunts ended, how did “The Witch” go from being “monstrous” to being “admirable” and even “sexy”? Answers are found in history and anthropology, but also in medicine, theology, literature, folklore, music, and the visual arts, including cinema.
Prerequisite(s): Students who have already taken AS.214.171 cannot take AS.211.477.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3)
Writing Intensive
Today France is a multicultural, multi-ethnic society fractured by the memories of colonialism. Throughout the country's history, French thinkers – classical and contemporary – have questioned the foundations of power and focused critically not only on the claims of authority issuing from the top, but also on the compliance of the governed. What it is, they ask, that makes people stick together and recognize each other as citizens of one country? Is there such a thing as a shared history, and is Fraternité something more than a slogan? Works by La Boétie, Montaigne, Diderot, Robespierre, Tocqueville, Gobineau, Camus, Sartre, Memmi, Foucault and others.
Prerequisite(s): Students may not have previously completed AS.212.341.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4), Democracy (FA4.1)
Dante's Divine Comedy presents a complete picture of the medieval world-view in all its aspects: physical (the structure of the cosmos), historical (the major actors from Adam to Dante himself) and moral (a complete system of right and wrong). Dante shows how the Christian religion portrayed itself, other religions, the nature of God, humans, angels and devils, and human society. We will explore these topics both from the viewpoint of Dante's own time, and in terms of its relevance to our own societal and cultural concerns.
Prerequisite(s): AS.214.479
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3)
Writing Intensive
As is clear from current events and debates surrounding monuments to the Confederacy, monuments play an outsize role in the public negotiation of history and identity and the creation of communal forms of memory. But monumentality is not restricted to statues or buildings. In this course we will study alternative forms of monumentality, especially in the 20th and 21st centuries. These alternative monumentalities — primarily literary, but including various material- and object-based expressions, and elaborations on institutional modes of monumentality — have assumed significance especially in minority and diaspora communities, and for other people and peoples outside the economic and political systems that endow and erect traditional public monuments. The primary case studies in this course will be forms of Holocaust commemoration, including the post-Holocaust large-scale Yiddish literary projects meant to serve Jewish communities in search of new forms of memorialization; and counter-monuments like Germany’s Stolpersteine (stumbling stones). We will also consider contemporary debates around monuments in America and global manifestations of alternative monumentalities. All readings in English.
Distribution Area: Humanities
In this seminar we will explore psychoanalytic theory as a method for interpreting art, literature, media, and political discourse. Our approach will be structured around an interlinking set of elements: historical stages in the development of Lacan’s theory; dimensions of experience as defined by the theory, specifically the symbolic, the imaginary, and the real; and moments of analytic interpretation, namely, the identification of the symptom, the staging of a fundamental fantasy in transference, and traversing the fantasy through subjective destitution. Readings will include texts from Lacan's seminars and writings as well as commentaries by the Slovenian philosophers Slavoj Žižek and Alenka Zupancic, the Haitian analyst Willy Apollon, the Argentine analyst Juan-David Nasio, and others. The seminar is being offered across several programs and will be taught in English, although students who can are encouraged to do readings in the original language. Attendance and participation are mandatory, but a term paper is not required.
Distribution Area: Humanities
I feel, therefore I am: beginning with Diderot’s Letter on the Blind for the Use of Those Who Can See (1749) and Rousseau’s Letter to M. D'Alembert on Spectacles (1758), the seminar will explore connections between various aspects of neurophysiological, bodily perception and their representations in culture. We will then consider the origins of the term Einfühlung in Robert Vischer's and Theodor Lipps’ seminal works. Embodied perception that informs Heinrich Wölfflin's Prolegomena to a Psychology of Architecture (1886) is also the focus of several of Georg Simmel’s essays. We shall discuss the environment as an extension of the self in Charles Baudelaire’s “The Swan” and in Andrzej Leder’s “Psychoanalysis of a Cityscape. A Case of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder: The City of Warsaw.” Aby Warburg’s notion of Pathosformeln will allow us to see the link between pathos and empathy. Finally we will read Zuzanna Ginczanka’s poetry and Clarice Lispector’s The Hour of the Star, whose narrator announces: “I write with my body."
Distribution Area: Humanities
From online resources to core printed reference works, this course acquaints students with the range of scholarly apparatus in the field of literary and cultural studies, with attention to issues of access, retrieval, and research. The course, which is required for all first-year graduate students in MLL, will be conducted in six (6) two-hour sessions.
Distribution Area: Humanities
Spring Semester (coordinated by GRLL faculty with the participation of advanced grad students)1. Preparing a syllabus, marketing your classes (DTF, Summer, Intersession) [with the participation of successful DTF/Intersession instructors]Options for online teaching2. Writing a conference paper abstract; conference presentations 3. Organizing a conference/symposium [led by advanced grad students]4. How to get published (what, when, where)5. Academic review writing6. Options for fellowships/grants/career development
Distribution Area: Humanities
This course proposes a study of the culture of algorithms for students of the literate space. True (deep) literacy is the ability to interpret a text or an object in its cultural, historical, conceptual, material or political contexts. With the evolution of digital cultures, literate practices have changed to incorporate the emerging cultural paradigms born out of the encounter of algorithms and computability with social practices embedded in the earlier literate traditions. Indeed, modern computation environments invite a new algorithmic hermeneutics grounded in both literate and scientific traditions. We will consider, among others, texts such as Bernard Chazelle’s inaugural lesson at the Collège de France, “L’algorithmique et les sciences”; Leibniz on ordered problem solving; Condorcet on “social arithmetic”; Norbert Wiener, God and Golem, Inc.; Herbert Simon, “Bounded Rationality…”; Alan Turing, "Computing Machinery and Intelligence"; Steven Wolfram: Computation and the Future of the Human Condition; Leslie Valiant, Probably, Approximately Correct; Ed Finn, What Algorithms Want. Imagination in the Age of Computing; Daniel Cardon, À Quoi rêvent les algorithmes?; and of course Donald Knuth’s classics, Literate Programming and “Computing Science and its Relation to Mathematics”. Various modern novels also attempt to engage with the algorithmic, and these can form a counterpoint to the more technical or philosophical texts. For more information and a provisional syllabus, please go to http://www.wilda.org/Courses/CourseVault/Grad/Algorithms/Syllabus.html.This course will be taught in English. A few (short) texts are in French, so the ability to read French will be useful although not required.
Distribution Area: Humanities
This seminar examines recent emerging narrative and documentary global feminist filmmakers, applying feminist theory, intersectional theory, cine´ma ve´rite´, theory of nonviolence, and intersubjectivity to understand their work. Each week, we will examine one filmmaker’s approach to their own personal practice of feminist filmmaking, and either interview them during our class or screen a pre-recorded zoom interview. In this seminar students will go beyond a theoretical feminist film criticism to one introduced into a lived and living feminist film practice. The filmmakers in question are Marialy Rivas (Chile), Elisabeth Scharang (Austria), Habiba Djahine (Algeria), Patricia Ortega (Venezuela and Argentina), Wanuri Kahiu (Kenya), Naomi Kawase (Japan), Sandra Kogut (Brazil), Kirsten Johnson (USA), TT the Artist (USA), Patricia Ramos (Cuba), Susana de Sousa Dias (Portugal), Claudia Llosa (Peru), Alina Marazzi (Italy), Rosine Mfetko Mbakam (Cameroun and Belgium).
Distribution Area: Humanities
Media Artist in Residence Jane Jin Kaisen is a team-taught class between Bernadette Wegenstein (MLL) and Clara Han (Anthropology). In this class we will prepare the artist residency of Jane Jin Kaisen, a visual artist born in Jeju Island, South Korea and raised in Denmark. In the first part of the semester, we will cover theoretical questions raised in Jane Jin Kaisen’s work such as cross-cultural adoption, diaspora, migration, war, gender and sexuality, and translation. In the second part we will involve students practically in questions of media arts curation for the artist’s exhibit planned for April 2-9, 2022, at the Parkway Theatre, featuring three of her recent and acclaimed installations and films: The Woman, the Orphan, and the Tiger (2010), Apertures/ Rifts (2016), and Community of Parting (2019. In this class students will be closely involved with JHU's Center for Advanced Media Studies (CAMS), and the Baltimore Stavros Niarchos Parkway Theatre’s artistic director Christy LeMaster. They will also meet the artist Jane Jin Kaisen during her residency.
This seminar combines practice and theory-oriented approaches to film studies. In addition to exposing and immersing students into the film practice of various filmmakers and their approaches, including professor Wegenstein’s, this seminar pays close attention to feminist film theory, queer film theory, indigenous ethnographic film methods, and decolonial film strategies, analyzing their practical implementations in documentary, fiction films, and animation films. The seminar will also offer students the opportunity to sit in and learn the editing process, as Fall 2024 coincides with Bernadette Wegenstein’s latest documentary film post-production phase, The Archives. No prior practical experience in filmmaking needed to attend this class.
Prerequisite(s): Cannot be taken if student took any of AS.212.791, AS.213.791, AS.214.791, or AS.215.791
Distribution Area: Humanities
requires permission of instructor
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS.212
This course will examine the changes in the relationship of women to literature in France before the French Revolution from several points of view: (1) What were the social and intellectual contexts of gender distinctions? (2) How did men writing about women differ from women writing about women? (3) How were these questions affected by the changing norms of literary productions? Texts by Mme. de Sévigné, Molière, Mme. de Lafayette, Prévost, Diderot, Rousseau, Laclos, and Beaumarchais.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4)
Writing Intensive
Readings and discussion of texts of various genres (poetry, short story, novel, theatre) covering the time period from the Middle Ages to the present day. The course will expose students to core principles of literary understanding and analysis; the texts themselves are drawn from socio-cultural and historical frameworks that cross the French-speaking world. The two semesters (212.333 and 212.334) may be taken in either order. Students may co-register with an upper level course during this course. 212.333 covers the time period from the Middle Ages to the Revolution. Taught in French and writing intensive.
Prerequisite(s): AS.210.30] AND AS.210.302
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Writing and Communication (FA1), Culture and Aesthetics (FA3)
Writing Intensive
Readings and discussion of texts of various genres covering the time period from the Revolution to the 20th century. This sequence is a pre-requisite to all further literature courses. Students may co-register with an upper-level course during their second semester.
Prerequisite(s): AS.210.301 OR AS.210.302 or at least one semester of AS.210.301 or AS.210.302 with a grade of A and written permission of the instructor.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Writing and Communication (FA1), Culture and Aesthetics (FA3)
Writing Intensive
Key novels will be studied from a range of critical approaches. Readings to include works by Marivaux, Montesquieu, Prévost, Diderot, Crébillon, Rousseau, Laclos, and Voltaire. For more detailed information, please see HYPERLINK "https://nam02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wilda.org%2FCourses%2FCourseVault%2FUndergrad%2FNovel%2Fsyllabus.html&data=05%7C01%7Calabat1%40jhu.edu%7C1c9c8fe891f04e90ca4f08daa616b658%7C9fa4f438b1e6473b803f86f8aedf0dec%7C0%7C0%7C638004913739443506%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=eK%2B5mn6ECgdrTDiDHPwAM5iY4p6I3RgmtpLu9OaM2ok%3D&reserved=0" http://www.wilda.org/Courses/CourseVault/Undergrad/Novel/syllabus.htmlThis course is taught in French.
Prerequisite(s): AS.212.333
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Writing and Communication (FA1), Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4)
Writing Intensive
What does immunity have to do with literary studies? We will explore this question by examining the concept of immunity, not only as a medical and legal concept, but also as a cultural phenomenon. Students will analyze what “immunity” can teach us about the ideas of tolerance and defense and about the ways we come into contact and build relationships with others. Through attention to French novels and graphic novels, students will investigate the grammars and images linked to the concept of immunity and research how these languages and images shape how we think of mental and physical illnesses, vulnerability, exposure, as well as how they permeate body representations in French literature. Secondary sources such as philosophical texts, movies, and photographs will embed these narratives into larger issues within the history of medicine and postwar French literature.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3)
An exploration of immigration, identity, and cultural differences through the lens of recent French and Francophone films. Focus on discussion and analyses of film sequences in class and on oral presentations. Students will have the opportunity to progress in vocabulary, oral expression, and in critical analysis. Films studied include works of Kassowitz, the Dardennes, Kechiche, Sciamma, Haneke, and Audiard. Conducted in French. Recommended course background: completion of AS. 210.301 or equivalent score on Placement test.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4)
Quel lien existe-t-il entre la littérature, art du texte et des livres, que l’on découvre seul et en silence, et les arts de la scène, arts de l’instant, éphémères et publics? On cherchera ici à répondre à cette question pour saisir les transferts entre ces deux réalités. La musique, art de la composition, prendra une place prépondérante dans ce cours, mais on s’intéressera aussi à la danse, l’opéra, le cirque ou la performance. L’approche sera ici volontairement sensible, à travers un corpus de textes modernes et contemporains allant de Perec au slam, en passant par Jean Echenoz, pour tenter de comprendre "ce qu’il se passe" quand littérature et arts "vivants" se croisent.
Prerequisite(s): AS.212.333 OR AS.212.334
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3)
Students will explore contemporary French society and culture through a wide variety of media: fiction and non-fiction readings (graphic novels, news periodicals, popular magazines), films, music, art, websites, and podcasts. A diverse range of hands-on activities in addition to guided readings will help students develop cultural awareness as we discuss topics such as education, politics, humor, sports, cuisine, immigration, slang, and national identity, as well as the historical factors that have influenced these facets of French and francophone culture. Recommended course background: AS.210.301 and AS.210.302 or permission of instructor. Contact April Wuensch (april@jhu.edu).
