CHIN 10a Beginning Chinese I

Four class hours per week.

Mandarin is taught in this intensive course, intended for students with no previous knowledge of Chinese. Class meets four days per week plus one section of individual conversation. It offers training in basic Chinese grammar, speaking, aural comprehension, reading and writing. Chinese characters, and the "pinyin" phonetic system as a tool for learning Chinese. Usually offered every fall.

CHIN 20b Continuing Chinese

Prerequisite: CHIN 10a. Four class hours per week.

Continuation of CHIN 10a. Usually offered every spring.

CHIN 29b Pathways for Chinese Literacy

For students who have significant bilingual background in Mandarin Chinese or a non-Mandarin dialect (e.g., Cantonese). Emphasizes reading and writing skills, but standard Mandarin pronunciation and grammatical structure are also stressed. Usually offered every spring.

CHIN 30a Intermediate Chinese
[ fl ]

Prerequisite: CHIN 20b or equivalent. Four class hours per week.

Development of skills in listening, speaking, reading, and writing, including the writing of short essays. Usually offered every fall.

CHIN 40b Advanced Intermediate Chinese
[ fl hum oc ]

Prerequisite: CHIN 30a or equivalent. Four class hours per week.

Continuation of CHIN 30a. Usually offered every spring.

CHIN 98a Independent Study

Prerequisite: CHIN 40b or equivalent.

Usually offered every year.

CHIN 98b Independent Study

Prerequisite: CHIN 40b or equivalent.

Usually offered every year.

GER 10a Beginning German

Four class hours per week.

Intended for students with little or no previous knowledge of German. Emphasis is placed on comprehending, reading, writing, and conversing in German and the presentation of basic grammar. Class work is enhanced by various interactive classroom activities and is supplemented by extensive language lab, video, and computer-aided exercises. Usually offered every year in the fall.

GER 20b Continuing German

Prerequisite: A grade of C- or higher in GER 10a or the equivalent. Four class hours per week.

Continuation of comprehending, reading, writing, and conversing in German, with an emphasis on basic grammar concepts. Special attention is paid to the development of speaking skills in the context of cultural topics of the German-speaking countries. Extensive language lab, video, and computer-aided exercises supplement this course. Usually offered every year in the spring.

GER 30a Intermediate German
[ dl fl ]

Prerequisite: A grade of C- or higher in GER 20b or the equivalent. Four class hours per week.

In concluding the development of the four language speaking skills--comprehending, writing, reading, and speaking--this course focuses on finishing up the solid grammar foundation that was laid in GER 10a and GER 20b. It also presents additional audio and video material, films, radio plays, and newspaper and magazine articles, as well as a variety of extensive interactive classroom activities. Usually offered every year in the fall.

GER 98a Independent Study

May be taken only with the permission of the chair or the advising head.

Readings and reports under faculty supervision. Usually offered every year.

GER 98b Independent Study

Yields half-course credit. May be taken only with the permission of the chair or the advising head.

Readings and reports under faculty supervision. Usually offered every year.

GER 99b Senior Honors Essay

Students should consult Undergraduate Advising Head.

Usually offered every year.

GER 99d Senior Thesis

Students should consult Undergraduate Advising Head.

Usually offered every year.

JAPN 10a Beginning Japanese

Meets four days per week for a total of four class hours per week and one half-hour tutoring session per week.

Intended for students with little or no previous knowledge of Japanese. This course offers intensive training in the basics of Japanese grammar, listening comprehension, speaking, reading, and writing. Students acquire Japanese language proficiency through various interactive classroom activities, workbook, audio, video, and computer-assisted exercises. Usually offered every fall.

JAPN 20b Continuing Japanese

Prerequisite: A grade of C- or higher in JAPN 10a or the equivalent. Meets four days per week for a total of four class hours per week and one half-hour tutoring session per week.

Continuation of JAPN 10a. Further development of the basics of Japanese grammar, listening comprehension, speaking, reading, and writing. Students acquire Japanese language proficiency through various interactive classroom activities, workbook, audio, video, writing essays, and computer-assisted exercises. Usually offered every spring.

JAPN 30a Intermediate Japanese
[ fl ]

Prerequisite: A grade of C- or higher in JAPN 20b or the equivalent. Meets four days per week for a total of four class hours per week and one half-hour tutoring session per week.

Continuation of JAPN 20b. This course aims to further develop a student's four language skills in listening, speaking, reading, and writing Japanese through various classroom activities, workbook, audio, video, and writing essays. Usually offered every fall.

JAPN 40b Advanced Intermediate Japanese
[ fl hum oc ]

Prerequisite: A grade of C- or higher in JAPN 30a or the equivalent. Meets four days per week for a total of four class hours per week and one half-hour tutoring session per week.

