Department of Modern Languages Courses

About Course Numbers:

Each Carnegie Mellon course number begins with a two-digit prefix that designates the department offering the course (i.e., 76-xxx courses are offered by the Department of English). Although each department maintains its own course numbering practices, typically, the first digit after the prefix indicates the class level: xx-1xx courses are freshmen-level, xx-2xx courses are sophomore level, etc. Depending on the department, xx-6xx courses may be either undergraduate senior-level or graduate-level, and xx-7xx courses and higher are graduate-level. Consult the Schedule of Classes each semester for course offerings and for any necessary pre-requisites or co-requisites.


82-101 Elementary French I
Fall and Spring: 12 units
This course is for students with no prior experience in French. Using a proficiency-oriented approach, students will develop contextually appropriate interpersonal communication skills in both written and spoken French, develop reading and listening skills through the use of various media, understand fundamental grammar, acquire vocabulary, and gain a basic understanding of French and francophone cultures through class activities. Regular homework, quizzes, tests, presentations, and class participation are mandatory (four in-class hours per week). The elementary level is also designed to help students learn to reflect and draw upon strategies used by good language learners in their second language study. A student with prior experience in French must take the placement exam.
82-102 Elementary French II
Fall and Spring: 12 units
This course is designed for students who have taken first-semester French at Carnegie Mellon or learned its equivalent as determined by placement. Using a proficiency-oriented approach, students will expand contextually appropriate interpersonal communication skills in both written and spoken French, continue to develop reading and listening skills through the use of various media, review previously learned and practice new grammar and vocabulary, and gain a further understanding of French and francophone cultures through class activities. Regular homework, quizzes, tests, presentations, and class participation are mandatory (four in-class hours per week). The elementary level is also designed to help students learn to reflect and draw upon strategies used by good language learners in their second language study. A student with prior experience in French must take the placement exam.
Prerequisites: 82-101 or 82-103
82-103 Elementary French I Online
Fall and Spring: 12 units
This course is designed for students with no prior experience with French and who need a more flexible approach to language learning than that offered in a standard classroom course. Beginning language learners will develop communicative competence in the four basic skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing. Basic vocabulary and sentence structures for use in essential daily-life situations, as well as cultural information, are taught through the course materials and assignments. Materials are web-based, with extensive use of Internet technologies for listening, reading, and communication. During regular semesters, this course is offered in a hybrid mode requiring one 80-minute class per week in addition to weekly 20-minute individual meetings with the instructor or a peer speaking assistant. There is a materials fee for taking this course which is paid by credit card on first log-in to the course website. A student with prior experience in French must take the placement exam.
82-104 Elementary French II Online
Fall and Spring: 12 units
This course is designed for students who need a more flexible approach to language learning than that offered in a standard classroom course. Students will learn more useful and complex expressions and sentence structures necessary for use in everyday life. Students will continue building their skills in listening, speaking, reading, and writing for everyday communication. Additionally, course materials and assignments are designed to improve students' understanding of French and francophone cultures and societies. Materials are web-based with extensive use of Internet technologies for listening, reading, and communication. During regular semesters, this course is offered in a hybrid mode requiring one 80-minute class per week in addition to weekly 20-minute individual meetings with the instructor or a peer speaking assistant. There is a materials fee for taking this course which is paid by credit card on first log-in to the course website. A student with prior experience in French must take the placement exam.
Prerequisites: 82-101 or 82-103
82-109 Introduction to Arabic I
Intermittent: 9 units
This course is the first part of a two-semester sequence (82-109, 82-110) for students with no background in Arabic. It covers the first half of 82-111 in one semester through introducing learners to Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) in its written and spoken forms to achieve communicative competence at the elementary level in all language skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing). To this end the course follows a proficiency-oriented approach to language teaching. In addition to MSA, the course introduces students to one of the popular spoken dialects in the Arab world such as Egyptian, Levantine, or Moroccan (depending upon the instructor's background/expertise). Students will also study various cultural aspects of the Arab world through written, audio-visual and online-based materials. Regular homework, quizzes, tests, presentations, and class participation are required (three in-class hours per week plus six hours of required homework). Students who intend to do a minor in Arabic Studies should consult with the Arabic minor advisor before deciding on 82-109 or 82-111.
82-110 Introduction to Arabic II
Intermittent: 9 units
TBA
Prerequisite: 82-109
82-111 Elementary Arabic I
Fall: 12 units
This course introduces learners to Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) in its written and spoken forms to achieve communicative competence at the elementary level in all language skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing). To this end the course follows a proficiency-oriented approach to language teaching. In addition to MSA, the course introduces students to one of the popular spoken dialects in the Arab world such as Egyptian, Levantine, or Moroccan (depending upon the instructor's background/expertise). Students will also study various cultural aspects of the Arab world through written, audio-visual and online-based materials. Students with prior knowledge of Arabic must take the placement exam.
82-112 Elementary Arabic II
Spring: 12 units
This course builds on Elementary Arabic I to continue introducing students to Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) to achieve communicative competence at the Novice-High/Intermediate-Low level in all language skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing). To this end, the course follows a proficiency-oriented approach to language teaching. In addition to MSA, the course continues to introduce students to one of the popular spoken dialects in the Arab world such as Egyptian, Levantine, or Moroccan (depending upon the instructor's background/expertise). Students will continue to explore various cultural aspects of the Arab world through written, audio-visual and online materials.
Prerequisite: 82-111
82-114 Arabic for Global Exchange Online
Fall and Spring: 6 units
This class focuses primarily on learning about Arab culture with a minor focus on learning functional Arabic language. The course introduces learners to basic concepts and information to facilitate entry and engagement in an Arabic-speaking environment, and utilizes instructional materials to introduce basic cultural knowledge and survival language. This is a mini-course for individuals with no proficiency or extremely limited knowledge of Arabic language and Arab culture. Each of the six lessons in the course includes texts and activities to promote acquisition of cultural content in English as well as basic introductory exposure to the Arabic language. Synchronous individual or small group online meetings to discuss course content will be arranged during the first week of the course. All course materials are hosted by the Online Learning Initiative, with guidance provided by the instructor via Canvas. Class evaluation is based on contributions to online discussion forums, synchronous online meetings in English with the instructor, synchronous online meetings in Arabic with a speaking assistant, and a final project.
82-115 Beginning Arabic for Oral Communication
Intermittent: 6 units
ARABIC FOR ORAL COMMUNICATION is designed for students who desire to learn how to orally communicate in Arabic or who have taken Arabic for Global Exchange. This course does not teach how to read or write Arabic. It offers students the opportunity to engage in speaking and listening activities and complete a variety of related oral practice assignments in and outside of class, using a spoken Arabic that would be widely understood anywhere in the Arab World. The conversation topics will be greetings, self-introduction, hobbies, proper terms of address in casual and professional settings, and describing feelings and places.
82-116 Arabic Cultural Issues Past & Present
Fall and Spring: 9 units
This course is offered only at Carnegie Mellon's campus in Qatar. This course is intended for students who wish to master speaking in Modern Standard Arabic (MSA). This is done through reading articles on customs and traditions of the Arabs and discussing them thoroughly in class using MSA. Since this is an elementary level course, it is to help students switch from their dialect to speaking MSA. Through the reading of complex articles and texts on customs and traditions of Arabs and discussing them thoroughly in class using Modern Standard Arabic (MSA), students will engage in academic conversations with the goals of a developing a deeper understanding of Arab cultures and a facility to use MSA at an academic level. An elementary level course, this course is designed for students who wish to improve their proficiency in speaking and reading MSA as an alternative to their dialect.
82-117 Arabic Conversation & Dialect I
Fall and Spring: 6 units
This course introduces students to a particular dialect of Arabic and to the culture of the region where the dialect is spoken. The dialect of the course will vary based on the instructor's background/expertise (for example, Levantine, Egyptian, Moroccan, etc.). This class adopts a proficiency-based approach and the content of the course will be organized around specific themes such as greetings, introductions, directions, family, food, etc. Students will be required to engage actively in speaking activities and complete a variety of related oral practice assignments outside of class. Because of the significant contribution of technology in facilitating and empowering language learning and language teaching, a substantial part of communication, activities, and assignments will be done via programs such as Aswaat Arabiyya, BYKI, Film clips, Skype, Youtube, etc. Please contact the department for specific information on the upcoming semester's course content.
82-118 Arabic Conversation & Dialect II
Fall and Spring: 6 units
This course continues students' exploration of the same regional dialect and culture taught in Arabic Conversation and Dialect I for that particular semester. The content of the course will be organized around specific themes that build on previously introduced topics (e.g., daily schedule, weddings, traveling, hobbies, etc.). Students will be required to engage actively in speaking activities and complete a variety of related oral practice assignments outside of class. Because of the significant contribution of technology in facilitating and empowering language learning and language teaching, a substantial part of communication, activities, and assignments will be done via programs such as Aswaat Arabiyya, BYKI, Film clips, Skype, Youtube, etc. Please contact the department for specific information on the upcoming semester's course content.
Prerequisite: 82-117 Min. grade C
82-119 Arabic Calligraphy Culture & Skills
Fall and Spring: 9 units
This course introduces its participants to historical and cultural contexts and various techniques used to produce Arabic calligraphy works. No previous knowledge of the Arabic script or language is necessary. At the end of the course, participants will demonstrate familiarity and comfort with key movements in the history and art of Arabic calligraphy, and read simple alphabet constructions or words in a variety of styles. Participants will apply proper techniques to producing calligraphy in two of the most commonly used styles, Naskh and Riq'ah, as well as experiment with some modern script styles. The class will use lecture discussions, audio-visual media, projects, guest speakers, and field trips as occasions arise.
82-121 Elementary German I
Fall and Spring: 12 units
This course is for students with no prior experience in German. Using a proficiency-oriented approach, students will develop contextually appropriate interpersonal communication skills in both written and spoken German, develop reading and listening skills through the use of various media, understand fundamental grammar, acquire vocabulary, and gain a basic understanding of German-speaking cultures through class activities. The elementary level is also designed to help students learn to reflect and draw upon strategies used by good language learners in their second language study. Regular homework, quizzes, tests, presentations, and class participation are mandatory (four in-class hours per week). A student with prior experience in German must take the placement exam.
82-122 Elementary German II
Fall and Spring: 12 units
This course is designed for students who have taken first-semester German at Carnegie Mellon or learned its equivalent as determined by placement. Using a proficiency-oriented approach, students will expand contextually appropriate interpersonal communication skills in both written and spoken German, continue to develop reading and listening skills through the use of various media, review previously learned and practice new grammar and vocabulary, and gain a further understanding of German cultures through class activities. The elementary level is also designed to help students learn to reflect and draw upon strategies used by good language learners in their second language study. Regular homework, quizzes, tests, presentations, and class participation are mandatory (four in-class hours per week). A student with prior experience in German must take the placement exam.
Prerequisites: 82-123 or 82-121
82-123 Directed Language Study: Elementary German I or II
Fall and Spring: 12 units
This course is a directed, instructor-supervised version of the courses 82-121 or 82-122. It is recommended for (1) students who are strongly motivated and have the time, self-discipline, and desire to work independently, (2) students whose schedule precludes enrollment in the regular elementary course, and/or (3) students who have had previous German study but are not prepared to take 82-122. This course develops the fundamental language skills as outlined in the descriptions of 82-121 and 82-122, and students complete the same work as for those courses. Written work is turned in for correction and tests covering each unit of material will be taken according to a schedule determined by the instructor. The instructor will be available during office hours or by appointment for individual consultations and testing. Students are permitted to take only one semester of 82-123.
82-130 Navigating Chinese Culture: Intro to the Three Kingdoms
Intermittent: 9 units
This course introduces students to the basics of Chinese culture in order to assist them to better understand and appreciate traditional Chinese humanistic ideas, thoughts and value systems, with a focus on the Confucian point of view. Through the study of the classic novel, ?The Three Kingdoms?, the most valued virtues within Chinese culture and society - loyalty, filial piety, benevolence and righteousness ?are presented and discussed. Different aspects of the daily life culture will be introduced as well. Supplementary readings, video clips as well as video games will be used to provide students with a deeper insight, observation and motivation to explore more issues related to Chinese culture, history and philosophy. Assessment will be based on short essays, group projects and individual presentations. Some basic Chinese language instruction will be included to give students a taste of the Chinese language. After taking this course, students will - develop a basic understanding of the essence of Chinese culture - build an awareness of cultural differences between different countries - understand some basic characteristics of Chinese language This course is conducted in English; no prior knowledge of the Chinese culture is required.
82-131 Elementary Chinese I
Fall and Spring: 12 units
This course is for students with no prior experience in Chinese. Using a proficiency-oriented approach, students will develop contextually appropriate interpersonal communication skills in both written and spoken Chinese, develop reading and listening skills through various media, understand fundamental grammar, acquire vocabulary, and gain a basic understanding of Chinese cultures through class and extracurricular activities. Regular homework, quizzes, tests, and participation in class are mandatory (four in-class hours per week). Students will learn the phonetic transcriptions of Chinese (Pinyin) for speaking and listening as well as Chinese characters for reading and writing. The elementary level is also designed to help students learn to reflect and draw upon strategies used by good language learners in their second language study. A student with prior experience in Chinese must take the placement exam.
82-132 Elementary Chinese II
Fall and Spring: 12 units
This course is designed for students who have taken first-semester Chinese at Carnegie Mellon or its equivalent by placement. Students will continue developing contextually appropriate interpersonal communication skills in both written and spoken Chinese, developing reading and listening skills through various media, and working toward a deeper understanding of Chinese culture. Work for this course will include the introduction and use of more complicated sentence structures, grammar, and expressions. Students are also encouraged to communicate in longer sentences and write short paragraphs and essays in Chinese. Regular homework, quizzes, tests, and participation in class are mandatory (four in-class hours per week). Students will continue to learn the phonetic transcriptions of Chinese (Pinyin) for speaking and listening as well as Chinese characters for reading and writing. The elementary level is designed to help students learn to reflect and draw upon strategies used by good language learners in their second language study. A student with prior experience in Chinese must take the placement exam.
Prerequisites: 82-131 or 82-133
82-133 Elementary Chinese Online I
Fall: 12 units
This course is designed for students who need a more flexible approach to language learning than that offered in a standard classroom course. It is a Chinese language course designed to help beginners develop communicative competence in the four basic skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing the Chinese language. Basic vocabulary and sentence structures for use in essential daily-life situations, as well as cultural information, are taught through the materials and assignments. Materials are web-based, with extensive use of Internet technologies for research, writing and communication. There is a required weekly class meeting for training and for group activities, and weekly individual meetings with a tutor or the instructor for conversation and practice.
82-134 Elementary Chinese Online II
Spring: 12 units
This course is the continuation of 82-133, Elementary Chinese I Online. Students will continue learning more useful and complex expressions and sentence structures necessary for use in everyday life. Students will continue building their skills in listening, speaking, reading, and writing for everyday communication, and their understanding of Chinese culture and society. There is a required weekly class meeting for training and for group activities, and weekly individual meetings with a tutor for conversation and practice.
Prerequisites: 82-133 or 82-131
82-135 Cultural Roots: Chinese Language & Culture for Heritage Learners
Fall and Spring: 9 units
Different from "Elementary Chinese I", this 9-unit Chinese language course is geared towards the needs of Chinese heritage students who have basic prior exposure to Chinese and with the intention to improve their Chinese literacy skills and Chinese culture awareness. This course helps students to better develop their daily reading and writing competence through a balanced and systematic training. By adopting the multimedia teaching materials, including language textbooks and culture-oriented audio and video English materials, this course will have an equal emphasis on both Chinese language and Chinese American historical events and culture. This course is intended to promote the students' cross-cultural knowledge and identity awareness. Students will be assessed in terms of their Chinese listening, speaking, reading and writing skills at the elementary level as well as their understanding of the Chinese American history and culture corresponding to their background. This course is taught in both Chinese and English.
82-137 Chinese Calligraphy: Culture and Skills
Fall and Spring: 9 units
Chinese calligraphy is a crucial part of Chinese culture and world art. It is also a clear manifestation of Chinese philosophy that has influenced Chinese people for several thousand years. This introductory course on Chinese calligraphy provides students with basic knowledge of Chinese calligraphy and how it mirrors Chinese history, culture, and philosophy. It will also introduce the fundamental characteristics of the Chinese writing system, its cultural content, and principles of formation as well as the skills used in Chinese calligraphy. At the end of the course, students will have a good understanding of Chinese characters and their cultural and philosophical background but also be able to appreciate the art and beauty in Chinese calligraphy. Classes include lectures, discussions, hands-on practice, and projects.
82-138 Comparative China: Perceptions Through Youtube & TikTok
Fall and Spring: 9 units
F2022: The world knows China through different media: books, newspapers, television, films, and social media. While these media provide unique and valuable windows for us to look into Chinese society and culture, they sometimes also confine our perspectives, or even distort our visions, because of the limitations of the platforms, the motives and standpoints of the media creators, and the methods or channels used for communication. Because of this, how to critically evaluate the images and information presented to us by the media and how to analyze them from a cross-cultural perspective, become the prerequisites for all our discussions and understanding of China and its role in the world nowadays. This course focuses specifically on the "images" of China and Chinese society as presented through the emerging social media such as YouTube and TikTok. In addition to helping student gain better knowledge of Chinese society and culture, the course also invites students to examine and discuss the perspectives behind these media materials, the cultural agenda of their creation, the strategies and methods used in their dissemination, as well as the impact of these factors on the audience's perceptions of China.
82-139 Topics in Chinese Language, Culture and Society
Spring: 9 units
F23: What are the meanings behind the lyrics, poses, and moves in Chinese local operas, Chinese classical dances, martial arts and pop songs? How are they connected to Chinese social, religious and cultural beliefs? Do you want to try the moves and poses of opera performers and Chinese dancers? Do you want to manipulate Chinese puppets like a puppet master? Do you want to learn Taichi, Chinese martial arts, games and fitness dance to improve your mental and physical health? Are you interested in tasting some Chinese food, doing some Chinese cooking and learning about Chinese food culture, table manners and etiquette? Would you like to learn Chinese knots, calligraphy and other Chinese crafts? Do you want to apply your learning to community engagements to share your learning and have a positive impact? 82-139: Chinese Learning Through Cultural Practices and Community Engagement is where you can immerse yourself in these cultural learning activities through discussions, group collaborations, and hands-on practice. This course aims to help students understand Chinese society and culture through instruction as well as experiential learning. The course is structured to have three major components: (1) group learning and discussion (2) immersive hands-on experiences (3) collaborative activities, projects and community engagements. Class activities will include showcases of media, digital and printed materials, lectures and discussion, guest speakers, hands-on practice, students' oral reports, and presentation of final term projects showcased in community engagements. The class is in English
82-141 Elementary Spanish I
Fall and Spring: 12 units
Elementary Spanish I is for beginning students, emphasizing the development of communicative language and cultural competence. Students will work towards improving their writing, reading, listening and speaking abilities in Spanish, such that they become comfortable working with a variety of topics from Spanish-speaking cultural areas. Students will develop basic interactional and routine public communication patterns, frequently working in groups and pairs, and utilizing technologies that enhance learning opportunities and promote skill development. This course also provides extracurricular opportunities to interact with members of the Spanish-speaking community. Four hours of in-class instruction per week are required. A student with prior experience in Spanish must take the placement exam.
82-142 Elementary Spanish II
Fall and Spring: 12 units
Elementary Spanish II is the second class for beginning students, emphasizing the development of communicative language and cultural competence. Students will work towards improving their writing, reading, listening and speaking abilities in Spanish, such that they become comfortable working with a variety of topics from Spanish-speaking cultural areas. Students will develop basic interactional and routine public communication patterns, frequently working in groups and pairs, and utilizing technologies that enhance learning opportunities and promote skill development. This course also provides extracurricular opportunities to interact with members of the Spanish-speaking community. Four hours of in-class instruction per week are required. A student with prior experience in Spanish must take the placement exam.
Prerequisites: 82-141 or 82-143
82-143 Elementary Spanish I Online
Fall: 12 units
Elementary Spanish Online I is for beginning students, emphasizing the development of communicative language and cultural competence. Students will work towards improving their writing, reading, listening and speaking abilities in Spanish, such that they become comfortable working with a variety of topics from Spanish-speaking cultural areas. Students will develop basic interactional and routine public communication patterns. This course is designed for students with no previous knowledge of Spanish and who need a more flexible approach to language learning than that offered in a standard classroom course. All materials are Web-based, with extensive use of Internet technologies for research, writing, and communication. During regular semesters, this course is offered in a hybrid mode requiring one 80-minute class per week in addition to weekly 20-minute individual meetings with the instructor or a peer speaking assistant. There is a materials fee for taking this course which is paid by credit card on first log-in to the course website. Students who have taken Spanish before are required to take the placement exam.