Prerequisite(s): Students who have taken AS.211.401 may not take AS.212.353.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Citizens and Society (FA4), Ethics and Foundations (FA5)
This course delves into the study of Poe's incredible impact on French literature and art. Although many of his American contemporaries dismissed him as a crude writer, he gained a more reverential status on the other side of the Atlantic throughout the 19th century, being introduced by Baudelaire as one of the first "poète maudit" of the century. Through Baudelaire's translations, Poe's writings gained recognition and his literary sensibility was widely praised. He influenced several major literary and artistic movements amongst them the Symbolist poetry of Stéphane Mallarmé and Paul Valéry, the paintings of Edouard Manet and Paul Gauguin, but also the Fantastic in Maupassant's short stories and in Villiers de l'Isle-Adam writings. Moreover, Poe's influence is to be seen in the works of Jules Verne, the father of French science-fiction who admired Poe, in French Romanticism and in the detective stories of Emile Gaboriau. Through the prism of Poe's influence on French writers, this course allows a stimulating odyssey into various French works. Course taught in French.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3)
This course proposes to show to what extent the creation of imaginary spaces in French and francophone science fiction corresponds to a constant back-and-forth between science and folklore, real environments and fantasy spaces, French literature, and foreign literature. Section 1 (3 credits hours, in English); Section 2 (an additional class in French per week for an 4th credit hour) H W
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Writing and Communication (FA1), Culture and Aesthetics (FA3)
Writing Intensive
Alexandre Dumas’s Le Comte de Monte Cristo (1844-46) is widely regarded as one of the most popular novels of all time and as one of the best adventure novels ever written. Perhaps no other masterpiece of French literature has been subjected around the world to such countless film adaptations, including animation, television series, and serials. This course aims to study and contextualize the reasons behind this sustained transnational and transcultural interest. Close reading and analysis of Dumas' novel will provide a good point of departure to explore problems that cut across nineteenth-century French society: politics, social class, revolution, family, love and desire, revenge, justice, science, and religion. Course conducted in French; most films in English or with English subtitles.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3)
This course will examine the various ways voodoo, as the Unknown, has been represented, misrepresented, recuperated, and interpreted in the aftermath of the Haitian Revolution from the early nineteenth century to the present day. While historians have debunked the role of voodoo in the aftermath of the Haitian Revolution, the literary representation of the slaves in captivity is often associated with the will to liberation enacted in the secret practice of voodoo on the plantation. The history of voodoo in Saint-Domingue (Haiti) is intertwined with the history of colonial subversion, ancestral medicine, and the physical resistance of the enslaved people. Yet the most defining event in the armed uprising by the enslaved, the ceremony of Bois Caiman (August 14, 1791) still divides historians, novelists, and anthropologists. Where history and anthropology seem to flounder in trying to capture the mystery of such ceremony, literature soars majestically, maintaining the mystery by using the freedom of the imagination as its sole support. Might the transmission of voodoo during the colonial period, be understood as the historical mode of preservation of an ancestral secret practice that can only be transmitted through oral tradition and rituals, which may have been lost in the attempt to produce written translations ? Readings in French and English may include works by Alejo Carpentier, Aimé Césaire, Patrick Chamoiseau, Marie Chauvet, Edwidge Danticat, René Depestre, Zora Neale Hurston, Frédéric Marcelin, Alfred Métraux, Toni Morisson, Jacques Roumain, Simone Schwarz-Bart, William Seabrook, Derek Walcott, Richard Wright, to be supplemented by films, an art exhibit, music, and cultural demonstrations of voodoo. Course taught in French. Discussion in French and EnglishCross-listed with Humanities Center
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3)
Writing Intensive
The city is an integral theme, even a privileged character, in the literary and speculative texts of the 17th and 18th century. It is often understood to stand in opposition to the royal court and embodies the spirit of the people in a way related to the modern notion of “solidarity”. This course will look at a number of examples of the peculiar status of the French city (especially Paris) from the late Renaissance through the First Empire. Selections from Marguerite de Valois, Mme de Sévigné, Montesquieu, Diderot, Rousseau, Turgot, Ruault, Rétif de la Bretonne, Mercier, Saint-Just, Robespierre, Napoléon Bonaparte, with a coda from Balzac and Michelet. Please note: taught in French
Prerequisite(s): AS.212.333 OR AS.212.334
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Writing and Communication (FA1), Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4)
This multi-media course will focus on the various representations of the double theme Étrange/Étranger in French literature, culture and society of the 19th and 20th centuries through a series of films/documentaries, poems, plays, novels, and short stories. What is strange? Who is a stranger? While close readings of texts and films will seek above all to shed light on the complex meanings of the two themes of l’étrange et l’étranger (strange/stranger, foreign/foreigner) as they have appeared in literature, philosophy, historiography, and the other arts, we will at the same time highlight the artistic, historical, and intellectual issues related to the opposing figures (i.e. Citizen, Friend, Slave, Native) as they are represented in the major literary movements of this long period, notably romanticism, realism, symbolism, naturalism, surrealism, and existentialism. Conducted entirely in French.
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3)
Across the 20th century, mainstream and avant-garde French culture was deeply impacted by the presence of African American musicians and performing artists hailing from the jazz tradition. From the Josephine Baker craze of the 1920s to the second post-war which welcomed the innovations of bebop and sixties-era free improvisation, metropolitan France proved a space where expatriate and exiled Black Americans could both perpetuate the tradition and innovate by turns. At the same time, French tastemakers, critics, and musicians eager to adopt new forms and styles debated the extent to which American jazz music in its various strains could be “made French.” This course in transcultural French studies will feature readings in music criticism, history, and literature, as well as frequent close listening. It will culminate in a local concert reflecting France’s continued connection to and support of jazz and related improvised musics. Though some background in French language and in musical notation is desirable (students are encouraged to engage in original-source research), all core course readings will be provided in English. Discussion in English.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4)
Across the 20th century, mainstream and avant-garde French culture was deeply impacted by the presence of African American musicians and performing artists hailing from the jazz tradition. From the Josephine Baker craze of the 1920s to the second post-war which welcomed the innovations of bebop and sixties-era free improvisation, metropolitan France proved a space where expatriate and exiled Black Americans could both perpetuate the tradition and innovate by turns. At the same time, French tastemakers, critics, and musicians eager to adopt new forms and styles debated the extent to which American jazz music in its various strains could be “made French.” This course in transcultural French studies will feature readings in musiccriticism, history, and literature, as well as frequent close listening. It will culminate in a local concert reflecting France’s continued connection to and support of jazz and related improvised musics. Though some background in French language and in musical notation is desirable (students are encouraged to engage in original-source research), all core course readings will be provided in English. Discussion in English.
Prerequisite(s): AS.212.334
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4)
This seminar explores the history of thinking about non-human and human animals in France from the late sixteenth through the late nineteenth centuries. Topics to be explored include non-human sentience, interspecies relations, animals and industrialization, and the emergence of anti-cruelty laws. Taught in French.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3)
This course will meet three times during the semester to enable all French majors to prepare their thesis subject, thesis bibliography, and abstract prior to the writing of the Senior Thesis (AS.212.430). This course is required of all French majors and must be taken during the Fall semester of their senior year. Schedule TBA upon consultation with the class list, as there are only three group meetings. The rest of the meetings are in individual appointments with the DUS or another chosen French professor. Prerequisites: AS.212.333-334 and either prior enrollment or concurrent enrollment in AS.210.417 Eloquent French.
Prerequisite(s): (AS.212.333 OR AS.212.334) AND AS.210.417 can be taken at the same time or prior to enrolling in AS.212.429.
Distribution Area: Humanities
An in-depth and closely supervised initiation to research and thinking, oral and written expression, which leads to the composition of a senior thesis in French.Recommended Course Background: AS.212.429
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Writing and Communication (FA1), Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Projects and Methods (FA6)
Writing Intensive
From the time of its invention in the Hispano-Arabic world, as a kind of counterfeit religion, love has been a paradoxical, transgressive phenomenon: mystical, adulterous, con game, parlor game, alienation or self-affirmation. We’ll explore a few crucial moments in its long history, from Socrates's female teacher Diotima to the reality show Love is Blind, and we'll bring a literary, sociological and anthropological approach to the challenges posed by love's protean discourse. Works by Plato, Saint Augustine, Ibn Hazm, the abbess Héloïse, Sartre, Beauvoir, Barthes, Ernaux, Houellebecq, and others. Readings and discussion in French.
Prerequisite(s): AS.210.301
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Ethics and Foundations (FA5)
Writing Intensive
Une exploration des diverses manières de produire et réguler l'amour de l'autre au sein d'une société hiérarchique et compétitive: que cet autre soit un concitoyen ou un étranger, un inférieur ou un supérieur, qu'il nous ressemble ou non. Du roman, à l'anthropologie, à la sociologie, au débats sur le vivre-ensemble à l'Assemblée Nationale, nous examinerons les rêves pacificateurs de la politesse aristocratique, l'institution de la solidarité républicaine, les blessures de la socialité coloniale. Cours et textes à lire en français.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Writing and Communication (FA1), Citizens and Society (FA4), Ethics and Foundations (FA5)
Writing Intensive
What is a plague? What does it mean to protect your society from such diseases? This was a fraught, even violently debated political, social and moral, more than a medical question in the French Enlightenment, and it marked the literate culture of the Age of Enlightenment. Early on, pandemics and vaccination were understood in radically different ways in England (especially by the Princess of Wales) and in France, still dominated by a view of plagues as divine punishment. In Enlightenment literature, both fiction and nonfiction, the disease is secondary to the experience of the conscious sufferer, or to its sociopolitical consequences. We will approach these issues first via a quick overview of explanations of the plague, then discuss the 18th-century smallpox vaccination debates (one of Princess Caroline’s letters, Voltaire on vaccination in two of his Lettres anglaises, extracts of Rousseau’s novel La Nouvelle Héloïse). We will then consider the hugely influential mid-century debate space within the magisterial Encyclopédie of Diderot and d’Alembert. Finally, we will pass to late-18th-century texts that inflect culturally, politically and socially the consequences and metaphors of pandemics on the cusp of the Revolution. Texts to be read include Laclos’ Liaisons dangereuses and a short essay by Guillotin (the inventor of the guillotine) on the citizen’s experience of illness and contagion in a post-aristocratic, Revolutionary state. This will be a writing-intensive course, focused on close readings of texts in 2 explications de texte (written close analyses of a selected passage). The second paper may be a more extensive study, still based on textual analysis, but which may address a historical context or set of texts that particularly interest the student. This course will be taught in French.
Prerequisite(s): AS.212.333
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4)
Writing Intensive
Comme le Canada ou les Etats-Unis, la France est une grande terre d’immigration qui depuis le 19e siècle a accueilli sur son sol des populations du monde entier. En examinant témoignages, textes de fiction et films documentaires, nous suivrons les expériences contrastées de diverses vagues de migrants chassés par la faim, le chômage ou les persécutions. Quels mécanismes ont favorisé ou freiné l’intégration économique, sociale et civique de ces migrants qui ont rejoint la République française? Que veut dire “être immigré” aujourd’hui? Recommended Course Background: AS.212.333 OR AS.212.334
Prerequisite(s): AS.211.401
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4)
Reading modern theater in French can be exciting: a battle waged with words instead of swords, a battle of wit and of style. The literature of the nineteenth century was marked by major literary battles opposing young Romantic writers against an old school of Academicians. This battle was fought largely in and through the theatre. In this course the classroom space itself becomes a stage in which to reenact or rehearse some of these battles, through careful readings of texts and by exploring all possible literary contexts. Participants will read together a number of plays as well as take part in collaborative learning and creative activities. Readings to include texts by Césaire, Dumas, Hugo, Marivaux, Musset, Scribe, Sartre, and Vigny. Readings and discussion in French.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Writing and Communication (FA1), Culture and Aesthetics (FA3)
Writing Intensive
From the Renaissance onwards, travel narratives by French missionaries, soldiers, adventurers and traders opened up Europeans minds to new worlds of possibilities in loving, making war and peace, and achieving freedom and happiness. This course will explore European perceptions of Indigenous cultures and Indigenous critiques of European societies. Focus on Brazil, Nouvelle France (France's North American colonies) and Russia, from the 16th to the 19th century. Readings and discussion in French.
Prerequisite(s): AS.210.301 or Equivalent Placement
AS Foundational Abilities: Writing and Communication (FA1), Citizens and Society (FA4)
Writing Intensive
This seminar examines the diverse body of texts that served to generate a sense of Québec collective identity from the eighteenth through the twentieth centuries. We will begin to chart the ever-shifting notion of Québécité with the histories of colonial New France, proceed to explore the journalism engagé of Étienne Parent and Arthur Buies as well as the anti-British writings of François-Xavier Garneau and the celebrated novel of Philippe Aubert de Gaspé, Les Anciens Canadiens (1863). Other works to be studied include the supernatural tales from late nineteenth-century folklore, the modern roman du terroir (novel of the countryside), and the documentaries of Albert Tessier from the second quarter of the twentieth century. Taught in French.
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3)
The Caribbean is often described as enigmatic, uncommon and supernatural. While foreigners assume that the Caribbean is exotic, this course will explore this assumption from a Caribbean perspective. We will examine the links between Caribbean and Old-World imagination, the relationship between exoticism and Caribbean notions of superstition, and the way in which the Caribbean fictional universe derives from a variety of cultural myths. The course will be taught in English and all required texts are in English, French, and English translations from French. Students in the French program can choose to read all the original French versions and write in French.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Citizens and Society (FA4), Ethics and Foundations (FA5)
Émile Zola explicitly worked with contemporary theories of heredity to structure the infamous series of the 20 Rougon-Macquart novels. But he also attempted to use his understanding of the then-new sciences of biology and thermodynamics to re-theorize the cultural and epistemological consequences of literature in general. Starting from his famous text “le roman expérimental,” this course will call on Zola’s polemical and literary corpus to examine the effects of scientific thought on literature. We will consider what led this fundamental author of the late 19th century to undertake such a project and to invent “le Naturalisme”, the widespread movement that had followers in multiple world literatures of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This course is open to undergraduates and graduate students. This course is writing intensive and will be taught in French. The very provisional syllabus can be consulted at http://www.wilda.org/Courses/CourseVault/Undergrad/Zola/ZolaSyllabus.htmlPrerequisites preferred but not required: AS.212.333 or AS.212.334.
Prerequisite(s): Students who have taken AS.212.696 are not eligible to take AS.212.496.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Writing and Communication (FA1), Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4)
Writing Intensive
From the high Classical French theater through the unofficial and private theaters, the beginnings of French opera and ballet in the late 17th and early 18th centuries, to the development of the drame bourgeois and the theater criticism of the French Enlightenment. Authors to be studied will include among others Corneille, Molière, Racine, Le Sage, Marivaux, Voltaire, Diderot, and Beaumarchais. This class is open to suitably qualified undergraduates with permission of the instructor. This class will include a short performance component.
Distribution Area: Humanities
Literary critics from René Girard to Jacques Rancière assert that French literature of the 19th century— itself arguably the century of the novel—is fundamentally romantic. What does that mean? Is the French novel intrinsically romantic? Our discussion could well start with Girard’s Vérité romanesque et mensonge romantique, which presents a new conception of the novel in correlation with human philosophy, and concludes that the “roman romanesque” is not “romantique,” because romanesque adhered to the truthfulness of its subject while the romantic scenario is linked to its deceit. However, the real theoretical focal point is not the position of contemporary critics on romantic and non-romantic narrative scenarios, but the following characterization from 1903 of the “roman romanesque” by Academician Émile Faguet (1847-1916): “Ce n'est point du tout le roman à aventures extraordinaires et tumultueuses. Celui-là, je l'appellerais plutôt le roman mélodramatique. J'entends par roman romanesque celui qui, très délibérément, s'attache à nous présenter des caractères exceptionnels qui ne cessent pas d'être vrais.” The course will introduce the socio-cultural complexity of novelistic forms and techniques of the literary movement familiarly known among the critics as “le romanesque français” from the Restoration to the early Third Republic. Readings by Balzac, Constant, Dumas, Flaubert, Hugo, Sand, Staël, and Stendhal. Taught in French.
Parler de “la banlieue parisienne”, qu’est-ce à dire? Et si ce singulier induisait en erreur? Selon les époques, la banlieue fut tour à tour verte, grise, rouge ou néon vif. Appréhendée à la croisée des discours sur l’urbain et des productions culturelles, elle est le lieu de conflits idéologiques entre le capital et le salariat, entre “le Français” et “l’étranger”, entre progressisme et nostalgie, entre droit et non-droit. La dialectique qui se tisse entre représentations artistiques (romans, photographies, films), pratiques sociales (arts de faire, modes d’habitation et de déplacement) et représentations idéales (urbanisme, architecture) formera l’objet de ce parcours critique embrassant un siècle de banlieue parisienne. Textes de Céline, Simenon, Queneau, Fallet, Rochefort, Daeninckx, Charef, Djaïdani; films de Duvivier, Dhéry, Godard, Rohmer, Cabrera, Ly. *Open to undergraduate French majors with permission of instructor.