Continuation of JAPN 30a. Further refining of a student's four language skills in listening, speaking, reading, and writing Japanese through various classroom activities, workbook, audio, video, and writing essays. Usually offered every spring.

JAPN 98a Independent Study

May be taken only with the permission of the Chair or the Undergraduate Advising Head.

Readings and reports under faculty supervision. Usually offered every year.

JAPN 98b Independent Study

Yields half-course credit. May be taken only with the permission of the Chair or the Undergraduate Advising Head.

Readings and reports under faculty supervision. Usually offered every year.

KOR 10a Beginning Korean

Four class hours per week.

Intended for students with little or no previous knowledge of Korean. This course offers intensive training in basic Korean grammar, speaking, listening, reading and writing. Upon completion of the course, students will be able to communicate about everyday situations in simple Korean. Usually offered every fall.

KOR 20b Continuing Korean

Prerequisite: KOR 10a or the equivalent. Four class hours per week.

Continuation of KOR 10a. Further development of fundamental grammar, spoken and written language proficiency. By the end of the semester, students will be able to read and write short Korean paragraphs and conduct simple yet proper conversations about everyday situations. Usually offered every spring.

KOR 30a Intermediate Korean
[ fl ]

Prerequisite: A grade of C- or higher in KOR 20b or the equivalent. Four class hours per week.

Designed to further develop communicative language skills attained in the beginning level courses with intermediate-level reading and writing exercises involving more complicated grammar and vocabulary. Usually offered every fall.

KOR 40b Advanced Intermediate Korean
[ fl hum ]

Prerequisite: KOR 30a or permission of the instructor. Four class hours per week.

Continues the development of advanced-intermediate oral and literacy skills through formal presentations, discussion, and composition practices. A business Korean component will also be incorporated into the course to prepare students for job opportunities. Usually offered every spring.

KOR 98a Independent Study

KOR 98b Independent Study

Yields half-course credit.

RUS 10a Beginning Russian I

Four class hours and one recitation hour per week.

For first-time learners of Russian. This course is an engaging introduction to the Russian language and culture. Students will acquire basic communication skills in Russian by actively speaking, writing, listening, and reading in the language. Learning is enhanced by interactive online learning modules and authentic communicative tasks. Students will also develop a basic understanding of Russian culture and worldview. Active participation is essential. Usually offered every fall.

RUS 20b Beginning Russian II

Prerequisite: RUS 10a with a grade of C- or higher or the equivalent as determined by placement examination. Four class hours and one recitation hour per week.

For students with some previous study of Russian. Continuing development of proficiency across all four skills with the goal of reaching the Intermediate-Low level (ACTFL scale). Student-centered classes emphasize conversation and structural accuracy. Students will complete the learning of the grammatical architecture of the language and expand their vocabulary. Usually offered every spring.

RUS 29b Russian Language for Russian Speakers
[ dl ]

One additional hour of recitation required.

For students who grew up speaking Russian at home but have received no or minimal formal education in the language. Students will develop or improve their reading skills, acquire the foundations of writing in Russian, and expand their speaking ability through developing attention to linguistic form and dramatically expanding their vocabulary to include complex topics. Learning is enhanced by interactive online learning modules and authentic communicative tasks. Students will also engage in critical thinking about their bilingualism and multiculturalism. Active participation is essential. Usually offered every fall.

RUS 30a Intermediate Russian I
[ dl fl ]

Prerequisite: RUS 10a and RUS 20b or the equivalent. Not intended for Russian-English bilinguals; please contact language program director, Irina Dubinina, with questions about placement. Four class hours and one recitation hour per week.

Students will develop their proficiency in Russian to the intermediate level which will allow them to participate meaningfully in spontaneous spoken or written exchanges and make presentations on a variety of familiar and everyday topics. Students will also continue developing their reading and listening comprehension skills and growing their knowledge of Russian culture. Learning is enhanced by students' participation in a digital story project on a Russian-speaking city of interest. Active participation is essential. Usually offered every fall.

RUS 39b Russian Language for Russian Speakers II
[ fl ]

Prerequisite: RUS 29b or permission of the instructor.

Students the (re)acquisition of the Russian linguistic system focusing on the conceptual understanding of the language structure. A comprehensive instruction aims to enhance students' ability to express the intended meaning correctly and appropriately. Usually offered every spring.

RUS 40b Gateway to Advanced Topics in Russian Language and Culture
[ fl hum ]

Prerequisite: RUS 30a with a grade of C- or higher or the equivalent as determined by placement examination. Four class hours and one recitation hour per week.

Focuses on expanding the range of contexts for language use and pushing for a greater ease and structural accuracy of language production. Further refining of grammar and vocabulary within the context of Russian culture. Authentic texts and films are used for creating context for reviewing and expanding grammar, syntax and vocabulary knowledge. Usually offered every spring semester.

