Fall 2012 Course Descriptions
All schedule information is tentative. Please see the Registrar's Web site for the latest information.
French and Francophone Studies
ALL STUDENTS NEED AN ACCESS CODE TO ENROLL IN FRENCH LANGUAGE COURSES (FREN 10–106). PLEASE READ INSTRUCTIONS BELOW.
1. Students currently enrolled in a French language course (FREN 10-105) will be contacted before the beginning of registration to choose one section of the next course in the language sequence. They will be given an access code for that section, or if that section is no longer available, they will be given further instructions.
2. Students who have never studied French before or who have studied French for less than one semester should state how much French they have studied and which section of FREN 10 they prefer in an email to Professor Harder (harder@brandeis.edu) who will send them an access code.
3. Students who have studied French but not at Brandeis OR students who scored below 620 on the French SAT II exam, below 4 on the French AP exam, below 5 on the International Baccalaureate Higher Levels exam, or who took the IB Standard Levels exam must email Professor Harder (harder@brandeis.edu) for on-line access to the French placement test (valid for one year). After completion of the test and the questionnaire that follows, Professor Harder will provide an access code for a specific section of the appropriate language course.
4. Students who scored 620–710 on the French SAT II exam, 4 on the French AP exam, or 5 on the International Baccalaureate Higher Levels exam must email their standardized exam score to Professor Harder Professor Harder (harder@brandeis.edu) to receive an access code for FREN 105a.
5. Students who scored 720 or above on the French SAT II exam, 5 on the French AP exam, 6 or higher on the International Baccalaureate Higher Levels exam must email their standardized exam score to Professor Harder (harder@brandeis.edu) to receive an access code for FREN 106b.
FREN 10a Beginning French
(1) MWRF 10:00–10:50 Donlan
(2) MWR 12:00–12:50 and F 12:30–1:20 Donlan
Prerequisite: For students with no previous knowledge of French and those with a minimal background. Access code required (please see instructions above).
What do Montréal, Paris, and Dakar have in common? What are the rules regarding how many times one kisses a friend on the cheeks? Why is France called l’Hexagone? Through short readings and a film, this course will introduce learners to French language and culture and will help them speak, listen, read, and write about everyday situations in France and Francophone countries.
FREN 20b Continuing French
(1) MWRF 9:00–9:50 Ratner
(2) MWRF 10:00–10:50 Ratner
(3) MWR 12–12:50 and F 12:30–1:20 Staff ←New Section!
Prerequisite: A grade of C- or higher in FREN 10a or the equivalent. Access code required (please see instructions above).
How do the French perceive space? How does the experience of an American student differ from that of a French student in high school and university? How do the French plaisirs de la table differ from American attitudes toward food? Learners will deepen their knowledge of French and Francophone cultures while expanding their ability to speak, read, listen, and write in French. Through readings and a film, learners will gain a more complete picture of the complexities of French culture.
FREN 32a Intermediate French: Conversation
(1) MWRF 9:00–9:50 Eichelburg
(2) MWRF 10:00–10:50 Voiret
(3) MWRF 11:00–11:50 Voiret
(4) MTWR 1:00–1:50 Staff ←New Section!
Prerequisite: A grade of C- or higher in FREN 20b or the equivalent. Access code required (please see instructions above).
Focuses on improving the speaking ability of students who wish to develop greater fluency in conversation while discussing contemporary French and Francophone cultures and issues. Students continue to improve their skills in listening, comprehension, reading, and writing.
FREN 104b Advanced Language Skills through Culture
MWR 10:00–10:50 Theobald
Prerequisite: a 30-level FREN course or the equivalent. Access code required (please see instructions above).
For students who would like to continue studying French beyond the foreign language requirement. Topics will vary, but all investigate aspects of French and Francophone cultures, such as French history through film, French Impressionism, issues of immigration, culture and cuisine, or understanding contemporary France. Reinforces the acquired skills of speaking, listening, reading, and writing.
FREN 105a France Today: French Conversation
MWR 9:00–9:50 Theobald
Prerequisite: a 30-level FREN course, FREN 104b, or the equivalent. Access code required (please see instructions above).
