Professor Johnson; Associate Professors Afatsawo, DeJong, Palmer, Severin, Varona; Senior Lecturer Salinas; Visiting Assistant Professors Kikkert, Maus; Visiting Instructor Liu
Chair: Alfonso Varona
CHINESE
CHINESE 101-102. (3-3) INTRODUCTION TO CHINESE. A first-year course for students who have little or no experience with the language. The goal is to develop the four basic skills: speaking, listening comprehension, reading, and writing on daily topics such as greetings, making appointments, shopping, sports, etc., and to introduce and expose students to Chinese customs and culture. Prerequisite for 101: none; prerequisite for 102: Chinese 101, or placement by the department. Offered: 101 in the fall semester, as staffing permits; 102 in the spring semester, as staffing permits.
CHINESE 201-202. (3-3) INTERMEDIATE CHINESE. A continuation of the 101-102 sequence. Continued development of the four basic skills: speaking, listening comprehension, reading, and writing on more advanced topics such as traveling, advertising, health, etc., and helping students develop a more profound understanding of the culture and culturally related issues. Prerequisite: Chinese 102, or placement by the department. Offered: 201 in the fall semester, as staffing permits; 202 in the spring semester, as staffing permits.
FRENCH
FRENCH 101-102. (3-3) INTRODUCTION TO FRENCH. A first-year course for students who have little or no experience with the language. The goal is the mastery of the four basic skills: speaking, listening comprehension, reading, and writing. Emphasis on the use of French in the classroom. Students are encouraged to converse in French with their instructor and with each other. This course includes a significant audio component to improve listening skills. Prerequisite for 101: none; prerequisite for 102: French 101, or placement by the department. Offered: 101 in the fall semester; 102 in the spring semester.
FRENCH 105. (3) FRENCH LANGUAGE AND CULTURE. A flexible language and culture course open to students with little or no knowledge of French. Activities such as getting and giving information, understanding instructions and directions, functioning in shops and transportations systems, and conversing politely with native speakers develop functional competence in the language. Students cultivate cultural competence by visiting sites of historical and cultural interest, including the Louvre, the Arc de Triomphe, and the Champs-Elysées. Fifty percent of the course is dedicated to an examination and discussion of cultural issues and their impact on interaction with the French: the personal, the political, and the economic. The course does not fulfill credit for French 101, 102, or 201. Prerequisite: none. Offered: May Term.
FRENCH 201-202. (3-3) INTERMEDIATE FRENCH. Review of basic French grammar and vocabulary, introduction to literary texts (201), and reading of a short novel (202). Prerequisite: French 102, or placement by the department. Offered: 201 in the fall semester; 202 in the spring semester.
FRENCH 300. (3) GRAMMAR REVIEW AND INTRODUCTION TO THE READING OF FRENCH TEXTS. A course designed for grammar review and introduction to the analysis of short literary texts. It is designed for the student with a minimum of three or more years of high school study or the student who has completed French 202 and is interested in a minor or major in French. Readings, essays, and discussion in French are required. The course counts toward a major or minor. Prerequisites: French 201-202, or placement by the department.
FRENCH 301-302. (3-3) MASTERPIECES OF FRENCH LITERATURE. A survey of French literature from its medieval origins to the present. Excerpts from major texts are read and discussed in class, with an emphasis on literary genres and principal ideas. Short papers, a research paper, and oral presentations are required. Prerequisites: French 201-202, or placement by the department.
FRENCH 303. (3) FRENCH AND FRANCOPHONE IDENTITY: CULTURE AND CIVILIZATION. An introduction to the construction of French and francophone identities. Students explore the history and culture of France and selected francophone countries through artistic, historic, literary, and journalistic sources. Prerequisites: French 201-202, or placement by the department. Offered: on sufficient demand.
FRENCH 305. (3) ADVANCED COMPOSITION AND CONVERSATION. A course in spoken French and in writing skills. Compositions and classroom discussions based on a variety of topics: may include readings in literary texts, newspaper and magazine articles, movies. Continued vocabulary building and grammar review. A course designed to develop and improve speaking and writing skills for more advanced course work. Required for the major and the minor.
FRENCH 401. (3) FRENCH THEATER. A survey of French drama from medieval religious plays to works of the 20th century. Reading of representative plays from major movements. Short papers, a research paper, and oral presentations are required. Prerequisites: French 301-302.
FRENCH 402. (3) STYLISTICS AND TRANSLATION. A course on the usage and translation of idiomatic expressions and style. Literary texts, as well as articles from contemporary media, serve as the basis for translation projects. In French. Prerequisites: two courses in French at the 300-level, or permission of the department. Offered: on sufficient demand.