82-144 Elementary Spanish II Online
Spring: 12 units
Elementary Spanish Online II is the second part of a two-course sequence, emphasizing the development of communicative language and cultural competence. Students will work towards improving their writing, reading, listening and speaking abilities in Spanish, such that they become comfortable working with a variety of topics from Spanish-speaking cultural areas. Students will develop basic interactional and routine public communication patterns. This course is designed for students who need a more flexible approach to language learning than that offered in a standard classroom course. All materials are Web-based, with extensive use of Internet technologies for research, writing, and communication. During regular semesters, this course is offered in a hybrid mode requiring one 80-minute class per week in addition to weekly 20-minute individual meetings with the instructor or a peer speaking assistant. There is a materials fee for taking this course which is paid by credit card on first log-in to the course website. A student with prior experience in Spanish must take the placement exam. Instructions for the placement exam are available in Baker Hall 160.
Prerequisites: 82-143 or 82-141
82-151 Elementary Korean I
Fall: 12 units
This course is for students with no prior experience in Korean. It emphasizes the development of communicative language proficiency through oral practice, aural comprehension, reading, writing, and the study of cultural aspects of Korean society through the use of authentic materials (e.g., Korean dramas, audio and amp; video materials elicited from L2 Korean learners' conversations). Regular homework, quizzes, tests, presentations, and class participation are mandatory (four in-class hours per week). Necessary assistance to succeed in the class will be provided through rounds of feedback, in/out-of-class rich practices, and resources for individual practices. The elementary level is also designed to help students learn to reflect and draw upon strategies that can be used to achieve learning goals. A student with prior experience in Korean must take the placement exam.
82-161 Elementary Italian I
Fall: 12 units
This course is for students with no prior experience in Italian. Using a proficiency-oriented approach, students will develop contextually appropriate interpersonal communication skills in both written and spoken Italian, develop reading and listening skills through the use of various media, understand fundamental grammar, acquire vocabulary, and gain a basic understanding of Italian culture through class activities. Regular homework, quizzes, tests, presentations, and class participation are mandatory (four in-class hours per week). The elementary level is also designed to help students learn to reflect and draw upon strategies used by good language learners in their second language study. A student with prior experience in Italian must take the placement exam.
82-162 Elementary Italian II
Spring: 12 units
This course is designed for students who have taken first-semester Italian at Carnegie Mellon or learned its equivalent as determined by placement. Using a proficiency-oriented approach, students will expand contextually appropriate interpersonal communication skills in both written and spoken Italian, continue to develop reading and listening skills through the use of various media, review previously learned and practice new grammar and vocabulary, and gain a further understanding of Italian culture through class activities. Regular homework, quizzes, tests, presentations, and class participation are mandatory (four in-class hours per week). The elementary level is also designed to help students learn to reflect and draw upon strategies used by good language learners in their second language study. A student with prior experience in Italian must contact the Department of Modern Languages for placement.
Prerequisites: 82-163 or 82-161
82-163 Directed Language Study: Elementary Italian I or II
Fall and Spring: 12 units
A self-paced version of first or second semester Elementary Italian, this course is for highly motivated students capable of working independently. The coursework includes weekly classes, aural practice using online materials, periodic assessments, and individual meetings with the instructor. Students are permitted to take only one semester of 82-163. A student with prior experience in Italian must take the placement exam.
82-171 Elementary Japanese I
Fall and Spring: 12 units
This course is the first part of a two-semester course sequence (82-171, 82-172) for students with no prior experience in Japanese. It emphasizes the development of communicative language proficiency through oral practice, aural comprehension, reading, writing, and the study of cultural aspects of Japanese society. Regular homework, quizzes, tests, presentations, and class participation are mandatory (four in-class hours per week). The elementary level is also designed to help students learn to reflect and draw upon strategies used by good language learners in their second language study. A student with prior experience in Japanese must take the placement exam.
82-172 Elementary Japanese II
Fall and Spring: 12 units
This course is a sequel to Elementary Japanese I (82-171) and continues to further the development of communicative language proficiency through oral practice, aural comprehension, reading, writing, and the study of cultural aspects of Japanese society. Regular homework, quizzes, tests, presentations, and class participation are mandatory (four in-class hours per week). The elementary level is also designed to help students learn to reflect and draw upon strategies used by good language learners in their second language study. A student with prior experience in Japanese must take the placement exam.
Prerequisites: 82-174 or 82-171
82-173 Introduction to Japanese I
Fall and Spring: 9 units
This course is the first part of a two-semester sequence (82-173, 82-174) for students with no background in Japanese. Since it covers the first half of 82-171 in one semester, it is suitable for those students who need sufficient practice time both in and outside of class to begin their study of Japanese. It emphasizes the development of communicative language proficiency through oral practice, aural comprehension, reading, writing, and the study of cultural aspects of Japanese society. Regular homework, quizzes, tests, presentations, and class participation are mandatory (three in-class hours per week plus six hours of required homework). The elementary level is also designed to help students learn to reflect and draw upon strategies used by good language learners in their second language study. Students who intend to minor or major Japanese should consult with their Japanese minor or major advisor before deciding on 82-171 or 82-173. Students with prior knowledge of Japanese must take the placement exam.
82-174 Introduction to Japanese II
Fall and Spring: 9 units
This course is a sequel to Introduction to Japanese I (82-173) for students with no background in Japanese. Since the course covers the second half of the 82-171 in one semester, it is suitable for those students who need lots of practice time both in and outside class. It continues to further the development of communicative language proficiency through oral practice, aural comprehension, reading, writing, and the study of cultural aspects of Japanese society. The elementary level is also designed to help students learn to reflect upon and draw upon strategies used by good language learners in their second language study. Regular homework, quizzes, tests, presentations, and class participation are mandatory (three in-class hours per week plus six hours of required homework The elementary level is also designed to help students learn to reflect and draw upon strategies used by good language learners in their second language study. Upon completion of this course, students can take 82-172.
Prerequisite: 82-173
82-176 Intensive Japanese Language & Culture: Elementary Level
Intermittent
No course description provided.
82-180 Bilingual & Bicultural Experiences in the US
Intermittent: 9 units
This course focuses on various aspects of bilingualism and biculturalism in the United States, with particular emphasis on the experiences of those who identify as a speaker of a heritage language and/or member of a heritage culture. Some possible topics to be covered include: the nature of bilingualism and biculturalism; the historical and social contexts of bilingualism in the United States; characteristics of languages in contact and bilinguals' language practices; policies around heritage language maintenance in education; and the connection between language, culture, and identity. This discussion-based course is taught in English and is open to all students, whether they identify as bilingual/bicultural Americans, or are simply interested in the course topic.
82-181 Classical Latin: Rome's Cultural and Linguistic Legacy
Intermittent
Why are so many scientific, medical, and legal terms Latinate in origin? How can studying a dead language help us learn about living ones? How can studying this ancient language help us understand our modern world? In this course, we will explore these questions through learning the fundamentals of the language itself. We will work towards reading original Classical Latin prose, and consider how aspects of Latin have influenced English and modern Romance languages. In addition, by reading excerpts from a variety of Roman authors, we will contrast Roman ideas about war and conquest, love and grief, science and medicine, drama, and leadership with our own modern conceptions of these topics. We will also discuss the opportunities and limitations of translation. By the end of the course, you will be able to read unadapted passages of Caesar's de Bello Gallico (On the Gallic War), and will be able to trace Roman cultural themes down to the modern day. This is a 9-unit course with an optional 3-unit add-on, for students who want to explore an aspect of the reception of Latin language or culture more deeply.
82-182 Local Advocacy for Global Change
Intermittent: 6 units
When countries committed to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, they specifically recognized the critical role of local authorities. But how can these local actors engage in global policy discussions, taking into account different cultures and contexts? In this course, students will select a set of local issues, determine how they relate to the Sustainable Development Goals, and identify the relevant international frameworks for taking action. At the end of the course, each student will have developed a brief advocacy plan for linking their local priorities to international objectives.
82-191 Elementary Russian I
Fall: 12 units
This course is for students who have never studied Russian. It begins the Russian language sequence and is offered in the fall semester only. The course takes a communicative approach to teaching basic skills in listening, speaking, reading and writing. Language is presented in communicative contexts illustrating cultural aspects of daily Russian life. The elementary level is also designed to help students learn to reflect and draw upon strategies used by good language learners in their second language study. Daily homework and participation in class are mandatory (four in-class hours per week), as is weekly consultation and conversation practice with a course assistant. A student with prior experience in Russian must take the placement exam. **If you would like to take this course, but the current time slot does not work with your schedule please contact the instructor as soon as possible and we may be able to accommodate you**
82-192 Elementary Russian II
Spring: 12 units
Elementary Russian II is the second semester of a yearlong beginning Russian sequence. Students who complete this yearlong sequence will acquire the basics of Russian grammar and develop an active vocabulary of approximately 1,000 words. They will learn how to tell simple stories on familiar topics, ask questions, and express their opinions. They will be able to grasp the main ideas of short newspaper articles and understand the gist of straightforward Russian speech. Throughout the course, students will encounter oral, visual, and written content and engage in the interpretive, interpersonal, and presentational modes of communication. A student with prior experience in Russian must take the placement exam.
Prerequisite: 82-191
82-194 Intensive Russian (I & II)
Intermittent: 15 units
This intensive course allows students to complete a yearlong elementary Russian program in one semester and proceed to Intermediate Russian. Students who complete this course will acquire the basics of Russian grammar and develop an active vocabulary of approximately 1,000 words. They will learn how to tell simple stories on familiar topics, ask questions, and express their opinions. They will be able to grasp the main ideas of short newspaper articles and understand the gist of straightforward Russian speech. Throughout the course, students will encounter oral, visual, and written content and engage in the interpretive, interpersonal, and presentational modes of communication. A student with prior experience in Russian must take the placement exam. **If you would like to take this course, but the current time slot does not work with your schedule please contact the instructor as soon as possible and we may be able to accommodate you**
82-198 Research Training: Modern Languages
Fall and Spring
These courses are designed to give eligible and interested students some hands-on research experience working on a faculty project or in a lab in ways that might stimulate and nurture the students' interest in doing more research. They are open to students who are Dietrich College, SHS, or BHA majors, double majors, and minors who will be second semester freshmen or sophomores during the semester they take the course. F20 TOPICS Section A: Section C: This project involves examination of 17th and 18th century treatises in Spanish that document the uses and consumption of chocolate in Spain and the Americas. Students will assist in researching the evolution and reception of these works and their translations and adaptations.
82-200 Careers, Cultures, & Languages
Intermittent: 9 units
"But what are you going to do with it?" is a question you may have heard from family members and friends when you declared your intention to major or minor in Modern Languages. Many people assume there are no good jobs within the language industry outside of teaching, yet nothing could be further from the truth. The language services industry is a growing sector constantly in need of qualified employees. More than 3,000 different companies in the United States alone employ more than 55,000 people in the language services industry - and the numbers are increasing. In particular, students with double majors can find many lucrative job opportunities. This seminar will take a two-pronged approach to finding a rewarding job with languages: 1) By using design thinking, we will explore what exactly it is that will make you happy in your life. What criteria will your job have to fulfill in order to fit into the lifestyle that is best for you. 2) By taking that knowledge as the basis of our quest for the perfect job, we will embark on a networking adventure, both locally and nationally, where we will research, interview and connect with people from the language services industry and learn about their educational background, experiences, and advice on succeeding in their particular field. By the end of the course, you will have grown your professional network, gathered tools and knowledge for applying for jobs, and developed industry connections to help discover how to make your passion for languages a career. The class will be conducted in English.
82-201 Intermediate French I
Fall and Spring: 9 units
At the intermediate level, students will continue to improve listening, speaking, reading and writing skills with the goal of becoming more proficient in daily and extended communication needs. In addition to an ongoing review of basic grammar, a greater variety of grammar, expressions and complicated sentence structures will be taught so that students can carry on more sophisticated conversations on various topics. In-class activities and homework using authentic texts related to the broad spectrum of French and francophone cultures will be used to integrate language learning with content and culture. Regular homework, quizzes, tests, presentations, essays, and class participation are mandatory. A student with prior experience in French must take the placement exam.
Prerequisites: 82-104 or 82-102
82-202 Intermediate French II
Fall and Spring: 9 units
This course is a one-semester intermediate language course intended to give students exciting and fast-paced instruction in French language and culture. Introducing vocabulary sets, core grammatical concepts through cultural texts and strategic interaction, this class will focus on developing academic literacy as well as socio-pragmatic competence (that is to say, what to say to whom, and how) in an interculturally responsive way. To this end, we will incorporate a broad range of learning activities that emphasize a student's active participation. Emphasis will be placed on developing stronger listening and oral communication skills as well as reinforcing reading ability and acquiring greater facility in written proficiency. Consequently, this syllabus is constructed to permit a fair amount of self-instruction through the accompanying grammar reference book and self-guided exploration. F22: The course is an exploration of French language and culture through a nesting of two experiences: (1) playing and analyzing games together as a class and (2) designing games with the objectives of them being used (or usable) by French students/teachers in the classroom (complete with rules and pedagogical guides). This semester, we are trying a new thing, which is to have both advanced students (such as yourself) and intermediate-level students in the same class to try and form a true Community of Practice in which the students will be socialized into a (mostly) French-speaking community of gamers and game designers. This is why the meeting times are 6 hours, more hands-on work, with less independent homework.
Prerequisites: 82-201 or 82-203
82-208 Eastern Europe: Society and Culture
Intermittent: 9 units
This course surveys the societies and culture of modern Eastern Europe, from the Baltic States and Poland to the Balkans and Bulgaria. It will attend to this region's complex and turbulent history and consider the dynamics that shape it from geographical, geopolitical, cultural, and socioeconomic points of view. By reading texts by Milan Kundera, Mihail Sebastian, and Olga Tokarczuk, among others, we will explore topics such as the formation of nation states and nationalism, the violent conflicts of the 20th century, the Holocaust, communist regimes, and post-communist political formations. Students will come away with a better understanding of the socio-cultural circumstances that shape present day Eastern Europe. All readings will be in English, and no prior knowledge of Slavic languages or cultures is required.
82-211 Intermediate Arabic I
Fall: 12 units
This course builds on Elementary Arabic II to continue building students' communicative competence at the Intermediate Low-Mid level in Modern Standard Arabic in all four language skills (listening, reading, speaking, and writing) following a proficiency-oriented teaching approach. The course also continues to 1) integrate a spoken dialect to enrich students' background in oral communication; and 2) educate students about to various aspects of Arab culture through written and audio-visual materials.
Prerequisite: 82-112
82-212 Intermediate Arabic II
Spring: 12 units
This course follows Intermediate Arabic I. It continues to build students' communicative competence at the Intermediate Mid-High level in Modern Standard Arabic in all four skills (listening, reading, speaking, and writing) following a proficiency-oriented teaching approach. The course also continues to 1) integrate a spoken dialect to enrich students' background in oral communication; 2) educate students about various aspects of Arab culture through written and audio-visual materials; and 3) engage in conversation with native speakers through the Natakallam program, virtual sessions, and guest speakers from City of Asylum and other institutions, in order to build their cultural literacy.
Prerequisite: 82-211
82-214 Topics in Modern Arabic Language, Literature, & Culture
Fall and Spring: 6 units
An integrated approach to the study of the Arabic language, literature and culture by means of literary and cultural readings.This course explores definitions of culture and analyzes the dynamic role of language in culture and culture in language, with an aim to foster cross-cultural awareness and self-realization while developing proficiency in Arabic. This course is designed to strengthen listening, speaking, reading and writing, within the context of an evolving Arabic culture. F22 A2: The beauty of Arabic is within its flexibility: the way the sentence is built and the freedom it gives writers to create new expressions. Are you ready to take your Arabic language and culture to the next level? Your journey has just begun. Creative Writing and Media is an interactive course that allows Arabic language students to better understand the formal language, idioms, and metaphors, as well as enhance their writing and reading capacity, not just in simple essays but also in literature, short stories, poems, novels, and journalistic reports. This course will provide students with techniques to help them develop their artistic imagination to write long or short texts or poems in Arabic. In addition, the course will allow students to expand their knowledge of the Arab world, its culture, and its literature. Guest speakers will include novelists, editors, and journalists from the Arab world to talk about their writing processes and the general writing and media culture in the Arab world.
Prerequisite: 82-112
82-215 Arab Culture Through Dialogues, Film, and Literature
Fall and Spring: 9 units
F23: Minorities in the Middle East and North Africa In today's society that explores Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), one ought to ponder if Arab societies have made progress to achieve DEI among groups of other religions (Muslims, Christians, Jews), sects (Sunni and Shi'a), ethnicities (Copts, Nubians, Kurds), Palestinians, LGBTQ, and women. Some of the questions that this course addresses are whether a minority in Arab societies is defined by number or status; the role of education, social norms, and media in approaching issues of skin colors and minorities' rights; the autocratic governments' use of identity politics to serve their own interests; and the historical changes that have shaped citizenship and belonging. This course aims to enrich students' understanding of the diversity of Arab countries and the impact of colonialism, Pan-Arabism, socio-economy, and cultural norms on minorities' status through readings, films/documentaries, music, and data collected via surveys and virtual sessions with students in Arab countries.
82-216 Literature of the Arabic-speaking World
Fall and Spring: 9 units
This course is offered only at Carnegie Mellon's campus in Qatar. This repeatable introductory course explores the Arab world through a thematic or conceptual focus. In spring 2016, the theme will be "Cultural Issues in the West and the Arab World". Coursework will include reading short stories and novels to understand the cultural context that gave rise to specific literary works. Students will also continue to develop their abilities to express their ideas both in speaking and in writing, as well as their listening skills in Modern Standard Arabic.
82-217 Multilingualism and Multiculturalism in the Arab World
Fall and Spring: 9 units
This course brings linguistic and cultural diversity in the Arab world to the forefront through exposing students to the key social issues in the study of multilingualism. To this end, the course will explore and analyze some of the deeply held language ideologies in Arab and international contexts. Topics to be covered in the course include (but are not limited to) multilingualism within and across languages (e.g., multidialectal practices, code-switching between languages, language variation and change), societal and individual multilingualism (e.g. language and identity), multilingualism in institutional sites (e.g. schools, the work place), language policy and planning, and language rights. The course is taught in a seminar, discussion-based format and students will construct projects to explore course topics in a hands-on manner. The course is taught in English and students who wish to take the course as a Modern Languages major or minor elective will need to complete their final project on a topic relevant to the language they study.
82-221 Intermediate German I
Fall and Spring: 9 units
The goal of Intermediate German I is to further develop students linguistic and cultural knowledge, allowing them to feel more comfortable as a user of German. By the end of the semester, students should be able to: use and understand German in everyday situations; communicate effectively in general areas and in individual areas of interest; understand general cultural perspectives in contemporary Germany; and read and understand authentic materials from German-speaking countries. Activities will help develop the four skills and of cultural knowledge. This course focuses on intercultural concepts and will help students see what things Germans view differently from other nations and what things might be similar. Topics will include issues such as travel, politics, immigration, and music. A student with prior experience in German must take the placement exam.
Prerequisites: 82-122 or 82-123
82-222 Intermediate German II
Fall and Spring: 9 units
This course aims to increase your proficiency in all four language skills: reading, writing, speaking, and listening comprehension. You will get practice in speaking and listening through classroom discussions of the readings as well as group discussions of general topics. In addition to this, we will have a thorough grammar review. Overall, there will be a pronounced emphasis on increasing your awareness of different worldviews. We will contrast and compare different German-speaking countries with one another and the diverse cultures that they harbor, as well as your own countries with their cultural and historical idiosyncrasies. Last but not least, we will explore and analyze the cultural context within which various institutions exist and within which cultural norms are constructed.
Prerequisite: 82-221
82-225 Multiculturalism, Ethnic Diversity, and Debates about Them in Contemporary Europ
Intermittent: 9 units
This course will explore ethnic and cultural diversity in contemporary Europe, especially Germany. All of these countries have become increasingly diverse ethnically and culturally over the last few decades, and there have been significant debates about immigration and willingness (or lack thereof) to accept refugees from other parts of the world. Some have celebrated Europe's increasing multiculturalism and diversity, whereas others have criticized it. The goal of the course is to look at both multiculturalism and diversity and also the critics of multiculturalism and diversity.