Improve your speaking skills while learning about and discussing socio-cultural issues that distinguish the French view of the world from that of Americans. Students will focus on expressing themselves better orally while continuing their work on reading, listening, and writing.
FREN 106b The Art of Composition
MWR 11:00–11:50 Staff
Prerequisite: FREN 104b, FREN 105a, or the equivalent. Access code required (please see instructions above).
Study of French composition through analysis of passages from novels, poems, short stories and newspaper articles. Emphasis will be placed on techniques of writing in French, such as dissertation and explication de texte.
Please see specific course prerequisites for enrollment in each FREN class listed below (above 106).
FREN 110a Cultural Representations
MW 2:00–3:20 Harder
Prerequisite: FREN 106b, the equivalent, or permission of the instructor
Students examine notions of identity, distinction, and difference while comparing classic French plays and poems to contemporary French and Francophone works of theatre, poetry, and prose. Authors include Molière, Reza, Ernaux, Du Bellay, Ronsard, Baudelaire, and Diam's.
FREN 131a Orientalism and Literature
MWR 1:00–1:50 Voiret
Prerequisite: FREN 106b, the equivalent, or permission of the instructor
An examination of how French literature has often represented the "Orient" or "the East," in particular North Africa, parts of the Middle East and Southeast Asia, as its opposite, its imaginary "other." Will also look at how some twentieth-century writers of North-African backgrounds have reacted to these misrepresentations. The course includes paintings, film, and readings in many different genres (novels, travel literature, etc.).
FREN 142b City and the Book
MWR 11:00–11:50 Randall
Prerequisite: FREN 106b, the equivalent, or permission of the instructor
Analyzes the symbolic appearance of the city in French literature and film from the Middle Ages to the present day. The representation of the city in literature and film is contextualized in theoretical writings of urbanists and philosophers. Literary texts include medieval fabliaux, Pantagruel (Rabelais) and Nana (Zola) as well as theoretical texts by Descartes, Ledoux, Le Corbusier, Salvador Dalí, and Paul Virillo.
FREN 165b Subsaharan Africa and the French Language
TF 12:30–1:50 Hale
Prerequisite: FREN 106b, the equivalent, or permission of the instructor
Studies writing in French in Subsaharan Africa, with particular emphasis upon its cultural and historical contexts. Topics include Negritude, African languages, defining "tradition," oral and written literature, Islam, film, and gender.
NOTE TO SENIOR FREN MAJORS: YOU MAY CHOOSE TO FULFILL ONE OF YOUR ELECTIVES BY WRITING A ONE-SEMESTER SENIOR ESSAY (FREN 97A) IN THE FALL UNDER THE DIRECTION OF AN INDIVIDUAL INSTRUCTOR. (FREN 97A DOES NOT PARTICIPATE IN PRE-ENROLLMENT.)
Cross-Listed with French and Francophone Studies
ECS 100a European Cultural Studies Proseminar: Modernism
MW 2:00–3:20 Dowden
Explores the interrelationship of literature, music, painting, philosophy, and other arts in the era of high modernism. Works by Artaud, Baudelaire, Benjamin, Mann, Mahler, Schoenberg, Stravinsky, Kandinsky, Schiele, Beckett, Brecht, Adorno, Sartre, Heidegger, and others.
Taught by French and Francophone Studies Faculty
IGS 110A 1 Behind the Veil: Religion, Race and Ethnicity in France
MWR 1:00–1:50 De Gasquet
Examines questions of religion, race and ethnicity that, with restrictions on the burqa and a debate on "national identity," are now at the center of French life. This course will examine these debates in light of post-colonialism, state-sponsored secularism and globalization.
COML 120b Dangerous Writers and Writers in Danger
MWR 12:00–12:50 Ratner
Examines the works of modern, twentieth-century writers from different areas of the world who have suffered exile, imprisonment, or death for their free thinking. Writers include: Alexandr Solzhenitsyn, Wole Soyinka, Gao Xinjan, Breyten Breytenbach, Reynoldo Arenas, and Salman Rushdie.