Distribution Area: Humanities
The 1st half of the semester will consider some of the theoretical underpinnings (Montesquieu, Rousseau, Condorcet) and a few examples of Revolutionary rhetoric, especially the trial of Louis XVI and the late speeches of Robespierre. The 2nd half of the semester will study memoirs and literary works produced during the Revolution's aftermath and 19th-century attempts to culturally digest the Revolution. Please note: taught in French
In this seminar in the poetics of cultural forms, we will examine the half-century period in France (1895-1945) during which narrative film language evolved out of proto-cinema to coalesce in the multi-reel feature and the serial, then, after a brief but fecund period of experimentation in non-narrative creative modes (dada, Surrealism, Epstein’s “cinepoetry”), weathered the transition to the “talkies” (le parlant) to diverse effect. That transition to sound yielded both masterworks of poetic realism (Renoir, Duvivier) and countless literary adaptations that sought, and won, broad commercial success (Pagnol, Guitry). Rather than prejudge the esthetic and ideological interest of those works of the 1930s which film historians tend to associate with France’s cinematic maturity, we will attend to the fissures through which the seventh art continues to disclose nostalgia for its (not so) silent past, and to the conservatism that the sound feature imposed on filmic expression. Conversely, looking backwards, we will pay heed to the ways silent film in the 1910s and 1920s itself superseded, through targeted appeals to the sensorial imaginary, its medium-specific limits. Taught in English; readings in English and French (reading knowledge strongly recommended).
Distribution Area: Humanities
Charles Baudelaire (1821-1867) and Gustave Flaubert (1821-1880): two young men from wealthy families, two opponents of bourgeois education, two aborted social callings, two terminal illnesses, two resounding failures before literary institutions, two adventures in love, two satanic fascinations, two notorious literary trials, two conceptions of the craft of writing, two approaches to realism, two criticisms of romantic art, two models of poetic inspiration, two aesthetics of language, two cults of Beauty, all for one and a unique literature. This seminar will be devoted to the literary life of two writers whose canon for more than a century has occupied a central place of importance in contemporary literary criticism. It will be our task to place their work in perspective within the context of the rise of modernism, which is to say, the new status of literature as of the year 1857. We shall endeavor, thus, to discern the authenticity of the creative relationship of each artist with himself and subsequently with others. The point will be to foreground three fundamental principles that will aid in grasping the evolution of the literary world under the Second Empire and under the Third Republic: literary history, writing and the elevation of the writer (Bénichou). Our work will be based on three or four texts by Baudelaire and Flaubert, it being understood that additional works of criticism will illuminate the discussion of these texts.
Writing Intensive
This course is a writing workshop for graduate students of literature and literate cultures. Its aim is to teach students to select appropriate formats for the dissemination of their research (conference talks, short and longer articles, ABD presentations, dissertation chapters, book reviews, etc.) and produce such works. Questions to be addressed include: how to recognize and choose the appropriate rhetoric for particular audiences, essential differences between written versus spoken communications, how to read and constructively critique other scholars’ work both in verbal and written contexts. Students will produce at least 2 polished works by the end of the semester; all work will be read and critiqued by all students during the class, and subsequent rewrites will continue to be critiqued throughout the semester. This course incorporates the study of exemplary critical texts, primarily concerning French thought, that are well known for their rhetorical stances. These texts will be analyzed in alternation with the students’ own work and critiques. Texts will be read in both French and English, to demonstrate questions raised by translation and the demands of differing linguistic cultures.
Distribution Area: Humanities
This graduate seminar is uniquely designed to link scholarly practice and doctoral research in conjunction with the 48th Annual Nineteenth-Century French Studies Colloquium on the theme "Passage." This is a research seminar/discussion on more than two hundred detailed proposals and the production of a publishable paper on the theme of Passage in French and Francophone literature throughout the 19th century. Our intention is to introduce through these proposals the theme of the “Passage” in depth like any graduate seminar. The activities in this course aim to emphasize a practical way of approaching two main tasks, which are to attend the colloquium as a scholar and to develop week by week a publishable and reviewable communication on the subject. We will focus on enhancing independent research and writing abilities as well as the opportunity to engage with scholars professionally in an academic setting. During the semester, each doctoral candidate will have the opportunity to explore a particular problematic of their choice on the theme of Passage as well as to interact with the participants in the colloquium who have met her/his areas of interest. Through discussions, hands-on practice, and project-based activities, the seminar will thus guide students through the process of producing a conference paper for a one-day symposium at the end of the Fall semester.
Denis Diderot's early work was dominated by his work on the natural sciences and the Encyclopédie. In later years, his literature addressed the social applications of knowledge: economic, anthropological, political, and moral issues structured his aesthetic concerns. As an author in continual conversation with his contemporaries and who was instrumental in the creation of an intellectual community, his fiction, philosophical texts and critical works serve as the ideal lens to bring into focus the peculiarities of the French Enlightenment. Among the texts to be considered will be “De l’Interprétation de la nature”, articles from the Encyclopédie, the Supplément au voyage de Bougainville, Le Rêve de d’Alembert, the Salon de 1767, Le Neveu de Rameau, extracts from his Essai sur les règnes de Claude et de Néron. Reading in French, class in English.
Prerequisite(s): You can only receive credit for AS.212.437 OR AS.212.737, but not both.
Throughout his life Rousseau presented himself by turns as the citizen of a Republic, a stateless outcast, the resident of a vanishing homeland of the heart, and the focal point of an international conspiracy. He invented new foundations for political communities that could never be implemented or were misunderstood during the revolutionary Terror. The families he portrayed were both patriarchal and defiantly anti-normative. He affirmed his desire to belong and insisted on his irreducible difference; he extolled friendship and engineered breakups. Through readings of Rousseau's major political, autobiographical and fictional works we shall examine how and why communities, personal identity and citizenship are alternately built and destroyed. Taught in French. Course open to undergraduates with permission of the instructor.
Depuis la période coloniale finissante, le roman africain d'expression française a porté les espoirs et les déceptions d'un continent tiraillé entre panafricanisme et nationalisme, patrimoine traditionnel et modernité, courants séculiers et religieux. Que signifie le choix d'écrire des romans en une langue de colonisation qui est aussi, dans les sociétés multiethniques du Mali, du Sénégal ou encore du Congo, une langue fédératrice auréolée de prestige? Quels publics les romanciers visent-ils à atteindre, et à quel point la forme romanesque permet-elle d’exposer des griefs ou de dénoncer des états de fait tout en faisant apparaître des alternatives? Nous éclairerons, en étudiant des auteur.e.s francophones d’Afrique noire, trois temps forts: l'éveil politico-culturel menant aux indépendances d’abord (Kane, Oyono, Ouologuem, Kourouma); la construction de nouvelles identités africaines ensuite (Sembene, M. Bâ, Sony Labou Tansi); et enfin, les violences génocidaires au Rwanda qui laissent, sur les consciences et les corps, des marques indélébiles (Tadjo, B. Diop, Mukasanga).
Dans tout un secteur de la création littéraire de langue française, la trinité générique « roman, poésie, théâtre » ne fait guère plus la loi. Depuis les années 1960, époque où l’on théorisait l'écriture comme site de transgression et de jouissance ludique, ont surgi des formes hybrides refusant toute attribution à un genre littéraire défini. Le montage, le recyclage, la traduction intermédiale, l'écriture sous contrainte ou la «factographie» émergent comme principes de création et de ressourcement. Quelle attitude prendre face à ces textes livrés sans mode d'emploi et qui semblent inventer, parfois au prix de la lisibilité, leurs propres règles? Comment poursuivre une lecture raisonnée lorsque les repères habituels nous font défaut et que les grilles interprétatives d’usage ne s’adaptent guère à l’objet? Peut-on éviter de réduire ces textes à des symptômes de la postmodernité ou d’une ère où pointe le post-humanisme? Le «(re)mixage» contemporain des genres a sans conteste renouvelé le champ littéraire en ouvrant la pratique sur des esthétiques plurielles parfois contradictoires. Dans ce séminaire doctoral nous aborderons quelques oeuvres – majeures et mineures, narratives et descriptives, en prose ou à dominante poétique – ayant contribué à dissoudre les modèles génériques consacrés. Diverses approches d'une «même» question intéressant les créateurs nous préoccuperont: le rapport entre mimésis littéraire et représentation visuelle; entre les sous-genres paralittéraires et le récit au deuxième degré; entre le travail de la langue et la langue au travail ; entre le geste autobiographique et sa rature; entre les assignations de genre sexué et leur critique. OEuvres de Cadiot, Deck, de Kerangal, Echenoz, Garréta, Levé, Montalbetti, Perec, Simon, Sorman, Viel et Wittig entre autres. N.B. La langue du séminaire ainsi que de la plupart des textes à lire est le français.
Distribution Area: Humanities
French literary culture between the wars (1919-1939) promoted the novel as a forum for social comment and formal experimentation alike. Questioning the psychological biases of the ‘roman d’analyse’ and reacting to the collective tragedy of the Great War, interwar writers updated the French language as well as narrative ‘technique’ in light of emergent theories (psychoanalysis, Marxism, phenomenology). Readings from Aragon, Breton, Céline, Cocteau, Colette, Dabit, Malraux, Némirovsky, Queneau, and Simenon.
Distribution Area: Humanities
This course is for a graduate students pursuing an independent research project with a faculty mentor.
Research work toward dissertation.
1st semester: Develop list of already-read works in your chosen field to develop a thesis subject. Identify 2 co-advisors of the ABD project; the expectation is that 1 will direct the thesis following the ABD defense. Register in this advisor’s section (01: Desormeaux; 02: Anderson; 03: Russo; 04: Schilling). 1st month: Discuss with co-advisors your understanding of the core research question(s) and prepare a provisional abstract (an ongoing working tool). The abstract includes 1) well-articulated thesis statement; 2) description of proposed methodology; 3) list of proposed primary works to be studied; 4) justification of the project’s relevance to the field and its interdisciplinary reach. It should be accompanied by a report on your literature search: situate your project within the existing scholarly corpus. 2nd month: prepare an annotated bibliography of primary and secondary works. Expect it to expand significantly during ABD prep as well as after the ABD defense. 3rd month: review and modify the abstract with the co-advisors; develop a provisional outline of your ABD text. Present a reading list for the period between the 1st and 2nd semesters of proposal prep. 2nd semester: Meet with the co-advisors to report on the interim research and revisit if necessary the proposed outline and abstract. Submit proposal for the sample chapter. 1st month: begin writing the sample chapter. 2nd month: in the light of how the sample chapter is progressing, review the outline with the co-advisors, then begin writing a narrative of potential thesis chapters. 3rd month: once the foregoing are drafted, write up the methodological introduction and finalize the annotated bibliography. Finally, review the abstract for completeness and revise the ABD for language and formatting. The ABD must be approved by the ABD co-advisors before it is distributed for defense. Goal:~25 pages of supporting material;~30-page writing sample; an annotated bibliography. ABD is not to exceed 75 pp.
This course is for graduate students to pursue research over the summer in consultation with a faculty mentor.
Training for professional academic performance.
AS.213
Dystopia (from the Latin) means “bad place.” Classic literary dystopias such as We, 1984, Brave New World, and Fahrenheit 451 depict societies gone wrong, bad places in which socioeconomic ideas promise harmony but produce nightmarish, even apocalyptic outcomes. A common theme of dystopian fiction is the conflict between collective need and individual desire. In this course we will pursue this theme, and others, as we read works of fiction alongside influential works of socio-economic thought. One of our aims will be to tease out the buried dreams and latent possibilities in the historical realities and literary imaginings of dystopic worlds. Readings include selections from popular fiction and contemporary media as well as texts by authors such as Karl Marx, Friedrich Hayek, Rosa Luxemburg, W.E.B. Du Bois, Franz Kafka, Juli Zeh, Olivia Wenzel, Elias Canetti, Brigitte Riemann, Hannah Arendt, Frantz Fanon, Herta Müller, and Philip K. Dick.
Course taught in German. Klimakrise, sogenannte Flüchtlingskrise, Gesundheitskrise, Krise der Demokratie: Eine Krise nach der anderen stellt sich ein oder wird zumindest ausgerufen. Das Resultat ist jedes Mal Weltverlust, wenn auch auf sehr unterschiedliche Weise. Es gibt also grundsätzliche Probleme, mit denen sich politisches Theater heute auseinanderzusetzen hat. In Deutschland und Österreich hat das Theater traditionell und aktuell einen hohen gesellschaftlichen Stellenwert. Allerdings ist auch die Welt des Theaters seit Frühjahr 2020 aufgrund des Gebots, soziale Kontakte einzuschränken, weitgehend zusammengebrochen. Dennoch arbeiten Theatermacher*innen weiter daran, den großen Problemen unserer Zeit zu begegnen. Welche Entwürfe bieten zeitgenössische Stücke, um uns als Gesellschaft Wege aus der Krise zu weisen.
Prerequisite(s): AS.210.362
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Writing and Communication (FA1), Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4)
Taught in German. This course will explore the vision in German romantic and modern literature of ideal communities. We will examine the relation of past and to future in these works as well as the way they conceive humans and nature, earth and heavens, bodies and machines. To what extent is a utopia something crafted? To what degree is it presented as a fashioned setting like a work of art? What does the image of utopia tell us about the act of imagining at the heart of literature? To what extent does envisioning a utopia amount to inhabiting one? Why is a utopia at once every place and no place (u-topos)? Reading to include works by Klopstock, Novalis, Hoffmann, Kleist, Nietzsche, Scheerbart, Walser and Jünger.
Prerequisite(s): AS.210.361 AND AS.210.362
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Ethics and Foundations (FA5)
Taught in German. This course examines the intersections of literature and the visual arts. We will read texts by writers influenced by artists and explore art that mobilizes text; and we will examine the relationships between text and image in both illustrated books and artworks. We will also consider the visual dimensions of texts themselves, asking how texts sometimes come to function imagistically or even as images in their own right. We will work across different periods of literary and visual production, and specific topics will include: theories of text and image; manuscript illumination and early printing; typography; concrete poetry; artists’ books; text art; and graphic novels. The course will include visits to the Baltimore Museum of Art, the Walters Art Museum, Special Collections at the Sheridan Library, and a letterpress shop.
Prerequisite(s): AS.210.362 or Instructor Permission
AS Foundational Abilities: Writing and Communication (FA1), Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Ethics and Foundations (FA5)
Writing Intensive
Taught in German. German discussions of theater have largely focused on Greek tragedy and how this classical genre can be adapted for the modern stage. Yet comedies (or Lustspiele) have played an equally important role in German cultural productions and discourse from the early modern figure of the buffoon (Hanswurst) to reflections on puppet theater and to larger philosophical and anthropological inquiries into play. In this course we will read several theoretical texts on comedy and play by Aristotle, Huizinga, Kant, Schiller, and Kleist before turning to various comedies by Lessing, Kotzebue, Kleist, Brentano, Droste-Hülshoff, Büchner and Brecht. The culmination of the class will be a theatrical production.