FRENCH 403. (3) FRENCH POETRY. A study of French poetical forms from the Middle Ages to the 20th Century. Examination of representative poems from major poetic movements in France. Short papers, a research paper, and oral presentations are required. Prerequisites: French 301-302.
FRENCH 404. (3) FRENCH NOVEL. Reading of major French novels from early texts to the Nouveau Roman. Study of authors and movements. Short papers, a research paper, and oral presentations are required. Prerequisites: French 301-302.
FRENCH 405. (3) FRANCOPHONE LITERATURE. Introduction to all genres of Francophone literature from Canada, the Caribbean countries, Indochina, and Africa. Short papers, a research paper, and oral presentations are required. Prerequisites: French 301-302.
FRENCH 408. (3) FRENCH FILM. A study of French cinema, beginning with the first films of the Lumière brothers through the Nouvelle Vague innovations and culminating in the works of contemporary directors. The art of the genre, as well as how these films depict and reflect French culture, both past and present, are emphasized. Extensive readings on film analysis and culture, weekly film viewing. Requirements: Weekly reaction papers, Mid-term exam, oral presentation, final paper. In French. Prerequisite: French 301, 302, or 305.
FRENCH 409. (3) FRENCH PRONUNCIATION AND PHONETICS. A course that focuses on the phonetic system of the French language. Students learn phonetic theory, articulatory variation, and corrective phonetics through auditory discrimination exercises and contrastive analysis. Transcriptions into the international phonetic alphabet and back to standard French spelling are mastered as a tool to improve awareness about sounds and how they are recorded in writing. Students also learn to master rhythm and intonation patterns of standard French. This course addresses the major contrastive features of the sounds of French and English as we consider the particular challenges to the Anglophone. The course is conducted in French. Prerequisites: two courses in French at the 300-level. Offered: on sufficient demand.
FRENCH 410. (3) TOPICS IN CONTEMPORARY FRENCH CULTURE. Students study aspects of modern French culture and civilization. They are required to master selected readings, as well as to choose an independent research project for which they conduct “field research” in France. They are required to present weekly oral and written progress reports on their projects. Each student prepares a 7-10 page analysis of his findings in French. This course counts towards the major. Prerequisite: French 202, equivalent, or permission of the instructor. Offered: May term.
GERMAN
GERMAN 101-102. (3-3) INTRODUCTION TO GERMAN. A first-year course for students who have little or no experience with the language. The goal is the mastery of the four basic skills: speaking, listening comprehension, reading, and writing. Emphasis on the use of German in the classroom. Students are encouraged to converse in German with their instructor and with each other. Prerequisite for 101: none; prerequisite for 102: German 101, or placement by the department. Offered: 101 in the fall semester; 102 in the spring semester.
GERMAN 201-202. (3-3) INTERMEDIATE GERMAN. A review of grammar. Oral practice based on readings from various types of material. Elements of composition. Students perform plays and report on individual outside reading. Laboratory. Formal essays in German. Prerequisite for 201: German 102, or placement by the department. Prerequisite for 202: German 201. Offered: 201 in the fall semester; 202 in the spring semester.
GERMAN 301-302. (3-3) SURVEY OF GERMAN LITERATURE. The history of German literature from the beginnings to our day, with reading of selected poetry, prose, and drama from the Middle Ages to the twentieth century. Term reports on extensive parallel reading. Prerequisites: 201-202, or equivalent. Required for the major and the minor.
GERMAN 303. (3) GERMAN CULTURE THROUGH FILM. This course examines various aspects of German society and culture-from the Twenties until the postunification present-through the medium of film. Topics include Germany in the Weimar Republic and the Third Reich; the emergence of a postwar German identity; Germany in the Cold War, coming to terms with the Nazi past; the changing faces of Berlin; and more current socio-cultural developments within Germany. Both full-length films and film excerpts are shown to inspire critical discussion and to introduce students to some of the important issues that define modern Germany. Oral and written work in German only. Prerequisites: German 201-202, or placement by the department. Offered: Fall semester of even-numbered years.