RUS 92a Internship

Usually offered every year.

RUS 98a Independent Study

May be taken only with the permission of the adviser to majors and the chair of the department. May be repeated for credit with permission of the instructor.

Reading and reports under faculty supervision. Usually offered every semester.

RUS 98b Independent Study

Yields half-course credit. May be taken only with the permission of the adviser to majors and the chair of the department. May be repeated for credit with permission of the instructor.

Reading and reports under faculty supervision. Usually offered every year.

RUS 99a Senior Research

Students should consult the area head of their major.

Usually offered every year.

RUS 99b Senior Thesis

Students should consult the area head of their major.

Usually offered every year.

AAPI/HIS 163a Asian American History
[ deis-us dl ss ]

Provides students an introduction to the history and study of Asian persons in the United States from the mid-19th century to the present, with a focus on how their presence has shaped American institutions, society, and culture. We ask: How does our narrative of the United States shift when we center the experiences of Asian Americans—a group largely excluded or invisibilized in discussions of our nation’s collective past? How does studying Asian Americans push us to think about race and inequality beyond a Black-white binary? How does understanding anti-Asian racism inform our understanding of the US as a gatekeeping nation, at the same time the nation’s leaders purport it to be a melting pot and nation of immigrants? How do global politics and US imperial ventures into Asia—from formal colonial rule in the 19th century to US-waged wars and military interventions abroad in the 20th century—create waves of displaced peoples who are pushed towards America’s shores? Key themes and major events covered in this course include Orientalism, migrant labor, nativism and xenophobia, Chinese exclusion, US colonial empire, Japanese internment, the Cold War, refugees, the Asian American movement, anti-Asian violence and the murder of Vincent Chin, Asian/Black relations and the 1992 LA uprising, religion, islamophobia, the Global War on Terror, and much more. Usually offered every second year.

AAPI/HIS 186b Legacies of the Korean War
[ deis-us djw ss ]

The Korean War is often called “The Forgotten War” within U.S. historical memory. But to Koreans, the war was too brutal to be forgotten—resulting in nearly 3 million civilian casualties, mass movement, national division, and the unprecedented militarization of North and South Korean society. Today, Koreans and Americans alike are living with the consequences of a war that is still ongoing. Through insightful and accessible scholarship, media and news reports, oral histories, memoir, and other cultural productions, this class explores the social memory, lasting legacies, and human consequences of the Korean War in a transnational context. Usually offered every second year.

AAPI/WGS 126a Asian American and Pacific Islander Women
[ deis-us oc ss ]

Asian American and Pacific Islander women’s history is an interdisciplinary field of study at the intersections of national and global histories of the United States; women’s, gender, and sexuality studies; Asian American and Pacific Islander studies; Native American and Indigenous studies; and more. This course introduces students to seminal works in the field of Asian American and Pacific Islander women’s history, covering a broad range of topics and ethnic groups. We will explore important historical figures, feminist writers and scholars, activists, cultural producers, popular icons, and historical events in our quest to understand AAPI women’s positions and movements within the US social formation. While the experiences of AAPI women vary greatly over time and space, common themes we will explore include globalism and transnationalism; exclusion, empire, and colonialism; gender and intersectionality; agency, resistance, and resilience; and culture and identity. Usually offered every second year.

AAPI/WGS 130a Critical Adoption Studies
[ deis-us djw oc ]

Although adoption has a storied past spanning a range of diverse cultural, geographic, and temporal settings, the adopting of children across national boundaries is a relatively new phenomenon—one that emerged in tandem with America’s postwar expansion into Asia. Today, international adoption is a normalized and accepted institution that helps to express dominant US ideologies of humanitarianism, internationalism, and multiculturalism. But American’s sudden and unprecedented desire to adopt children from abroad was anything but natural, informed instead by the dynamic geopolitical imperatives of the early Cold War years. Since then, the discourse surrounding international adoption in the United States has been dominated by American social workers and adoptive parents, rather than adoptees themselves or those who lose children in adoption. This course interrogates the knowledge production about international adoption that has historically privileged perspectives from the receiving country or that of adoptive parents in particular. Instead, we investigate the cultural, ethnic, and racial experiences of transnationally, transracially adopted individuals as well as their birth families long overlooked in adoption studies. Usually offered every year.

CHIN 100a Introduction to Chinese Literature: Desire and Form
[ hum nw oc ]

Taught in English. No Chinese language capabilities required.

Introduces Chinese literature, focusing primarily on Chinese "classical" literary traditions and their metamorphosis in modern times. Usually offered every second year.

CHIN 105a Advanced Conversation and Composition I
[ fl hum oc wi ]

Prerequisite: A grade of C- or higher in CHIN 40b or the equivalent.