82-227 Germany & the European Union
Spring: 9 units
This course offers an overview of contemporary Germany, its problems and its promise, with a particular focus on German politics, the German economy, and Germany's role in the European Union and in the world system. Primary topics include: 1) Germany on the World Stage; 2) Germany and the Past; 3) the German political system; 4) the German economic system; 5) the European Union, its challenges, and Germany's role in it; 6) Germany, the EU, and multiculturalism and ethnic and cultural pluralism, including the role played in Germany and Europe by ethnic, religious, and cultural minorities. Each of these topics will take about 2-3 weeks of the course. Students in the course will be required 1) to complete all required course readings (the equivalent of about three books in English, although in most cases we will be reading chapters from books rather than entire books, plus about five separate articles in English), 2) to take five short fifteen-minute quizzes on the some of the various themes of the course, 3) to do a book review of a book of their choosing dealing with contemporary Germany and/or the European Union and to make a presentation about that book in class, 4) to write three short (four page) papers on the themes of the course, and 5) to participate in two debates about A) Germany's response to the past; and B) Whether or not Germany and the EU should be more open to ethnic, cultural, and religious minorities.
82-230 Cultural Topics in Chinese Studies
Intermittent: 9 units
FALL 2023: The Pursuit of Happiness in Early Chinese Thoughts and Their Modern-day Applications (section taught in English):Do you claim to be a happy person? If so, why? If not, why not? How do we define "good life" and where can we get it? This course will inspect various responses to these questions in early Chinese thoughts and their modern-day applications from a global perspective. Chinese thoughts and philosophy are the intellectual foundations of Chinese culture throughout history. They represent the love and pursuit of wisdom in Chinese tradition. The course will explore some major schools of thought in early China such as Daoism/Taoism, Confucianism, Buddhism, Legalism, and Mohism, and look at the manifestations of their wisdom in various aspects of contemporary Chinese society, including food, medicine, Fengshui, architecture, painting, calligraphy, and Taichi.
82-231 Intermediate Chinese I
Fall and Spring: 12 units
This course is the continuation of Elementary Chinese II (82-132). At the intermediate level, students will continue to improve the basic skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing with the goal of becoming more proficient in daily communication needs. In addition to an ongoing review of basic grammar, a greater variety of expressions and complicated sentence structures will be taught so that students can carry on more sophisticated daily conversations on various topics related to every day life. While equal emphasis will still be on both Pinyin and characters, students will be encouraged to use more and more Chinese characters with the help of Pinyin for communication. In-class and extracurricular activities related to the broad spectrum of Chinese culture will be organized to facilitate language learning using knowledge of the cultural background of the language. Regular homework, quizzes, tests, presentations, essays, and class participation are mandatory (four in-class hours per week). A student with prior experience in Chinese must take the placement exam.
Prerequisites: 82-135 or 82-132 or 82-134
82-232 Intermediate Chinese II
Fall and Spring: 12 units
This course is the second semester of Intermediate Chinese. More sophisticated grammar points and vocabulary are introduced to help students' listening, speaking, reading and writing skills reach the intermediate level. The course also helps students prepare for advanced Chinese by exposing them to formal and written expressions and increasing their "media literacy". This is accomplished by systematically and gradually selecting and blending idiomatic expressions, and authentic printed materials into the texts and exercises. Activities related to the broad spectrum of Chinese culture are organized to facilitate language learning with knowledge and analysis of the cultural background of the language.
Prerequisite: 82-231
82-234 Topics in Chinese History
Intermittent: 9 units
In fewer than three decades, the People's Republic of China has transformed itself from an underdeveloped and reclusive state to become the world's next probable superpower. Divided roughly into three sections, this course examines: 1) the miraculous economic development that made China's rise possible; 2) the political system that allowed the Chinese Communist Party to rule over that rise; 3) China's rising global stature and its implications for the rest of the world. In combination these sections allow us to understand how China's rise happened and what it means for the future of the entire globe. Issues addressed include: economic development, inequality, cyber-security and internet censorship, Intellectual Property Protection, China's influence in Africa, China's military capability, and the Beijing Consensus. The goal of this course is to prepare students for a world where China is increasingly important, but also to ask how China got to where it is today, and where it is going as chances are highly likely that students in most any area of study will be influenced by China's future. This course and all source materials will be in English. No knowledge of Chinese is required.
82-235 Fables, Legends and Stories from Ancient Chinese Civilization
Spring: 9 units
By reading, analyzing, and presenting on traditional fables, short stories, and articles on the lifestyle and social changes in China, this course encourages students to look into the historical development of ancient Chinese civilization and the complex relationship between traditional China and its modern counterpart. Activities related to a broad spectrum of Chinese literature, culture and society are organized to facilitate language learning, cultural analysis and cross-cultural comparison. Topics of this course include, but are not limited to, the Chinese creation myth, famous historical events and figures, Chinese herb medicine, and Chinese wedding customs. In addition to expanding students' knowledge of Chinese society and culture and the socio-cultural influences on Chinese language, this course will also help students extend their Chinese vocabulary and improve Chinese reading and writing skills and proficiency. With the help of classroom discussion and debate, reading and writing assignments, and cultural presentations and projects, students are expected to develop long-term retention of Chinese language and in-depth understanding of Chinese culture and society from a global perspective.
Prerequisites: 82-135 or 82-231
82-236 Intensive Chinese Language & Culture: Intermediate Level
Spring
No course description provided.
82-238 Topics in Chinese Culture
Intermittent: 9 units
Courses offered under this repeatable title will focus on aspects of modern and contemporary Chinese culture, including, for example, literature, the arts, theater and music, and gender studies. Through the critical analysis of original sources in translation, film, as well as outstanding works of scholarship, students will gain a deeper understanding of important developments in modern and contemporary China and will learn how to locate and evaluate sources of knowledge about China for future study. This course and all source materials will be in English. No knowledge of Chinese is required. Past titles have included Gender and amp; Sexuality in China: Tradition and Transformation. F22:This course covers the most important topics and texts in both environmental humanities and modern Chinese literature, film, and culture. Thematically, this course focuses on deforestation, chemical pollution, climate change, ethnicity, toxic waste, and the extinction of species. The readings include literature, film, popular culture, environmental history, and new media. We will also read important theories as analytical tools by Rob Nixon, Karen Thornber, Ursula Heise, Dipesh Chakrabarty, Anna Tsing, William Cronon, etc. Each thematic topic is paired with a key concept in environmental humanities so that students can situate their study within the scholarship of environmental humanities. We will also explore Chinese environmental imaginations and realities from East Asian, comparative, global, as well as interdisciplinary perspectives. All materials have English translations; No Chinese language required. Class discussions in English.
82-239 Crazy Linguistically Rich Asian Languages
Intermittent: 9 units
The languages spoken in China and Japan differ from those spoken in the west in a number of striking ways. In this 9-unit course, students will gain an understanding of the sound systems, morphosyntax, lexicon, writing systems, dialects, and varieties of Chinese and Japanese. Students will also learn how these neighboring languages and cultures have interacted and changed over time. The knowledge acquired in this course will be equally beneficial to those learning one of these languages and to those simply interested in better understanding East Asian languages and cultures.
82-240 Pathways in Spanish: Exploring Personal and Professional Opportunities
Intermittent: 3 units
Spanish, the second most widely spoken native language in the world, has nearly 500 million native speakers, and is an increasingly important language throughout the US and abroad. This course will serve as an opportunity for students to consider ways that the study of the Spanish language and of Spanish-speaking cultures can serve to open doors and enrich us both personally and professionally. We will consider how your work in Hispanic Studies connects with other majors and minors, as well as looking at a variety of opportunities in terms of internships, scholarships, and future career paths. The course will include visits from some local organizations and businesses where Spanish is regularly used, and serve to connect students with alumni from a variety of different fields whose jobs have utilized Spanish and/or knowledge of Hispanic cultures. This course is open to students of all years and levels of Spanish.
82-241 Intermediate Spanish I
Fall and Spring: 9 units
Intermediate Spanish I is the first part of a two-semester course sequence (82-241, 82-242) designed to familiarize students with the cultures and perspectives of the Spanish-speaking world. Students will develop self-expression across a range of culturally significant topics, improving their speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills while working with longer passages of language in context through reading, writing and listening/viewing (e.g. tv series, movies, short novels, plays) and frequently working in groups and pairs, and utilizing technologies that enhance learning opportunities and promote skill development. The course provides extracurricular opportunities to interact with members of the Spanish-speaking community.
Prerequisites: 82-144 or 82-142
82-242 Intermediate Spanish II
Fall and Spring: 9 units
Intermediate Spanish II is the second part of a two-semester course sequence (82-241, 82-242) designed to familiarize students with the cultures and perspectives of the Spanish-speaking world. Students will develop self-expression across a range of culturally significant topics, improving their speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills while working with longer passages of language in context through reading, writing and listening/viewing (e.g. tv series, movies, short novels, plays) and frequently working in groups and pairs, and utilizing technologies that enhance learning opportunities and promote skill development. The course provides extracurricular opportunities to interact with members of the Spanish-speaking community.
Prerequisites: 82-241 or 82-243

Course Website: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1RU2iXs7Vyc-6F-HRozPu7_YdV7oYuOGn/view
82-245 New Directions in Hispanic Studies
Intermittent: 9 units
SPRING 2021: COVID Cultures - Narratives from a Pandemic This course is designed to investigate the narratives of the COVID pandemic within a global context focusing on the humanistic and cultural. The geographic focus will be the Spanish-speaking world. Readings will begin with the philosophers Seneca and Maimonides and continue through history such that the analyses stem from the students' development of their own concept of narratives of the body and pandemic. We will concentrate on the stories and experiences of those disproportionately affected by the pandemic in order to attempt to amplify those voices. In addition, we will question standards of practice of health and medicine in the US and the effectiveness of those standards when applied to various Spanish-speaking cultures both within and outside of the US. Conversely, we will attempt to understand what the US can learn from other cultures. This course will be taught in English.
82-247 US Latinos Literature
Intermittent: 9 units
FALL 2023: Mapping Dreams and Nightmares: Seeing and Writing the US-Mexico Border This course will focus on the US-Mexico border, with particular emphasis on visual representations of the border from both the US and Mexico, and on the unique, vibrant fronteriza cultures that result in the space betwixt and between. The course will emphasize key moments and events in the history of the border, including for example the Mexican Revolution, the creation of the border patrol in the 1920s, the Bracero program, Operation Wetback, the Chicano movement, Operation Gatekeeper, and will consider how visual and textual representations have responded to and been conditioned by the political and economic relationship between the US and Mexico, particularly in the wake of neoliberal policies. We will draw on a wide variety of materials, including film, video, visual arts, performance, border theory, and literary and journalistic texts. (This sections is taught in English)
82-248 Topics in Social Change
Fall and Spring: 9 units
FALL 2019: Arts, Media and Social Change: The Arts in Revolution Cuba and Nicaragua. This course will examine the Cuban and Nicaraguan Revolutions and their relationships to artistic production in a larger socio-political context, considering the complex dynamic of both fomenting creative expression, while also (on occasion) stifling its content. 2019 marks 60 years since the Cuban Revolution, touted as the victory of a tiny island over US imperialism, and 40 years since the triumph of the Sandinistas in Nicaragua - both cases garnering broad international attention due to their importance in Cold War political agendas and the subsequent interplay of US-Soviet relationships in the US' "backyard". While quite different, the Cuban and Nicaraguan Revolutions shared an inherent understanding of the value of capturing the public imaginary and support through the use of the arts to promote their messages and as such, invested significant resources in the promotion of creative production. This course will interrogate the relationships between political and artistic movements, examining for example the formation of ICAIC (Instituto Cubano del Arte e Industria Cinematogr and #225;ficos) in Cuba and the mural movement in Nicaragua. Once these political movements had triumphed, how did artists negotiate the institutionalization of revolution? How did the role of prominent cultural workers like Tomas Gutierrez Alea (Cuba) and Ernesto Cardenal (Nicaragua) evolve as these revolutions aged? We will also question the dynamic between artists whose works express discontent and the State - what was/is the space for dissent? How do artists of newer generations create space for different types of expression that diverge from what early revolutionary moments considered to be transformative? Decades later with deeply entrenched governments, what now is the relationship between the arts and socio-political change?
82-249 Hispanic Language & Cultures for the Professions
Fall and Spring: 9 units
This course focuses on building proficiency in Spanish-language communicative skills and cultural awareness for business contexts in the very diverse Spanish-speaking world, one with over 437 million speakers worldwide. Students will be introduced to a variety of contexts in the Spanish-speaking world of global business and finance through multimodal materials, e.g., newspapers, film, advertisements, and other relevant texts. By examining different scenarios such as job interviews, international trade, and workplace environments, students will build knowledge of vocabulary and develop a real-world understanding of appropriate linguistic, cultural, and discipline-specific practices.
Prerequisite: 82-241
82-250 Digital Realities: Introducing Immersive Technologies for Arts and Culture
Intermittent: 9 units
As Immersive and spatial media increasingly feature in our cultural life, innovators are needed who can blend technological skills with creative imagination and critical humanistic practice. This introductory course aims to enable hybrid technologists, media-makers, and storytellers who can create mediated experiences that advance diversity, equity, and inclusion in the creation of augmented, immersive, and spatial media. You will construct, but also deconstruct immersive and augmented experiences with respect to the cultural, socio-emotional, and embodied aspects of human experience through a process of play, exploration, and experimentation. You will author original narratives and prototype spatially mediated experiences while attending to the aesthetic considerations, humanistic concerns, and design conventions defining this emerging mode of cultural production.
82-253 Korean Culture Through Film
Intermittent: 9 units
South Korean cinema became one of the most vibrant local film industries at the end of the last century, attracting great attention from both the public and scholars, not only at home but abroad as well. Intriguingly, its renaissance involves a strong tendency to revisit and reassess a variety of historical traumas from the last century, which makes it an important venue for discussing the evolution of modern Korean society and culture. This course thus explores works of acclaimed filmmakers such as Im Kown-taek, Park Kwang-su, Jang Sun-woo, Hong Sang-soo, Lee Chang-dong, Park Chan-wook, Bong Joon-ho, Kim Ji-woon, etc. to enrich our understanding of social and cultural formations in South Korea over the last century. In examining the voices from the Korean peninsula whose history had remained obscured until recently, this course also aspires to contribute fresh perspectives to broader geopolitical settings such as East Asian and Pacific Rim discourses. Prerequisite: None
82-254 World of Korea, Then and Now
Intermittent: 9 units
Over the past two decades or so, South Korea has grown to become a major player, not only in East Asia, but also in world politics, economy, and culture. While Korean society thus certainly deserves enough attention as a venue for discussing the changes occurring across the world, its history and culture still remains less known than it should be to the outside world including the U.S. This course thus aims to offer an opportunity to explore the evolution of Korean society and culture over the course of its modern history. By enriching the knowledge of Korean history, it also hopes to help the student gain fresh perspectives on broader contexts such as East Asia and the Pacific Rim. This course covers a broad range of time periods: the colonial era to the present. Yet designed to inspire critical approach rather than just offer sketchy overviews, it is structured around key sociocultural issues such as colonial legacies, the cold war paranoia, dictatorship, democratization, national culture, gender politics, diaspora, globalization, hallyu (k-pop/k-drama), etc. To better serve its objectives, this course also utilizes diverse forms of texts: historical studies, critical essays, literary works, films, TV dramas, and music videos. Prerequisite: None
82-261 Intermediate Italian I
Fall: 9 units
This course begins a two-semester course sequence (82-261, 82-262) for intermediate-level students. At the intermediate level, students will continue to improve listening, speaking, reading and writing skills with the goal of becoming more proficient in daily and extended communication needs. In addition to an ongoing review of basic grammar, a greater variety of grammar, expressions and complicated sentence structures will be taught so that students can carry on more sophisticated conversations on various topics. In-class activities and homework using authentic texts related to the broad spectrum of Italian culture will be used to integrate language learning with content and culture. Regular homework, quizzes, tests, presentations, essays, and class participation are mandatory. A student with prior experience in Italian must take the placement exam.
Prerequisites: 82-163 or 82-162
82-262 Intermediate Italian II
Spring: 9 units
At the intermediate level, students will continue to improve listening, speaking, reading and writing skills with the goal of becoming more proficient in daily and extended communication needs. In addition to an ongoing review of basic grammar, a greater variety of grammar, expressions and complicated sentence structures will be taught so that students can carry on more sophisticated conversations on various topics. In-class activities and homework using authentic texts related to the broad spectrum of Italian culture will be used to integrate language learning with content and culture. Regular homework, quizzes, tests, presentations, essays, and class participation are mandatory. A student with prior experience in Italian must take the placement exam.
Prerequisite: 82-261
82-263 Intensive Italian Language & Culture: Intermediate Level
Intermittent: 9 units
No course description provided.
82-267 Beyond the Mafia and Michelangelo
Intermittent: 9 units
Beyond the Mafia and Michelangelo: Italy Unmasked Eclipsed by the consumer obsessions of tourists and the most well-known figures of Italian history, the uniqueness of Italy, offering distinct cultures in the north, central, and south, is rarely understood by outsiders. In this course, students will discover an Italy rich with cultural variants, radically diverse histories, customs, cults, and superstitions, in addition to physical expressions of culture in cooking and clothing, art and architecture. Students will identify and critically analyze diversity within the peninsula and its islands, and expand their awareness and understanding of the role of culture in behavior. Film, documentaries, and readings from epistolary and literary sources will help reveal a more profound Italy, for example, the science of Dulbecco (the Human Genome), the architecture of Trulli conical houses, the religious importance of Pitigliano ('Little Jerusalem'), and the immigration problems of San Marino. Coursework will include class participation, readings, film viewings, and writing. Final projects will be based on interviews and oral histories with the Italo-American community in Bloomfield (Pittsburgh), leading to critical comparisons of that population with Italians in Italy. This course is offered in English.
82-268 Italian Film: Hidden Agendas from Cincitta
Spring: 9 units
Mussolini declared: "Cinematography is the most powerful weapon." Accordingly, the films in this course explore the political and societal cultures of Italy, and their subsequent interrelationships and effects on Italian film. Students will follow a cinematic journey that begins with silent cinema, leads to the historical narrative of WWII and the resistance fighters of neorealism, then to the political analysis of the migrant crisis of la questione meridionale (the problem with the south) and finally takes on a more comical vein with la commedia all'italiana(Italian comedy) finishing with a unique solution to the problem of unemployed graduates. Outcomes include analyses of the formal aspects of Italian cinema, the crumbling of post WWII political parties, the emergence of new political figures, and the "precari" generation of college graduates forced to work for meager wages and no rights while their peers leave the country to find work causing the so-called brain drain of Italy. Films can be viewed in the Modern Language Resource Center or streamed online through CMU's Kanopy
82-269 Immersive Digital Storytelling:Using VR/AR to Explore, Language Culture Identity
Intermittent: 3 units
In this course you will enjoy a series of remote and then in-person workshops, setting the groundwork for their own practical projects. Often perceived as a technology of tomorrow, students will be introduced to storytellers and content creators currently working with Virtual and Augmented Reality and other Immersive media m to tell stories about people, communities, cultures, and histories in compelling and engaging ways. Using readily available smartphone apps and consumer-ready cameras and head-mounted displays, students will be able to create their own short immersive films and gain a better understanding of this important and emerging field. You will produce your own short digital story using the technologies that we explore through this class. Your story will explore themes of identity, language, and culture, asking you to relate experiences and reflect on ways that you connect and interact with cultures around you. We will ask questions about the affordances of immersive technologies, how we can use them to tell stories of culture and how creators and artists are different themes through their work.