Prerequisite(s): AS.210.362 or Instructor approval
AS Foundational Abilities: Writing and Communication (FA1), Culture and Aesthetics (FA3)
In diesem Kurs werden wir uns mit literarischen Texten des späten achtzehnten und frühen neunzehnten Jahrhunderts beschäftigen, die mit Frauen- und Geschlechterrollen experimentieren. Kämpferinnen, außergewöhnlich Liebende, mit ausgefallenem Wissen und Weisheit Begabte werden unsere Protagonist*innen sein. Zudem werden wir uns mit der gleichzeitig stattfindenden philosophischen Diskussion auseinandersetzen, die sich zum Teil für Gleichberechtigung einsetzt, vor allem aber Argumente liefert für eine restriktive bürgerliche Frauenrolle. Mit „Frauen der Romantik“ sind hier also sowohl literarische Heldinnen und Schriftstellerinnen gemeint als auch die zu der Zeit noch pluralen Rollen, die dem weiblichen Geschlecht zugeschrieben werden.
Prerequisite(s): AS.210.361
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Writing and Communication (FA1), Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Ethics and Foundations (FA5)
This course traces a literary history of sexuality from the Middle Ages to contemporary women’s writing. We will analyze how sexual pleasure changed over time. In particular, we will discuss what role literature plays in the reproduction and transformation of bodily pleasures. The course explores how the pleasures of bodies are imagined in and through literature, but also whether words are bodies that give pleasure and perhaps even have their own pleasures.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Writing and Communication (FA1), Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Ethics and Foundations (FA5)
Throughout the 20th century, writers have probed the nature of text as medium through a host of experimental techniques that press literature as an artform to its limits. This course examines the history of this experimentation, from modernist fragmentation of narrative; to Dada typographical and sound poetry; to visual and concrete poetry; to postmodernist metafiction; to hypertext fiction and beyond. By situating various modes of experimentation (formal, stylistic, visual, material, sonic) in relation to media-technological developments and discourses, students will gain an understanding of several literary periods and overview of modern and contemporary media history. The course will make extensive use of Library Special Collections. Conducted in English.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Ethics and Foundations (FA5)
Conducted in German. This course explores the so-called Stunde Null or Zero Hour in German history: the years 1945-1949, from the end of World War II to the formal division of Germany into the DDR and the BRD. How did German writers, filmmakers, and intellectuals in the immediate aftermath of the war begin to grapple with questions of guilt and responsibility, and with possibilities for moving forward and national renewal? Additional topics include gender roles, the figure of the Trümmerfrau (rubble-woman), and crises of masculinity; exile, return, and the Gruppe 47. Texts/films include Karl Jaspers’s Die Schuldfrage, Roberto Rossellini’s Germania Anno Zero, Wolfgang Borchert’s Draußen vor der Tür, Wolfgang Staudte’s Die Mörder sind unter uns, Heinrich Böll’s Der Zug war pünklich.
Prerequisite(s): AS.210.362
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Writing and Communication (FA1), Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4)
Literature and the Visual Arts is devoted to exploring the resonances between literary and visual forms of artistic expression and their enrichment of the modernist cultural landscape. We will aim to understand how the interest in visual art by modernist writers, and the impressions of literature on modernist and contemporary artworks newly illuminate or challenge traditional aesthetics of the temporality and spatiality of the work, aesthetic judgment, and the phenomenology of aesthetic attention. Readings may include works of literature or aesthetics by Immanuel Kant, Rainer Maria Rilke, Paul Klee, Stefan Zweig, Martin Heidegger, Charles Baudelaire, Walter Benjamin, Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Siegfried Lenz, and Virginia Woolf, alongside work of many visual artists from van Gogh and Cézanne to German Expressionism and Anselm Kiefer. Taught in English.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Writing and Communication (FA1), Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Ethics and Foundations (FA5)
This course, taught in English, is devoted to study of the fiction of Franz Kafka, of his literary and philosophical context, and of his place in European and German modernism. We will read novels and short stories by Kafka alongside philosophical, critical, and literary responses to his works. We will explore themes of knowledge and truth, the nature of reality, perception and attention, power and forms of law, imagination, animality, the self, and the thematization of writing in his works. While the section one of this course is taught in English with texts in translation, a second section may be available for students wishing to read and discuss Kafka in the original German.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Writing and Communication (FA1), Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Ethics and Foundations (FA5)
Writing Intensive
Taught in German. The capital of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Vienna was the center of extraordinary cultural and intellectual flourishing around the turn of the 20th century. A monumental building campaign along the Ringstrasse, which replaced the old city walls, massively transformed the urban fabric of the city. The founding of the Vienna Secession marked a period of re-birth that spread throughout the visual arts, literature, theater, music, architecture, and design. Literati and intellectuals including Sigmund Freud, who revolutionized psychology through the founding of psychoanalysis, gathered at now-famous Viennese Kaffeehäuser. This course surveys the artistic, cultural, intellectual, and political landscape of Vienna from ca. 1890 to the First World War. Figures to be examined include Hoffmansthal, Schnitzler, Rilke, Klimt, Schiele, Kokoschka, Loos, Wagner, Schönberg, Freud, and Wittgenstein, among others.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Writing and Communication (FA1), Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Ethics and Foundations (FA5)
Taught in German. Goethe’s novel is among the most influential in the German tradition and established the genre of the Bildungsroman. Although the novel is often considered a tale of personal formation and social integration, the reverse of this statement is true as well. Wilhelm Meister is a novel of splintered relations and social disintegration, as even the best laid plans are disrupted by unexpected circumstances and uncontrollable desires. We will read the entire novel in German over the semester with an eye toward the motif of theater and the question of puppets, puppet masters, and invisible hands, especially as thematized in the mysterious Turmgesellschaft introduced at the novel’s conclusion.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3)
We will study how contemporary German literature reflects the experiences of migrants and refugees. Jenny Erpenbeck’s novel Gehen, ging, gegangen (2017) and Sasha Marianna Salzmann’s novel Außer sich (2018) will serve as our main examples, complemented with shorter texts and other material on the historical and political contexts.
AS Foundational Abilities: Writing and Communication (FA1), Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4)
This course considers the importance of philosophical, literary, aesthetic, and other humanist approaches to ecology and environmental issues.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Writing and Communication (FA1), Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Ethics and Foundations (FA5)
What does it mean to exist, and to be able to reflect on this fact? What is it mean to be a self? This course explores the themes of existentialism in literature and philosophy, including the meaning of existence, the nature of the self, authenticity and inauthenticity, the inescapability of death, the experience of time, anxiety, absurdity, freedom and responsibility to others. It will be examined why these philosophical ideas often seem to demand literary expression or bear a close relation to literary works. Readings may include writings by Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Dostoevsky, Heidegger, Rilke, Kafka, Simmel, Jaspers, Buber, Sartre, de Beauvoir, Camus, and Daoud.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Writing and Communication (FA1), Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Ethics and Foundations (FA5)
Writing Intensive
Schriftsteller*innen haben immer wieder Geschichten von Wassermenschen erzählt. Was für eine Faszination birgt das Leben im Wasser? Was ist an diesen Zwitterwesen— Männer mit Schwimmhäuten, Frauen mit Fischschwänzen—so interessant? Was geht verloren, wenn solche Amphibien sich für immerauf dem Land einrichten? Tatsächlich sind alle Menschen Wasserwesen— zu einem Großteil aus Wasser bestehend. Aber dieses Lebenselement wird zunehmend gefährdet und gefährlich. Was nun? Wir werden literarische Texte aus der Romantik, Moderne und Gegenwart sowie ein paar Filme analysieren, um diesen Fragen nachzugehen
AS Foundational Abilities: Writing and Communication (FA1), Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Ethics and Foundations (FA5)
From the eighteenth century to the modern period, German authors have been obsessed with uncanny phenomena that blur the line between the natural world and the supernatural world of ghosts, spirits, and magic. We will explore the encounter with otherworldly phenomena in this course with a special emphasis on the status of literature as a play of semblance or collection of shadows. Why have ghost stories been so persistent in the modern era when science and reason are said to dominate our understanding of the world? Is the occult the dark side of science? What kind of knowledge does literature yield? What can literature tell us about phenomena that are random, obscure, or inexplicable? To what degree does literature enable us to interact with figures no longer bodily present?
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Ethics and Foundations (FA5)
German Media Theory is an advanced course for upper-level undergraduates and graduate students, giving an introduction and overview of the specifically German version of Media Studies that first gained traction in the 1980s. The term media refers not just to mass media but more broadly to devices that process, transfer and store information, reaching from the alphabet that changed the culture of writing, or the printing press made famous as the foundation of the ‘Gutenberg galaxy’ to computers and smart phones dominating our current lives. In this course we will cut across disciplinary boundaries to explore the multifaceted roots and formations of German media theory which combine literary poststructuralism, histories of science and technology, psychoanalysis, cybernetics, art history, and philosophy among other fields. Readings include works by Friedrich Kittler, Bernhard Siegert, Cornelia Vismann, Wolfgang Ernst, Walter Benjamin, Niklas Luhmann, Michel Foucault, Marshall McLuhan and many others. The course will be taught in English and all readings will be available in English.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Writing and Communication (FA1), Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Ethics and Foundations (FA5)
When the German astronomer Johannes Kepler in his famous "Somnium" (1608) creates a fictitious dream narrative in which the earth is observed from the moon, it becomes clear that the shift from the geocentric to the heliocentric worldview entails a radical change of perspective that can be achieved only by means of the imagination. What appears as a sunrise is in reality due to the earth's own movement. Where appearance and reality diverge, the new model requires a fictional account without which it remains incomprehensible. Orbiting around Kepler’s short tale, this seminar will focus on cosmic narratives and poetic explorations of outer space, from Lucian's True Stories and Icaromenippus (2nd century CE), one of the earliest literary treatments of a journey through space, Plutarch’s dialogue On the face of the Moon (late 1st century CE), to Godwin's The Man in the Moone (1638) and Kant's »Of the Inhabitants of the Stars« (1755). What is the epistemic function of literary representations of the cosmos? Are space-travel narratives thought experiments? What role does fiction and the imagination play in the science of astronomy? By pursuing these and related questions, this course will question common assumptions about the relationship of science to fiction and the literary imagination while tracing key junctures in the history of astronomy.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3)
Phenomenology and Literature engages the most fertile interchanges between literature and philosophy in the 20th century, focusing on the roots of phenomenology in German philosophy and its connections with and expansion to literary writing. Themes include: the nature of literary experience, including the experience of reading and writing, literary and phenomenological descriptions of reality, the literary construction of the self, and the understanding of literary imagination from a phenomenological perspective. We will read philosophers and literary theorists such as Nietzsche, Husserl, Heidegger, Sartre, Camus, Merleau-Ponty, Blanchot, Beauvoir, Hamburger, Ingarden and Iser in connection with the works of many modernist writers, including Rainer Maria Rilke, Franz Kafka, Hugo von Hofmannsthal, Thomas Mann, Thomas Bernhard, Virginia Woolf, Marcel Proust, and Wallace Stevens.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Writing and Communication (FA1), Culture and Aesthetics (FA3)
Writing Intensive
This course critically engages the presentation and imagination of animals and other non-human life in modern literature, philosophy, and thought. We will examine the figure of the animal and the means of conceptual differentiation between the animal and the human, considering animals' relation to or perceived exclusion from language, pain, embodiment, sexuality, and the visual gaze. The course is ideal for students interested in fascinating themes in literature and how they reflect philosophical concerns. No prior courses in philosophy are required. Students will read philosophical texts alongside literary works in learning the conceptual history of animals and of humanity as a distinct species. Expect fascinating readings and engaging, lively discussions. Readings may include works by Marx, Nietzsche, Freud, Heidegger Derrida, Agamben, Poe, Kleist, Hofmannsthal, Rilke, Kafka, Mann, Pirandello, and Coetzee.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Writing and Communication (FA1), Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Ethics and Foundations (FA5)
Writing Intensive
Independent Study
Prerequisite(s): You must request Independent Academic Work using the Independent Academic Work form found in Student Self-Service: Registration, Online Forms.
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3)
This is the first semester of a full year course in which Honors students prepare an Honors thesis on a topic of their own choosing in consultation with a faculty mentor.
Prerequisite(s): You must request Independent Academic Work using the Independent Academic Work form found in Student Self-Service: Registration, Online Forms.
AS Foundational Abilities: Writing and Communication (FA1), Projects and Methods (FA6)
This is the second semester of a full year course in which Honors students complete an Honors thesis on a topic of their own choosing in consultation with a faculty mentor.
Prerequisite(s): You must request Independent Academic Work using the Independent Academic Work form found in Student Self-Service: Registration, Online Forms.
AS Foundational Abilities: Writing and Communication (FA1), Projects and Methods (FA6)
In recent years, Walter Benjamin has become one of the most quoted media theorists. His philosophy of technology is not as widely known as the concept of aura he developed in his essay "The Work of Art in the Age of Its Technological Reproducibility." The contemporary relevance of his philosophy of technology lies in the fact that Benjamin establishes a connection between technology and different forms of habitation, and between the latter and the concept of habit (Gewohnheit), which is etymologically related to the concept of habitation (Wohnen). This enables a comparison of Benjamin's approach with the philosophies of technology developed by Heidegger, Deleuze/Guattari, and Simondon, all of whom associate technology with the shaping of environments and the problem of poses. In our seminar, we will reconstruct Benjamin's media anthropology of technology through a close reading of his diaries and essays and compare it to philosophies of technology very much being discussed today.
Distribution Area: Humanities
Critical Ecologies of Literary Modernism will trace the origins of ecocritical literary modernism. Beginning with Hölderlin and Nietzsche, who most radically identified the source of estrangement from nature in human cognition itself, we will explore how innovations in conceiving human cognition and practice play out ecologically in the work of German modernists Hugo von Hofmannsthal, Rainer Maria Rilke, Franz Kafka, Else Lasker-Schu¨ler, Robert Musil, and Bertoldt Brecht, as well as in the modernist works of Virginia Woolf, D.H. Lawrence, William Carlos Williams, T.S. Eliot, Wallace Stevens, Elizabeth Bishop, Françis Ponge and Albert Camus. Grounded in modern German thought and extending across multiple literary modernisms, we will see that what have been taken as the subjective or aestheticized concerns of modernist writing can be recognized as critical ecologies of human cognition and practice, while exposingmodernist anxiety about the technological advances of human habitats, the expanse ofurbanization, the reach of human intervention in nature, and the underlying animality within human thinking and perception. These works may also initiate forms of imagined intimacy with nature and non-human life in modernist works.
Writing Intensive
This graduate-level course will explore the material topographies of literature, both real and imagined, engaging the landscapes, geographies, and environments of literary works both as a vital dimension of the text and as contributions to 'cultural ecology'. We will explore how topography may be engaged not as mere background or setting for literary situations, but as a dynamic and vital dimension thereof, and how the human experiences evoked can be radically recontextualized and engaged through environmental attention to the text. We will read theoretical and philosophical works on geography and topography in literature along with environmental literary theory in approaching literary works by writers from the late 18th to the mid 20th centuries. Readings may include works by Goethe, Novalis, Heine, Thoreau, Schnitzler, Thomas Mann, Rilke, Hofmannsthal, Brecht, Woolf, Borges, and other writers from the late 18th through 20th centuries. Discussions will invite phenomenological, de- or post-colonial, and ecological perspectives.