COML 165a Reading, Writing, and Teaching across Cultures
TF 11:00–12:20 Hale
This is an experiential learning course. Contemporary literary representations of literacy, schooling, and language from a cross-cultural perspective. Students also analyze their own educational trajectories and experiences with writing and reading. Students have the opportunity to work directly on projects in Haiti and Lesotho designed to encourage the development and distribution of picture books for young children in their home languages.
All schedule information is tentative.
Please see www.brandeis.edu/registrar/schedule/classes/2012/Fall/2400/all for the latest information.
Hispanic Studies
ALL STUDENTS NEED AN ACCESS CODE TO ENROLL IN SPANISH LANGUAGE COURSES (HISP 10–108). PLEASE READ INSTRUCTIONS BELOW.
1. Students currently enrolled in a Spanish language course (HISP 10-105) will be contacted before the beginning of registration to choose one section of the next course in the language sequence. They will be given an access code for that section, or if that section is no longer available, they will be given further instructions.
2. Students who have never studied Spanish before or who have studied Spanish for less than one semester should state how much Spanish they have studied and which section of HISP 10 they prefer in an email to Professor Harder (harder@brandeis.edu) who will send them an access code.
3. Students who have studied Spanish but not at Brandeis OR students who scored below 620 on the Spanish SAT II exam, below 4 on the Spanish AP exam, below 5 on the International Baccalaureate Higher Levels exam, or who took the IB Standard Levels exam must email Professor González Ros (elenag@brandeis.edu) for on-line access to the Spanish placement test (valid for one year). After completion of the test and the questionnaire that follows, Professor Harder will provide an access code for a specific section of the appropriate language course.
4. Students who scored 620–710 on the Spanish SAT II exam, 4 on the Spanish AP exam, or 5 on the International Baccalaureate Higher Levels exam must email their standardized exam score to Professor Harder (harder@brandeis.edu) to receive an access code for HISP 105a.
5. Students who scored 720 or above on the Spanish SAT II exam, 5 on the Spanish AP exam, 6 or higher on the International Baccalaureate Higher Levels exam should email their standardized exam score to Professor Harder (harder@brandeis.edu) to receive an access code for HISP 106b.
6. Heritage speakers (students who spoke Spanish growing up) should describe their language background in an email to Professor Harder (harder@brandeis.edu) who will give them additional information.
HISP 10a Beginning Spanish
(1) MTWR 9:00–9:50 Staff
(2) MWRF 10:00–10:50 Arteta
(3) MWRF 11:00–11:50 Arteta
Prerequisite: For students with no previous knowledge of Spanish and those with a minimal background. Access code required (please see instructions above).
For students who have had no previous study of Spanish: a systematic presentation of the basic grammar and vocabulary of the language within the context of Hispanic culture, with focus on all five language skills: listening, speaking, reading, writing, and sociocultural awareness.
HISP 20b Continuing Spanish
(1) MTWR 9:00–9:50 Burstin
(2) MWR 12:00–12:50 and F 12:30–1:20 Mederos
(3) MTWR 11:00–11:50 Burstin
Prerequisite: A grade of C- or higher in HISP 10a or the equivalent. Access code required (please see instructions above).
For students with some previous study of Spanish: continuing presentation of the basic grammar and vocabulary of the language within the context of Hispanic culture with focus on all five language skills: listening, speaking, reading writing, and sociocultural awareness.
HISP 32a Intermediate Spanish: Conversation
(1) MWRF 9:00–9:50 Mederos
(2) MWRF 10:00–10:50 Mederos
(3) MTWR 11:00–11:50 Reyes de Deu
(4) MWR 12:00–12:50 and F 12:30–1:20 Staff
(5) MTWR 1:00–1:50 Reyes de Deu
Prerequisite: A grade of C- or higher in HISP 20b the equivalent. Access code required (please see instructions above).
This course focuses on the development of oral expression and conversational skills in the context of continuing development of linguistic competence in Spanish.