82-270 Technology in Japanese Culture and Society
Intermittent: 9 units
This course explores various ways technology interacts with Japanese culture and society. On the one hand, technology has greatly changed Japanese culture and society, but on the other hand, the actual use of technology in Japan has been significantly influenced by Japanese culture and society. As an illustrative example, the course takes up robotic technology and examines how it has been imagined in culture (e.g., anime, manga) and implemented to resolve social issues (e.g., shrinking labor force) by Japanese people. It seeks to show how cultural and social contexts dictate the way technology has been put to use to satisfy the material and other desires of people. This course is taught in English and has no prerequisites. No previous knowledge of Japanese language is required. This course can be taken as an elective course for Japanese majors and minors. The course starts with a vision of society as demonstrated in anime featuring robots (e.g., Astro Boy and Gigantor in the 1960s) and in the Japanese government's robot initiative, Innovation 25, for robotizing Japanese society by 2025. In this vision, people and robots will share a deep emotional bond and live together harmoniously. Then, the course discusses various topics in the vision including a family with a robot, genders of robots, laws of robotics by Asimov and Tezuka governing human-robot interactions, robot rights and human rights, "cyborg-ableism" (disabilities should be overcome by using robotic technology), and a funeral or memorial rite for inoperative robots and a "New Age" Buddhism. Finally, it speculates on the extent to which the Japanese human-robot cohabitation scenario has been realized and the extent to which the scenario remains a product of imagineering (melding science and fantasy to create believable make-believe worlds).
82-271 Intermediate Japanese I
Fall and Spring: 12 units
This course is the first part of a two-semester course sequence (82-271, 82-272). At the intermediate level, students will continue to improve the basic skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing skills with the goal of becoming more proficient in daily communication needs, and takes an integrated approach to the study of Japanese language and culture, consisting of grammar review, reading, and intensive practice in written and spoken Japanese. Course materials include authentic audiovisual and written texts in addition to the assigned textbooks. Also integrated are cultural explorations through direct interactions with native speakers. Regular homework, quizzes, tests, presentations, essays, and class participation are mandatory (four in-class hours per week). A student with prior experience in Japanese must take the placement exam.
Prerequisite: 82-172
82-272 Intermediate Japanese II
Spring: 12 units
This course is a sequel to Intermediate Japanese I (82-171). At the intermediate level, students will continue to improve the basic skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing skills with the goal of becoming more proficient in daily communication needs, and takes an integrated approach to the study of Japanese language and culture, consisting of grammar review, reading, and intensive practice in written and spoken Japanese. Course materials include authentic audiovisual and written texts in addition to the assigned textbooks. Also integrated are cultural explorations through direct interactions with native speakers. Regular homework, quizzes, tests, presentations, essays, and class participation are mandatory (four in-class hours per week). A student with prior experience in Japanese must take the placement exam.
Prerequisite: 82-271
82-273 Introduction to Japanese Language and Culture
Fall and Spring: 9 units
This course is an introduction to modern Japanese culture, examining Japanese society, its socialization processes, and the role of language in expressing, transmitting and maintaining social structure and cultural values. Learning key concepts to better understand Japanese culture and society from the post war to present-day Japan, students develop a range of skills to analyze cultural perspectives from observable behaviors and social phenomena. Students explore cultural diversity in relation to the traditional view of Japan's homogeneity.This course is taught in English and is intended for those who want to gain better understanding of modern Japanese society and of their own cultural identities, as well as for students of the Japanese language.

Course Website: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1RU2iXs7Vyc-6F-HRozPu7_YdV7oYuOGn/view
82-275 Queer Representations in Contemporary Literature and Culture from Japan
Intermittent
This course will survey queerness in contemporary Japan from the 1980s to the present. Though literature will be the primary focus of this course, we will also look at material from a variety of media including cinema, poetry, manga, and television. The goal is to look at how queerness has been depicted in recent years by a variety of authors and creators, whether or not they happen to be queer themselves. The course will be divided into four large units consisting of approximately four weeks each: Unit One - A Brief Historical Survey; Unit Two - Japanese Literature as Pre-AIDS/Post-AIDS; Unit Three - Queerness on the Border and On the Borders of Queerness; Unit Four - Queerness in Film, Poetry, and Manga.
82-276 Intensive Japanese Language & Culture: Intermediate Level
Intermittent
No course description provided.
82-278 Japanese Film and Literature: The Art of Storytelling
Intermittent: 9 units
The course covers modern Japanese literature (from 1868 to the present) and post-war Japanese film (from 1945 to the present). The modern film and literature have inherited unique premodern characteristics such as an open-ended plot without any closure, a non-linear as well as linear way of storytelling, and a preference of atmosphere and beauty over a structured plot. On the other hand, partly owing to the Western influences, they have seen innovations in the art of storytelling (e.g., contextualization of modern self in an open-ended story, filming techniques). The course focuses on the artistic media (e.g., language, sound, color, film techniques) of each film and literary work and their interactions with the plot and the historical and social contexts of each work. It also explores how the art of storytelling is in tandem with the vicissitudes of human condition as illustrated in Japan's variety of films and literature in the twentieth and twenty-first century. Analyses of each storytelling not only reveal cultural dynamics behind Japanese modernity, but also invite students to find new insights into Japanese culture and their ways to perceive our globalized world. What kind of cultural exchanges took place between modern Japan and the West? How are Japan's traditional values transformed in the face of modern technicalization and industrialization, compared to the modernization of other countries? And, in turn, what kind of impact has modern Japanese culture had on today's world? Tackling these questions among others, the course also extends to such issues as the legacy of traditional Japanese culture, the modern Emperor system, the World War II experiences, emerging voices of minorities and the popular culture (e.g., anime and subculture).

Course Website: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1RU2iXs7Vyc-6F-HRozPu7_YdV7oYuOGn/view
82-279 Anime - Visual Interplay between Japan and the World
All Semesters: 9 units
In contemporary Japanese culture, anime plays a vital role, unfolding a wide range of non-linear as well as linear ways of storytelling with its distinct modes of visual representation, such as character designs and vibrant use of colors to reconstruct the environment/social reality, and complementing to other forms of culture (e.g., literature, film, and art). This course explores Japanese anime's appeal to the international viewers today, centering on cultural/social analyses of animated works such as the fantastic of the Studio Ghibli production and Cyberpunk's post-apocalyptic worldview in consultation with the scholarship of anime as a global cultural phenomenon. Equally important are to locate the origin of Japanese animation, which is also to be investigated through analyses of the prewar and postwar works of animation in conjunction with related forms such as manga, or comic strips (e.g., Osamu Tezuka's works that was initially inspired by Disney) and to discuss the potential of anime as an art form.

Course Website: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1RU2iXs7Vyc-6F-HRozPu7_YdV7oYuOGn/view
82-280 Billingual & Bicultural Experiences in the US
Fall: 9 units
What does it mean to be bilingual in the USA, when approximately 80% of Americans are monolingual English-speakers? In this course, we will learn about the nature and experience of bilingualism and biculturalism (past and present) and how it shapes different perspectives and worldviews and #8212;within an individual, between individuals, and on a larger (societal, cultural) level. The course highlights the experiences of groups such as immigrants, racial/ethnic minorities, indigenous communities, and users of signed languages to foreground experiences that may be similar to or different from those of the students. We use a variety of resources (e.g., social media, film and documentaries, historical documents, literature, music, art) to accomplish this, and students are encouraged to be creative in the ways they design their own hands-on projects. This discussion-based course is taught in English and is open to all students, whether they identify as bilingual/bicultural, or are simply interested in the course topic.

Course Website: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1RU2iXs7Vyc-6F-HRozPu7_YdV7oYuOGn/view
82-281 Contextual Thinking
Intermittent: 9 units
FALL 2022: Pandemic Pop Cultures Living through a global pandemic is new, challenging, and downright difficult. And yet, pandemics have existed for centuries. What might we gain from viewing our current reality through cultural and historical lenses that focus on stories from around the world that attempt to explain pain, family, medicine, humor, and even division? This course is designed to investigate the narratives of pandemic within a global context focusing on the humanistic and cultural, such that through this analysis we might arrive at a more robust understanding of our current times. We will concentrate on stories as communicated through media sources, literary texts, journals, and art in order to better situate our own ways of thinking.

Course Website: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1RU2iXs7Vyc-6F-HRozPu7_YdV7oYuOGn/view
82-282 Interpreting Global Texts & Cultures
Intermittent: 9 units
Literature, film, music, art, theater, and other forms of humanistic artistic expressions, play an important role in society. Few moments in life are as moving as listening to the right song at the right time, and many of us can list films and/or books that have shaped who we consider to be. Beyond the individual level, artistic expressions have also influenced revolutions, businesses, science, politics, and the list goes on and on. Yet, we often take culture and artistic expressions for granted. What is their role and value in society? How can we interpret these cultural artifacts? Is there a right or wrong interpretation? These are some of the questions we will explore in this class.

Course Website: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1RU2iXs7Vyc-6F-HRozPu7_YdV7oYuOGn/view
82-283 Language Diversity & Cultural Identity
Fall and Spring: 9 units
Culture, language, and identity are intimately tied together. Individuals, families, communities, and nations identify themselves in relation to the language or languages they speak. Local, national, and international governmental organizations make choices about the language or languages they recognize and use for political and economic affairs. The United Nations even recognizes language as integral to maintaining the cultural heritage of communities and peoples around the world, and the freedom to choose ones language of expression as a universal human right. In this course, we will explore a variety of questions, advantages, and challenges related to language diversity and cultural identity across the globe. Our main focus will be on contexts of multilingualism that is, contexts in which two or more languages may be used. Adopting a comparative case study approach, we will explore the following themes: (i) The historical underpinnings of language diversity and its consequences for cultural identity today (e.g., migration, colonization, conquest); (ii) How language diversity and cultural identity shapes, and is shaped by, local, regional, national, and international politics; (iii) The relationship between language diversity and language use and visibility in public spaces (i.e., the linguistic landscape); (iv) Relations between linguistic communities (e.g., majority and minority language users) and the sense of belonging to a culture. The course is taught in English. Students who wish to take the course as a Modern Languages major or minor elective will need to complete their final project on a topic relevant to the language they study.

Course Website: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1RU2iXs7Vyc-6F-HRozPu7_YdV7oYuOGn/view
82-284 Multicultural Pittsburgh: VR Storytelling
Fall and Spring: 9 units
Pittsburgh is known for its multicultural landscape and communities. Through this course, students will explore the cultures, identities, languages, and groups that have historically shaped, and are still shaping Pittsburgh. Students will develop digital documentation of the city's communities, for example using video, photography, audio podcast, and focus on immersive VR. Through active learning, students will employ approaches such as interviews, research and exploration of the city through its data and social history. Students will craft their work in the Askwith Kenner Global Languages and amp; Cultures Room housed in the Tepper Building, and at the end of the course, the work will be on exhibit for the campus community and the wider public. This course will develop your research and fieldwork skills, media creation skills and multicultural literacy. This course will meet two days a week for four weeks, followed by self-directed study and Instructor support, with video projects due two weeks after. This is a course focusing on the use of 360 Immersive Virtual Reality Video for students to produce, shoot, edit and publish their projects. For an additional 3-units, students will explore and analyze the use of VR Video in language and cultural documentary, writing an appreciation of this form of storytelling using examples from news and VR documentary producers.
82-285 Podcasting: Language and Culture Through Storytelling
Fall: 9 units
Do you love stories? Stories told on the radio have always had significant power. For example, the 1938 War of the Worlds broadcast by Orson Welles was so effective that it panicked the entire United States. Today, podcasts such as Serial, This American Life, and The Moth have the same power to tell stories and provide audiences with rich, intimate and immersive audio experiences while often supporting diversity and giving voice to minorities and those under-represented in mainstream media. Owing its rising popularity to the ease and accessibility of production and distribution, there has never been a better time to create and tell stories in audio. In this course students will take on the role of podcast producers, learning while creating a series of podcasts that explore linguistic and cultural landscapes with the goals of educating and entertaining. Possible audio resources include field interviews with native speakers in their own language, allowing student producers to document informants' personal histories and aspects of their life related to culture, multilingualism, or political, social or environmental issues. Students will blend studio recordings with interviews and/or suitable "found" recordings, music, and sound. Coursework will include skill development on audio recording and podcasting, production management, creative thinking, materials sourcing, and giving and receiving constructive feedback from classmates and varied audiences on team and individual projects. The course will be offered in English.
82-286 Cultural Complexities
Fall and Spring: 9 units
FALL 2022: Section A: This course will explore ethnic and cultural diversity in contemporary Europe, especially Germany. All of these countries have become increasingly diverse ethnically and culturally over the last few decades, and there have been significant debates about immigration and willingness (or lack thereof) to accept refugees from other parts of the world. Some have celebrated Europe's increasing multiculturalism and diversity, whereas others have criticized it. The goal of the course is to look at both multiculturalism and diversity and also the critics of multiculturalism and diversity. Section C: In this course, students will gain an understanding of the linguistics of various East Asian languages. Students will learn how one's own experiences, worldviews, society, and culture can be shaped by language. Understanding these principles is essential in creating more global and intercultural citizens. Section D: Students will examine multicultural situations in Japan, where foreign migrants, indigenous peoples, and hafu live and work with Japanese people, from historical, political, economic, social, and cultural perspectives. They will also be asked to reflect on their own cultural contexts for understanding the cultural diversity of their own society. Section E: In the days when threats were constant, human beings needed to assess possible danger quickly. Today, before even speaking, our brain assesses and categorizes others. Needless to say, these quick judgements are inaccurate and based on what is visible or perceivable: clothing, health, etc, and even on where we encounter each other: in a bar, a library, or a laundromat. We don't realize the influence of our own cultures/identities on our assessments. Through data, students will uncover themes leading to feelings of a lack of inclusivity and create plans to help us develop deeper understanding and acceptance in the CMU community.
82-287 Multicultural Immersion - Relating Your World in Virtual Reality
Fall: 6 units
In this unique course, taught across two campuses in Pittsburgh and CMU-Q, Doha we will explore the ways cultures and identities often intersect, relate and contradict one another. Using Virtual Reality (VR), a technology that provides a type of immersion, we can see the world through other people's points of view. But can we really harness this technology to tell stories about languages and cultures, can we really empathize and understand another culture using VR? To discover the affordances of VR, we will use this immersive technology to tell stories and relate our understanding of the world for others to see, thus exploring cultural understandings. Learning through telecollaboration, in online, virtual and in-person workshops, this will be an opportunity to collaborate, blend ideas, gain valuable skills and build on new experiences. During the course, students will create 360 video outcomes that others will view and experience through headsets and immersive spaces. No technology knowledge is required.
82-288 Everyday Learning: Designing Learning Exp in Times of Unrest & Uncertainty
Fall and Spring
Could you make complex ideas accessible and engaging to learners everywhere? Could you use what you know to make society better, teach as an agent of social change? In these times of Covid-19 many people have used learning to stay connected with friends and communities, leading to a groundswell in teaching and learning online. In this course you will develop learning experiences using a variety of instructional methods in a range of contexts. Underpinning our work with ideas from philosophers and educators, we will explore the democratization of education in a post-Covid world and consider a shifting educational landscape inspired by the Black Lives Matter protests. We will look at the response from museums, libraries, cinemas, and civic spaces to better meet the diverse needs of learners in their communities. For our assessed projects, we will design and produce instructional videos, animation, audio content, paired with worksheets, talks, paper-based instructional materials. This is a 6-unit course (with an additional 3-unit written component for 9 units).

Course Website: http://kenner.dotsandspaces.uk/blog/courses/
82-290 Transformative Learning through Cross-Cultural Analysis
Fall
This course seeks to prepare students for informed, critical, and transformative engagement with communities other than their own, in particular this course will engage students who have or are preparing to study abroad. We will examine some theoretical debates about learning in study abroad contexts and about the development of intercultural capacities as frameworks for the class. Students are encouraged to approach past and present societal and personal concepts, issues, themes, and problems globally and locally using a student-centered, discovery-focused, inquiry-based approach to analyze multiple perspectives. A primary course objective is for students to critically discover how and why societies dictate what people think about things, promote personal values and assumptions, and the resulting impact of social discourse and dominant norms on cross-cultural relations. The goal is that students discover how their own habits, behaviors, and actions can be influenced or transformed by this critical cultural analysis approach. In addition to analyzing their own behaviors, students will also conduct research on specific norms and cultural practices in different global contexts, according to their interests. The instructor's role will be to provide content and structure, encourage students to contribute additional content, and supervise students guided inquiries and case-based projects (written, oral, visual, digital).
82-291 Intermediate Russian I
Fall: 12 units
This course is designed for students who have taken two semesters of Russian at Carnegie Mellon or the equivalent. It is offered in the fall only. This course furthers communicative proficiency through intensive practice in written and spoken Russian. Complex grammatical structures and stylistic variations are mastered and extensive vocabulary is acquired. Through reading materials, fictional and non-fictional, acquaintance is made with the basic components of Russian cultural literacy as well as the distinctive cultural aspects of daily Russian life. Attention is directed toward the dynamic interaction of language and culture in order to foster cross-cultural awareness. Attendance is required at three-hourly class meetings per week, as is weekly consultation and conversation practice with a peer language assistant. **"If you would like to take this course, but the current time slot does not work with your schedule please contact the instructor as soon as possible and we may be able to accommodate you**
Prerequisites: 82-194 or 82-192
82-292 Intermediate Russian II
Spring: 12 units
In this intermediate course, students will review the basics of Russian grammar, develop listening comprehension, and expand their vocabularies and recognize the conversational, artistic, and academic usage of Russian. They will learn to relate simple narratives on familiar topics, express their opinions, ask questions, and speak about hypothetical situations. Students will be able to grasp the main ideas of newspaper articles and hold straightforward conversations with native speakers. In addition to working with the course textbook, workbook, and website, students will conduct a semester-long research project simulating the experience of living in a non-Russian region or country where Russian is frequently spoken. Students will compare and contrast everyday life in the Russian-speaking world with their own worldview, with special attention given to the cultural and ethnic diversity of the global Russophone community. Students will also utilize Russian-language texts and media to explore the historical formation of the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union, as well as the relationships between former Soviet republics and the wider world today. Students will also consider the historical development of the Russian language and the influence of other cultures and languages in producing the modern language we speak today.
Prerequisite: 82-291
82-293 Russian Cinema: From the Bolshevik Revolution to Putin's Russia
Intermittent
"Last night I was in the kingdom of shadows," said the writer Maxim Gorky in 1896 after seeing a film for the first time. "How terrifying to be there!" Early film inspired fear and fascination in its Russian audiences, and before long became a medium of bold aesthetic and philosophical experimentation. This seminar-style course surveys the development of Russian and Soviet film, paying equal attention to the formal evolution of the medium and the circumstanceshistorical, cultural, institutionalthat shaped it. We will examine Sergei Eisenstein's and Dziga Vertov's experiments with montage in light of the events of the Bolshevik Revolution and the directors' engagement with Marxism; Georgi Alexandrov's and the Vasiliev brothers' Socialist Realist production against the backdrop of Stalinist censorship; Andrei Tarkovsky's and Kira Muratova's Thaw-era films within the broader context of New Wave Cinema; and the works of contemporary directors, including Aleksei Balabanov, Alexander Sokurov, and Andrey Zvyagintsev, in connection with the shifting social and political landscape of post-Soviet Russia. Besides introducing students to the Russian and Soviet cinematic tradition, this course will hone their skills in close visual analysis. No prior knowledge of Russian language or culture is required. The course is conducted in English, but students will have the option to do work in Russian for three extra course units.
82-294 19th Century Russian Masterpieces
Intermittent
In the 19th century, Russian writers produced some of the most beloved works of Western literature, among them Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment and Tolstoy's Anna Karenina. These novels continue to captivate audiences and inspire adaptations in theater, film, and television. This course will examine the fertile century that yielded such masterpieces. In addition to the works mentioned above, students will encounter texts by writers who may be less well known but are no less significant, including Pushkin, Lermontov, Gogol, Chekhov, and Pavlova. We will consider the social and cultural circumstances in which these works were produced and reflect on the reasons these Russian masterpieces have appealed to audiences well beyond the Russian-speaking world.
82-295 20th Century Russian Masterpieces
All Semesters
At the beginning of the 20th century, the Russian Empire underwent a series of dramatic changes in quick succession: industrial modernization, the unsuccessful 1905 rebellion, terrible losses in the First World War, finally culminating in the 1917 October Revolution. The literature and culture of the era were deeply impacted by these upheavals as artists and writers of the era attempted to capture and convey the world rapidly shifting around them. This course will acquaint students with canonical texts from 20th-century Russian literature and will also examine the highly specific context in which they were produced. From the fin-de-si and #232;cle aesthetics of a crumbling Russian Empire to the avant-garde experimentalism of the Russian Revolution and Civil War era, to the establishment of Socialist Realism and the implementation of a Totalitarian regime under Stalin, the course invites students to think about both the realities of life and artistic production in a rapidly transforming country as well as the ways in which these works bring contemporary readers to the inner lives of Soviet citizens.