The dictum, regularly invoked with reference to Aristotle, that not only action and place, but also the time of the drama must be “uniform” has blocked rather than facilitated an understanding of dramatic temporality. For even the “closed drama” certainly knows forms of acceleration and dilation. Political drama in particular often turns less on the question of what than of when, on deeds that seem inevitably to come too early or too late. In this seminar, we will explore the various ways in which time functions in political dramas and ask what this can show us about the relation of political action to time, setting out from extant research (surprisingly meager) and working closely with selected dramas from the 17th to the 19th centuries. Readings from Gryphius, Shakespeare, Goethe, de Gouges, Büchner, Droste-Hülshoff, Büchner, Grillparzer, and others. In the last part of the seminar, initial research results will be presented in the form of a seminar-internal conference. Taught in German.
One of the most remarkable features of Robert Walser’s writing is that the narrator consistently orchestrates or engineers his birth. He crafts a narrative that enables him to pass from the page into life in a form of literary transubstantiation in which the word is made flesh. This is the miracle of Walser’s writing. It is also a perversion of the Platonic and mystical ideal of a virgin birth. This seminar will explore Walser’s work against this historical and theological backdrop with special emphasis on the nexus of religion and psychosis, as evidenced in Daniel Paul Schreber’s memoir and Freud’s analysis thereof. We will consider the perversion at the heart of Walser’s work that makes literature the sphere of wonders and miracles in an otherwise disenchanted world. Reading knowledge of German is required for this course, as many of Walser’s works have not been translated into English. In addition to Walser' work, we will also read Plato, Meister Eckhart, Mechthild of Magdeburg, Schreber, Freud, and Beierwaltes on neo-Platonism.
Distribution Area: Humanities
In 1689, as Leibniz began to understand that contingent phenomena exist, he declared that they pulled him out of an “abyss.” What contributed decisively to this insight was not only infinitesimal calculus but also the novel, whose fictive worlds could be given the status of the possible, even if they had no place in the existing “series of the universe.” The result of the convergence of literature and mathematics prompted by Leibniz’s epistemic breakthrough included new practices of writing and of inventing possible worlds. We will take up these questions in the seminar beginning with Leibniz’s Theodicy and Blanckenburg’s Essay on the Novel (1774), followed by readings of selected novels from Wieland’s Agathon to Dorothea Schlegel’s Florentin as well as (more or less) fantastical shorter narratives from Goethe to Tieck. We will also consider theories of fiction and possible worlds from Doležel to Lamarque. Course taught by the Max Kade Visiting Professor Christiane Frey.
Distribution Area: Humanities
This course will trace the tensions, antagonisms, and collaborations between poetry and philosophy as distinctive but fundamental expressions of human thought and experience. We will engage poetry as a form of artistic expression that compliments, completes, or challenges other forms of knowledge, and consider the range of philosophy's responses to poetry and poetics. Readings will include works by philosophical poets and poetic philosophers including Hölderlin, Schlegel, Rilke, Bachmann, Celan, Stevens, Heidegger, Gadamer, Adorno, Benjamin, Merleau-Ponty, Valéry, Wittgenstein, and Agamben.
Why is there “a world in a grain of sand”? And why in German literature is it a “sandman” who brings dreams? The specific materiality of sand allows for a broad range of metaphorical uses with strong epistemological implications. With its small discrete grains of the same size, sand is barely limited in its potential to coalesce into formations that can be counted yet remain innumerable and to dissolve. Exploring sand in literary texts means to deal with issues like the history of the microscope, the problem(s) of infinity, “sandy” or “grainy” mediality and loose grounds as well as the subjects of remembrance, dream and the historicity of the human being. In this seminar we will read texts by Barthold Heinrich Brockes, Theodor Kornfeld, Jorge Luis Borges, Italo Calvino, Ingeborg Bachmann, Stefan Heym, Paul Celan, E. T. A. Hoffmann and Bodo Kirchhoff. The discussion will be in English, but reading knowledge of German is required for the course material. This course will be taught by Max Kade Visiting Professor, Annina Klappert
Distribution Area: Humanities
The first volume of Husserl’s Ideas I (1913) provides an overarching picture of the phenomenological method that came to define much twentieth-century German and French thought. This course will consider the foundational concepts introduced in this volume (eidetic analysis, intentionality, bracketing, correlationism, time consciousness, the natural attitude and the phenomenological reduction) as well as responses to them by Merleau-Ponty, Derrida, Heidegger and others. We will also consider Husserl’s later efforts to incorporate history, other minds, and even that which is other-than-mind into his idealist system.
When the German astronomer Johannes Kepler in his famous "Somnium" (1608) creates a fictitious dream narrative in which the earth is observed from the moon, it becomes clear that the shift from the geocentric to the heliocentric worldview entails a radical change of perspective that can be achieved only by means of the imagination. What appears as a sunrise is in reality due to the earth's own movement. Where appearance and reality diverge, the new model requires a fictional account without which it remains incomprehensible. Orbiting around Kepler’s short tale, this seminar will focus on cosmic narratives and poetic explorations of outer space, from Lucian's True Stories and Icaromenippus (2nd century CE), one of the earliest literary treatments of a journey through space, Plutarch’s dialogue On the face of the Moon (late 1st century CE), to Godwin's The Man in the Moone (1638) and Kant's »Of the Inhabitants of the Stars« (1755). What is the epistemic function of literary representations of the cosmos? Are space-travel narratives thought experiments? What role does fiction and the imagination play in the science of astronomy? By pursuing these and related questions, this course will question common assumptions about the relationship of science to fiction and the literary imagination while tracing key junctures in the history of astronomy.
Distribution Area: Humanities
In the Sonnets to Orpheus Rilke proclaims, “Singing is being” [Gesang ist Dasein], in an affirmation of the life attained through art that Nietzsche spoke of in The Birth of Tragedy. This is not an individual life but the whole of being, in which poet and reader share, provided they surrender to the movement of the song, the rhythm of its words. Celan’s halting rhythm could not be more different than Rilke’s, and yet his poetry also invites the reader to surrender to the work, albeit not to the words but to the wounds it opens within them, to the silence it exposes in speech. This course will consider the Orphic tradition and its aftermath as seen in Rilke’s and Celan’s work. Special attention will be paid to the status of the unsayable (das Unsägliche for Rilke, das Unsagbare for Celan) in both writer’s poetry, prose and translations, especially from the French.
We will examine the contribution of (post-)Enlightenment literature to the evolution of a modern social imaginary. First we will acquaint ourselves with some theoretical approaches to the concept of the social imaginary (Cornelius Castoriadis, Charles Taylor, Albrecht Koschorke). We will then read selected texts from European literature (from Rousseau and Ferguson to Lessing, Schiller, Kleist, Novalis and Fichte, among others) that are characteristic of the formation of a modern social imaginary at the epochal threshold between the 18th and 19th centuries. We will attend to the interface of social self-conceptions and the public sphere.
Distribution Area: Humanities
This course surveys the history of twentieth-century German literature through the lens of textual materiality. Reading both canonical and lesser known works, we will consider how material circumstances of textual production, circulation, and consumption inform and are entangled within formal, stylistic, semantic, and political dimensions of literature. In some cases, authors explicitly experimented with the writing process and/or visual/typographic form. In others, authors’ aesthetic and poetological programs extended into the material design of their books. We will also examine writer-artist collaborations and graphic novel adaptations of literary works. The course thus combines literary criticism with textual criticism, hermeneutic with materialist approaches. Much of the material we will examine is housed in the Sheridan Library Special Collections, where numerous class sessions will take place. Works by writers/artists such as Stephan George, Else Lasker-Schüler, Kurt Schwitters, Paul Celan, Eugen Gomringer, Dieter Roth, the Vienna Group, the Rixdorfer Workshop, Günter Grass, Herta Müller, Yoko Tawada, Nicolas Mahler, and Veronika Schaepers, among others. The majority of readings in German will also be available in English translation.
Distribution Area: Humanities
Theoretical interest in the “scene of writing” (Schreibszene) has exploded across German-speaking Europe in recent decades, but has found little resonance in North American German Studies. This seminar introduces students to this growing field of (primarily German-language) scholarship, traces its emergence out of poststructuralist critiques of authorship and the advent of media studies, and situates it in relation to related methodological approaches (critique génétique, book history/critical bibliography, Editionswissenschaft). In the growing wave of historical-critical facsimile editions and online archival projects that present traces of textual production, students will gain practical experience working with these resources and exploring possibilities for using them to expand the scope of textual analysis.
Distribution Area: Humanities
The privilege of thinking has faced two challenges in recent years. The advent of artificial intelligence has called into question how unique thinking is when cognition can easily be mimicked, if not (re)produced, in machines through statistical models of language. An equally prevalent, if opposing, development in critical theory is the expansion of thought to include all purposeful action, such as the spreading of information among trees regarding available resources. The first half of the semester will be devoted to the definition of thinking offered by Aristotle and its interpretation in selected texts by Fichte, Hegel, and Marx. The second half will consider the surge of interest in automatons in romantic literature (Novalis, Hoffmann, Kleist and Poe) and culminating in Kafka’s “Report to an Academy.
Distribution Area: Humanities
This course is devoted to close study of the writings of Franz Kafka from both philosophical and literary perspectives. Writings will include Kafka’s short prose works and novels along with philosophical and literary critical interpretations thereof. Readings may include commentaries by Walter Benjamin, Theodor Adorno, Hannah Arendt, Albert Camus, Giles Deleuze, and Giorgio Agamben. Primary texts for students from the German section will be in original; any other students may read Kafka in translation.
This seminar will explore the narrative, dramatic, and quasi-journalistic work of Heinrich von Kleist in its philosophical and literary environment. We will examine how Kleist comments on and parodies the positions of the enlightenment, German Idealism, Weimar classicism, and the theater establishment. We will pay particular attention to the way he combines the verbal and the visual in his performative, narrative, and syntactic strategies, and analyze how this contributes to a specifically Kleistian sense of humor.Grading: P/F
We will explore how contemporary German thinkers and writers reacted to the Haitian Revolution, what their interests were, and how later generations of writers responded to earlier reactions, perhaps tried to do better and used the historical material for their own purposes. Possible authors: Hegel, Humboldt, Kleist, Zschokke, Seghers, Müller, Fichte, Buch, Öziri and others.
Distribution Area: Humanities
We will study key passages of The Phenomenology of Spirit from a queer-feminist and a literary perspective and engage with scholarship on Hegel that is pertinent to these approaches.
Distribution Area: Humanities
This course explores literature in the context of the aesthetic tradition in philosophy. Themes include literature as mimesis, or the representation of reality, its relation to truth, untruth, and possibility, literature as the revealing of being, literary imagination, the distinctiveness of literary language and expression, the role of the literary author. Readings may include background selections from Plato and Aristotle, but the course will focus on philosophical interest in literature since the late 18th century, and may include Kant, Hölderlin, Nietzsche, Heidegger, Sartre, Blanchot, Bachelard, among other readings. Course will be taught by the Kurrelmeyer Chair in German. Taught in English.
This course is for a graduate students pursuing an independent research project with a faculty mentor. Students are expected to meet regularly with the mentor and to write a lengthy paper, or several short papers, on the chosen topic.
This course is for graduate students to pursue research over the summer in consultation with a faculty mentor.
Students are expected to meet regularly with their dissertation director to ensure they adhere to a research and writing schedule for their dissertation.
This course is for graduate students to prepare one of their two required qualifying papers. One qualifying paper should be article-length and present work that will not be part of the dissertation. The second should be the draft of a chapter for the dissertation.
Training for professional academic purposes.
AS.214
This course explores the local, global, and universal natures of the speculative genre of science fiction (SF) from the early twentieth century through the present. It highlights works from the Golden Age (late 1930s-’50s), the New Wave of the 1960s and ’70s, cyberpunk in the 1980s, and today’s various sub-genres and cross-over incarnations. We will approach the genre as a mode of thought-experimentation and world-building that problematizes actual and possible political, cultural, natural, cosmic, and techno-scientific realities. Among the themes included are the human-machine interface, environmental apocalypse, the alien, utopia-dystopia. Readings/viewings/listenings include short stories from nearly every continent, short films and tv episodes, visual art, music, journalism, and literary criticism. All materials and lectures in English.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4)
How do I make money,?gain?and keep?power,?find love,?live long, strengthen my memory, avoid depression, cook well, write beautifully, fence, mix?paint, counteract poisoning, and?create coded messages?? The Renaissance had answers to these and many other questions. This course explores a large sampling?of advice from the Italian Renaissance. Readings include?Machiavelli’s?Prince, Della Casa’s?Galateo of Manners, Maestro Martino's?Art of Cooking, and selections from Cornaro's?Art of Living Long, Manciolino's?Guide to Swordsmanship, Cennini's?Craftsman's Handbook, Della Porta’s?Natural Magic,?Castiglione’s?Book of the Courtier,?Ficino’s?Book of Life,?as well as religious sermons, humanist treatises,?and?books of “secrets.”?Secondary literature will provide historical context for the primary?texts and tools for recognizing and unpacking?the persuasive devices used in these early examples of self-help. Students will become familiar with Italian Renaissance thought and develop analytical and critical skills to examine advice in its cultural and temporal context. The course as a whole will focus on the notion of “core values” and what is at stake when you propose help or seek help. We will also experience some of these "how-to's", such as calligraphy, oration, creating codes, and more.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3)
In this course we will explore the problem of the relationship of women to dynastic power in the literature and culture of late medieval and Renaissance in Italy. Beginning from Giovanni Boccaccio’s famously ambivalent portraits of women in the Decameron and his treatise On Famous Women, we will locate women within an early modern system of inherited power and literary representations. We will then move to study a series of genealogically motivated chivalric poems (such as Orlando innamorato, Orlando furioso, Floridoro, Gerusalemme liberata) which propose a number of roles for women: warriors, queens, saints, monsters, saviors, poets, founders. These texts return again and again to the key role of women in establishing and maintaining dynastic continuity within noble families, but also to the dangers they pose to dynastic stability. We will try to understand how these literary texts work within the social and political context of the Italian city- states of this period. We will also study the involvement of women in the production and circulation of literary texts, focussing on notable patrons of the arts like Isabella d'Este and Lucrezia Borgia, and on important poets like Vittoria Colonna.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3)
This seminar will be concerned with resonances between collectors, artists, poets, and other hallowed figures of modernity, and their less celebrated doubles: hoarders, bibliomaniacs, ragpickers, and gleaners. We will examine the material practices and psychic mechanisms that define these identities and authorize distinctions between them, as well as the historical contexts from which they emerge. More broadly, we will grapple with the relationships between objects and narrative. We will ask how the human-object practices of collecting, hoarding, gleaning, scavenge, misuse, and fetishism change when performed in the immaterial realm of language, and what these practices look like as rhetorical and narrative strategies.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3)
The supernatural is often described as the disruption of universal coherence. It becomes an aggression that challenges the stability of a world in which the natural laws were, until then, intact. The Impossible suddenly happens in a world in which it was banished.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3)
Writing Intensive
What does it mean to be “other,” and how can reading about experiences of otherness affect our understanding of historical moments? In this interdisciplinary survey of contemporary Italian literature, students will read through the lens of “the other” in order to highlight both the milieu of lived experiences (often lived by the authors themselves) outside of sociocultural ideals, and the role they play within modern Italian canon. Combining gender studies, animal studies, posthumanism, and other theoretical frameworks, students will examine works from authors such as Sibilla Aleramo, Carlo Levi, Elena Ferrante, Igiaba Scego, and directors Vittorio De Sica, and Alice Rohrwacher. Taught in English—students wishing to do coursework in Italian should register for AS.214.363 (02).