HISP 34a Intermediate Spanish: Topics in Hispanic Culture
(1) MTWR 10:00–10:50 Gravina
(2) MTWR 1:00–1:50 Gravina
Prerequisite: A grade of C- or higher in HISP 20b or the equivalent. Access code required (please see instructions above).
Topics or themes from Hispanic cultures are the context for continuing development of linguistic competence in Spanish.
HISP 104b Peoples, Ideas, and Language of the Hispanic World
(1) MWR 10:00–10:50 Staff
(2) MW 2:00–3:20 Arteta
Prerequisite: 30-level HISP course or equivalent. Access code required (please see instructions above).
Participants will expand their skills in Spanish while deepening their understanding of Hispanic cultures. Focuses on aspects of the history and ideas that shape the Spanish-speaking world, from its peninsular origins to the realities of Spanish-speakers in the Americas.
HISP 105a Spanish Conversation and Grammar
(1) MWR 1:00 –1:50 Staff
(2) MWR 12:00–12:50 Gravina
(3) MWR 12:00–12:50 Staff←New Section!
Prerequisite: HISP 104b or the equivalent. Access code required (please see instructions above).
Students learn to communicate effectively in Spanish through class discussions, oral and written exercises, presentations, literary and cultural readings, film, and explorations of the mass media. Emphasis on improvement of oral and written fluency, and the continued acquisition of vocabulary and grammar structures.
HISP 106b Spanish Composition, Grammar, and Stylistics
(1) TR 3:30–4:50 Reyes de Deu
(2) MWR 1:00–1:50 Burstin
Prerequisite: HISP 105a or the equivalent. Access code required (please see instructions above).
Focuses on written communication and the improvement of writing skills at a higher level from developing ideas to outlining and editing. Literary selections are used to help students to continue focusing on language – vocabulary, structures, and elements of text; they serve as topics for class discussion and writing as well as an introduction to the principles of literary analysis.
Please see specific course prerequisites for enrollment in each HISP class listed below (above 106).
HISP 110a Medieval and Early Modern Spanish Literature: Gender, Class, Religion, Power
TF 11:00–12:20 Fox
Prerequisite: HISP 106b, or 108a, or permission of the instructor.
Was el Cid a political animal? How do women, Jews, and Muslims fare in classical Spanish literature? Study of major works, authors, and social issues from the Middle Ages to the end of the seventeenth century. Texts covered range from from lyric love poetry and the epic Cantar del Cid to Cervantes and masterpieces of Spanish Golden Age theater.
HISP 111b Introduction to Latin American Literature and Culture
Prerequisite: HISP 106b, or 108a, or permission of the instructor.
MW 2:00–3:20 Arellano
The goal of this course is to recognize the major trends of Latin American literary and cultural production. This course examines canonical Latin American texts (poems, short stories, chronicles, and a novel) from the time of the conquest to modernity. Our reading will emphasize problems of cultural definition and identity construction as they are elaborated in literary discourse. We will discuss major themes (coloniality and emancipation, modernismo and modernity, indigenismo, hybridity and mestizaje, nationalisms, Pan-Americanism, etc.) by looking at their continuities and ruptures throughout Latin American intellectual history.
HISP 121b Teatro Español: Lope y Lorca
TF 12:30–1:50 Fox
Prerequisite: HISP 109b, or HISP 110a, or HISP 111b, or permission of the instructor.
Examines drama of Federico García Lorca (1898-1936) in the context of that of Lope de Vega (1561-1635), considering theories of theater, gender, and sexuality. Both writers were renowned during their lifetimes and mythicized afterwards for their art and their remarkable personal lives.
HISP 160a Culture and Social Change in Latin America
MW 3:30–4:50 Rosenberg
Prerequisite: HISP 109b, or HISP 110a, or HISP 111b, or permission of the instructor.
We will examine the relationship between art (including literature, film, and fine arts) and society in Latin America
during the twentieth century. We will use significant examples drawn from three major socio-historical eras: the political and artistic vanguards of the 1920s (with particular attention to the Mexican Revolution and its aftermath); the 1960s and the cultural significance of the Cuban Revolution; and the 1990s period of transition to democracy and emergence of identity and minority-based social movements, with a renewed significance of artistic and literary languages.