GERMAN 304. (3) POSTWAR GERMANY: LITERATURE AND CULTURE. As a form of historical documentation, literature informs us about the social and cultural life of a people, the country’s political climate as well as certain philosophical trends within a particular epoch or time span. This course will look at samples of literature written between two pivotal historical dates-1945 and 1990-and will open up for discussion significant political, social, historical and philosophical aspects of that era. Readings will include both literary works as well as select non-literary texts that provide important factual information about the political and historical climate of that period. The class will capitalize on the location of Münster to highlight aspects of this recent historical and political legacy. Students will be required to give oral presentations and to write several position papers and a longer analysis of the texts under consideration. Offered: May Term
GERMAN 305. (3) ADVANCED CONVERSATION AND COMPOSITION. A course designed to improve speaking and writing skills in preparation for more advanced course work. Compositions and classroom discussions will be based on a variety of contemporary topics drawn from German radio and news programs, magazines, and the internet. Students will perform a variety of oral communicative tasks. They will also continue to build their vocabulary and work on grammatical structures in their compositions. Discussions and all course work in German. Prerequisites: German 201-202, or placement by the department. Offered: fall semester of odd-numbered years.
GERMAN 306. (3) CONTEMPORARY GERMANY AND THE MEDIA. In this course students will become acquainted with the most significant current events in Germany using both regional as well as prominent national newspapers and magazines. Students will learn to evaluate, analyze and discuss relevant topics in the German media. At the same time, they will continue to work on advanced grammatical structures and will learn how to incorporate more nuanced and idiomatically informed language into their spoken and written German. Aside from taking regular quizzes on grammatical structures, students will give daily summaries of regional news items and will give two oral presentations and write two longer analytical pieces on items of national significance. Offered: May Term
GERMAN 401. (3) GERMAN DRAMA. A diverse cross-section of German dramatic production from the late eighteenth century to the 1980s. The goal is not to give a representative survey of the German dramatic canon as such, but to present the medium of drama and its wide range of dramatic expression. Prerequisites: one 300-level course, preferably German 301 or 302.
GERMAN 403. (3) GERMAN POETRY. Survey of German poetic forms from Middle Ages to Symbolismus; Sprüchdichtung, Ballade, and Klassische Poesie through Dichtungstheorie. Extensive reading. Analysis of thematic and metrical variations. Prerequisites: German 301-302. Offered: fall semester of oddnumbered years.
GERMAN 405. (3) THE HOLOCAUST: REPRESENATION IN POSTWAR GERMAN LITERATURE AND CULTURE. The Holocaust was arguably the defining event in twentieth-century history. This course will examine central aspects of the Holocaust and its interpretation by subsequent generations, but above all its representation in German postwar literary production in all genres—drama, poetry, prose narrative, as well as cinema. Prerequisite: at least one 300-level course, preferably German 301 or German 302.
SPANISH
SPANISH 101-102. (3-3) INTRODUCTION TO SPANISH. A first-year course for students who have little or no experience with the language. Development of the four basic skills: speaking, listening comprehension, reading, and writing. Emphasis on the use of Spanish in the classroom. Prerequisite for 101: none; prerequisite for 102: Spanish 101, or placement by the department. Both courses are offered each semester.
SPANISH 103. (4) BEGINNING SPANISH I + II. This course is intended for entering students who have at least three years of Spanish experience in high school, but who do not have sufficient proficiency for successful completion of 201-202. The course reviews the material covered in Spanish 101-102 in one intensive semester. Students develop their proficiency in four basic language skills: speaking, listening comprehension, reading, and writing. Emphasis is on the use of Spanish in the classroom, Prerequisite: three years of Spanish language study, or placement by the department. Offered: fall semester.
SPANISH 201. (3) INTERMEDIATE SPANISH I. A continuation of the 101-102 sequence. Continued development of the four basic skills: speaking, listening comprehension, reading, and writing. Emphasis on the use of Spanish in the classroom. Prerequisite: Spanish 102, 103, or placement by the department. Offered: each semester.
SPANISH 202. (3) INTERMEDIATE SPANISH II. Emphasis on the productive skills of speaking and writing with a general grammar review. Continued practice in reading of authentic Hispanic texts, both popular and literary. Several oral presentations are required. Prerequisite: Spanish 201. Offered: each semester.
SPANISH 310. (3) LATIN-AMERICAN LITERATURE IN TRANSLATION. An in-depth study of major Latin-American writers. Readings come from mostly the twentieth century and may include poetry, essay, short story, or novel. The course emphasizes the historical and cultural context for the readings in order to consider the national, as well as the international, significance and appeal of representative writers from a variety of Latin- American countries. Readings, class discussions, papers, and oral presentations are in English. This course does not count towards the major or minor in Modern Languages. Prerequisite: none. Offered: on sufficient demand.
SPANISH 311. (3) ADVANCED CONVERSATION AND GRAMMAR REVIEW. A course designed to develop and improve speaking skills for more advanced course work. Classroom discussions are based on a variety of topics culled from literary texts, newspaper and magazine articles, or material from other media. Students perform a variety of oral communicative tasks, including presentations, debates, and conversation. Continued vocabulary building and grammar structures which are inherent to specific types or oral communication are reviewed so that students may strive for more sophisticated and correct linguistic expression. Prerequisites: Spanish 201-202, or placement by the department. Offered: fall semester.