Designed for advanced students who wish to enhance and improve their skills in listening, speaking, reading, and writing through listening and reading authentic or slightly modified materials, discussing and writing on various topics of Chinese society and culture. Usually offered every fall.

CHIN 105b Advanced Conversation and Composition II
[ fl hum oc wi ]

Prerequisite: A grade of C- or higher in CHIN 105a or the equivalent.

Designed for advanced students who wish to enhance and improve their speaking proficiency and writing skills. Speaking skills will be developed through guided conversation, discussion of texts and films, and oral presentation. Exercises and essays will be used to improve students' writing skills. Usually offered every spring.

CHIN 106b Business Chinese and Culture
[ fl nw wi ]

Prerequisite: CHIN 40b or equivalent. Does not meet the requirement in the school of humanities.

An advanced Chinese course where students develop their language proficiency and cultural knowledge in professional settings such as the workplace. The course is conducted entirely in Chinese and is designed for students who want to sharpen their language skills and reach a higher level of proficiency in which they are able to read newspapers, magazines, or professional documents, as well as to improve their communicative ability and enhance their self-confidence in Chinese workplaces. Usually offered every second spring.

CHIN 120a Readings in Contemporary Chinese Literature: Advanced Chinese Language
[ fl hum wi ]

Prerequisite: CHIN 105a or equivalent.

For advanced students of Chinese, an introduction to contemporary Chinese short stories from the 1990s and later. Focuses on significant expansion of vocabulary and grammar, and on providing students an opportunity to develop and polish both oral and written skills through class discussion, presentations, and writing assignments. Usually offered every fall.

CHIN 120b Readings in Contemporary Chinese Literature: Advanced Chinese Language II
[ fl hum wi ]

Prerequisite: CHIN 120a or equivalent.

Continuation of CHIN 120a. Study of contemporary Chinese short stories from the 1990s and later. These stories not only represent new literary themes and linguistic expressions, but also reflect the modernization, commercialization, and urbanization that is transforming China. The course improves students' knowledge of the language, as well as enhancing their understanding of Chinese society and culture. Usually offered every spring.

CHIN 126a Advanced Conversational Chinese
[ fl hum oc ]

Prerequisite: CHIN 105b or equivalent.

For advanced students of Chinese, this course further develops their Chinese speaking proficiency in both information and formal styles. The course is conducted entirely in Chinese and is designed for students who want to improve their communicative ability in Chinese. Focuses on significant expansion of vocabularies, grammars, and genuine expressions used by Chinese in their daily life, as well as enhancing students' understanding of Chinese society and culture. Usually offered every year.

CHIN 130b China on Film: The Changes of Chinese Culture
[ hum nw ]

Taught in English. All films viewed have English subtitles.

Focuses on the enormous changes under way in Chinese society, politics, and culture. Helps students to identify and understand these fundamental transformations through a representative, exciting selection of readings and films. Usually offered every second spring.

CHIN 136b Chinese Modernism in International Context
[ hum nw ]

Taught in English.

Examines the origins, recurrences, and metamorphosis of modernistic styles and movements in twentieth-century Chinese literature, film, fine art, and intellectual discourses. Usually offered every second year.

CHIN 140a Yin Yu Tang Documents, Decoding the Late Qing and Early Republic Writings (I)
[ fl hum nw ]

Prerequisites: CHIN 120a and 120b, or proficiency of a native Chinese speaker with advanced reading and writing skills.

Teaches fundamental skills to decode the late Qing and early Republic writings in print or in hand-writing by recognizing and translating the Yin Yu Tang documents. Students of this course will also gain knowledge of Chinese society and culture of this period. Usually offered every year.

CHIN 165a Chinese for Life Science: Study of Traditional Chinese Medicinal Herbs with Contemporary Science
[ fl oc ]

Prerequisite: CHIN 105b or equivalent. Does not meet the requirement in the school of humanities.

Helps students increase Chinese proficiency in the fields of life science such biology, biochemistry, neuroscience, and medicine, especially the skills of reading life science papers in Chinese; and widens and deepens students' knowledge of life science by learning the most important discoveries of Chinese scientists in applying contemporary western science to the studies of traditional medicinal herbs. Although this course is not just limited to biology, neuroscience, or chemistry majors, good knowledge of life science will be essential to success. Usually offered every year.

COML 120a Disordered Loves and Howling Passion: European Romanticism
[ hum ]

Introduces European Romanticism from a comparative and interdisciplinary perspective. This course integrates literature, painting, music, and philosophy. Works by Beethoven, Hölderlin, Schubert, Delacroix, Wordsworth, Mary Shelly, Verdi, Schlegel, Kant, Claude David and others. Usually offered every second year.

