Modern Languages and Literatures

Humanities Division

Faculty

Jianhua Bai
Associate Professor of Chinese

Jean Blacker
Professor of French (on leave)

Mary Jane Cowles
Chair, Associate Professor of French

Robert H. Goodhand
Professor Emeritus of French

Mortimer M. Guiney
Associate Professor of French

Edmund P. Hecht
Professor Emeritus of German

Katherine M. Hedeen
Visiting Instructor of Spanish

Linda Metzler
Professor of Spanish

Evelyn Moore
Associate Professor of German

Natalia Olshanskaya
Assistant Professor of Russian

Charles A. Piano
Professor of Spanish

Patricia L. Richards
Associate Professor of Italian

Victor Rodríguez-Núñez
Assistant Professor of Spanish

Clara Román-Odio
Associate Professor of Spanish

B. Peter Seymour
Professor Emeritus of French

Patricia A. Simpson
Visiting Assistant Professor of German

Hideo Tomita
Associate Professor of Japanese

The Department of Modern Languages and Literatures (MLL) offers a range of language, literature, and culture courses in French, German, and Spanish to majors and nonmajors. Language and culture courses in Chinese, Italian, Japanese, and Russian are available; and the department is also offering a course in beginning Arabic via video-conferencing. In addition, courses in other languages or literatures may occasionally be offered. The department offers courses in literature taught in the original languages, as well as some literature courses taught in translation. Courses requiring no knowledge of foreign languages appear among the following offerings and also under “Literature in Translation.”

A student may major in French, German, or Spanish. There are three types of majors, depending on the focus of study: (1) literature, (2) language (a primary and a secondary one), and (3) area studies.

All major programs are devised by the student in consultation with an MLL faculty member of his or her choosing. All students majoring in the department must, as part of their Senior Exercise, take a language- competency examination, given at the beginning of their senior year. Language majors must take an examination in each of their two languages. Please see below for a description of the three types of majors and their respective requirements.

A minor is available in Chinese, Italian, Japanese, or Russian. Study toward the minor must begin by the sophomore year. Because of limited staffing, study abroad may be necessary in order to complete a minor. See below for further information about the minor.

Placement Examinations

During the Orientation Program, placement tests in French, German, and Spanish as well as other languages will be given to incoming students. The list of departmental recommendations regarding placement will be made available to faculty advisors as soon as the tests have been processed.

If you have studied more than one modern language in secondary school and are considering courses in more than one language or literature, you are best advised to take the placement test in the language in which you feel most competent or which you are most likely to continue studying at Kenyon. Arrangements can be made with individual instructors to determine placement for the other language(s).

Students who have scored 3, 4, or 5 on the College Board Advanced Placement test in language or literature need not take a placement examination in that language and will have fulfilled the College’s language requirement. Kenyon faculty advisors will have a list noting any advanced placement credit and will recommend appropriate courses.

Diversification and Courses Open to New Students

Depending on your interests, your language background, and the results of your placement test, almost every departmental offering listed in the course catalogue is open to you and is appropriate for diversification. Look for the symbol, which designates those courses particularly appropriate for first-year students or upperclass students new to the MLL curriculum.

Course Assignments

Since many of the courses have no prerequisites and hence are open to first-year students, it is impossible to note here typical assignments for each course. Be sure to attend the departmental discussions during the Orientation Program, and feel free to seek out individual instructors for further information and help in making your course selections.

Beginning and Middle Levels: Language Skills

Courses numbered 111-112 are beginning language classes. Courses numbered 213-214 are middle-level language classes. These courses stress language skills with some treatment of literary and/or cultural materials. All introductory courses listed as 111-112 are taught through the Kenyon Intensive Language Model (KILM), an intensive approach that compresses into one year beginning and intermediate materials. KILM classroom activities aim at dispelling inhibitions and encouraging communication. For each meeting with the professor (typically four times per week in both 111 and 112), there is a session with a Kenyon undergraduate apprentice teacher working with a group of approximately eight students. Work in the Language Practice Room and Language Learning Center is sometimes required. Apprentice-teacher classes are arranged when the class first meets with the professor. Some middle-level courses numbered 213-214, along with 321, meet for a fourth hour with an apprentice teacher. Listening comprehension practice with audio tapes is also required.

Middle Level: Literature and Culture

The following courses serve as an introduction to literature and/or culture and also continue the development of language skills.

Courses offered in 2002-03:

Courses to be offered in other years:

FREN 328 Aspects of French Civilization

Students are placed in these courses on the basis of their scores on the placement examination or as the result of advanced placement credit.

Advanced Level: Language and Culture

Courses numbered 300-399 are advanced-level language and/or civilization courses. Courses numbered in the 400s and above are usually advanced-level literature or culture courses. See below for a full description of these courses.