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4)
The course will examine the autobiographical genre in Italian modern and contemporary literature by exploring the following questions: what does it mean to faithfully write one’s story? What is the role of memory in the process? How does writing transform the self? What is the connection between the life of the author and the story of the country they inhabit? Traditionally, the term autobiography has referred to a self-written biography that took the form of a confession or memoir. At the beginning of the twentieth century, with the emergence of the autobiographical novel, the claim of authenticity was questioned because, in the novel, the life of the protagonist only partially coincided with that of the writer. Over the last decades, Italian writers have further explored the genre by turning to autofiction, a story that presents itself as a memoir or diary but instead is completely fictional. In this survey, students will read letters, memoirs, journals, autobiographical novels, and autofictions by authors such as Ippolito Nievo, Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, Sibilla Aleramo, Primo Levi, Italo Calvino, Natalia Ginzburg, Cesare Pavese, Melania Mazzucco, Walter Siti, Igiaba Scego, and Jonathan Bazzi. Each life story offers a diverse portrait of the Italian peninsula, thus providing a cross-section of the country’s modern history and culture. Throughout modules organized along lines of gender, race, class, space, and time, students will be prompted to reflect on how the relationship between reality and fiction changes from memoir to autofiction and investigate how this transformation of the genre affects the purpose of self-writing. While the class is taught in English, there will be sessions in Italian for students from the Italian major or minor.
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4)
This seminar explores the boundaries between humans and animals in the medieval world and beyond. Reading literary texts such as Giovanni Boccaccio’s Decameron, Moderata Fonte’s Floridoro, Luigi Pulci’s Morgante and medical texts such as Girolamo Fracastoro’s On Contagion, we will trace the formation of distinctions between species.The categories we will use to investigate the distinctions between animals and humans include metamorphosis, contagion, education, taxonomy, subjugation, hunting, representation, anthropomorphism and zoomorphism, wilderness, misogyny, and promiscuity. To probe these categories and distinctions, we will make use of a series of critical approaches, from critical animal studies to posthumanism, within the disciplinary specificity of Medieval Studies.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4)
Elena Ferrante is Italy’s most acclaimed contemporary novelist, although her true identity remains unconfirmed. Having been translated into and published in 45 languages, with over 15 million copies sold worldwide, her ‘Neapolitan Quartet’ triggered what has been called ‘Ferrante Fever.’ Through reading and discussion of Ferrante’s works (novels, letters, and a fairytale) and their screen adaptations— the HBO TV series My Brilliant Friend and Maggie Gyllenhaal’s The Lost Daughter (2022) —we shall discover the reasons behind this global, literary phenomenon while exploring themes such as gender, memory, trauma, women’s participation in, or exclusion from, history, and the internal violence of a rapidly changing society. In addition to Ferrante’s works, we shall also read Anna Maria Ortese, Elsa Morante, and Fabrizia Ramondino to understand the influence of women writers from previous generations on Ferrante’s work. This class is taught in English. Additional discussion sessions in Italian will be offered.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3)
We will trace the dream of designing an ideal society and the danger of creating its opposite in the sixteenth and seventeenth century Italian and European thought.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3)
One of the greatest works of literature of all times, the Divine Comedy leads us down into the torture-pits of Hell, up the steep mountain terrain of Purgatory, through the “virtual” space of Paradise, and then back to where we began: our own earthly lives. We accompany Dante on his journey, building along the way knowledge of medieval Italian history, literature, philosophy, politics, and religion. The course also focuses on the arts of reading deeply, asking questions of a text, and interpreting literary and scholarly works through discussion and critical writing. Conducted in English.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3)
Writing Intensive
This course is for a undergraduate students pursuing an independent research project with a faculty mentor. Students are expected to meet regularly with the mentor and to write a lengthy paper, or several short papers, on the chosen topic.
Prerequisite(s): You must request Independent Academic Work using the Independent Academic Work form found in Student Self-Service: Registration, Online Forms.
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3)
This course is for a undergraduate students pursuing an independent research project with a faculty mentor. Students are expected to meet regularly with the mentor and to write a lengthy paper, or several short papers, on the chosen topic.
Prerequisite(s): You must request Independent Academic Work using the Independent Academic Work form found in Student Self-Service: Registration, Online Forms.
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3)
The goal of this course is to familiarize Graduate Student Instructors in Italian with foundational elements of Second Language Acquisition and foreign language teaching. The course will (1) acquaint students with historical and current theories of foreign language pedagogy; (2) demonstrate strategies to integrate theoretical knowledge into everyday practice, both in terms of instructional delivery, and materials development; (3) introduce participants to basic evaluation tools to critically assess teaching practices and tools in terms of quality, relevance, validity, reliability and other theory-based criteria; (4) help participants to articulate their own pedagogical training and philosophy of teaching in preparation for the academic job market. Taught in Italian.
In this course we will examine Giambattista Vico's innovative effect on intellectual history, in light of recent discoveries regarding Vico's publication history. Extensive work in Special Collections will be featured.
This course is dedicated to the work of Carlo Emilio Gadda, the great neurotic polymath sometimes referred to as “the Italian James Joyce,” and his outsize influence on neo-avant-garde and experimentalist literary movements of the 1960s and 1970s. We will read selections from Gadda’s two major novels, La cognizione del dolore and Quer pasticciaccio brutto de’ via Merulana, divulgative science writings and other fascist-era journalism, as well as the vitriolic antifascist treatise, Eros e Priapo. Our study of Gadda will include discussions of the critical approaches that ground Gadda studies, from rigorous philology to affect theory, science studies, and new materialism. We will then turn to the “Nipotini dell’Ingegnere”— those named by Alberto Arbasino in his influential essay of that title (himself, Giovanni Testori, and Pier Paolo Pasolini); as well as writers of the neo-avant-garde who sought to continue Gadda’s legacy by emulating his famously “baroque” style marked by wild digressions and the extensive use of regional dialects and neologisms. We conclude the semester with a reading of Carla Lonzi’s 1969 Autoritratto and a study of the circulation of ideas and praxes between literary and visual neo-avant-garde movements in Italy and beyond. Throughout the semester, we will attend to ongoing debates about illegibility, engagement, realism, and the aesthetics of obscenity. Class conducted in English. All Italian texts will also be available in English translation.
Distribution Area: Humanities
This course is an exploration of the notions of the human that emerge when interrogating pre-modern Italian literary constructions of nonhuman entities (water, earth, flora, fauna, objects, buildings, cities, automata, demons, angels, gods, and God). We will read work by authors such as Dante, Petrarch, Boccaccio, Pico, Alberti, Leonardo, Sannazaro, Baldi, and Della Porta, as well as parts of the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili, and selections from bestiaries, herbaria, and books of emblems. Accompanying these readings are recent studies in critical theory on posthumanism and transhumanism, animal studies, ecocriticism, and phenomenology.
Affectionately nicknamed the “squirrel of the pen” for his acrobatic, dimension-defining abilities with language, Italo Calvino is one of Italy’s all time most powerfully imaginative writers. This graduate seminar explores his variegated literary production, from the neorealist novel The path of the Nest of Spider (1947), the heraldic trilogy Our Ancestors (1952-1959), his celebrated The Invisible Cities (1972) to the science-fictional The Cosmicomics (1966). We’ll investigate the stylistic and literary trends his work encompasses, from neorealism to postmodernism, and the interplay of individuals and environments in his novels, short stories, and autobiographical writings. Going from the woods to the moon, we’ll meditate on the values Calvino recommended for the literature of the new millennium: lightness, quickness, exactitude, visibility, multiplicity, (and consistency).
While the concept of purgatory for the departed has long been part of many cultures' beliefs, it was Dante who offered Western thought one of the most detailed architectures of this transitional space to date. The second book in the Divine Comedy trilogy, the Purgatorio is Dante's most relatable of the three otherworldly realms. For one, purgatory is not eternal. It is also a highly organized system, explores a kind of justice that seems more fair than eternal punishment, and it offers something the two other realms do not: hope. In reading the Purgatorio closely, students will explore medieval theories of divine justice, human justice, penance, piety, and morality—many of which still inform our thinking today about right action and the common good. Much attention will be given to literary analysis of the poem. Students will also read commentaries and critical studies on Dante’s Purgatorio, as well as on “purgatories” from other cultures and traditions. Offered in English.
Distribution Area: Humanities
Negli ultimi decenni un numero crescente di scrittori, registi, artisti e attivisti Afro e afrodiscendenti sta opponendo resistenza alla xenofobia e al razzismo dilaganti nell’Italia contemporanea. In che modo le loro opere modificano l’identità nazionale? In che modo i loro testi (letterari e filmici) costringono l’Italia a confrontarsi con il suo ignorato passato coloniale? Questo corso multimediale esamina le rappresentazioni dell'alterità razziale ed etnica e di come queste ci permettono di ripensare l’identità nazionale attraverso una panoramica della letteratura e il cinema decoloniale in un quadro intersezionale. In questo seminario di dottorato ripercorreremo la storia coloniale dell'Italia, esamineremo l’assenza di un ripensamento delle atrocità nei confronti dei soggetti coloniali attraverso la più recente letteratura critica e teorica, e discuteremo opere di scrittrici come Igiaba Scego, Gagriella Ghermandi, e Maza Mengiste, e filmmaker come Dagmawi Yimer, Dafne di Cinto e altri.
This course asks the question, "what does it mean to be a visionary?" We will read a selection of medieval and Renaissance Italian texts that demonstrate some form of ‘non-normative’ thinking, altered state of consciousness, or speculation on the future. These texts often cross genre boundaries, existing in between autobiography, literature, philosophy, religion, art, and science. We will pair these readings with critical studies on mysticism, prophecy, dreams, and altered states of consciousness, as well as contemporary art labeled “visionary.” Conducted in English with all Italian and Latin texts also available in English.
This course asks the question, "what does it mean to be a visionary?" We will read a selection of Renaissance and Baroque Italian texts that demonstrate some form of ‘non-normative’ thinking, altered state of consciousness, or speculation on the future. These texts often cross genre boundaries, existing in between autobiography, literature, philosophy, religion, art, and science. We will pair these readings with critical studies on mysticism, prophecy, dreams, and altered states of consciousness, as well as contemporary art labeled “visionary.” Conducted in English with all Italian and Latin texts also available in English.
Distribution Area: Humanities
Umberto Eco was one of the most prolific and flamboyant authors of the 20th and early 21st centuries. Trained as a medievalist, he became one of the central figures in literary theory as well as a best-selling novelist, essayist, and public intellectual. We will explore his long career as both narratologist and narrator and its foundations in intellectual history. Works will include Il nome della rosa, Il pendolo di Foucault, Opera aperta, and The Limits of Interpretation.
Distribution Area: Humanities
Writing Intensive
Giambattista Vico’s Principi di scienza nuova (1725, 1730, 1744) was intended to found an “ideal” and “eternal” model of human development. Vico emphasizes the importance of both philology and philosophy to his project, and attempts to break the mold of thinking about the history of humanity by exposing the preconceptions and misconceptions that arose from attempts to square “sacred history” with “profane” or non Judaeo-Christian history, creating a philosophy (or even a science) of mythology.
Distribution Area: Humanities
Writing Intensive
This seminar examines a variety of literary texts and films, produced in Italy from the post-war period to the contemporary era, from material eco-critical perspectives. While maintaining a focus on Italy, this course addresses broad questions within the field of environmental humanities: what is the Anthropocene and how it has been conceptualized? How is has been framed chronologically? How do we interrogate a text from an ecocritical perspective? What is a non-anthropocentric narrative? What is the task of the eco-scholar? What is the goal of environmentally concerned scholarship? What does it mean to teach ‘ecocritally’? Literary texts include works by Italo Calvino, Carlo Cassola, Paolo Volponi, Anna Maria Ortese, and films by directors Roberto Rossellini, Pier Paolo Pasolini, Pietro Marcello, and Alice Rohrwacher. Critical and theoretical readings will include Marco Armiero and Marcus Hall’s Nature and History in Modern Italy, Timothy Morton’s Humankind, Serenella Iovino Ecocriticsm and Italy, and Rosi Braidotti’s The Posthuman.
Distribution Area: Humanities
Modern and Contemporary Italian Literature and Culture: The Canon and Beyond.This summer course guides graduate students in Italian (with a focus on the modern and contemporary period) through the preparation of their comprehensive doctoral exams. Students will read critically the works of canonical poets and writers from the late nineteenth through the twenty first centuries—from Ugo Foscolo, Giacomo Leopardi, and Alessandro Manzoni to Italo Calvino, Elsa Morante, Elena Ferrante and others. In addition to the reading of primary sources, students will also familiarize themselves with major contemporary critical and theoretical works by Roland Barthes, Jacques Derrida, Judith Butler, Julia Kristeva, and others. In preparation of the oral part of the exam, students will be instructed on how to develop a syllabus on an undergraduate course in Italian Studies.
Training for professional academic purposes.
This course is for a graduate students pursuing an independent research project with a faculty mentor. Students are expected to meet regularly with the mentor and to write a lengthy paper, or several short papers, on the chosen topic.
Students are expected to meet regularly with their dissertation director to ensure they adhere to a research and writing schedule for their dissertation.
This course is for graduate students to prepare their prospectus and one chapter of their dissertation.
AS.215
This course will explore the fundamental aspects of Spanish culture from the nineteenth to the twenty-first centuries. The course will offer a general survey of the history of Spain and will discuss texts, movies, songs, pictures, and paintings in relation to their social, political, and cultural contexts. This course will be of particular interest for students planning on spending a semester abroad in Spain—specially for those students going to the JHU Fall Semester in Madrid, at Carlos III University. Taught in Spanish. Recommended Course Background: AS.210.311 or appropriate Webcape score.AS.215.390 was formerly numbered AS.211.390
Prerequisite(s): Students may not have previously completed AS.211.390 OR AS.215.390.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4), Democracy (FA4.1)
Taught in Spanish. This course will explore the fundamental aspects of Latin- America culture from the formation of independent states through the present—in light of the social, political, and economic histories of the region. The course will offer a general survey of history of Latin- America, and will discuss texts, movies, songs, pictures, and paintings, in relation to their social, political, and cultural contexts. May not be taken satisfactory/unsatisfactory.