HISP 185b España 20XX
TR 2:00–3:20 Mandrell
Prerequisite: HISP 109b, or HISP 110a, or HISP 111b, or permission of the instructor.
In this course we will consider various aspects of cultural production in Spain in 2004 in its socio-political context. 2004 was notable for the Al-Qaeda bombing in Madrid, an important national election, a royal wedding, as well as terrific movies, evocative poetry, and fabulous fiction. By examining contemporary Spain through film, poetry, and fiction, as well as socio-political events and occurrences, we will begin to understand the significance of this year.
HISP 196a Topics in Latin@ Literature and Culture
TR 3:30–4:50 Mandrell
Taught in English. Open to all students.
In this course we will trace the development of detective fiction latin@—i.e., latino and latina—authors. We will pay particular attention to questions of genre (what is a fiction of detection? where does it come from and why? how is it transformed by latin@ authors?) and various forms of difference, including gender and sexuality. Our study will begin with readings on and about fictions of detection and continue with a brief consideration of latin@ history and identity. We will then look at specific novels by latin@ authors. Our goal will be to try to discern the ways in which latin@ authors use the genre to explore issues of identity, political opportunity, and social justice. Students in the course will host a campus visit and have the opportunity to interview latino author Michael Nava, two of whose novels we will be studying.
HISP 198a Seminar in Literary and Cultural Studies
M 5:00–7:50 Arellano
Prerequisite: HISP 109b, or HISP 110a, or HISP 111b, or permission of the instructor.
A research seminar in which each student has the opportunity to become an “expert” in a Hispanic literary or cultural text/topic that captures her or his imagination, whether inspired by a study abroad experience; an earlier class in Hispanic Studies; a community-engaged learning experience; etc. Instruction in literary/cultural theory, researching a subject, and analytical skills necessary for developing a scholarly argument. Students present research in progress and write a research paper of significant length.
All schedule information is tentative. Please see www.brandeis.edu/registrar/schedule/classes/ 2012/Fall/6600/all for the latest information.
Italian Studies
ALL STUDENTS NEED AN ACCESS CODE TO ENROLL IN ITALIAN LANGUAGE COURSES. PLEASE READ INSTRUCTIONS BELOW.
1. Students currently enrolled in an Italian language course (ITAL 10-105) will be contacted before the beginning of registration to choose one section of the next course in the language sequence. They will be given an access code for that section, or if that section is no longer available, they will be given further instructions.
2. Students who have never studied Italian before or who have studied Italian for less than one semester should state how much Italian they have studied and which section of ITAL 10 they prefer in an email to Professor Harder (harder@brandeis.edu) who will send them an access code.
3. Students who have studied Italian but not at Brandeis OR students who scored below 620 on the Italian SAT II exam, below 4 on the Italian AP exam, below 5 on the International Baccalaureate Higher Levels exam, or who took the IB Standard Levels exam must email Professor Harder (harder@brandeis.edu) for on-line access to the Italian placement test (valid for one year). After completion of the test and the questionnaire that follows, Professor Harder will provide an access code for a specific section of the appropriate language course.
4. Students who scored 620–710 on the Italian SAT II exam, 4 on the Italian AP exam, or 5 on the International Baccalaureate Higher Levels Exam are not required to take the placement test; however they must email their standardized exam score to Professor Harder (harder@brandeis.edu) in order to receive an access code for ITAL 105a (spring 2013).
5. Students who scored 720 or above on the Italian SAT II exam, 5 on the Italian AP exam, or 6 or higher on the International Baccalaureate Higher Levels Exam are not required to take the placement test; however they must email their standardized exam score to Professor Harder (harder@brandeis.edu) in order to receive an access code for ITAL 106a.
ITAL 10a Beginning Italian
(1) MTWR 1:00 – 1:50 Monteleone-Wasson
(2) MWRF 10:00 – 10:50 Servino
Prerequisite: For students with no previous knowledge of Italian and those with a minimal background. Access code required (please see instructions above).