SPANISH 312. (3) ADVANCED COMPOSITION AND GRAMMAR REVIEW. A course designed to develop and improve writing skills for more advanced course work. Compositions are based on a variety of topics culled from literary texts, newspaper and magazine articles, or material from other media. Students learn basic elements of composition, such as the development of a thesis with supporting paragraphs and the use of appropriate citations. In addition to compositions, the course may include the art of letter writing and creative writing. Vocabulary building and grammar structures which are inherent to specific types of written expression are reviewed so that students may strive for more sophisticated and correct linguistic expression. Prerequisites: Spanish 201-202, or placement by the department. Offered: spring semester.
SPANISH 313. (3) SPANISH FOR PUBLIC AFFAIRS. This course introduces students to the language and culture of practices in government, companies, and institutions in the Hispanic World. Emphasis is place on improving the four language skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) and on underscoring and explaining the differences in the conduct of public affairs in Hispanic cultures. There is extensive use of realia, such as the Hispanic press, internet, and interactive web sites. Lectures and oral and written student performance are in Spanish. Prerequisite: Spanish 202, or placement by the department. Offered: spring semester.
SPANISH 314. (3) CULTURE AND CIVILIZATION OF SPAIN. An introduction to the history and culture of Spain through visual, oral, literary, and journalistic sources. Oral and written work in Spanish only. Prerequisites: Spanish 201-202, or placement by the department.
SPANISH 315. (3) CULTURE AND CIVILIZATION OF LATIN AMERICA. An introduction to the history and culture of Latin America through visual, oral, literary, and journalistic sources. Oral and written work in Spanish only. Prerequisites: Spanish 201- 202, or placement by the department. Offered: spring semester.
SPANISH 320. (3) SPANISH PHONETICS AND PHONOLOGY. This course is intended to provide students with an introduction to the sound system of Spanish. Students learn all of the linguistic terminology necessary to describe the point of articulation, the manner of articulation, and the voicing of all the phonemes of standard Spanish. This knowledge is necessary for one to be able to pronounce Spanish well and to be able to teach others to pronounce Spanish. After all of the phonemes of standard Spanish are introduced, students complete both phonetic transcriptions of texts as well as practice their own pronunciation in the language lab. We also study the salient features of all the major dialects of Spanish in both Spain and Latin America. This is an introductory Spanish linguistics class that is ideal for students who have taken Spanish 311 or Spanish 312. Prerequisites: Spanish 201-202, or placement by the department. Offered: fall semester of even-numbered years.
SPANISH 322. (3) INTRODUCTION TO HISPANIC LINGUISTICS. This course is intended to provide students with an introduction to the principles and methods of objective language analysis applied to the Spanish language. This general introduction to Hispanic linguistics includes an analysis of the sound system (phonetics and phonology), word formation (morphology), the structure of utterances (syntax), meaning and usage (semantics and pragmatics), and language variation. Assignments include regular reading and homework exercises in the form of problems to solve or questions to answer and short in-class presentations. Assessment tools include regular quizzes, oral interviews, written exams and a final portfolio project in which students must apply the information they have learned to analyze different language samples. The portfolio includes a phonetic transcription of a text, a morphological analysis of a word list, a syntactic analysis of a text, the results of a small, original language study given to native speakers and an essay that discusses a relevant issue in semantics or pragmatics. Prerequisites: Spanish 311 or 312 or permission of the department. Offered: fall semester, alternate years.
SPANISH 331. (3) SURVEY OF PENINSULAR LITERATURE. Students read representative pieces of Spanish prose, poetry, and drama within the context of the major literary movements. In oral and written work students develop analytical techniques. Class discussion and readings in Spanish only. Prerequisites: Any 300-level Spanish class, or placement by the department. Offered: fall semester.
SPANISH 332. (3) SURVEY OF LATIN AMERICAN LITERATURE. Students read representative pieces of Latin American prose, poetry, and drama within the context of the major literary movements. In oral and written work students develop analytical techniques. Class discussion and readings in Spanish only. Prerequisites: Any 300-level Spanish class, or placement by the department. Offered: spring semester.