82-296 World War I - the View from Paris & St. Petersburg
Intermittent: 6 units
The course will examine the history of the First World War from a unique perspective by focusing especially on two of the Allied powers: France and Russia. In addition to an overview of political and military events, we will study the experiences of soldiers and civilians in the trenches and on the home front. The war had profoundly disruptive effects on both countries, and we will learn about the political and social consequences, including the 1917 revolution in Russia, the French Army mutinies, and the longer-term effects on gender roles, the workers' movement, international relations, and artistic expression. The course is open to all students, including those who have previously studied the First World War in some detail. And if you are able to read documents in French, Russian, or both languages we will find an opportunity for you to put those skills to use in this course.
82-297 Russian and Soviet Science Fiction
Intermittent
This course explores the longstanding tradition of science fiction literature, film, and art in the Russian, Soviet, and post-Soviet world. How does the future-oriented world of science fiction look and operate when produced in a country with an entirely different conception of progress and historical destiny than our own? What does a communist Martian Utopia look like, for example, and how did the collapse of the USSR impact the psyche of millions of Soviet children raised with dreams of becoming Cosmonauts? How does Russias medieval past collide with the current Putinist present in recent dystopian novels? This course will explore the origins of science fiction writing in Russia under the Tsar and its flowering under the early Bolshevik regime, who sought to transform fantastic visions of the future into present reality through the promise of the Revolution. We will discuss the intellectual and philosophical novels Solaris and Stalker by the Strugatsky brothers and their screen adaptations by Andrei Tarkovsky, the mind-bending and scandalous works by Viktor Pelevin and Vladimir Sorokin, and the current popularity of Russian dystopian video games. Students will gain an understanding of the science fiction genre as a whole: how can a work be both realistic and fantastic? What are the boundaries of science fiction, and how is fantasy separated or blurred with reality in a fictional world? The course is conducted in English, but students will have the option to do work in Russian for three extra course units.
82-298 Radicals, Heretics, Hackers: Russian Outlaws in History, Literature, and Film
Spring
The Russian hacker looms large in the global imagination. He's the cyber outlaw sowing confusion and paranoia, the purveyor of fake news and conspiracy theories, the antihero who threatens the interests of powerful people and powerful states, or the state agent who threatens to upend democratic institutions. This course will examine the mythology and reality of "the Russian hacker" by considering this figure in the context of late Soviet and post-Soviet Russian culture. We will attend to the influence of both geopolitical forces, such as the politics of the Cold War, and artistic movements like Postmodernism. The course follows a seminar format. Students will be required to critically analyze literature (Dostoevsky, Bulgakov, Pelevin, Tolstaya), film (Balabanov, Ginzburg), media sources, and scholarship. They will work on written exercises that prepare them to write a research paper to be presented at a research symposium at the end of the semester. No prior knowledge of Russian language or culture is required. The course is conducted in English, but students will have the option to do work in Russian for three extra course units.
82-299 Equity & Justice in Modern Languages
Intermittent: 9 units
S23: This course has the dual purpose of examining important human rights issues in Latin America and questioning the role of film in making visible, critiquing, or even sustaining the structures that lead to human rights violations. We will study specific human rights issues tackled by filmmakers in Latin America, such as cultural rights, gender and sexuality rights, economic rights, environmental issues, and war and state terror. Furthermore, we will discuss specific film schools and movements that developed to address human rights and social justice issues in diverse Latin American contexts. Finally, we will look at how Latin American films work the international human rights film festival circuit, and the ethical and practical implications of filming local human rights issues for international audiences. All coursework for this section in English. Students interested in doing coursework in Spanish for Hispanic Studies credit should register under 82-399.
82-300 Language & Society in the Arab World
Fall and Spring: 9 units
Course content varies. Last offered topic: Negotiating Arab Identities and amp; Gender Roles in Film and amp; Literature. This course focuses on the processes of self-definition by Arab men and women in conflict zones in the Middle East and North Africa with relation to national and religious identities, social stratification, sexuality/homosexuality, and gender roles. Students will learn about the social, economic, and political contexts of the films and literary works representing the Maghreb, Egypt, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, the Gulf countries, and Yemen. This course fosters a better understanding of Arab societies and the hybrid identities that negotiate their presence and space within. Students will have the opportunity to engage in a video-conference dialogue with students in the American University in Cairo, Egypt, attend an Arab film during CMU's International Film Festival, and interview native speakers of different Arab countries to further their learning of Arab culture.
82-303 French & Francophone Cultures
Fall and Spring: 9 units
FALL 2023: TBA
Prerequisites: 82-204 or 82-202
82-304 French & Francophone Sociolinguistics
Fall and Spring: 9 units
This course examines the French language in relation to the social and cultural lives of the people who use it across the French-speaking world. To do so, students will explore the links between the French language of all francophones, its use, and the expression of national, cultural, community, and individual identities through the study of diverse texts and data sources, including policy/legal documents, films, music, newscasts, digitized corpuses of spoken and written French, and computer/technology-mediated communication. Through readings, discussions, hands-on activities, and project work, students will 1) develop content knowledge with an emphasis on language ideologies, policy, and planning; language contact and multilingualism; and language variation and change; and 2) develop linguistic skills in French (reading, writing, listening, and speaking) with specific focus on advanced spoken and written expression. This course is repeatable with new topics.
Prerequisite: 82-202
82-305 French in its Social Contexts
Fall and Spring: 9 units
This course is designed to introduce students to how the French is used by its speakers to create meaning in a wide variety of contexts, which in terms are influenced by various variables (e.g., the political and historical circumstances within which French has developed and continues to change, social and geographic variables). To explore these issues, we will create interactive multimedia experiences aimed at being deployed on an interactive video wall and/or in augmented reality settings. If you have experience in French as well as design, film and photography, or computer-science, this is a course for you! Prerequisites: 82-303 and 82-304 or permission of the instructor,
Prerequisites: 82-303 and 82-304
82-311 Advanced Arabic I
Fall: 9 units
This course promotes multiple literacies in an integrated approach to Arabic language and culture studies and builds students' ability to function at the Intermediate High/Advanced Low level in a variety of topics. It also embraces the diglossic nature of Arabic by explicitly integrating the teaching of Arabic regional spoken varieties alongside Modern Standard Arabic. Moreover, the course incorporates Computer and other Technology Assisted Language Learning pedagogies to support student learning inside and outside the classroom. The course is aligned with ACTFL's updated Arabic guidelines that perceive the Arabic language as a continuum in which both the regional spoken varieties and Modern Standard Arabic constitute a whole in terms of usage.
Prerequisite: 82-212
82-312 Advanced Arabic II
Spring: 9 units
The course is the continuation of Advanced Arabic I. It continues promoting multiple literacies in an integrated approach to Arabic language and culture studies and builds students' ability to function at the advanced level in a variety of topics. It also embraces the diglossic nature of Arabic by explicitly integrating the teaching of Arabic regional spoken varieties alongside Modern Standard Arabic. Moreover, the course incorporates technology-assisted language learning pedagogies to enhance student learning inside and outside the classroom. The course also implements ACTFL's Arabic guidelines that recognize Arabic as a continuum in which both the regional spoken varieties and Modern Standard Arabic constitute a whole in terms of language use.
Prerequisite: 82-311
82-313 Topics in Modern Arabic Language, Literature and Culture
Fall: 9 units
This course explores definitions of culture and analyzes the dynamic role of language in culture, and culture in language, with an aim to foster cross-cultural awareness and self-realization while developing proficiency in Arabic. Using an integrated approach to the study of the Arabic language, literature, and culture through close readings of current media sources (press, news, magazines, as appropriate), and literary and cultural readings. Additionally, this course is designed to strengthen listening, speaking, reading and writing, within the context of an evolving Arabic culture.
82-314 Literature of the Arabic-speaking World
Intermittent: 9 units
This repeatable introductory course explores the Arab world through a thematic or conceptual focus. In spring 2018, the theme will be 'Diversity in The Arab Culture'. Coursework will include reading short stories and novels to understand the cultural context that gave rise to specific literary works. Students will also continue to develop their abilities to express their ideas both in speaking and in writing, as well as their listening skills in Modern Standard Arabic. There is no prerequisite for this course but it is expected that your language proficiency in the Arabic language is good. **This is a content course in the Arabic language and not an Arabic language course.**
82-320 Contemporary Society in Germany, Austria and Switzerland
Fall: 9 units
This course offers an introduction to contemporary German culture since 1989. Switzerland and Austria will be frequently included in class discussions but the main focus will be on Germany. In the wake of reunification, constructions of German cultural identity have undergone radical changes. Through encounters with articles, literary texts, popular music, and film students will explore these transformations and examine German culture and (both individual and collective) "identities" after reunification. The class sessions will be organized around several thematic segments, including East/West relations during and after reunification, German media, multiculturalism and minorities, and, finally, a segment on how to navigate the business world in German-speaking countries. The course will be conducted entirely in German and is designed to deepen students' understanding and awareness of issues in contemporary German culture.
Prerequisite: 82-222
82-323 Germany, Austria and Switzerland in the 20th Century
Spring: 9 units
This course advances proficiency in communicative and grammatical skills in the German language and knowledge of German-speaking cultures through the study of important events, trends, and people of the twentieth century in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Examples will be drawn from literature, newspapers, television, film and other sources. Students will be expected to complete assignments that demonstrate the ability to express critical judgments in both written and oral form, documented through readings and personal research. The course includes a review of the most troublesome points of German grammar.
Prerequisite: 82-222
82-327 The Emergence of the German Speaking World
Intermittent: 9 units
The Italian literary theorist Franco Moretti has written that "Germany is a sort of Magic Stage, where the symbolic antagonisms of European culture achieve a metaphysical intractability, and clash irreconcilably. It is the center and catalyst of the integrated historical system we call Europe." This course is a general introduction to German culture, German history, and German society, with a focus on Germany's role as center and catalyst of the European system. The course is conducted entirely in German. Its goal is to provide students with a basic level of cultural literacy about the German-speaking world. In the course, we will study major trends from the earliest days of German civilization through the middle ages but with primary emphasis on the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries and with a special focus on problems of national, political and cultural identity. Students coming out of the course should have a broad understanding of the various tensions and problems that have characterized German culture and society for the last two centuries. In addition to broadening students' cultural knowledge about the German-speaking world, this course will continue to emphasize the improvement of students' ability to speak, read, write, and listen to German.
Prerequisites: 82-324 or 82-320 or 82-323
82-331 Reading Into a New China I: Population, Youth, Marriage, & Housing
Fall and Spring: 9 units
This 9-unit course is designed for students who have reached the intermediate level of proficiency in the use of Chinese language to develop their language process competency in all four skills to a more advanced level. Students will expand explicit knowledge of socio-cultural influences on Chinese language use, and be able to apply the knowledge to conduct culturally appropriate spoken and written communication across various social domains and genres. Topics to be covered in this class will be closely related to current social issues in China, such as population, youth, love and amp; marriage and housing. Students will also develop a repertoire of strategies and resources to assist their learning so that they will be gradually becoming autonomous learners who are able to conduct independent learning of the Chinese language, culture, history, and society.
Prerequisites: 82-235 or 82-232
82-332 Reading Into a New China II: Transportation, Education, Pop Culture, & Health
Fall and Spring: 9 units
A continuation of Advanced Chinese I, this course is designed to train students' language proficiency in functioning with Chinese in situations beyond their everyday life. Students will continue to learn more complex language phenomena in order to do exposition, explanation, description and argumentation with Chinese. These language phenomena will be introduced to students together with their social and cultural backgrounds through texts and multimedia programs related to various social issues. Classroom discussions and research project presentations will be the major forms of oral practice, and writing practice will mainly focus on essays and research papers. All the discussions and research projects will focus on issues related to traffic, education, employment, pop cultures, healthy living, and other human relations as well as economic situations in China today.
Prerequisites: 82-235 Min. grade C or 82-232 Min. grade C
82-333 Chinese Language and Culture
Fall and Spring: 9 units
SECTION A: With China as a growing political and economic power, understanding the country through its history and culture becomes necessary for students as responsible citizens of the world. This course is designed to help students, previously unexposed to Chinese culture and civilization, better understand China's past. By learning about the history of the Middle Kingdom, students will be exposed to the deep and fascinating foundation of Chinese civilization. We will not cover thousands of years of history, but discuss a chronological timeline of dynasties for reference. Areas of focus include the general knowledge of geography, religion, art, ancient lifestyles, and values. This course is conducted in English with no requirement of prior knowledge of Chinese language. SECTION B: This course will introduce students to important developments in China's culture and language since the end of the nineteenth century focusing on the interactions between Chinese and Western cultural traditions and the historical, social, and political contexts in which these interactions evolved. The following questions will motivate discussion: What is Chinese culture in the modern world? What is "modern" and what "traditional" Chinese culture? How does high culture interact with folk culture and popular culture? How have education and language policies shaped Chinese cultural identities over the last century? What does it mean to be Chinese in a diaspora context? This course is conducted in English with no requirement of prior knowledge of Chinese language.
82-334 Structure of Chinese
Fall and Spring: 9 units
This is an upper-level Chinese course for students who have completed the requirements for intermediate Chinese with the goal of enabling students to build up a more comprehensive and systematic understanding of the structure of Chinese so as to lay a solid foundation for the further development of their advanced level language proficiency. This course will cover major complicated structural phenomena in Modern Chinese through the study of specially selected sample texts. Special emphasis will be given to high frequent errors and weaknesses on particularly problematic elements and sentence structures that are common among non-native Chinese speakers. After this course, students can expect to have the ability to use Chinese more accurately and naturally in both speaking and writing on sophisticated topics in life.
Prerequisites: 82-232 or 82-235
82-335 Chinese Culture Through Legends and Folktales
Intermittent: 9 units
This is an upper-level Chinese Reading course for students who have reached intermediate level proficiency in Chinese. It is designed to train students to read extensively in Chinese with fluency and proficiency within a context of rich cultural content. Materials used in this class are selected from traditional fables, mini-stories, and articles from newspapers and magazines on the lifestyle and social changes in modern China. While discussion will be one of the major class activities, students are strongly encouraged to profit from opportunities to build their vocabulary and improve their sense of the Chinese language through reading and writing assignments throughout the semester.
Prerequisite: 82-232
82-337 Mandarin Chinese for Oral Communication I
Fall: 9 units
This course is designed for students who have reached intermediate level in reading and writing Chinese, but have little knowledge of Mandarin Chinese pronunciation, as well as those who aim to further improve their speaking in Chinese. Students will be introduced to Pinyin, the phonetic system of Mandarin Chinese, and work to refine and perfect their speaking skills through special attention to different styles, colloquialisms, and dialectal variations of contemporary spoken Mandarin. Course materials will include authentic Chinese TV programs, documentaries, films, recorded materials, and contemporary literary and non-literary texts. Students will be required to participate in intensive speaking activities, such as interviewing native speakers of Chinese, oral presentations, discussions, debates, and special projects. At the end of the course, students are expected to carry on oral communication with native Mandarin speakers in a clearly participatory fashion on topics related to various social issues in Modern China.
Prerequisites: 82-235 or 82-232
82-338 Mandarin Chinese for Oral Communication II
Spring: 9 units
This course focuses on advanced speaking skills. Class activities include daily reports, presentations, discussions, debates, interviews, description, translation, oral interpretation and oral art performances. These courses also utilize several of websites and online modules. The goal of this courses is to prepare students to feel comfortable and confident speaking Chinese in various settings and to perform various discourse functions (narration, expressing opinions, arguing, etc.) in Mandarin Chinese. In so doing, students will be able to use vocabulary and syntactic patterns that make their Chinese counterpart feel comfortable. Their Chinese counterpart will recognize the students as excellent speakers of Chinese who are knowledgeable about Chinese society and current global issues. Students are expected to be able to deliver good professional presentations in Chinese, perform in culturally-appropriate ways in many different social speaking situations, reach the advanced-mid level of proficiency of the ACTFL national standards, and be able to write a cohesive essay of 800-1000 characters.
Prerequisites: 82-232 or 82-235
82-339 Business Language & Culture in China I
Fall: 9 units
Designed for students who have had at least two years of Chinese language training, this 9-unit course aims to help students enhance their language proficiency in professional environment and develop in-depth understanding of the current business culture in China. Authentic materials from newspapers, magazines, TV shows and online sources will be introduced in class to help students deepen their understanding of the business culture in China. Students will be encouraged to foster creative and independent thinking skills, which are crucial for survival in today's business world, through a variety of classroom activities such as group discussion/debate, professional interviews, business project and presentation, and oral/written business reports. Professional language skills (both in speaking and writing), as well as social and business etiquette, will be also introduced and trained throughout the course.
Prerequisites: 82-235 or 82-232
82-340 Business Language & Culture in China II
Spring: 9 units
Designed for students who have had at least two years of Chinese language training, this 9-unit course aims to help students enhance their language proficiency in professional environment and develop in-depth understanding of the current business culture in China. Authentic materials from newspapers, magazines, TV shows and online sources will be introduced in class to help students deepen their understanding of the business culture in China. Students will be encouraged to foster creative and independent thinking skills, which are crucial for survival in today's business world, through a variety of classroom activities such as group discussion/debate, professional interviews, business project and presentation, and oral/written business reports. Professional language skills (both in speaking and writing), as well as social and business etiquette, will be also introduced and trained throughout the course.
Prerequisites: 82-232 or 82-235
82-342 Spain: Language and Culture
Fall and Spring: 9 units
This course is part of the post-intermediate, 300-level program that forms the introduction to the major or minor in Hispanic Studies. Students may begin with any one of the three courses at this level or they may be taken concurrently. Spain: Language and Culture focuses on the cultures of Spain, the autonomous regions and the creation of a national identity as a reaction to the multiple ethnicities that have inhabited the peninsula since ancient times. The course advances proficiency in grammatical accuracy, the ability to communicate one's ideas in Spanish, and cultural proficiency. The focus of in-class activities is on written and non-written sources such as history, literature, film, art, and elements of popular culture; the building of reading and writing skills will be complemented by continued oral practice in the form of small and large group discussions and class presentations. Treatment of reading selections is designed to increase students general familiarity with a variety of genres, devices, and discourse types and to build a foundation for the department's more advanced courses in literature, history and culture. The course will be taught in Spanish.
Prerequisites: 82-242 or 82-244
82-343 Latin America Language and Culture
Fall and Spring: 9 units
This course is part of the post-intermediate, 300-level program that forms the introduction to the major or minor in Hispanic Studies. Students may begin with any one of the three courses at this level or they may be taken concurrently. This course will explore Latin American culture and language, focusing on issues of cultural identity. Tracing the historical thread of the construction of Latin American cultural identity we will distinguish 6 periods organized around crisis when the topic of Who we are? becomes a central debate (Larrain 1996). These periods include: the conquest and colonization, the independence and constitution of nation-states, the inter war period and the depression, the 1970s and the military dictatorships and the present globalization stage. These phases in the development of a Latin American cultural identity represent the existence of certain dominant discourses and controversies that are important in understanding Latin American culture (Larrain 1996). The idea is to explore how Latin America imagines itself and constructs a narrative about its origins and development. There are three main questions we will be exploring throughout the course: Where does the discussion about Latin America emerge from?; How does Latin America think of itself?; What does Latin America want to be?. These questions will be explored historically through readings of philosophical and political texts that deal with Latin American identity as well as with literary texts, films and music that represent practices that enact this/ese identity/ies. The course will be taught in Spanish.
Prerequisites: 82-244 or 82-242
82-344 U.S. Latinos: Language and Culture
Fall and Spring: 9 units
This course is part of the post-intermediate, 300-level program that forms the introduction to the major or minor in Hispanic Studies. Students may begin with any one of the three courses at this level or they may be taken concurrently. This course provides an introduction to and analysis of the cultures and histories of U.S. Latinos. The course will trace the historical trajectories of these groups, both those dating back centuries, such as Mexican-Americans and certain Caribbean populations, and those with more recent, quickly growing populations, such as Salvadoran and Honduran immigrants, in an effort to understand how their identities are forged and transformed over time, considering both internal and external perspectives. Our exploration of U.S. Latino history and cultures will compare and contrast the experiences of people from the above-described categories and analyze the dynamic tension amongst them, with other minority groups, and with the mainstream US society. We will examine a wide variety of materials, including texts, film, art, music etc. in order to gain a better understanding of Latino populations in the United States. Ultimately, we seek to question and to understand the complexities of Latinidad in the 21st century U.S. The course will be taught in Spanish.