COML 150b Critique of Erotic Reason
[ hum ]

Explores transformations in erotic sensibilities in the novel from the early nineteenth century to the present. Works by Goethe, Austen, Kierkegaard, Tolstoy, Schopenhauer, Bronte, Chekhov, Garcia-Marquez, Kundera, and Cormac McCarthy. Usually offered every third year.

COML/REC 136a All in the Family: Tolstoy, Dostoevsky and the English Novel
[ hum ]

Selected novels and writings of Austen, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy and Woolf will be read to trace both the evolution of the novel and the meanings, contexts and depictions of the family. The family novel encompasses such larger questions as how we regard the pain of others and how we define community. Usually offered every second year.

GECS 130b The Princess and the Golem: Fairy Tales
[ hum wi ]

Conducted in English.

Compares Walt Disney's films with German and other European fairy tales from the nineteenth and twentieth century, focusing on feminist and psychoanalytic readings. Usually offered every second year.

GECS 182a Kafka: Novels, Stories, Aphorisms
[ hum ]

Open to all students. Conducted in English.

A detailed exploration of Kafka's works, life, and thought. Emphasis is given to his place in the larger scheme of literary modernism. Usually offered every third year.

GECS 188b Human/Nature: European Perspectives on the Climate Crisis and What to Do About It
[ djw hum oc wi ]

Open to all students.

Introduces European attitudes towards climate change as reflected in policy, literature, film, and art, with a focus on workable future-oriented alternatives to fossil-fueled capitalism. Usually offered every second year.

GER 102b Küche, Kochen, Kuchen: Advanced German Grammar, Pronunciation, and Baking
[ fl hum ]

Prerequisite: GER 30a.

Designed in response to student demand, includes weekly pronunciation sessions focused on tough sounds like 'e', 'l', 'r', 'ü', or 'ch' are combined with grammar review and bi-weekly baking sessions. Usually offered every year.

GER 103a German Culture Through Film
[ fl hum oc ]

Prerequisite: GER 30a.

Approaches an understanding of contemporary German culture through film by focusing on one of the most fascinating and turbulent of national cinemas. Landmark films from the 1920s to the present and pertinent essays, articles and studies will provide a historical perspective on decisive social and cultural phenomena. Major themes include Vergangenheitsbewältigung, multi-ethnic societies, terrorism, life in the GDR, and cultural trends at the beginning of the 21st century. Students learn also about the technical side of filmmaking and produce their own short film under professional guidance. Usually offered every second year.

GER 105b Survey of German Literature from Its Beginnings to the Present
[ fl hum oc ]

Prerequisite: GER 30a.

Examines the relationship between individual and their society throughout history on the basis of fictional and nonfictional German texts (poetry, philosophical texts, short prose, and plays), films and artifacts (photographs, paintings, monuments, coins and tools). While this course focuses on the work of German-language writers, it offers also insights into German social history and the socio-political changes accompanying the transformation of a medieval God-given society into a multi-ethnic society of the 20th and 21st century. Usually offered every second year.

GER 106b Migration, Kultur, Synergie
[ djw dl fl hum ]

Prerequisite: GER 30a.

Investigates the experience of refugees and immigrants in present-day Germany and discusses processes of social transformation. Through fictional and non-fictional texts and film, we gain an understanding of their cultural, economic, political and artistic contributions and of cross-cultural collaborations. Usually offered every second year.

GER 109b Meisterwerke Deutscher Kurzprosa
[ fl hum ]

Conducted in German.

Tailored to suit the needs of advanced intermediate students, this course explores in detail several short prose masterworks by writers including Martin Buber, Franz Kafka, Friedrich Nietzsche, Thomas Mann, Rainer Maria Rilke, and Arthur Schnitzler. Usually offered every third year.

GER 110a Goethe und seine Zeit
[ fl hum ]

Prerequisite: GER 30a. Conducted in German.

This upper-language course uses Goethe's dramatic, lyric, and prose works to introduce students to the literary periods of the enlightenment, Sturm-und-Drang, German Classicism, and Romanticism. We will read Iphigenie, Werther, Faust I, and a selection of Goethe's famous poetry. Usually offered every third year.

HIST 123b Reformation Europe (1400-1600)
[ ss wi ]

Survey of Protestant and Catholic efforts to reform religion in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. Topics include scholastic theology, popular piety and anticlericalism, Luther's break with Rome, the rise of Calvinism, Henry VIII and the English Reformation, the Catholic resurgence, and the impact of reform efforts on the lives of common people. Usually offered every third year.

JAPN 105a Advanced Conversation and Composition I
[ fl hum oc wi ]

Prerequisite: A grade of C- or higher in JAPN 40b or the equivalent. Four class hours per week.

Continuation of JAPN 40b. For advanced students of Japanese who wish to enhance and improve their speaking proficiency as well as reading and writing skills. Students will develop their proficiency in reading and speaking through texts, films, videos and discussions on current issues on Japanese society. Various forms of writing will be assigned to improve students' writing skills. Usually offered every year.