Are you interested in experiencing a taste of Italy right here on campus? If reading an Italian menu with the right accent, understanding Bocelli and Botticelli, speaking the language and learning about love and passion behind the stereotypes are not enough to get you involved, there are many more reasons we can find to make your Italian experience worthwhile. Just as in Italy, if you have no specific reasons to study Italian, we will make one up just for you! This course is designed for students with little or no knowledge of Italian language.
ITAL 30a Intermediate Italian
(1) MWRF 11:00–11:50 Servino
(2) MW 3:30–4:50 and F 1:30–2:20 Monteleone-Wasson
Prerequisite: A grade of C- or higher in ITAL 20b or the equivalent. Access code required (please see instructions above).
Is Italian synonymous with pizza and the mafia? Of course not! Students in this course advance their study in Italian language and culture by improving their ability to recount events, give descriptions, and make comparisons —both orally and in writing. Working with newspaper articles, short stories, and films, students gain an understanding of what growing up in Italy is all about! Students learn how the closeness of family and friends is the basis of Italian culture and how Italians are able to live in a modern Italy despite their old soul that comes from ancient values and colorful imagery of its people.
ITAL 106a Advanced Readings in Italian
MWR 12:00–12:50 Monteleone-Wasson
Prerequisite: ITAL 30a, ITAL 105a, or the equivalent. Access code required (please see instructions above).
Close study and analysis of representative works of Italian literature (prose, poetry, drama, and film) and culture (art, history, music, cinema, politics) with special emphasis on works by women designed to enhance the student's reading skills.
Please see specific course prerequisites for enrollment in ITAL 128.
ITAL 128a Mapping Modern Italian Culture: Inherited ConflictsMW 2:00–3:20 Servino
Prerequisites: ITAL 105a or 106a. Conducted in Italian with Italian texts.
Was “la dolce vita” only a myth of Italian life? How have the concepts of mafia and camorra shaped the lives and politics of Italians? How has the profile of Italians changed in the last few decades both in Italy and abroad? What is the profile of Italo-Americans? A socio-cultural analysis will expose students to the highlights and critical moments of contemporary Italy. Through study of history, cinema, and politics, this course will deepen students’ knowledge of advanced Italian culture and language.
Fall 2012 Italian Studies Electives
COML 103b Madness and Folly in Renaissance Literature
TR 2:00 –3:20 Lansing
A study of the theme of madness and folly as exemplified by the major writers of the Renaissance, including Erasmus, Rabelais, Montaigne, Boccaccio, Ariosto, Shakespeare, Petrarch, and Cervantes.
CLAS 134b The Art and Archaeology of Ancient Rome
TR 2:00–3:20 Koloski-Ostrow
This is an experiential learning course. Surveys the art and architecture of the ancient Romans from the eighth century BCE to the end of the empire in Sicily, mainland Italy (with focus on Rome, Ostia, Pompeii, and Herculaneum), and in the Roman provinces.
CLAS 145b Topics in Greek and Roman Art and Archaeology
TF 123:0–1:50 Koh
This is an experiential learning course. Topics vary from year to year and the course may be repeated for credit. Topics include women, gender, and sexuality in Greek and Roman text and art; daily life in ancient Rome; ancient technology; and Athens and the golden age of Greece. See Schedule of Classes for the current topic and description.
FA 45b Art of the Early Renaissance in Italy
TF 12:30 –1:50 Unglaub
May not be taken for credit by students who took FA 51a in prior years. Examines major painters, sculptors, and architects in Florence, Rome, and Venice from Giotto to Bellini (1290-1500). Important themes include the revival of Antiquity, the visual arts and the culture of Humanism, the Rise of the Medici, art and the ideal of the Republic, the development of art theory and criticism, Naturalism and the Sacred image, and the relation of artists and patrons during times of crisis (black death, Pazzi Conspiracy, and Savonarola).
All schedule information is tentative. Please see www.brandeis.edu/registrar/schedule/classes/2012/Fall/4000/all for more information.
Independent Major in Italian Studies
Students seeking to pursue Italian Studies further may petition for an Independent Major and discuss various options with the Italian Studies faculty members.