Prerequisites: 82-242 or 82-244
82-345 Introduction to Hispanic Literary and Cultural Studies
Fall and Spring: 9 units
This required course is transatlantic, incorporating the study of the cultures of Latinos in the US, Latin American and Spain. Topics vary from semester to semester, aiming to provide a thorough understanding of Latin American, Spanish and U.S. cultures in connection to issues such as race, gender, socio-economic class. FALL 2023: This course explores the politics of gender, identity, sexuality, and health within a transatlantic geographical context. The texts will focus on the 20th and 21st centuries while presenting interdisciplinary perspectives. We will draw on examples from historical debates and documents as well as creative output - all to work toward a synthetic understanding of the following key issues: sexual and reproductive health and rights; sexual autonomy and choice; prostitution; sterilization; eugenics; the right to bear children; abortion; and motherhood. While remaining broad in its scope of the Spanish-speaking world, depth of analysis will be emphasized. We will collectively work together to understand each text, understanding that the methods in which we work to understand feminicide in 21st century Mexico may not be appropriate when analyzing the torture of women during the Spanish Civil War. Therefore, it is understood that no one student, nor professor, will have absolute knowledge of the political, cultural, and historical background of every part of the Spanish-speaking world included in the brief semester of study. The class will be student-centered, and thus highly interactive. It is also a goal of this course to stimulate analytical thinking, and to promote the close readings of texts directed by argumentation and well-structured insights. Students will work collaboratively, with the goal of arriving at their own conclusions about the relationship between representation and reality, experience, and analysis.
Prerequisites: 82-342 and 82-343
82-355 Tpcs in Hispanic Std: Beyond the Film Screen: The Hispanic World Through Film
Intermittent: 9 units
This course is offered only at Carnegie Mellon's campus in Qatar. The purpose of this course is to explore Hispanic culture and history through contemporary films in Spanish. Undoubtedly, films are a rich source of meaningful cultural information that can provide the audience with an understanding of a country's culture (history, politics, social problems, etc.) through their discussion and analysis. Movies not only represent reality, but they do it from a particular position. The images produced in films are charged with political interests that reproduce or challenge established beliefs and views. Films offer different representations of reality as well as different ways of relating to it (Achugar, 2008). We will view and analyze a selected group of films portraying four main issues in Hispanic history and society: memory and oblivion, immigration and exile, marginalized identities throughout history, and the Hispanic world in globalization. An understanding of the socio-political context that these films aim to portray through in-depth reading, analysis, discussion, and investigation will provide a thorough understanding of the complexities of various historic events, and opportunities and challenges faced by the Hispanic world. Throughout the semester, we will practice the four language skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) as we continue to build on vocabulary and review grammar points based on the films viewed, the texts read, and the topics discussed.
Prerequisite: 82-242
82-361 Italian Language and Culture I
Fall: 9 units
This is a course in Italian culture and language with a streamlined review of grammar. The course deals with the social, political, economic, demographic, and cultural issues of contemporary Italy. At the same time links are drawn between past and present, evidencing the importance of tradition and history in Italian society.
Prerequisite: 82-262
82-362 Italian Language and Culture II
Spring: 9 units
This is a course in Italian culture and language with a streamlined review of grammar. The course deals with the social, political, economic, demographic, and cultural issues of contemporary Italy. At the same time links are drawn between past and present, evidencing the importance of tradition and history in Italian society. A student with prior experience in Italian must take the Italian placement exam. SPRING 2018: This course traces the development of Italian film from the 1900's silent films to the 21st Century. We will follow a trajectory beginning with the epic tradition of Pastrones Cabiria (1914) and Carmine Gallone's Scipio Africans of the Fascist Regime, and continue with study of the Telefoni Bianchi (Art Deco) films of the 30s, neorealism of post-war Italy, the commedia all italiana (Italian style comedy (1950-1970), the humor of Paolo Virzì, the intellectual and artistic concerns of Nanni Moretti, and conclude with Sorrentino's, Il Divo. Students will continue to build their skills in listening, speaking, reading and writing Italian while developing their appreciation of the impact of Italian Film as a cultural and artistic force. The assignments and learning activities which accompany each film provide opportunities for discussion, research, reflection and conversation. The course places emphasis on the historical and cultural situations presented in the films, to help students broaden their background on the history, customs, and geographical representations of Italy. The class will be conducted in Italian.
Prerequisite: 82-262
82-363 Intensive Italian Language & Culture: Advanced Level
Intermittent
No course description provided.
82-371 Changes in Japan 1: Food and Work Cultures
Fall: 9 units
This course emphasizes the acquisition of advanced level of communicative language proficiency by immersing students in authentic cultural explorations. The curriculum includes authentic reading texts, multimedia, interviews with native speakers, and viewing and summarizing Japanese films that depict current Japanese society and cultural trends. The course also provides an individualized learning environment throughout the term in improving students' language skills and cultural proficiency. Students may pick a topic of personal interest for their term project thesis. A student with prior experience in Japanese must take the placement exam.
Prerequisite: 82-272
82-372 Advanced Japanese II
Spring: 9 units
This course continues to further improve the acquisition of advanced level communicative language proficiency by immersing students in authentic cultural explorations. The curriculum includes authentic reading texts, multimedia, interviews with native speakers, and viewing and summarizing Japanese films that depict current Japanese society and cultural trends. The course also provides an individualized learning environment throughout the term in improving students' language skills and cultural proficiency. Students may pick a topic of personal interest for their term project thesis. A student with prior experience in Japanese must take the placement exam.
Prerequisite: 82-371
82-373 Structure of the Japanese Language
Fall: 9 units
This course examines the basic Japanese grammar covered in elementary and intermediate Japanese courses by comparison with English and aids students in systematizing their knowledge of Japanese and in deepening their understanding of Japanese culture (i.e., cultural ways of thinking underlying Japanese verbal behaviors). After a brief discussion of the overall typological differences between the two languages and an initial training to analyze them cross-linguistically, it deals with specific areas of grammar that exhibit pervasive structural and semantic differences and serve as exercises for cross-linguistic analysis. On the basis of the discussions and exercises in class, students gather and analyze relevant Japanese data for their project, which facilitates their understanding of the grammar points and cultural ways of thinking in question, and develops their analytical skills. This course is taught in Japanese. A student with prior experience in Japanese must take the placement exam.
Prerequisite: 82-272
82-374 Issues in Japanese Technology & Society
Spring: 9 units
This course seeks to (1) introduce students to technical Japanese or Japanese language used in the field of science and technology, (2) acquaint them with current issues in Japan involving science and technology, and (3) deepen their understanding of the science and technology culture of Japan. It draws on various sources of information such as books, newspapers, video clips, and TV news to familiarize students with current issues in Japan related to science and technology. Through understanding those issues, the course enables them to acquire necessary knowledge of technical Japanese and Japanese cultural perspectives on science and technology. It also requires them to work on an individual project to form and express their own thoughts and opinions on a science and technology issue of personal interest. This course is taught in Japanese. A student with prior experience in Japanese must take the placement exam.
Prerequisite: 82-272
82-376 Intensive Japanese Language & Culture: Advanced Level
Intermittent
tba
82-380 Multilingual Podcasting: Unlocking Cultural Storytelling
Spring: 9 units
F23: In this course, students will learn about the various characteristics and possibilities of podcasting, and will familiarize themselves with the history, tenets, and examples of cultural storytelling for Spanish-speaking communities using this medium. Likewise, they will get involved hands-on in production learning while creating a series of podcasts that explore the linguistic and cultural landscapes of the local Spanish-speaking community in Pittsburgh, supporting diversity and giving voice to their stories as rich, intimate, and immersive audio experiences. Students will blend studio recordings with interviews and/or suitable "found" recordings, music, and sound.Assigned texts for this course will include primary and secondary sources related to classic examples of community radio such as Radio Venceremos and Radio Rebelde, and episodes from diverse and successful podcasts including Radio Ambulante, Entre Am and #233;ricas, and La Brega. We will also engage with materials in which radio and podcasting play a pivotal role. While advancing on Spanish linguistic and cultural proficiency, students will develop research and analytic skills in the target language, learn about the Spanish-speaking community in Pittsburgh, and engage in meaningful interactions with its members. Coursework will include skills development on audio recording and podcasting, production management, creative thinking, materials sourcing, and giving and receiving constructive feedback from classmates and varied audiences on team and individual projects. No previous podcasting experience is necessary, but experience in writing, interviewing, music production, or digital editing would be helpful. Anyone with an interest in podcasting or issues of immigration, bilingualism, and civil rights is encouraged to participate. The course will be taught in Spanish.
Prerequisites: 82-242 Min. grade C or 82-222 Min. grade C or 82-232 Min. grade C or 82-202 Min. grade C or 82-272 Min. grade C
82-382 Introduction to Translation
Spring: 9 units
We will survey a number of different translation theories in order to understand the various approaches that are at our disposal when translating a text. All theory taught in class will be accompanied by hands-on translation projects that will give students the opportunity to try out their knowledge first-hand and evaluate the usefulness of different approaches on a personal basis. In addition, we will explore the profession of translation by researching conferences, forums, websites and associations. Last but not least, we will contact and interview a translator who does translation work we feel particularly passionate about. The course is meant as a general introduction to what it means to be a translator and is open to both undergraduate and graduate students with sufficient knowledge in a foreign language.
82-383 Second Language Acquisition: Theories and Research
Fall: 9 units
This course provides an introduction to research and theories in Second Language Acquisition (SLA). Processes that underlie the learning and use of second languages are examined from four perspectives: 1) as linguistic knowledge, 2) as a cognitive skill, 3) as a personality-meditated process, and 4) a socio-culturally mediated process. Factors examined include: age-related differences, the influence of the first language, the role played by innate (universal) principles, the role of memory processes, attitudes, motivation, personality and cognitive styles, and formal versus naturalistic learning contexts. Issues that arise from the course readings are investigated through practical experience in applying theoretical knowledge to small-scale empirical research projects. Students are also provided with opportunities to consider the relevance of these issues to their own language learning experiences.
82-385 Qualitative methods in SLA research
Fall and Spring
This course provides an overview of qualitative research methodology and techniques. A variety of research approaches will be reviewed and theoretical assumptions and procedural, technical, and ethical issues associated with each will be discussed. Students will have an opportunity to design, implement, analyze, and report a micro qualitative study. Although the focus is on inquiry into second language acquisition, it is intended that the course also be relevant to students in other fields of inquiry.
82-386 Immersive Literary Imaginaries
Intermittent: 6 units
How do we use new immersive technologies to tell stories and share ideas? Can we find ways to express critical and textual analysis through animation, filmmaking, and interactive storytelling? Literature has always found ways to attract new audiences through film and theater adaptations, performances, or talks. Museums and exhibition spaces are increasingly developing interactive displays or immersive installations to explore themes and subjects of important works. Reading together, identifying key themes, and discussing concepts in narrative portrayal and storytelling, we will create short interactive pieces based on critical reflection and textual analysis of a specific literary work. We will write, develop and use immersive storytelling techniques, to share ideas and design user or visitor experiences. You will be guided through technical work while developing your appreciation for the themes and contexts of the novel. This is an applied critical-theory class that blends literature analysis with creative computing and artistic production. Each iteration of this course will be centered on a specific literary work. In spring 2023, we will explore Native American perspectives through contemporary literature, specifically, the novel There, There (2019) by Tommy Orange. There, There is told through the perspectives of its characters, each bound by history, dealing with their circumstances and each challenging perception of race and identity. Students will adapt and shape critical responses into a series of animated interactive sequences which can be displayed and shared through an interactive book.
82-387 Introduction to Linguistic Data Analysis Using R
Intermittent: 9 units
This course provides a hands-on introduction to the fundamental aspects of statistical analysis of quantitative linguistic data using the open source statistical environment R.The course assumes no prior programming or statistics training. Students will first understand how spoken and written language can be conceptualized as data. Students will learn what this data looks like and how to think about such data from a computational perspective. Students will build a level of confidence in using R that can lead to more advanced programming and statistics classes. Students will also learn how to visualize and appropriately form specific research questions related to linguistic analysis, and how data and its presentation can be manipulated in unethical ways. Students will also examine how the same data set can tell different stories/outcomes depending on the analyses and presentation. In-class labs and homework will make use of corpus, psycholinguistic, and survey data from a variety of languages and methods. At the end of the course, students will be able to select and use appropriate quantitative methods to analyze linguistic phenomena with the help of R. More practically, students will be able to use and understand the R code provided in class and modify it for the purposes of their own research.
82-388 Topics in Second Language Acquisition
Fall and Spring: 9 units
SEC A: This course asks two central questions: 1) How do we capture language learning outcomes that aren't measurable quantitatively? and 2) How do we understand the relationship between context, instruction, and second language learning? To answer these questions, we will examine research and its practical applications from a variety of qualitative traditions (e.g., ethnography, discourse analysis, qualitative interviews, diary studies) that has been carried out in a wide range of contexts, including study abroad, technology-enhanced environments, and informal learning 'in the wild.' SEC B: We will explore how technology can be used and researched in contexts of second language acquisition and teaching. We'll investigate research, best pedagogical practices, and technological tools used in Computer-Assisted Language Learning. Students will learn how to conduct a review of a pedagogical tech tool or app (e.g., Chat GPT, Duolingo, Lingostar AI) and how to integrate it into a task-based or project-based lesson plan. In addition to teaching demos, students will engage in the creation of a research project proposal and/or literature review regarding a specific facet of technology-enhanced language teaching and learning. SEC C: This course provides a hands-on introduction to linguistic data analysis using the programming language R. SEC D: Pragmatics is broadly understood as the study of language use in social context. This course, therefore, addresses various topics in second language (L2) pragmatics, including theories in pragmatics learning, multilingual translanguaging in L2 pragmatics, research methods in L2 pragmatics, target areas of investigation, instruction and assessment, and learning contexts. Through critical examinations of the literature in these areas, students will develop an understanding of existing research paradigms in L2 pragmatics and future directions.
82-390 Soviet Futures: Revolutionary Design
Intermittent: 9 units
This course explores the history of Soviet design from aspirations of an everyday Utopia following the 1917 Revolution to the crumbling facades and "post-Communist aesthetic" of the former USSR today. Students will learn about alternative visions of everyday life and the future from the designers, artists, and theorists themselves, engaging with visual works, historical documents, and manifestos. Class time will also be dedicated to the design theory and philosophy of other 20th century Socialist states such as Yugoslavia and the People's Republic of China.
82-391 Advanced Russian I - Berlin, Paris, New York, Harbin
Intermittent: 9 units
This course investigates the cultural history of the post-Revolutionary Russian emigration to capitals of Europe, North America, and Asia. We will examine the life of Russian and #233;migr and #233; communities in each of these cities, through poetry, literary fiction, memoirs, and diaries. In addition to developing students' cultural awareness, this course aims to advance Russian language learning by expanding students' vocabulary, reinforcing grammatical knowledge, and developing their capacity to speak and write on abstract topics. The readings will be available in English, though students will be encouraged to read the works in Russian. In addition to discussing the texts in Russian, students will complete short weekly homework assignments. **If you would like to take this course, but the current time slot does not work with your schedule please contact the instructor as soon as possible and we may be able to accommodate you**
Prerequisites: 82-292 or 82-399
82-392 Advanced Russian II: Great Short Works
Intermittent: 9 units
A ghost robs a poor copy clerk of his prized overcoat. A nightmarish visit to a local museum somehow spirits a Russian refugee back to the Soviet Union. A desperate mother beats her son in order to ensure his bright future. Although Russian literature is famous for its long 19th-century novels, the absurdities of Russian society have been explored no less profoundly in short stories by Gogol, Nabokov, Petrushevskaya, and many others. This seminar examines the Russian short story as a form particularly suited to revealing the barbarism, hilarity, and ecstasy of human experience.
Prerequisite: 82-391
82-394 Russian for Heritage Speakers: Babushka's Russia & Beyond
All Semesters: 9 units
This course is designed to address the linguistic and cultural learning needs of heritage speakers of Russian, those who grew up hearing and speaking Russian at home but who have had little or no formal study of Russian language, culture, or history. Although heritage speakers of Russian often achieve advanced or near-native listening comprehension skills, they require further training in reading, writing, and speaking. Heritage speakers may also be unfamiliar with important aspects of Russian culture key events in Russian and Soviet history, well-known cultural phenomena, literary works, films, and so on and have gaps in their knowledge of social norms. Russian for Heritage Speakers aims to fill these gaps through a combination of grammar instruction and student-led close analysis of texts and audiovisual material. The course is organized around five thematic units that allow students to learn about Russian culture while engaging in interpretive, interpersonal, and presentational modes of communication: "Foundations: Truth and amp; Legends," "Revolutions: Political, Cultural, Social," "Student Life: ' ,'" "Russia in the World," and "Individual and Community."
82-396 The Faust Legend at Home and Abroad
Intermittent
This course introduces students to the basic outlines of the Faust story, and examines its nineteenth- through twenty first-century manifestations in a variety of European, Russian and American novels, plays, films and operas. On the assumption that cultures reveal something distinctive about themselves by the particular way in which they adapt the legend, this course aims to discover how and why these Faustian works of art respond and contribute to the social, political and historical context in which they are produced. On what is the persistent appeal of the Faust legend based? To what needs does it speak? How does the history of its own, continual reemergence affect the meanings it communicates? Prerequisites: None for 9 units; an additional 3 units, requiring permission of the instructor, can be earned for work done in Russian.
82-397 Radicals, Heretics, Hackers: Russian Outlaws in History, Literature, and Film
Intermittent
The Russian hacker looms large in the global imagination. He's the cyber outlaw sowing confusion and paranoia, the purveyor of fake news and conspiracy theories, the antihero who threatens the interests of powerful people and powerful states, or the state agent who threatens to upend democratic institutions. This course will examine the mythology and reality of "the Russian hacker" by considering this figure in the context of late Soviet and post-Soviet Russian culture. We will attend to the influence of both geopolitical forces, such as the politics of the Cold War, and artistic movements like Postmodernism. The course follows a seminar format. Students will be required to critically analyze literature (Dostoevsky, Bulgakov, Pelevin, Tolstaya), film (Balabanov, Ginzburg), media sources, and scholarship. They will work on written exercises that prepare them to write a research paper to be presented at a research symposium at the end of the semester. No prior knowledge of Russian language or culture is required. The course is conducted in English, but students will have the option to do work in Russian for three extra course units.
82-399 Equity & Justice in Modern Languages (Language-Specific)
Fall and Spring: 9 units
S23: "Derechos Humanos y Cine en Latinoam and #233;rica" This course has the dual purpose of examining important human rights issues in Latin America and questioning the role of film in making visible, critiquing, or even sustaining the structures that lead to human rights violations. We will study specific human rights issues tackled by filmmakers in Latin America, such as cultural rights, gender and sexuality rights, economic rights, environmental issues, and war and state terror. Furthermore, we will discuss specific film schools and movements that developed to address human rights and social justice issues in diverse Latin American contexts. Finally, we will look at how Latin American films work the international human rights film festival circuit, and the ethical and practical implications of filming local human rights issues for international audiences. All coursework for this section in Spanish; may count for Hispanic Studies credit. Students interested in doing coursework in English credit should register under 82-299. (9 units)
Prerequisite: 82-242 Min. grade C
82-400 Russian Studies Topics
Fall and Summer: 6 units
(A1)Literary Culture of the 19th Century Russia (6 Units) The purpose of the course is to give students an introduction to the cultural environment of the Imperial Russia through the works of major 19th century Russian writers. We will read and analyze some masterpieces of Russian fiction, including works of Pushkin, Lermontov, Gogol, Turgenev, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, and Chekhov. Emphasis will be made on how these brilliant classics reflected turbulent history of the 19th century Russia. (A2) Literary Culture of the 20th Century Russia (6 Units) This mini-course focuses on Russian prose and poetry of the early 20th century. Readings will include the "proletarian" writings of Maxim Gorky, "symbolism" of Alexander Blok, "futurism" and "modernism" of Vladimir Mayakovsky as well as works of some other authors. We will discuss such important issues for 20th century Russian Cultural History as the role of intelligentsia in the Russian Revolution, the content and method of Russian decadence, symbolism, and modernism, as well as imprisonment, liberation, and exile that became so important for many writers and poets.
82-411 Topics in Arabic Media
Fall and Spring
Given the development and spread of new and multi-literacies around us today, the course focuses on reading and analyzing Arabic media sources to engage in discussions about current topics in our modern world. Topics of interest include (but are not limited to): Culture, politics, economy, environment, education, and linguistic diversity. While reading and writing will be mainly in Modern Standard Arabic, class discussions will be of a multidialectal and multilingual nature to encourage questioning, analyzing, and conceptualizing topics in various contexts.