SPANISH 401. (3) LATIN-AMERICAN NARRATIVE. A seminar course which examines the precursors and principal authors of the “Boom,” a reference to the sudden international critical acclaim and popularity of Latin-American literature in the mid-twentieth century. Readings include short fiction and novels by Jorge Luis Borges, Julio Cortázar, and Gabriel Garcia Márquez, among others. The seminar also addresses the post-boom culture which has taken Garcia Márquez’s mythical Latin-American village Macondo and turned it into a more globalized McOndo. Readings and discussions in Spanish. Prerequisite: Spanish 332.
SPANISH 403. (3) PENINSULAR GENRES BEFORE THE 18TH CENTURY. A seminar course dealing generically with basic formulas in Hispanic literature until the death of Quevedo, beginning with the Hispano- Judeo-Arabic Jarchas, and including the theater of Lope de Vega and the novel of the picaro. Considerable reading. Lectures and texts, oral and written student performance in Spanish only. Prerequisite: Spanish 331.
SPANISH 404. (3) PENINSULAR GENRES OF THE MODERN AGE. A seminar course to complement Spanish 403, continuing to synthesize Hispanic literary modes through the Illustracion, the Afrancesados, the subsequent eruption of romanticisimo and into the contemporary period of Garcia Lorca, Camilo José Cela, and Ana Maria Matute. Considerable reading. Lectures and texts, oral and written student performance in Spanish only. Prerequisite: Spanish 331.
SPANISH 405. (3) MODERN LATIN AMERICAN THEATER. A seminar introducing students to the development of twentieth-century Latin American theater. Representative plays of national, vanguard, and contemporary theater. Class discussions and oral and written student performances in Spanish only. Prerequisite: Spanish 332.
SPANISH 409. (3) SPANISH-ENGLISH TRANSLATION. An introduction to the tools and mechanisms of translations from Spanish into English. Includes investigation of style, word usage, synonyms, and idiomatic expressions. Exercises include translation of popular media and literature. A final lengthy translation project is required. Prerequisite: Spanish 311 or 312.
SPANISH 410. (3) THE SPANISH CIVIL WAR. The 1936-39 Spanish Civil War offers an extraordinary opportunity to test, apply, and contextualize the war as the site of interplay of common cross-cultures: literature, history, reportage, political intrigue and rhetoric, exile, ideologies, religions, gender and race relations, military planning and alliances, arts, diplomacy. This course aims to give students an interdisciplinary understanding of the reasons for the Spanish Civil War by exploring important events, the lives of individuals who participated in the war or who experienced it in less immediate but always real terms, and their legacies. The course focuses on the war as a national conflict against the backdrop of the trial runs to WWII. Prerequisite: any 300-level Spanish course
SPANISH 411. (3) CONTEMPORARY ISSUES IN SPANISH SOCIETY. This advanced course complements the May Term study-abroad experience in Spain for Spanish majors or minors. Students focus on raising cultural awareness and further developing analytical and discussion skills through the study of contemporary issues in society. Students read newspapers, watch selected programs on television (e.g., newscasts, debates, or documentaries), listen to educational radio programs, and attend public lectures. These activities provide the information and vocabulary necessary for discussion of issues of social significance. Classes are conducted in Spanish, and discussions are carefully directed for clear and correct expression of ideas and optimal oral practice. Students demonstrate their understanding of the issues through oral presentations, brief papers, and a final written or oral project. Prerequisite: Spanish 314. Offered: May Term.
SPANISH 420. (3) SPANISH SOCIOLINGUISTICS THROUGH FILM. Sociolinguistics is an interdisciplinary area of language study that looks at language in its social context and studies the complex relationship between language, society and culture. This course is intended to familiarize students with issues about Spanish language use in its social context including language attitudes, accents and dialects, gender, bilingualism, racism and discrimination, cross-cultural communication, literacy and the social reasons for language change. We will examine different types of language variation (both regional and social). Based on the readings, discussions and practice, students will have the opportunity to explore, discover and investigate different aspects of the social nature of the Spanish language. Prerequisite: either Spanish 320 or Spanish 322, or any other two 300-level Spanish classes.
SPANISH 422. (3) HISTORY OF THE SPANISH LANGUAGE. This course is intended to provide the student with an introduction to the history of the Spanish language as it developed from spoken Latin. The historical study of Spanish provides explanations for the phonological, morphological, syntactic and lexical structures of the modern language and also demystifies the development of irregular forms and structures in modern Spanish. Prerequisite: Spanish 311 or 312. Independent study courses numbered 485-490-495 in French, German, or Spanish only may be developed between faculty members and students to examine specific topics, periods, areas, styles, images, themes, or authors not treated in other offerings. Such courses may be taken only by language majors, however, and then only by students holding a grade-point average of at least 3.0. Determination and approval lie with department chair.
updated8/8/23