Prerequisite(s): Students may earn credit for AS.211.380 or AS.215.380, but not both.;AS.210.311
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4), Democracy (FA4.1)
The main objective of this course is to examine and discuss specific authors and topics in literature in Spanish from the Middle Ages to the 20th century. The course is designed to cover a selection of Hispanic texts from Spain and Latin America. Literary genres to be studied will include narratives, poetry, and drama. The bulk of each class session will be dedicated to the discussion of the assigned readings. This course is taught in Spanish. This course is required for the major in Spanish. Students who have completed AS.215.231 cannot take AS.215.211.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4)
This course aims to spotlight an often-overlooked corpus of texts to study the tradition of the Gothic mode in Latin America. A literary mode created in Europe and usually thought of as exclusive to the anglophone, francophone, and German traditions, the Gothic is, however, consistently present in Latin American stories, novels, and films. During the late XIX century, the texts of Edgar Allan Poe found fertile ground in the minds of modernista writers who began transforming the superficial elements of the Gothic mode to fit a new reality. Since then, the Gothic has resisted contention and continues to rear its head in texts penned by the likes of Jorge Luis Borges and Carlos Fuentes. This course seeks to briefly describe the path of the Gothic mode from its arrival in Latin America to some of its newest iterations and transformations. Taught in Spanish.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4)
This course will explore the varied avant-garde movements that have animated Latin American art and literature from the early 20th century to the late 1960s, examining their impact on today’s artistic and literary voices. We will study how artists and writers have confronted and transformed norms and traditions, developing unique modes of thought and expression. While acknowledging the influence of European counterpart movements, the focus will shift to indigenous and Afro-Latinx perspectives, examining how they have carved out distinctive creative paths and challenged colonial legacies. Topics and materials include the many movements that arose across the continent, such as Creacionismo in Chile, the Estridentismo Mexicano, and Brazilian concrete poetry; books and magazines that provided a platform for such authors as Jorge Luis Borges, Mário de Andrade, Patrícia “Pagu” Galvão, Nicanor Parra, and Clarice Lispector; recordings and other multimedia artifacts. The course will be conducted in Spanish.
Prerequisite(s): AS.210.311[C]
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4)
The aim of this course is to introduce students to Latin American literature and culture, with a particular focus on its intersections with visual media and the emerging field of sound studies. From the 1920s to the present, authors in Latin America have utilized various forms of media such as radio, sound recordings, typewriters, cameras, TVs, and computers to reflect upon and actively engage with various cultural and socio-political processes. Throughout the course, students will explore how Latin American authors used their writings and voices to challenge the constraints imposed by historical conditions, including heteropatriarchy, state violence, exile, and censorship, which were prevalent during dictatorships in different countries during the 20th century. We will delve into the works of authors such as Julio Cortázar, Ulises Carrión, Nicanor Parra, Augusto and Haroldo de Campos, Alejandra Pizarnik, Hilda Hilst, Angélica Freitas, among others. In addition, we will discuss both theoretical and practical approaches to written and vocal performances found in records, video/cinematic materials, and radio/web-based sound productions. Drawing upon a social and historical perspective, we will present literary artifacts to inspire a fresh perspective on contemporary Latin American culture. It is important to note that this course relies heavily on primary sources and secondary literature, most of which are written in Spanish. Portuguese texts, when available, will be presented in their original form alongside Spanish translations. The course will be conducted in Spanish.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4), Democracy (FA4.1)
What social, political, and economic forces make groups of people appear out of place in a given society? How have literary works contributed to counteracting the marginalization of certain groups? This course will look at how modern Spanish artists, writers, and intellectuals wrestled with questions of identity and marginalization. We will critically examine how the modern Spanish state was forged from restrictions on cultural difference and consider the various marginalized groups that were left in its wake. These groups include various peoples (e.g. the Romani), ideologies (e.g. anarchism, socialism, communism), social and economic classes (e.g. peasants, the working class), and regional identities (e.g. Catalonia, the Basque Country). Key texts in modern Spanish literature will prompt our investigation into how writers and artists reflected on, contested, and expressed the marginality of the country’s various internal others. Taught in Spanish.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Democracy (FA4.1), Ethics and Foundations (FA5)
What does a novelist’s op-ed about economics have to do with her literary writing? In what ways does a fiction writer’s essays on the environment inform how we read her novels? What happens when we find the political opinions of a writer objectionable? This undergraduate seminar will consider what the Spanish writer Francisco Ayala termed “novelist intellectuals,” that is, literary writers who actively participate in a society’s public sphere. Considering writers from Madrid to New York, from London to Buenos Aires, we will ask how one should hold a novelist’s fictional and non-fictional writings in the balance and explore ways of reading that allow us to consider the public intellectual side and the aesthetic side of a novelist together.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4)
We will analyze and discuss four novels and three films impacted by gender violence and political idolatry under shattering stress. Oficio de tinieblas or The Book of Lamentations (1962) by Rosario Castellanos (Mexico). Zama (1956) by Antonio di Benedetto (Argentina). Delirio or Delirium (2004) by Laura Restrepo (Colombia). El ruido de las cosas al caer or The Noise of Things Falling (2011) by Juan Gabriel Vásquez (Colombia). In addition, we will examine in depth films by Lucrecia Martel (Argentina): the short Rey muerto (1995), La ciénaga (2001), and her own version of Zama (2017). Course taught in Spanish.
Prerequisite(s): AS.210.312
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4), Democracy (FA4.1)
A survey and exploration of important works and themes in Latin American Literature of the modern period.
Prerequisite(s): AS.210.311
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Democracy (FA4.1), Ethics and Foundations (FA5)
Films by three leading Spanish male directors from different generational backgrounds and sexual and political orientations. We will study their respective filming and mythmaking of kinship and regional passions in mixing love with hate, attraction with rejection. Our dialogue will revive and debate the polemical psycho-analytic theses in Marsha Kinder’s Blood Cinema: The Reconstruction of National Identity in Spain.
Prerequisite(s): AS.210.311 OR AS.210.312
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4)
This course with seminar option is devoted to Mexico, its past and present paths into a remote inside-out pre-imperial epoch inalienable from North-against-South histories across the American Narcoland from Honduras to Alaska. Our nonfictional materials combine detailed summaries and readings of Stuart Elden's The Birth of Territory and James Maffie's Aztec Philosophy: Understanding a World in Motion. The fictional matter concerns Roberto Bolaño's 1998 novel, Los detectives salvajes (The Savage Detectives), Corman McCarthy's apocalypse Western, 1985 Blood Meridian, and Carlos Reygadas' films, Post Tenebras lux (2012) and Nuestro tiempo (2018).
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4), Democracy (FA4.1)
The nation of Colombia amounts to a large country partly made immense and hard to govern and corruptible by its territorial nexus and porous frontier with Venezuela. Starting from such polemic claim, leaning on misgovernance vs. excessive governmentality, we will study two novels, Laura Restrepo’s Delirio/Delirium (2004) and Juan Gabriel Vásquez’s The Noise of Things Falling (2011); both winners of the prestigious Planeta Prize. To what extent can literary fictions of such scope and ambitions, invested in deeply rooted family politics, help or harm the reader’s political trust in nations as novels and fictions as nations?
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4), Democracy (FA4.1)
In this class we will study a selection of the often violent and suspenseful literature that served to entertain both the masses and the nobility during the height and rapid decline of the Spanish Empire. We will delve into how the literary establishment, in particular the theater, disseminated and sometimes questioned social and gender norms, all while wrestling with the at times deadly code of honor that permeated Spanish society. (Course taught in Spanish)
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4)
Manifestos have been instrumental in shaping cultural, political, and social landscapes. Moving through and beyond the literary canon, we will explore manifestos as unique literary objects that blend art, politics, and calls for action, deeply reflecting the times and ideals from which they emerged. Focusing on Latin America, this interdisciplinary course delves into the manifesto genre as it evolved in the region. It traces its path from the early 20th-century literary and artistic avant-gardes to its use by new forms of social, ecological, and political activism. Our exploration will include a comprehensive survey of cultural objects contextualized within historical and contemporary perspectives on identity, politics, ethics, aesthetics, nature, human and more-than-human rights, and social justice. We will discuss texts from various countries, including Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Cuba, Mexico, Peru, and others. Additionally, this seminar incorporates insights from diverse fields and disciplines such as poetics, philosophy, literary studies, sound and media studies, design, and typography.
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4), Democracy (FA4.1)
What is an illness? How do we define a sick body? How can literature, films and art convey suffering and healing? How do traditional histories of medicine structure sickness? Is there a perception––and representation––of illness that can be specific to Latin American culture? How does the Spanish language address issues of sickness, disability, and pain? This course will explore experiences of illness, suffering, pain, and healing through the readings of narratives, works of theory and criticism, and the writings of artists themselves, as well as film, artistic practices, and documentaries. Discussions will place the narratives of illness in the intersections with the history of public health, biomedical history, and the sociocultural history of disease in Latin America. Within the framework of the Medicine, Science, and the Humanities major, students will learn to recognize the value and relevance of literature and art to their personal, educational, and professional growth.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4)
An exploration of Spanish literature of the 17th century focused on problems of truth and political manipulation. Taught in Spanish.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Citizens and Society (FA4), Democracy (FA4.1), Ethics and Foundations (FA5)
We will study literary claims of epic colonial possession and aesthetic dispossession through close readings of five works in reverse chronological order: V.S. Naipaul’s late historical novel, A Way in the World (1994); Derek Walcott’s transoceanic poem, Omeros (1990); Alejo Carpentier’s short anti-Enlightenment moral tale, El reino de este mundo (1949) and his short tale in celebration of Afro Cuban wizardry, Viaje a la semilla (1944); Aimé Césaire’s prose poetry, mixed chronicle, Cahier d'un retour au pays natal, or Notebook of a Return to the Native Land (1939-1947). We will address questions of temporality and historicity (Heidegger) and a base-materialist political blocking of wild dreams as attainable through translation (Bataille). Such formal and epistemic problems will draw us into issues of race across the colonial spectrum of Caribbean histories.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4)
How is painting political? What would it mean for a painting to make a political intervention? Can a painting, through its subject, composition, and style, make political arguments and claims? Understanding painting as a repository for social, economic, and political relations, this course will examine the works of major Spanish painters from El Greco to Picasso. We will pay special attention to the ways in which painters developed a particular “political vision” of Iberia and the world. Paintings will be paired with texts ranging from art history and criticism to literature, history, and political philosophy. Taught in Spanish.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Democracy (FA4.1), Ethics and Foundations (FA5)
His detractors often compare him to Hitler while many of his admirers see in him a saint and a martyr like Jesus Christ. Cuban school children are taught to be like him. Che was killed in 1967, the same year in which Gabriel García Márquez published Cien años de soledad (One Hundred Years of Solitute). We will study Guevara's life as a militant revolutionary through his own writings and the exorbitant style known as realismo mágico, crafted by García Márquez, one of Che's great admirers. Four movies will anchor our visual take on the myth and the man: Los diarios de motocicleta* (Walter Salles, 2004), Che I** and Che II** (Steven Soderbergh, 2008), and Wall Street** (Oliver Stone, 1987). The nineteen-eighties narcotraffic boom in Colombia and the cocaine-driven financial high times during the late Reagan years will frame our study.
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4)
Spanish surrealism emerged unevenly. Some writers and artists sought out the surrealist label while others rejected or ignored it altogether. Some attempted to adhere to André Breton’s “Surrealist Manifesto” while others went decidedly against its principles. Yet surrealism, in one way or another, took over the Spanish artistic scene during the 1920s and ’30s. Today, it is associated with Federico García Lorca, Salvador Dalí, and Luis Buñuel. Friends, roommates, and even lovers, Lorca, Dalí, and Buñuel came to define surrealism’s acceptance, rejection, and indifference in Spain. This seminar will examine the moment of Spanish surrealism through these three figures. The course will include the study of film, art, drama, poetry, and nonfiction. Taught in Spanish.Recommended Course Background: AS.215.390 or AS.215.231
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4)
Havana and Miami make up the oldest US enclave city linked to a foreign one under US Embargo access. We will study a unique counterpoint Hispanic Exiled culture which considers itself protected by American Exceptionalism
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4)
Directed readings with Spanish faculty.
Prerequisite(s): You must request Independent Academic Work using the Independent Academic Work form found in Student Self-Service: Registration, Online Forms.
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4)
Directed readings with Spanish faculty.
Prerequisite(s): You must request Independent Academic Work using the Independent Academic Work form found in Student Self-Service: Registration, Online Forms.
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4)
This course is envisioned as an invitation to branch out beyond the traditional archives of Hispanism, as we engage with the cultural production of ‘peripheral’ territories in the so-called Hispanic world, including regions that have recently been grouped within the category of the “Global Hispanophone.” This rubric aspires to incorporate the cultures and historical experiences of territories once bound by the Spanish Empire in North Africa, the Gulf of Guinea, and the Philippines. In this reconfiguration of our intellectual and geographic maps of Hispanic studies, we will place these regions’ pasts and presents in dialogue with other areas traditionally more central to our disciplines, while giving particular centrality to Africa. The course is thus informed by a determination to break away from the overarching Iberian/Latin American binary, an even some configurations of Atlantic Studies, and to embrace other communities, histories, experiences, and repertoires. We will ask: what might an engagement with this new archive of the Global Hispanophone entail for the broader fields, and for the scholarly practices, of Latin American, Caribbean, Latinx, Iberian, or Atlantic studies today? How might engaging with one or more of the geographical areas involved –Western Sahara, Ceuta, Melilla, Morocco, Algeria, the Philippines, Equatorial Guinea and perhaps others not fully covered in this course– alter, or transform, our approach to the respective fields?
We will examine and stress-test writings that graphically breach and exploit established literary discourses in direct or indirect reference to unbound self-consciousness. This mode of textual introspection struggles against false consciousness as a form of self-absorbed torture (matching routine practices by the dictorships that rule over any sense of actuality in these novels). Textual imprisonment (often hyper-sexualized) escapes and humiliates these otherwise triumphantly gendered writers. Diamela Eltit, Lumpérica (1983); José Donoso, La desesperanza (1986); Néstor Perlongher, O negocio do miché. Prostitução viril em Sao Paulo (1987), La prostitución masculina (1993) or El negocio del deseo (1999); Mario Vargas Llosa, El paraíso en la otra esquina (2003); Laura Restrepo, Delirio (2004). In each case, aspects of dictatorship as specific South American despotism should loudly impact our discussions.
This seminar explores the convergence of toxicity and space, politics and affect in Latin America through an analysis of literary fiction, poetry, films and visual art. We pay close attention to the politics of contamination, its effects in both the space and the body, as well as in communal efforts undertaken by both Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities that look at alternative methods to make sense of everyday life stories and environmental disasters. These stories originate from the margins and aim at uncovering the vibrant matter of daily contamination and bodily experiences. Some questions we will address are: How are the imaginaries of sickness informed by the continual increase of toxicity in both urban and rural areas? How do they imagine life and how do they contribute to a new understanding and conceptualizations of biological life, human and non-human? This class is taught in Spanish.
The stratified nature of medieval and early modern Iberia was long understood to derive not from race per se but from lineage, whereby statutes of limpieza de sangre or blood purity granted an array of privileges to descendants of Christian ancestors while discriminating against those of Jewish or Muslim heritage. Recent scholarship, however, has challenged this paradigm to establish that race was already operative in premodernity, and that skin color was, alongside ethnoreligious genealogy, yet another vector of oppression. This course will explore the racialization of skin complexion in sixteenth- and seventeenth-century Iberian drama, particularly in plays featuring Black African and Afro-diasporic characters, such as those by Andrés de Claramonte, Diego Jiménez de Enciso, Lope de Rueda, Lope de Vega, Antonio Mira de Amescua, Rodrigo de Reinosa, Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, and Luis Vélez de Guevara. In doing so, students will engage with the field of premodern critical race studies to interrogate how a nascent colorism intersected with historical projects of national and imperial consolidation, global trade, colonialism, slavery, and other racial formations. Many of the readings will be available only in Spanish, though class discussion may be conducted in Spanish or English, depending on the needs of enrolled students.