Prerequisite: 82-312
82-412 Topics in Arabic Studies
Spring: 9 units
This course is designed for students who have completed Advanced Arabic. Students will study written, audio, and video material taken from well-known Arabic-language media outlets such as Al-Jazeera, BBC Arabic, al-Arabiyya, etc. Linguistically, this course focuses on Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) because the media is one of the main domains in which MSA is significantly utilized in our modern age. Students will utilize reading, writing, and speaking skills to engage actively in class activities such as group discussions, debates, interviews, short presentations, etc. Students will prepare and present a final project in Arabic to share with the class. **The course can be repeated but after consent of instructor.**
82-413 Readings in Islamic History
Fall and Spring: 9 units
This course focuses on Islamic history and enables students to read authentic historical texts in Arabic written three to five centuries ago and to understand the cultural context that gave rise to these texts. Students also will continue to develop their ability to express their ideas both in speaking and in writing and to develop their listening skills in Modern Standard Arabic.
82-415 Topics in French and Francophone Studies
Fall: 9 units
This repeatable course explores target cultures through a thematic or conceptual focus. Students critically analyze authentic documents through, for example, historical, biographical, filmic, artistic, literary, musical, and theoretical perspectives, while improving and expanding their language skills. FALL 2023: Paris after 2015: The impacts of the 2015 terrorist attacks on perceptions of the city
Prerequisites: 82-304 Min. grade C and 82-303 Min. grade C
82-416 Topics in French and Francophone Studies
Spring: 9 units
SPRING 2023: Paris, between the Myths and amp; Realities This course will explore the numerous and evolving representations of the Parisian cityscape in literature and popular culture. How do French and foreign authors and filmmakers choose to represent the City of Light? Which aspects of Parisian life do these voices focus on, and why? How do these representations influence French and global perceptions of the city? Drawing from the study of myths by Roland Barthes and Claude L and #233;vi-Strauss, as well as images in poetry, novels, films and popular culture, we will look at the "production" of Paris. We will contrast mainstream images of the city (a place for lovers and baguettes, the Louvre, Notre Dame) with a lesser-known side of the city, from its catacombs to its ethnic neighborhoods and "banlieues." We will also examine the relations between Americans and Paris, from the works of writers such as Ernest Hemingway to the current perceptions of the city conveyed by/in American popular culture. Readings will include Baudelaire's Le Spleen de Paris, Victor Hugo's Les Mis and #233;rables, Mireille Guiliano's Ces Fran and #231;aises qui ne grossissent pas, and Alain Mabanckou's Bleu Blanc Rouge. The course will also examine the filmic representations of Paris in Paul Feig's Bridesmaids and Paris je t'aime. Good reading skills in French and a good ability to express oneself both orally and in writing are essential. In line with the spirit of these explorations, you are encouraged to use a variety of media for your presentation.
Prerequisites: 82-303 and 82-304
82-417 Arabic for the Professions II
Intermittent: 9 units
tba
82-420 The Crucible of Modernity:Vienna 1900
Intermittent: 9 units
Vienna 1900 was many things: the political center of the Austro-Hungarian Empire; the center of German-language music and theater; the birthplace of Zionism and of psychoanalysis; the home of cafe culture and the waltz; the city of baroque urban palaces and squalid backyard tenements; and the showcase for historicism. And while the story of Vienna's cultural and political turmoil is interesting, it probably would not command our attention today were it not for its role as the birthplace of Modernism. The class explores Vienna before the collapse of the Austro- Hungarian Empire in 1918. We will be looking at a huge and at times confusing canvas, which by necessity includes almost every aspect of culture. From history and politics we will move on through art, architecture, psychoanalysis, literature, music, and philosophy. We will be looking at art nouveau buildings and furniture, reading literature, viewing films, and listening to recordings. Using an enhanced historical map of the city as a digital interface and an interactive learning tool, we will add a crucial visual component to the course and research the connections between urban and architectural space and the intellectual activity that took place in it. You will work in teams with students from other disciplines. You will research networks of intellectual and artistic activities and create 3D models of the spaces, from public squares to cafe interiors, in which these intellectual activities took place. You will create and expand a growing collection of records, photos, archival materials, as well as artwork, music and other media in an effort to reconstruct the dialogue among the arts and the cultural debate of this key moment in the passage to Modernism. No previous knowledge of 3D modeling software is required, software instruction and tutoring will be provided. The language of instruction is English with a German credit option
82-425 Topics in German Literature and Culture
Fall: 9 units
This repeatable course explores the culture of the German-speaking nations through a thematic or conceptual focus. Students critically analyze authentic documents, for example, historical, biographical, and literary texts, as well as film and works of the visual arts while improving and expanding their language skills. Fall 2023: Are the Germans funny? Do they have a sense of humor? The answer is yes! U.S. stereotypes of the Germans suggest that they are always serious and negative and never funny. Nothing could be further from the truth! Comedy is actually by far the most popular German film genre, easily surpassing other genres (including historical films and dramas). The Germans love humor. But German humor is very different from humor in the U.S., and it doesn't "travel" across the Atlantic particularly well. This course, conducted entirely in German, will explore at least fourteen very popular post-1989 German film comedies, including Go Trabi Go (1991) and (T)Raumschiff SurprisePeriode 1 (2004), a send-up of the popular U.S. Star Trek series. The course will demonstrate that German film comedy is no joke but rather big business! Students will be required to lead one class discussion (in German), to write brief reviews of the relevant films, and to complete a final project, which may take the form of a short paper or a film comedy (in German). Requirements include viewing all the relevant films (outside of class), writing brief reviews of the films, completing occasional required
Prerequisites: 82-320 or 82-323 or 82-327 or 82-426
82-426 Topics in German Literature and Culture
Spring: 9 units
This repeatable course explores the culture of the German-speaking nations through a thematic or conceptual focus. Students critically analyze authentic documents, for example, historical, biographical, and literary texts, as well as film and works of the visual arts while improving and expanding their language skills. SPRING 2023: TBA
Prerequisites: 82-323 or 82-324 or 82-325
82-427 Nazi and Resistance Culture
Spring: 9 units
"How could the land of Goethe and Beethoven also have produced Hitler and the Holocaust?" This is a question that has frequently been posed about Germany. Germany has arguably been the dominant country in Western musical development since the sixteenth century; it has also witnessed an extraordinary flowering of literature, philosophy, and the visual arts. This course, conducted in English, will explore what happened to German culture from 1933 to 1945. In particular, it will examine the Nazi assault on modern (or "degenerate") art and the artistic response of the German and foreign resistance to Nazi tyranny. Arts explored will include literature, film, music, and the visual arts. We will read from the works of a variety of writers, including Öd and #246;n von Horv and #225;th, Anna Seghers, Bertolt Brecht, Adolf Hitler, Albert Speer, Hanns Johst, Joseph Goebbels, and Paul Celan. Film will also play a major role in the course, and students will be required to view (outside of class) and discuss at least seven Nazi-era films, including Veit Harlan's infamous antisemitic Jud S and #252; and #223; and the Nazi film Hitlerjunge Quex (Hitler Youth Quex), about a brave Hitler Youth martyr. CONTENT NOTE: The Nazi regime was racist, antisemitic, misogynist, homophobic, anti-communist, anti-socialist, and antiliberal. The language they used and some of their opponents seldom met the standards of polite speech in the contemporary U.S.A. It is a certainty that students will find the events and attitudes discussed in this course and the language used between 1933-1945 to be offensive and distasteful subject matter. If you feel uncomfortable at any point in the semester, please set up an appointment to meet with the instructor individually. It is important that all members of our community contribute to a safe and positive learning atmosphere.
Prerequisite: 82-327
82-428 History of German Film
Intermittent: 9 units
This course, conducted in English, is a chronological introduction to one of the world's greatest cinema traditions: German cinema. It moves from the silent cinema of the 1910s to the Weimar Republic, when German cinema represented Hollywood's greatest challenger in the international cinema world. It then addresses the cinema of Hitler's so-called "Third Reich," when German cinema dominated European movie theaters, and moves on to the cinema of divided Germany from 1949-1989, when cinema in the socialist east and cinema in the capitalist west developed in very different ways. In the final two weeks of the semester, the course will address German cinema in the post-unification period, which has experienced a revival in popularity and interest. The two historical foci of the semester will be the Weimar Republic, the classic era of German cinema, and the era of the so-called "New German Cinema" of the 1970s and 1980s, when major German directors developed radical new approaches to cinema and critiques of Hollywood. Among the great directors focused on in the course of the semester will be Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau, Fritz Lang, Leni Riefenstahl, Wolfgang Staudte, Werner Herzog, Wim Wenders, and Rainer Werner Fassbinder. No knowledge of the German language is required for this course. Most of the films will be in German with English subtitles. The course will be cross-listed in the departments of Modern Languages, English, and History. Students will be required to attend class, including all film screenings, to actively participate in discussion, to write a term paper on a topic related to German cinema history, and to take two tests.
82-429 German Reading and Translation Workshop: German in Today's World
Intermittent: 9 units
This course will address issues of translation, mostly from German into English, but to a lesser extent also from English into German. It will focus primarily on texts coming from the spheres of current events, politics, economics, and the cultural sphere, but students will also be encouraged to explore and locate texts based on their own interests and concerns. In order to facilitate well-honed translation, it will be necessary to address points of advanced grammar where the structures of the German and English languages feature not only similarities but also differences. The course will thus also constitute a review of issues in German grammar that English speakers may sometimes find particularly challenging. The language of instruction will be primarily German, and students should be comfortable speaking and listening to German. Students will be required to complete a several translation projects, to locate a number of texts from the contemporary German-speaking world that interest them, and to take a midterm and final examination that will focus on translation, issues of advanced grammar, and cultural content.
Prerequisite: 82-324
82-431 China and the West
Intermittent: 9 units
This course takes a look at the multifaceted relationship between China and the Western world from Marco Polo's time to the present. The focus will be on how people in China and the West imagined each other in different times of history and in what ways some historical events and figures, as well as concepts and cultural practices are interpreted differently from Chinese and Western perspectives. Students are expected to reach a deeper understanding of the complexities of cultural interactions and their implications for the diverse world in which we now live. The students will read a rich collection of scholarly writings, and the class will be conducted primarily in discussion format. The class is conducted in English and Chinese. Students will complete readings in both English and Chinese. Assessment will be based on participation in the discussion, student presentations, and written assignments (including research papers, book reviews, and translations).
82-432 Chinese Popular Culture: A Game of Learning
Intermittent: 9 units
S23: There are two reasons why the course is called "A Game of Learning" (and not "A Game of Thrones"): 1. We will be using a video game (i.e. Chinese Parents) as the primary learning resource to explore, discuss, and analyze different aspects of Chinese society and popular culture, such as naming, education, school life and youth culture; 2. We will be using a "gameful learning theory" to design and structure the course, so that all your efforts and accomplishments will earn your precious points (Yes, just like in a game) that help you get your desirable grade at the end of the semester. In other words, with the exception of a few core assignments, you will have the option to complete or not complete all other assignments based on your learning interest and habit. With this power in hand, you can create a unique learning process and a "game ending" that is solely your own.
Prerequisite: 82-332
82-433 Topics in Contemporary Culture of China
Fall: 9 units
This repeatable course explores target cultures through a thematic or conceptual focus. Students critically analyze authentic documents through, for example, historical, biographical, filmic, artistic, literary, musical, and theoretical perspectives, while improving and expanding their language skills. Prerequisite: 82-332 S20: China has become the second largest economy in the world and is playing a more and more important role in the global society today. To have comprehensive knowledge and in-depth understanding of what has brought about the rapid changes, what is happening there and what to expect for the future is crucial to the professional life of anyone who intends to build up a career in the global community. This 400-level Chinese course aims at helping students obtain knowledge of and develop a deeper and broader understanding of the social, historical, political and cultural situation in China today through the study of materials selected from various media channels, including newspaper and journal articles, films, video clips and other online materials. Students will be able to use Chinese correctly and fluently to introduce, analyze, and comment on various issues in today's Chinese society and make comparisons between contemporary China and its past as well as between China and other countries today. Teaching activities will include classroom discussions and mini-reports. Students' self-reflection essays and semester-end research project will be the major forms of assessment of students' performance.
Prerequisite: 82-332
82-434 Studies in Chinese Traditions
Intermittent: 9 units
Traditional Chinese Thought and Literature through Comic Books Starting from the 1980's, Tsai Chih Chung (a master cartoonist in Taiwan) created a series of comic books illustrating canonical works in traditional Chinese philosophy and literature. The series soon became a great hit both in Taiwan and China, and has since been translated into different languages around the world. While its popularity continues to grow among its readers, its wide circulation also raises questions among scholars and critics of traditional Chinese literature and culture. In this course, students will be asked to read Tsai Chih Chung's comic books and their animated adaptations, the English translations of the Chinese canonical texts of philosophy and literature, and the secondary sources that provide historical and analytical introductions to the texts. While enjoying Tsai's innovative and delightful comic interpretation, students will work in Chinese to consider serious philosophical questions along with the early Chinese thinkers, to learn to savor the aesthetic beauty of traditional Chinese literature, and to prepare to share their ideas and discovery with the rest of the class.
Prerequisite: 82-332
82-436 Introduction to Classical Chinese
Intermittent: 9 units
Classical Chinese is a language shaped in the latter half of the first millennium B.C . that still persists as a living medium of expression today. Knowledge of Classical Chinese is very important to help students read and understand sophisticated modern Chinese texts, which make frequent use of Classical allusions and constructs. Moreover, the cultural values expressed in the ancient texts have played an important role in shaping Chinese families, culture and society. The main goal of the course is for students to promote their skill in reading Classical Chinese and their knowledge and understanding of ancient Chinese culture, society and history. With this knowledge and training, not only will students be more comfortable reading the Chinese Classics, they will also thereby increase their proficiency in modern Chinese and their knowledge of Chinese culture.
Prerequisites: 82-332 or 82-338 or 82-337
82-439 Modern China Through Literature
Intermittent
This repeatable course explores target cultures through a thematic or conceptual focus. Students critically analyze authentic documents through, for example, historical, biographical, filmic, artistic, literary, musical, and theoretical perspectives, while improving and expanding their language skills.
82-440 Studies in Chinese Literature & Culture
Fall: 9 units
This repeatable course explores target cultures through a thematic or conceptual focus. Students critically analyze authentic documents through, for example, historical, biographical, filmic, artistic, literary, musical, and theoretical perspectives, while improving and expanding their language skills. FALL 2021 This course will begin by showcasing some Chinese folk performance art traditions including hand puppet, shadow puppet, and string puppet performances, and regional opera performances, and investigating their relationships with Chinese folk beliefs and temple festivals. Next we will investigate more modern pop culture artifacts such as pop songs and films. Through these investigations students will explore the culture of both traditional and modern performing arts, their relationship with Chinese local culture and societies, and their national and global impact. Class activities will include showcases of media and printed materials, lectures and discussion, as well as presentation of multimedia examples of these representative performing arts and pop culture.
Prerequisite: 82-332
82-441 Studies in Peninsular Literature and Culture
Intermittent: 9 units
This repeatable course explores the cultures of Spain through a thematic or conceptual focus. Students critically analyze authentic documents through, for example, historical, biographical, filmic, artistic, literary, musical, and theoretical perspectives, while improving and expanding their language skills. SPRING 2023: Bodies in/of Representation: Gender, Identity, Sexuality, and Health This course explores the politics of gender, identity, sexuality, and health in 20th and 21st century Spain from interdisciplinary perspectives. There will be a central focus on texts including film, novel, essay, painting, and photography. We will draw on examples from historical debates and documents as well as creative output -all in order to work toward an synthetic understanding of the following key issues: sexual and reproductive health and rights; sexual autonomy and choice; prostitution; sterilization; eugenics; the right to bear children; abortion; and motherhood. Students will work collaboratively in the target language with the goal of arriving at their own conclusions about the relationship between representation and reality, experience and analysis. This course is taught entirely in Spanish.
Prerequisite: 82-345
82-443 Spanish Reading and Translation Workshop
Intermittent: 9 units
This course is of interest to advanced Spanish majors and minors as well as other native or heritage speaker non-specialists seeking to develop translation skills from English-Spanish and Spanish-English. It provides students with an introduction to basic concepts, theories, and techniques of translation, and helps them develop a systematic approach to resolving language transference problems. Students will deepen their understanding of Spanish and English as they consider how best to translate structures, words, text, and discourse styles unique to each respective language while simultaneously acquiring a valuable and highly marketable skill. This course is conducted in Spanish. *Prerequisites: 82-345 or permission of instructor.
Prerequisites: 82-345 or 82-344 or 82-343 or 82-342
82-444 The Structure of Spanish
Intermittent: 6 units
This course will provide students with a theoretical framework and analytic tools to investigate how Spanish speakers represent, construct, and transform their social worlds. In particular, the focus is on language as a social practice through which power relations are maintained or challenged. Using a variety of spoken and written texts, the course seeks to analyze to explore the discourse-semantic and lexico-grammatical features that Spanish users deploy to make meanings and negotiate understandings. This analysis will later be interpreted from an interdisciplinary perspective drawing on social theory and history. FALL 2017: This course is an advanced introduction-in Spanish-to contemporary "print," digital and visual media from North, Central and amp; South America, and the Caribbean, and how "information" and "opinion" produce, disseminate, and communicate specific messages. We will review and analyze the rhetorical and visual toolse.g., style, tone, perspective, purpose, exaggeration, distortion, symbolism, labels, irony, and allusionsthese texts deploy to determine their role in meaning making for readers and viewers. A primary goal for this course is for students to develop and sharpen the skills necessary to determine reliability in information sources, and hone their ability to write and talk about this.
Prerequisite: 82-345
82-445 U.S. Latino Literature
Intermittent: 9 units
This course proposes to problematize socio-political and historico-cultural issues concerning U.S. Latinos and Hispanic immigrants in the United States. This will involve the analysis and application of assimilation, transculturation and bilingualism theory, and rhetorical/translational problematics of the material under examination. Also of interest will be an ongoing class discussion of Latinos/Hispanics in history, the media, entertainment, politics, and education. Students will consider the question of the "borders," geographical, political and societal, that may or do exist between U.S. mainstream society, Latinos and Hispanic immigrants, and strategies employed by hyphenated-Americans for overcoming, subverting or undermining this situation. Materials for the course will include literature, film, essays, and music by and about Latinos and Hispanics in the United States. FALL 2023: Mapping Dreams and Nightmares: Seeing and Writing the US-Mexico Border This course will focus on the US-Mexico border, with particular emphasis on visual representations of the border from both the US and Mexico, and on the unique, vibrant fronteriza cultures that result in the space betwixt and between. The course will emphasize key moments and events in the history of the border, including for example the Mexican Revolution, the creation of the border patrol in the 1920s, the Bracero program, Operation Wetback, the Chicano movement, Operation Gatekeeper, and will consider how visual and textual representations have responded to and been conditioned by the political and economic relationship between the US and Mexico, particularly in the wake of neoliberal policies. We will draw on a wide variety of materials, including film, video, visual arts, performance, border theory, and literary and journalistic texts.
Prerequisite: 82-345
82-448 Topics in Arabic Language, Literature, & Culture
Intermittent: 9 units
This repeatable course explores the Arab world through a thematic or conceptual focus. Students critically analyze authentic documents through, for example, historical, biographical, filmic, artistic, literary, musical, and theoretical perspectives, while improving and expanding their language skills.
Prerequisite: 82-312
82-449 Arabic Sociolinguistics
Intermittent: 9 units
This course focuses on the main concepts in sociolinguistics such as diglossia, dialects, variation, gender, etc. These concepts then are applied to the Arabic language in particular. We will read selected chapters from the assigned book that deal with these concepts in general, and then we will read other assigned articles that apply these concepts to the Arabic language. This course explains the historical and existing linguistic repertoire in the Arab countries.