JAPN 105b Advanced Conversation and Composition II
[ fl hum oc wi ]

Prerequisite: A grade of C- or higher in JAPN 105a or the equivalent. Four class hours per week.

Continuation of JAPN 105a. For advanced students of Japanese who wish to enhance and improve their speaking proficiency as well as reading and writing skills. Students will develop their proficiency in reading and speaking through texts, films, videos and discussions on current issues on Japanese society. Various forms of writing will be assigned to improve students' writing skills. Usually offered every year.

JAPN 120a Topics in Contemporary Japanese Culture and Society
[ fl hum nw oc wi ]

Prerequisite: A grade of C- or higher in JAPN 105b or the equivalent. May be repeated for credit.

Further enhances advanced students’ proficiency in four skills through discussion, reading, writing, presentation, and group work. Usually offered every fall.

JAPN 120b Readings in Modern Japanese Literature
[ fl hum nw oc wi ]

Prerequisite: JAPN 120a or the equivalent.

Students read, analyze, discuss, and write about Japanese short fiction by a wide range of modern and contemporary authors. Screening of film adaptations and television programs complement class discussion, which is conducted in Japanese. Usually offered every year.

JAPN 125b Putting Away Childish Things: Coming of Age in Modern Japanese Literature and Film
[ hum nw ]

Explores the ways in which modern Japanese writers and filmmakers have represented childhood, youth, and coming of age. A variety of short stories, novels, and memoirs from the 1890s to the present day are read, and several recent films are also screened. Usually offered every third year.

JAPN 130a The Literature of Multicultural Japan
[ djw hum nw ]

"Multicultural" may not be an adjective that many associate with Japan, but as we will find in this class, Japan's modern literary and cinematic tradition is rich with works by and about resident Koreans, Ainu, Okinawans, outcasts, and sexual and other marginalized minorities. Why then does the image of a monocultural Japan remain so resilient? Usually offered every third year.

JAPN 135a Screening National Images: Japanese Film and Anime in Global Context
[ hum nw ]

All films and readings are in English.

An introduction to some major directors and works of postwar Japanese film and anime with special attention to such issues as genre, medium, adaptation, narrative, and the circulation of national images in the global setting. Usually offered every third year.

JAPN 140a The World of Early Modern Japanese Literature
[ hum nw ]

A survey of the most celebrated works of literature from Japan's early modern period (1600-1868). Explores a wide range of genres, including fiction, travelogues, memoirs, dramatic forms such as the puppet theater and kabuki, as well as poetry in Japanese and Chinese. All readings are available in English translation; Japanese knowledge is not required. Usually offered every third year.

JAPN 145a The World of Classical Japanese Literature
[ djw hum nw ]

A survey of some of the most important works of Japanese literature from its origins to the late sixteenth century, including a wide range of genres: fiction, essays, travelogues, poetry, and drama. All readings are in English. Usually offered every third year.

JAPN 165a The Tale of Genji
[ hum nw oc ]

Often called "the world's first novel," The Tale of Genji has captivated readers with its narrative of love, rivalry, friendship, and loss for centuries. This class explores what has given the text its prominent place in Japanese and world literature. Usually offered every third year.

KOR 102b Advanced Korean Through Culture
[ fl hum ]

Prerequisite: KOR 30a.

Korean culture is becoming an increasingly popular area of study among college students in the U.S. because of its growing cultural, economic, and political importance. This course is designed to fulfill the students’ needs to explore Korean culture within today’s global climate, all the while further advancing their language skills. Lectures, readings, discussion, and films will prompt students to develop a growing awareness of Korean history, art, music, and food culture. Usually offered every year.

KOR 105a Advanced Conversation and Composition I
[ fl hum oc ]

A continuation of Korean 40b (Advanced Intermediate Korean). Students who did not take Korean 40b at Brandeis are required to take a placement test prior to enrollment.

Students further develop the range of communicative language skills with advanced-level reading exercises involving complicated grammar patterns and vocabulary. Majority of class conversations and discussions as well as compositions are connected with in/outside classroom readings. By the end of the semester, students will be able to read and write a variety of advanced-level Korean texts, demonstrate the ability to narrate and describe autobiographical topics, and speak and write on the topics of current events and community interest. Designed to further develop students’ Korean proficiency with the integration of aspects of culture such as films, literature (e.g., poems, novels), and formal presentations and compositions. Usually offered evert year.

NEJS 148a Inside Nazi Germany: Social and Political History of the Third Reich
[ hum ]

Provides an overview on the social and political history of Nazi Germany (1933-1945) covering the most significant topics pertaining to the ideological basis, structure and functioning of the regime as well as the social and political mechanisms that led millions of Germans to perpetrate war and genocide. Usually offered every second year.