Distribution Area: Humanities
This course examines how 20th-century Latin American fiction represented predominantly rural societies, not only as sites of 'tradition' (as is frequently assumed by extant criticism), but as active sites of transition and change in their own right. Focusing on key authors such as Juan Rulfo, José María Arguedas, Rosario Castellanos and José Donoso, among others, we will ask how fiction, particularly the novel, represented far-reaching rural transitions in the 20th century, ranging from agrarian revolution and land reform to the massive relocation of immiserated peasants to burgeoning cities. Along these lines, we will ask 1) how fiction imagined the rural not simply as static, but as a site of violent and often unpredictable change; and 2) which special insights aesthetic form might provide as a means of capturing that change. In similar fashion, we will ask how Latin America's 'agrarian fictions' might enrich our understanding of literary currents such as regionalism, indigenismo and the "Boom," but also the history of capitalism in the region.
Writing Intensive
An exploration of literary figures from the margins of Spanish society in the 17th century. Taught in Spanish.
Distribution Area: Humanities
This seminar presents a transnational history of Latina American cinema from the 1960s to the present, with a special regard to its global influence. Starting with the Cuban Revolution and the subsequent founding of the ICAIC, we'll examine how politics and aesthetics shape each other. We'll discuss the manifestos and films of the so-called New Latin American Cinema, including Tercer Cine, Cine Imperfecto, and Cinema Novo; the filmography made during the continent's various dictatorships; and post-dictatorship debates on memory. We'll also engage with a recent theoretical and cinematic production on gender, sexuality, the non-human, and new cinematic postcolonial approaches. In December, we will visit the International Festival of New Latin American Cinema of Havana to continue discussions in the setting of Latin America’s largest film festival. Some knowledge of Spanish will be necessary to take this class.
In this seminar we will examine the widespread deployment of cultural production in the early modern period in the service of generating social cohesion around an emerging national project, primarily in the case of Spain. At stake will be how cultural practices can determine a shared sense of reality, often at odds with the interests of marginal groups, as well as the strategies that emerge to counteract and question those practices. While reading knowledge of Spanish is desirable, graduate students from other disciplines who wish to explore these theoretical questions with regard to a different cultural corpus are welcome. Graded Pass/Fail.
In this seminar we will the examine the ways in which Jorge Luis Borges’s narratives intersect with lines of inquiry pursued by Martin Heidegger and Jacques Derrida around perception, knowledge, language, time, and space.
Distribution Area: Humanities
Writing Intensive
Humanists possess a reservoir of scholarly abilities that prime them for contributing to debates well beyond the academy. This semester-long workshop will introduce graduate students to the basics of writing for such broad audience. Each session will be organized around particular topics in public humanities writing, including the pitching, writing, editing, and publishing processes of newspapers, magazines, and online outlets. We will also consider the forms of writing that most allow scholars to draw from their academic training and research: reviews, personal essays, op-eds, interviews, and profiles. Throughout the course we will see how the interdisciplinarity, comparativism, and multilingualism of fields from across the humanities can be helpful for reaching wide audiences. Beyond the nuts and bolts of getting started in so-called “public” writing, this course aspires to teach graduate students how to combine quality writing with academic knowledge, scholarly analysis with a general intellectual readership—and, ultimately, make academic knowledge a public good. Taught in English.
Prerequisite(s): Students who took AS.215.748 are not eligible to take AS.215.718.
Distribution Area: Humanities
Summer research toward dissertation.
Directed readings with Spanish faculty.
Research work toward dissertation.
Directed work toward preparation of the dissertation proposal.
Training for professional academic purposes.
AS.216
This course will use the concept of the Other to study the ways in which various marginal groups in Israel are represented in contemporary Israeli films, TV drama, prose-fiction, poetry and visual art. As a nation-state which was founded on the premise of a utopian vision of a just and fair society and as a promise for a safe haven for Jews escaping their status as Others, contemporary Israeli culture offers a unique case study. The course will run as a research seminar in which students will be encouraged to actively engage in analyzing the ways in which cultural productions depict the Other/s and Otherness as well as the social, political and psychological motivations and implications of these depictions. We will ask questions such as: who is considered as Other and by whom? What roles do the cultural representations play in shaping national collective identity, stereotypes and the perception of the self as Other? And how collective memory shapes Otherness?
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Citizens and Society (FA4), Ethics and Foundations (FA5)
Writing Intensive
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is often construed as impenetrable to outsiders, yet, cultural production emerging from this crucible is often presented as a “window” into the history, politics, and psychology of the conflict. Rather than operating from the assumption that culture is a mirror that simply “reflects” an objective reality, this course investigates how authors, filmmakers, and artists situated in the midst of the conflict produce art that reaches far beyond the representation of historical events, extending into the domains of religion, memory, fantasies, nostalgia, perceptions of space and time, body image and gender and sexual identities. The material covered will include feature and documentary film, literature, memoir, dance, visual art, photography and theater. All material will be taught in English translation.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Citizens and Society (FA4), Democracy (FA4.1), Ethics and Foundations (FA5)
This course examines the role of the Holocaust in Israeli society and culture. We will study the emergence of the discourse on the Holocaust in Israel and its development throughout the years. Through focusing on scholarly, literary, artistic, and cinematic responses to the Holocaust, we will analyze the impact of its memory on the nation, its society, politics, and collective self. The course is divided to three general categories: Historical and Sociological Perspective, Literary Perspective, and Cinematic Perspective. However, we will study the crossroad between these three categories, and will explore them in relation to one another.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4)
In traditional Ashkenazi Jewish society, the purim-shpil was the only kind of drama performed, but with the advent of modernity Yiddish-speaking Jews embraced theatre as playwrights, actors, and audiences. This course will survey Yiddish theatre from its traditional beginnings through its many permutations from the late eighteenth century to the present day, with examples of plays from the popular to the highly literary. All readings, discussion, and written responses will be in Yiddish.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4)
This course will explore the evolution of Hebrew linguistic thought, focusing on the seminal works of early Hebrew grammarians in Muslim Spain during the 10th–11th centuries, including Judah Hayyuj and Jonah Ibn Janah. It will then trace the intellectual journey across Christian Central Europe up to the late modern era, highlighting contributions from both Jewish and non-Jewish grammarians. Notably, it will feature figures such as David Kimhi at the beginning of this period and Wilhelm Gesenius at its conclusion. The exploration will conclude with an overview of modern contributions, from within Israel and abroad, to Hebrew linguistic thought, showcasing linguists like Naphtali Tur-Sinai and Geoffrey Khan.The course will primarily involve reading texts written by leading grammarians and biblical commentators, examining fundamental issues in Hebrew language, the various theories proposed, and the transformations that have taken place in Hebrew linguistic thought. The texts will be read in English, with reference to the original languages (if other than English), Hebrew or Arabic.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4)
This research course focuses on surveying and deepening the students’ familiarity with the historical, cultural, and linguistic aspects of modern Jewish literature.
Prerequisite(s): You must request Independent Academic Work using the Independent Academic Work form found in Student Self-Service: Registration, Online Forms.
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4)
Twentieth-century and contemporary Eastern European Literature is the locus of poetry and the essay. In this course we shall examine classic authors, such as Bruno Schulz, Zbigniew Herbert, and Adam Zagajewski, as well as those less known in the English-speaking world: Zuzanna Ginczanka, Ota Pavel, Henryk Grynberg, Oksana Lutsyshyna. We will consider verse, poetic prose and lyrical essays. The issues that will inform our readings will be internal and actual emigration, translingualism, and the persistence of war. Polish, Ukrainian, Hungarian, Czech, Serbo-Croatian, but also French and American English are the languages in which these authors speak to us. Eastern European literature resonates with voices that have, time and again, brushed against catastrophe.
Modern Hebrew literature emerged during the nineteenth century as part of the Haskalah movement, which attempted to break from the traditional modes of Jewish intellectual and social life while also offering a new understanding of Judaism. The Hebrew literature that arose in this period embraced the rebellious nature of the Haskalah and is therefore commonly characterized as secular in nature, defying Orthodoxy and rejecting the old Hebrew God. Against this clear-cut distinction between religious and secular literature, this seminar will study the ways in which modern Hebrew literature has maintained a vital dialogue with the divine and the sacred. We will read and analyze prosefiction, poetry and publicist essays in order to track the various theological trends that were part of this self- declared secular national literature. The reading will include texts by Ahad Haam, Bialik, Shlonsky, Brenner, Agnon, Grinberg and Goldberg, as well as more contemporary writers like Amichai, Ravikovitch, Wallach, Behar and Pedaya.This course will be taught in Hebrew.
Distribution Area: Humanities
The concept of exile relies on the existence of differentiated space and of borders. It also presupposes affective attachment: to be exiled is to be forcibly removed from the space of belonging. And yet time cannot be excluded from a consideration of exile. Hence exilic chronotope, the timespace of forcible displacement. Beginning with the canonical banishment from the Garden of Eden, the seminar will trace the implications of exile in its historical and metaphysical sense: social alienation caused by displacement, creative fulfillment of the distance from home, phenomenological aspects of exilic topology. The readings and visual works will include Georg Simmel, Alfred Schuetz, Kurt Zadek Lewin, Charles Baudelaire, Walter Benjamin, Siegfried Kracauer, Aby Warburg, Mascha Kaleko, Zuzanna Ginczanka, Charlotte Salomon, and Daniel Mendelson.
This seminar will track the changes in the representations of Jesus in modern Hebrew literature. We will study the connections between intellectual writings and the literary depictions of Jesus, changes in the representations of his figure in the aftermath of the Holocaust and Israeli statehood, and the function of his figure in the cultural and theological modern Jewish imagination. Reading will include prose-fiction, novels, poetry, drama, and intellectual essays from the late 19th century to the beginning of the 21st century.
Distribution Area: Humanities
Folklore played a decisive role in the development of Romantic nationalism and was the chief catalyst for the development of the aesthetics of nationalization. It was also the point of connection between anthropological and aesthetics notions of culture. Folklore was no less central to the processes of modernization, nationalization, and secularization among European Jews despite the conceptual and social instability surrounding the status of Jews as political subjects and as a "folk." This course will examine folklore in the literature, music, and visual art of Yiddish-speaking European Jews, in order to understand the aesthetic and political terrain on which identity in Europe was contested in the decades around 1900. Readings and discussion in Yiddish.
This seminar seeks to trace the narrative dynamics and literary means of modern Hebrew Literature through a close examination of the tension between its realistic and anti-realistic trends. It begins with theoretical questions regarding the definition of realism as a literary genre. After this introductory section, the seminar is divided to three different periods in modern Hebrew literature, each is analyzed within the framework of its relation to realism. The first period is the turn of the 20th century and its first decades, reading works by writers such as Yosef Haim Brenner, Shmuel Yosef Agnon and Devora Baron. In the second period we study the post Israeli statehood period through reading works by A.B. Yehoshua, Amos Oz, Amalia Khanana Carmon and Yehoshua Knaz. The third part of the course deals with prose-fiction that is considered post-modernistic and includes writers such as David Grossman, Orly Castel-Bloom Yoel Hofmann, and Ronit Matalon.
Distribution Area: Humanities
Writing Intensive
This research course focuses on surveying and deepening the students’ familiarity with the historical, cultural, and linguistic aspects of modern Jewish literature.
Yiddish Independent Study
This research course focuses on surveying and deepening the students’ familiarity with the historical, cultural, and linguistic aspects of modern Jewish literature.
Hebrew/Yiddish Proposal Prep
Hebrew/Yiddish Dissertation Research
Training for professional academic purposes.
AS.217
This discussion-based course for continuing students of Portuguese focuses on a wide range of Lusophone literary sources from the modern and contemporary periods. We’ll read seminal texts from Europe, the Americas, and Africa, paying close attention to language and context. How do forms, ideas, and genres travel across the Atlantic? What shape do they take according to different geographies, cultures, and histories? Topics include the legacies of empire and slavery, theoretical debates about the formation of Brazilian Literature, national identity, (post)colonialism, representations of nature, and indigeneity. Students will read in the original Portuguese innovative prose works by Machado de Assis and Clarice Lispector; the poetry of Fernando Pessoa; concrete poetry, and modernist manifestos, among other things. Recommended Course Background: AS.210.278
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4)
In the 20th century, the Lusophone world saw the rise and fall of such authoritarian governments as the Estado Novo in Portugal (1933–74) and the military dictatorship in Brazil (1964–85). During this period, a series of revolutionary political movements sprung up, as well as innovative cultural production. How does culture respond to censorship? How do art and politics comment on and ultimately transform each other? In this course we will discuss novels, poetry, film, songs, and artworks from Brazil, Portugal, and Lusophone Africa that engage critically with dictatorships and their aftermaths. Topics include violence, trauma and memory, colonialism, post-colonialism, and decoloniality, race and the legacies of slavery, counterculture, and popular cultures. Readings and discussion in Portuguese. Interested students who have not completed course prerequisites should contact the instructor for permission to enroll.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4), Democracy (FA4.1)
Increased awareness of climate change has led to a shift in the way we address and intervene in environmental issues in the new millennium. Yet the interest in making sense of the environment has a long history in literature and the arts. How have Latin American writers and artists understood and depicted their environments and environmental questions? How do the form and content of texts and cultural artifacts influence our understanding of the non-human world? Can works of fiction shape ecological transformations? In this course we will discuss texts from the early colonial period to the present, including the literary works of Graciliano Ramos, Horacio Quiroga, and Clarice Lispector; political ecology; film; Ana Mendieta’s earth-body art; contemporary experiments in bio-art; postcolonial theory; and the intersection of environmental justice with such topics as nationalism and human rights. Going beyond ecocriticism’s original focus on the Anglo-American world, we will engage recent scholarship on Latin America that sheds light on the region’s cultural and geopolitical importance to the global climate, with particular attention to Brazil. This course aims to introduce students to current debates in Latin American Ecocriticism and the Anthropocene and thus contribute to an incipient but expanding field.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4), Democracy (FA4.1)
The vast body of work produced women artists and writers in Brazil has been marginalized by canonical cultural narratives, which are now being contested by a spate of scholarly and artistic projects. This course spotlights the production of women from the early twentieth century to the present, including renowned and lesser-known works. We’ll discuss art, literature, and film alongside feminist theory, exploring radicality as it relates to aesthetics and politics. How do women’s art, literature, and thought engage with and transform Brazilian cultural production? What are their contributions to global discussions about gender and sexuality? How do these works respond to historical events? Among the topics addressed are the body, feminism, race, indigeneity, and politics. We’ll study Clarice Lispector’s acclaimed stories, the first Brazilian proletarian novel written by modernist icon Patricia Galvão, known as Pagu, the diaries of Carolina Maria de Jesus, the emblematic paintings of Tarsila do Amaral, and Lygia Clark’s artwork, as well as the booming scene of contemporary cinema and poetry. The course is taught in English, but those interested in doing the coursework in Portuguese (4 credits) should register for section 02.
Distribution Area: Humanities
AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4), Democracy (FA4.1)