82-450 Advanced Research in Hispanic Language & Culture
Fall and Spring: 9 units
This course permits in-depth, 400-level study in the following courses: 82-342 Spain: Language and Culture, 82-343 Latin America: Language and Culture, and 82-344 U.S. Latinos: Language and Culture. Students will meet with the regularly scheduled 300-level class, read additional texts, and produce research assignments as agreed upon by the instructor and student. The focus is on a deeper understanding and individualized research of the course topics. Prerequisite: Permission of instructor
82-451 Studies in Latin American Literature and Culture
Intermittent: 9 units
This repeatable course explores cultures of Latin America through thematic or conceptual focus. Students analyze authentic documents through, for example, historical, biographical, filmic, artistic, literary, musical, and theoretical perspectives, while improving and expanding their language skills. SPRING 2022: Revolution, Desire and Disenchantment - Cuba and Nicaragua 2019 marked 60 years since the Cuban Revolution, touted as the victory of a tiny island over US imperialism, and 40 years since the triumph of the Sandinistas in Nicaragua, the movement coming to power when revolutionary struggles in other Central American nations fell short. Both garnered broad international attention due to their importance in the Cold War; they served as symbolic inspiration and real support to movements around the world, and as such, were idealized by the Left and vilified by the Right. While different, the Cuban and Nicaraguan Revolutions shared an understanding of the value of capturing the public imaginary through the arts. This course will interrogate the relationships between political and artistic movements. Once these political movements triumphed, how did artists negotiate the institutionalization of revolution? How did the role of prominent cultural workers evolve? Criticism of these revolutionary movements is not new, but scrutiny has been particularly intense recently, as journalists, artists and political dissidents have faced harsh reprisals, out migration increases, and protest movements grow. In this context of crisis, we will question the dynamic between artists whose works express discontent and the State: what is the space for dissent? How do artists of newer generations create space for types of expression that diverge from what early revolutionary moments considered transformative? Decades later with deeply entrenched governments, what is the relationship between the arts and socio-political change?
Prerequisite: 82-345
82-455 Topics in Hispanic Studies
Fall: 9 units
This repeatable course explores Spanish-speaking cultures through a thematic or conceptual focus. Students critically analyze authentic documents through, for example, historical, biographical, filmic, artistic, literary, musical, and theoretical perspectives, while improving and expanding their language skills. FALL 2023: TBA
Prerequisite: 82-345
82-456 Topics in Hispanic Studies
Spring: 9 units
This repeatable course explores Spanish-speaking cultures through a thematic or conceptual focus. Students critically analyze authentic documents through, for example, historical, biographical, filmic, artistic, literary, musical, and theoretical perspectives, while improving and expanding their language skills. SPRING 2017: Southern Cone Dictatorships in the Movies (1984-2016) This course explores the Southern Cone dictatorships during the period of the Cold War through their representation in films. The military-civilian dictatorships of the 1970s in Argentina, Chile and Uruguay were a period of State terrorism. This violent period resulted in thousands of disappeared people, political prisoners and exiles. These experiences have had a lasting impact in the new democracies. There is still a debate over how to address violations of human rights and how to make sense of the past, so that these events don't happen again. There has been a rich production of movies focusing on this historical period that serves as a document of how the struggles over how to come to terms with a traumatic past have been dealt with by different countries. These films also provide a glimpse of how popular culture serves as a vehicle to construct a social memory of recent history. Through films new generations that did not experience these traumatic events learns about what happened and what it means for particular social actors. We will analyze films from Argentina, Chile and Uruguay in order to better understand how these countries have dealt with a contested past. The course will provide students with historical background, theoretical frameworks and analytic tools to approach these cultural productions as documents and discourses about the recent dictatorships.
Prerequisite: 82-345
82-473 Topics in Japanese Studies
Fall: 9 units
This repeatable course explores target cultures through a thematic or conceptual focus. Students critically analyze authentic documents through, for example, cultural, social, historical, biographical, filmic, artistic, literary, musical, linguistic, and theoretical perspectives, while improving and expanding their language skills. F23: This course analyzes postwar Japan's subculture as a creative force that is vital to its counter-discourses against the dominant ones in the mainstream. Ubiquitous and often volatile, various forms of the subculture have emerged in critical junctures of postwar Japanese society and culture, from the Occupation (1945-1952), to the Americanization in the 1950s, to the Japanese version of the student movement in the 1960s, to numerous trends out of the economic euphoria in the 1970s-1980s. Collectively those various forms of Japan's subculture foreshadow the essential components of contemporary Japan's popular culture and changing social norms. Taught in Japanese.
Prerequisite: 82-372
82-474 Topics in Japanese Studies
Spring: 9 units
This repeatable course explores target cultures through a thematic or conceptual focus. Students critically analyze authentic documents through, for example, cultural, social, historical, biographical, filmic, artistic, literary, musical, linguistic, and theoretical perspectives, while improving and expanding their language skills. SPRING 2023: This course analyzes various aspects of Japan's urban culture, the evolution of which has centered around Tokyo, focusing on a main question: how Japanese culture has reinvented itself, particularly between the first Tokyo Olympics (1964) and the second (2021). With this question in mind, the course also extends to such topics as the post-WWII Americanization of Japanese culture and society, the cultures in the 1980s as antecedents to the popular and subculture that have continued to thrive on a global scale (e.g., otaku and the aesthetics of superflat), through fictions, non-fictions, films, and multimedia. Taught in Japanese.
Prerequisite: 82-372 Min. grade C
82-480 Translation Technologies
Intermittent: 9 units
This course is designed to give students conceptual and practical knowledge of language translation technologies, as well as applied skills for use with common Computer Assisted Translation (CAT) tools. Students will have the opportunity to work directly with CAT tools and engage in meaningful discussion of the benefits and limitations of Machine Translation, Translation Management Systems, and Translation Memory, among others. Students will focus on acquiring technical CAT skills and developing independence, on terminology management, and on translation technology functionality while taking into consideration the ethical, historical and occupational considerations surrounding the use of translation technologies.
82-481 Translation Workshop 1
Spring: 9 units
This course examines the practice of applied translation in a variety of linguistic and cultural domains. We will explore key concepts such as relevance, equivalence, back-translation, and translation as a social transaction, and engage in the practical application of theoretical approaches to a variety text types with different purposes and for different audiences. In applied translation, the translators task is a process that can be defined as repurposing a text in another language for a functional use. Foremost in this process is preserving the integrity of the information being communicated, the appropriate context for the task. Students will further develop and refine their practical translation skills and apply them to examples from specialized domains such as health care, public affairs, business, marketing, journalism, mass media, literature, and others. In addition, students will gain familiarity with textual conventions that govern source and target texts within these domains and deepen their understanding of both L1 and L2 as languages for special purposes. To achieve this, students will analyze texts for register, style, tone, and content to determine the most appropriate process to achieve the highest quality translation, and also explore and utilize translation resources available to them as well as create their own, domain-specific resource kits. All students will complete a semester-long series of graded L1 and gt; L2 and L2 and gt; L1 assignments. Additionally, when assignments involve translation of texts into English, students will also be working in collaboration with faculty members in those languages. Students will maintain a translation portfolio throughout the semester. In it they will archive all portfolio assignments (drafts and rewrites), document their progress through the course (regular assignments, remedial assignments, a log of projects, due dates, turn in dates, and grades, etc.).
82-482 Introduction to Translation
Intermittent: 9 units
We will survey a number of different translation theories in order to understand the various approaches that are at our disposal when translating a text. All theory taught in class will be accompanied by hands-on translation projects that will give students the opportunity to try out their knowledge first-hand and evaluate the usefulness of different approaches on a personal basis. In addition, we will explore the profession of translation by researching conferences, forums, websites and associations. Last but not least, we will contact and interview a translator who does translation work we feel particularly passionate about. The course is meant as a general introduction to what it means to be a translator and is open to both undergraduate and graduate students with sufficient proficiency in a language other than English.
Prerequisites: 82-320 or 82-373 or 82-340 or 82-394 or 82-391 or 82-372 or 82-311 or 82-303 or 82-304 or 82-331 or 82-332 or 82-342 or 82-343 or 82-344 or 82-345 or 82-323 or 82-371
82-483 Translation as a Profession I
Intermittent: 3 units
We will learn from professionals in the field of translation. Every class will feature a guest speaker from the Pittsburgh area and beyond who will present his or her own educational background, experience in the field and current relation to the translation industry. Students will meet a variety of professionals, learn about the field, and establish valuable connections for the future. The course is open to anyone interested in the field of translation, both undergraduate and graduate students.
82-489 Service Learning in the Community
Intermittent
This is a community-based research (CBR) course for advanced students who wish to bridge service and action research. The course provides an experiential component that allows students to use their second language and culture skills while acquiring or honing their research skills. CBR helps bridge the gap between university and community life to facilitate the development of life-long learning habits and humanistic citizenship. ML students and faculty will jointly design and execute ways in which to 'give back' to the community being studied, which will be chosen based upon the language, culture and/or history of a specific community. Students in this course may participate in historical, ethnographic and cultural research; ethnographic fieldwork; problem solving activities around a particular issue the community is facing; discover how to best identify a particular linguistic/cultural community and document, interpret, preserve and disseminate its history and culture. Class activities may include group, pair and independent reading and research; group and pair travel; group, pair and one-on-one interaction with community members; public presentations; photography, filming, scanning; webpage and document design; and different kinds of writing. Prerequisite: Completion of all 300-level coursework, or an approved equivalent, or permission of instructor
82-492 The Historical Imagination in Nineteenth-Century Russian Literature
Intermittent
Pushkin, Gogol, Lermontov, Turgenev, Dostoevsky and Tolstoy all ruminated upon their nation's historical destiny. This course aims to describe the role played by imagination in these authors' efforts to wreak from Russia's past a vision of her future. Emphasis is placed upon the figurative operations of language that allow narrative to function as a guidepost to a collective mission and a map of the individual's location within the projected historical scheme. Lecture and discussion formats are combined at each class meeting. Written papers, oral presentations, and participation in discussions are required. Prerequisites: None for 9 units; an additional 3 units, requiring permission of the instructor, can be earned for work done in Russian.
82-495 Topics in Applied Second Language Acquisition
Intermittent: 9 units
SPRING 2016: Section A:Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language This course aims to expose students to current professional practices and common situations related to teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language (CFL). It will provide an overview of CFL research, teaching and learning with demonstrations of CFL pedagogical issues, applications and solutions. It is intended to help students become familiar with specific CFL issues concerning the special characteristics of the Chinese language, including tones, a character-based writing system, and special Chinese grammatical structures. Students will be able to apply course material to their CFL teaching and research, and feel more comfortable and adaptable in their CFL professional careers. Section B: Issues in TESOL In this course, students will receive a broad overview of current topics that will introduce them to the pedagogic and sociocultural issues that Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) instructors encounter in classrooms today, in a variety of contexts. Students will be required to familiarize themselves with and be prepared to address issues in TESOL classrooms. These issues include but are not limited to methodology, teacher education, the role of culture and intercultural communication, and specific challenges in diverse settings, such as modifying course content to focus on academic language. The course will be conducted as a seminar with students completing readings outside class time and discussing the topics and perspectives during class time. Students will engage in reflection through class discussions and electronic discussion forums. The main assignments for the course will be case histories of diverse populations of students who are found in TESOL classrooms, and a final research paper. Students will gain in-depth knowledge of the state of the art in TESOL today.
82-499 Alternative Break Projec (Language Specific)
Intermittent
This course provides advanced ML language students and non-ML students enrolled in an Alternative Break student trip project the opportunity to earn credit by engaging in "connected" modes of knowing, by identifying and analyzing a problem, and developing plans for short-term and sustainable solutions, reflecting, and creating and disseminating an informational and interpretive website and print materials about their experience. Students will also bring to bear or gain experience in non-academic skills/talents/interests in areas like photography, image editing, video production, writing, design, website development, sound recording, and art, etc., by doing community service under the auspices of Carnegie Mellon University's Alternative Break program. Students will earn three (3) units for full participation and fulfillment of course requirements. With the approval of the faculty facilitator, an additional three (3) units may be earned by completing an additional assignment.
82-501 Special Topics in French & Francophone Studies
Fall
Restricted to language majors who wish to go beyond the regular course offerings in French and Francophone Studies involving group or individual study in a subject area approved by the instructor.
82-502 Special Topics in French & Francophone Studies
Spring
Restricted to language majors who wish to go beyond the regular course offerings in French and Francophone Studies involving group or individual study in a subject area approved by the instructor.
82-505 Modern Languages Undergraduate Internship
Intermittent
To be eligible for the ML Internship, you'd need to find an internship where the use of your language of study will be a large part of your working for an organization. Internships are supervised work experiences either on or off campus and are related to your academic interests and career goals. To earn academic credit, you must arrange a Modern Languages faculty sponsor who agrees to define the academic component of your work, monitor your progress, and assign a final grade. You also need to have a work site supervisor willing to communicate with the faculty sponsor and provide an evaluation of your work before a final grade is assigned. Modern Languages internships will be graded on a pass/fail basis only. Units for the class will be contingent upon how much of your language of study will be a part of your day-to-day work. If approved to participate in the internship: You must maintain regular contact with your faculty sponsor as agreed to at the beginning of the internship. In addition to any required written assignments, upon completion (but before grades are due) you must submit a reflective evaluation of your internship experience to the faculty sponsor. Additionally, students are responsible to see that site supervisors submit a brief written evaluation of the student's internship to the faculty sponsor before the grade is entered.
82-506 Hispanic Studies Internship
Fall and Spring
Pre-approved, advanced Hispanic Studies majors may receive credit in connection with volunteer or paid work experience (usually in Pittsburgh) in which they primarily or significantly use their target language outside the traditional classroom setting. As a rule, this experience takes the form of work involving language use or research at off-campus sites or in the Department. Work or research must be done using the language of study. For off-campus internships, there must be an on-site supervisor available to collaborate with the faculty advisor in the ongoing and final evaluation of the student's work and progress. Students will be required to write and submit reflexive projects, as determined by the faculty advisor, that evaluate the non-classroom experience in the context of the language- and cultural-learning experience and several other criteria that show how the internship connects back to the student's academic or professional education. Prerequisite: Students must be advanced Hispanic Studies majors and obtain prior permission for the proposed work from a Hispanic Studies advisor and/or the Modern Languages internship advisor.
82-511 Special Topics in Arabic Studies
Fall: 9 units
This repeatable course explores the Arabic language and culture through a thematic or conceptual focus. Students critically analyze authentic documents through, for example, historical, biographical, filmic, artistic, literary, musical, and theoretical perspectives, while improving and expanding their language skills.
82-512 Special Topics in Arabic Studies: Advanced Grammar Workshop
Spring
This class is for advanced students interested in explicit, focused instruction on Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) grammar. The class is organized as a workshop around grammar topics that students identify as of interest to them, and includes grammar explanations and practice through writing and giving presentations to demonstrate their understanding of covered topics. This course is taught in Arabic (MSA) and is repeatable.
82-521 Special Topics in German Studies
Fall
Restricted to language majors who wish to go beyond the regular course offerings in German Studies involving group or individual study in a subject area approved by the instructor.
82-522 Special Topics in German Studies
Spring
Restricted to language majors who wish to go beyond the regular course offerings in German Studies involving group or individual study in a subject area approved by the instructor.
82-531 Special Topics in Chinese Studies
Fall
Restricted to language majors who wish to go beyond the regular course offerings in Chinese Studies involving group or individual study in a subject area approved by the instructor. Prerequisites: Permission of instructor and a 400-level course
Prerequisites: 82-436 Min. grade C or 82-434 Min. grade C or 82-440 Min. grade C or 82-433 Min. grade C
82-532 Special Topics in Chinese Studies
Spring
Restricted to language majors who wish to go beyond the regular course offerings in Chinese Studies involving group or individual study in a subject area approved by the instructor. Prerequisites: Permission of instructor and a 400-level course
82-533 Cultural Topics in Chinese Studies
Fall: 6 units
FALL 2022: The Pursuit of Happiness in Early Chinese Thoughts and Their Modern-day Applications (section taught in English):Do you claim to be a happy person? If so, why? If not, why not? How do we define "good life" and where can we get it? This course will inspect various responses to these questions in early Chinese thoughts and their modern-day applications from a global perspective. Chinese thoughts and philosophy are the intellectual foundations of Chinese culture throughout history. They represent the love and pursuit of wisdom in Chinese tradition. The course will explore some major schools of thought in early China such as Daoism/Taoism, Confucianism, Buddhism, Legalism, and Mohism, and look at the manifestations of their wisdom in various aspects of contemporary Chinese society, including food, medicine, Fengshui, architecture, painting, calligraphy, and Taichi. This course will be taught in both English and Chinese, with two weekly meetings conducted in Chinese and English respectively and asynchronized assignments and/or small group meetings. Students can opt to attend only the English meetings for 6 units (82230), only the Chinese meetings for 6 units, or both for 12 units (highly advanced or near-native Chinese proficiency required). To promote intercultural communications, the course welcomes participation of native Chinese speakers for cross-cultural peer learning.
Prerequisites: 82-433 Min. grade C and 82-434 Min. grade C
82-541 Special Topics in Hispanic Studies
Fall
Restricted to language majors who wish to go beyond the regular course offerings in Hispanic Studies involving group or individual study in a subject area approved by the instructor. Prerequisites: Permission of the instructor and a 400-level course
82-542 Special Topics in Hispanic Studies
Spring
Restricted to language majors who wish to go beyond the regular course offerings in Hispanic Studies involving group or individual study in a subject area approved by the instructor. Prerequisites: Permission of the instructor and a 400-level course
82-561 Special Topics: Italian Studies
Fall
Restricted to language majors who wish to go beyond the regular course offerings in Italian Studies involving group or individual study in a subject area approved by the instructor. Prerequisites: Permission of the instructor and a 400-level course
82-562 Special Topics: Italian Studies
Spring
Restricted to language majors who wish to go beyond the regular course offerings in Italian Studies involving group or individual study in a subject area approved by the instructor. Prerequisites: Permission of the instructor and a 400-level course
82-571 Special Topics in Japanese Studies
Fall
Restricted to language majors who wish to go beyond the regular course offerings in Japanese Studies involving group or individual study in a subject area approved by the instructor. Prerequisites: Permission of the instructor and a 400-level course
82-572 Special Topics in Japanese Studies
Spring
Restricted to language majors who wish to go beyond the regular course offerings in Japanese Studies involving group or individual study in a subject area approved by the instructor. Prerequisites: Permission of the instructor and a 400-level course
82-580 Senior Seminar in Modern Languages
Spring: 9 units
This seminar for majors in Modern Languages focuses on general issues in second language learning. It provides an integrative and culminating experience for students as they complete their studies. The course includes consideration of language learning and language maintenance, the role of second languages in American life, issues of linguistic and cultural diversity in the United States today and discussions of multiculturalism throughout the world. The goal of the seminar is for students to reflect upon their language learning experience and to discuss the role that a second language plays in their own lives and in American society today. Corequisite: Open only to Modern Languages majors
82-585 Topics in Second Language Acquisition
Intermittent: 9 units
This repeatable course promotes inquiry into issues related to second language acquisition, for example, use of technology in language learning, language variation, code-switching, pragmatics, sociocultural theory. Students will engage in research and project work and employ qualitative and/or quantitative research methodology and analytical and/or empirical methods to illuminate and understand the acquisition, use, and maintenance of second languages. Prerequisite: Permission of instructor SPRING 2016 Section B: East Asian Psycholinguistics Our understanding of cognitive processes and mechanisms underlying language has primarily come from studies of European languages. However, languages such as Chinese, Japanese and Korean offer profound implications for the acquisition, representation, and processing of language, due to their differences from most European languages. Topics include first and second language acquisition, spoken word recognition, reading, language disorders, and the relationships between language, culture, and cognition. This course serves to prepare students for more advanced studies of East Asian languages, experimental linguistics, and linguistic theory.
82-591 Modern Languages Honors Thesis
Fall: 9 units
Modern Languages majors with outstanding academic records and intellectual promise will be given the opportunity to undertake original research under the direction of an individual faculty member. Students and faculty select the research topics. Prerequisites: Senior standing; a 3.5 QPA in one's language major; a 3.25 QPA overall; permission of the Department Head and approved entry into the College's Honors Program
82-592 Modern Languages Honors Thesis
Spring: 9 units
Modern Languages majors with outstanding academic records and intellectual promise will be given the opportunity to undertake original research under the direction of an individual faculty member. Students and faculty select the research topics. Prerequisites: Senior standing; a 3.5 QPA in one's language major; a 3.25 QPA overall; permission of the Department Head and approved entry into the College's Honors Program
82-599 Russian Studies Thesis
Intermittent
The Russian Studies thesis, as described for the Russian Studies major, is required of all Russian Studies majors and consists of researching and writing a thesis employing both Russian-language and English-language sources, and generally completed during the senior year. Work is done individually under the guidance of a Russian Studies advisor.
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