PHIL 182a Wittgenstein's Philosophical Investigations
[ hum ]

An intensive study of Ludwig Wittgenstein's seminal work, Philosophical Investigations. This course should be of interest to philosophy and literature students who want to learn about this great philosopher's influential views on the nature of language and interpretation. Usually offered every second year.

RECS 100a Understanding Russian Culture: Myths and Paradoxes
[ dl hum ]

Open to all students. Conducted in English. Students may choose to do readings either in English translation or in Russian. Satisfies the Proseminar requirement for the Russian Studies major.

Russia has given the world renowned cultural luminaries such as Tolstoy and Tchaikovsky. At the same time, the Russian state—in different historical forms—has a long tradition of censoring, imprisoning, or even murdering artists and intellectuals. One scholar suggests that even as the Russian Empire has violently expanded its boundaries, the state has “colonized” its own people. Paradoxically, this very repression has made culture politically relevant—sometimes reinforcing imperial ideology, sometimes subverting it—and charged it with particular urgency. This course takes us inside the paradox, looking at some of the most important works of modern Russian literature, film, philosophy, visual art, music, theater, opera, and ballet in the context of the country’s troubled history. Usually offered every second year.

RECS 130a The Great Russian Novel
[ hum wi ]

Open to all students. Conducted in English. Students may choose to do readings either in English translation or in Russian.

A comprehensive survey of the major writers and themes of the nineteenth century including Gogol, Turgenev, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Chekhov, and others. Usually offered every second year.

RECS 131a The Twentieth-Century Russian Novel
[ hum ]

Open to all students. Conducted in English. Students may choose to do readings either in English translation or in Russian.

An introduction to the major novels of the modernist, Soviet, and post-Soviet eras, including the emigration, such as those by Sologub, Bely, Olesha, Bulgakov, Pasternak, Nabokov, Solzhenitsyn, Erofeev, and Pelevin. May also include some short stories. Usually offered every fourth year.

RECS 134b Literature and Medicine: Chekhov and the Healing Arts
[ hum wi ]

Open to all students. Conducted in English. Most students will choose to read the works in English translation, but students who know Russian may do the readings in Russian.

Explores Chekhov as a fiction writer, a dramatist, and a devoted physician. Many of his artistic works, including a number where doctors figure as primary characters, read as case studies of particular diseases, mental illnesses, and conditions induced by poverty. Chekhov practiced the healing arts in all aspects of his professional and creative life, as well as in his courageous efforts on the remote penal-colony island of Sakhalin and in his dangerous public work during a terrible cholera epidemic. Reading both Chekhov and the works of several other modern and contemporary writers who were deeply influenced by him, this course emphasizes the skills of close looking—techniques equally valuable to the writer, the dramatist, and the physician. We read works about children and the nature of childhood, about students, about “the woman question,” about peasants, about religion, about marriage and adultery, as well as two plays: The Seagull and Uncle Vanya (and adaptations of each of them). Students will consider the ebb and flow between Chekhov’s efforts as a dramatist and a story-teller and engage with Chekhov’s most vivid, candid, and intriguing letters about medicine and art. Usually offered every second year.

RECS 135a Russian Short Fictions: Where is Justice in This World?
[ djw hum oc ]

Open to all students. Conducted in English. Students may choose to do readings either in English translation or in Russian.

Focuses on the great tradition of the short story as practiced by Russian writers and the connection and divisions among them. This genre invites extreme stylistic and narrative experimentation ranging from the comic to the tragic, as well as being a vehicle for striking expressions of complex social, philosophical, and religious themes. Usually offered every second year.

RECS 144b Tolstoy and Dostoevsky: Confronting the Novel
[ hum oc wi ]

Where do Tolstoy and Dostoevsky fit in the theory and history of the novel? Students will engage in close readings of two of the greatest novels of all time: War and Peace and The Brothers Karamazov. We will explore the genesis of each work, its cultural backdrop and critical responses. Usually offered every third year.

RECS 150a Russian and Soviet Cinema
[ hum ]

Open to all students. Conducted in English. Readings in English.

Examines the Russian/Soviet cinematic tradition from the silent era to today, with special attention to cultural context and visual elements. Film masterpieces directed by Bauer, Eisenstein, Vertov, Parajanov, Tarkovsky, Mikhalkov, and others. Weekly screenings. Usually offered every second year.

RECS 152a Russian Science Fiction Literature and Film
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Open to all students. Conducted in English. Readings in English.

Examines the Russian science fiction tradition in the context of philosophical, historical, and political developments, with attention to topics such as futurism, science and technology, the perfectibility of humanity, the nature of time, the proximity of the unknown, and otherness. Usually offered every third year.

RECS 154a Vladimir Nabokov: Art and Ethics
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Open to all students. Conducted in English. Readings in English.

A concentrated study of Vladimir Nabokov, the most noted Russian author living in emigration and one of the most influential novelists of the twentieth century. Focuses on the major Russian- and English-language novels, with special attention to the interplay within them of Nabokov’s philosophy of art and his views on ethics and morality. Usually offered every third year.

RECS/THA 140a Russian Theater: Stanislavsky to Present
[ ca djw hum wi ]

Throughout its history, Russian theatre has tried to communicate truthfully in a mostly repressive society. This course introduces students to the achievements of theatre artists from Stanislavsky through Post-Modernism. We will examine the work of groundbreaking directors like Meyerhold, Vakhtangov, and Lyubimov. We will read and analyze representative works of major modern and contemporary playwrights. The course load consists of readings, discussions, papers and in-class projects. Usually offered every second year.

RUS 105a Russian Language Today: People, Society, State
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Prerequisite: RUS 39b or RUS 40b with a grade of C- or higher, or the equivalent as determined by placement examination. Taught in Russian.

For advanced students of Russian language (non-heritage learners) who strive for advanced-level proficiency in all four modalities (listening, reading, speaking and writing). Explores aspects of contemporary Russian society and culture, including such topics as education, social media, religion, gender relations, environment and others. Usually offered every fourth year.

RUS 106b Advanced Russian Language through Film
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Prerequisite: RUS 39b or RUS 40b with a grade of C- or higher, or the equivalent as determined by placement examination. Taught in Russian.

For advanced and heritage students of Russian who wish to enhance their proficiency and accuracy in speaking, listening, and writing. Course activities will focus on discussions of contemporary Russian feature films and documentaries. Usually offered every fourth year.

RUS 115b Topics in Russian Culture and Society
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Prerequisite: Advanced Russian language skills.

For heritage and advanced students of Russian who wish to enhance their proficiency and accuracy in speaking, reading and writing. Introduces students to issues central to Russian folklore. Through an analysis of chronicles, icons, epic tales, and folktales, discussions will explore the roots of Russian cultural values and beliefs. Students will examine structures and archetypes in folktales and magic tales. Usually offered every fourth year.

RUS 121b Russian-English Translation
[ fl hum ]

Prerequisite: RUS 30a or demonstrated equivalent proficiency.

Students will acquire practical skills for dealing with the particular challenges of Russian-English translation. Students will also improve their reading comprehension; vocabulary; understanding of advanced Russian grammar topics; and awareness of cultural differences necessary for translating effectively. Usually offered every second year.

RUS 150b Advanced Russian Language through 20th Century Literature
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Prerequisite: RUS 39b or RUS 40b or the equivalent, or instructor permission. Taught in Russian. Course may be repeated for credit with instructor's permission.

A seminar for continuing students of Russian who wish to enhance their proficiency and accuracy in speaking, reading and writing. Focusing on the close study of Russian literature in the original Russian and the development of Russian oral and written language skills needed for the close reading and discussion of literature. Usually offered every second year.

RUS 153a Advanced Russian Language through 19th Century Literature
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Prerequisite: RUS 39b or RUS 40b with a grade of C- or higher, or the equivalent, or instructor permission. Taught in Russian.

An undergraduate seminar for heritage and advanced students of Russian. Focus on the study of 19th-century Russian literature in the original and development of Russian oral and written skills needed for the close reading and discussion of literature. Usually offered every fourth year.

CHIN 201a Chinese Pedagogy I

Required of all MCLC students.

Equips students with the most advanced and updated skills in teaching modern Chinese with an emphasis on beginning and intermediate levels. This course covers a great range of topics to ensure efficient and successful instruction. Usually offered every year.

CHIN 202b Chinese Pedagogy II

Prerequisite: CHIN 201a. Required of all MCLC students.

Continuation of CHIN 201a. Emphasizes the instruction of advanced Chinese. Two important sets of theories and practice will be introduced and discussed, the Four Subsystem Theory and Prosodic Theory. Task-based teaching on an advanced level, contents-centered textbook, and correction of advanced composition will also be discussed. Usually offered every year.

CHIN 211a Chinese Practicum I

Corequisite: CHIN 201a. Enrollment limited to MCLC students.

Students design course plans, additional reading, visual and audio materials, assignments, etc to teach the lecture and drill sessions of beginning Chinese. Class observation and student feedback are components of this class. Usually offered every year.

CHIN 212b Chinese Practicum II

Corequisite: CHIN 202b. Enrollment limited to MCLC students.

Students design course plans, additional reading, visual and audio materials, assignments, etc to teach the lecture and drill sessions of advanced Chinese. Class observation and student feedback are components of this class. Usually offered every year.

CHIN 298a Independent Study