Requirements for the Major

Three types of majors are available to students:

I. Literature major
The primary concerns of this major program are the cultivation of the skills of literary analysis and the appreciation of works of literature in their cultural and historical contexts.

Course requirements: 4 units (minimum).

The department offers three distinct literature majors: French literature, German literature, and Spanish literature. Literature majors take a minimum of 4 units of work in literature courses in the chosen discipline. They must also take courses covering a certain range of time periods, according to their chosen discipline: in French, a minimum of one pre-1800 and one post-1800 literature course; in German and Spanish, a minimum of one pre-1900 and one post-1900 literature course. Literature majors must take at least one semester of Introduction to Literature (323, 324, 325, 338) or the equivalent course taken off-campus (with prior approval by the department), preferably when they begin their work towards the major. Introduction to Literature courses do not count towards fulfillment of the time-period requirement.

In addition, an advanced-level language and/or civilization class (300-399) and a course on the theory of literary criticism are strongly recommended.

II. Modern Languages major
The aim of this major program is to enable students to develop proficiency in reading, listening, speaking, and writing in at least two modern languages.

Course requirements: 5 units (minimum).

At least 5 units of language or culture/literature courses drawn from two disciplines within MLL are required. A variety of combinations is possible: French, German, or Spanish may be elected as the first language in the major program, and Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Russian, or Spanish chosen as the student’s second language. Under exceptional circumstances, a student may choose Chinese, Italian, Japanese, or Russian as her or his primary language if she or he studies abroad for the junior year, taking as many courses in the target language as possible, and achieves the appropriate level of proficiency. However, the student must first obtain approval from the appropriate faculty member, and then inform the department chair and the departmental senior-majors liaison of such a change, in writing, by the end of the second week of classes of her or his senior year. A course at the introductory level (111-112) in the student’s first language does not count toward the modern languages major; the 111-112 level course in the student’s second language does count toward the major requirements. In the first language, students must take at least 2 units above the 213-214 level. In the second language, students must take a minimum of 1/2 unit above the 213-214 level.

III. Modern Languages and Literatures Area Studies: French Studies major, German Studies major, Spanish Studies major

This major program enables students to pursue a broadly based major by combining the study of foreign language, culture, and literature with such fields as anthropology, art history, classical civilization, drama, economics, history, the Integrated Program in Humane Studies, music, philosophy, political science, and religion. Language competency and a breadth of knowledge of the particular culture are the desired results. The student must provide a two- to three-page written statement of interest and plan of study, developed in consultation with a faculty member in his or her proposed discipline, as a precondition to obtaining the approval of the MLL chair. The plan should explore disciplines outside the MLL department. By the end of the first week of classes of the senior year, the student must meet with the advisor to ensure that the program of study has been proceeding according to plan.

Course requirements: 6 units (minimum).

I. In the target discipline, the student must take 4 units above the 111-112 level consisting of the following:

A. 1 unit of 213-214 or of an appropriate language course above that level.
B. A minimum of 3 units above the 213-214 level with at least 1 1/2 units in literature.

II. In related areas, the student must take 2 units of courses outside the department which provide opportunity for interdisciplinary study of a foreign culture or for study of issues of an international nature. An updated list of suitable courses will be provided by each of the three major disciplines in the department. In order for courses taken outside the department to qualify for credit toward the major, the student must give evidence to the faculty advisor that work has been done that involved reading and research in a foreign language, as follows:

1. The student must submit for the advisor’s signature course validation sheets specifying use of a reasonable number of foreign-language sources. The student will confer with the advisor to determine what may constitute, in any given case, a reasonable number of sources.

2. The student must submit to the advisor copies of papers written for courses outside of the department. These papers, attached to the course validation sheet and filed in the advisor’s office, will serve as documentation of the student’s completion of requirements outside of the department.

Requirements for the Minor

The department provides students with the opportunity to declare a minor in Chinese, Italian, Japanese, or Russian. Because entering students who might want to declare a minor may or may not have had previous experience in the language, we offer two different minor tracks within the department.

Plan A:
For students who have had little or no previous instruction in a language, the minor will consist of a minimum of 3 units beginning with the 111-112 level. It will include at least one semester of coursework above the 213-214 level, that is, beyond the second-year level of proficiency. Please note that this means a student who chooses to pursue a minor will have to begin his or her study of the language at Kenyon before the junior year.

Plan B:
For students who have had extensive experience in the language and place out of 111-112 or 213-214 (normally by virtue of an advanced placement test score or a Kenyon placement test), the minor will consist of a minimum of 2 1/2 units above either the 111-112 or the 213-214 level. It will include at least 1 1/2 units above the 213-214 level for students who place out of 111-112 and 2 1/2 units above the 213-214 level for those who place out of 213-214.

Because of limited course offerings, students who qualify under Plan B will be expected to fulfill all but one course requirement above the 213-214 level through study abroad, transfer credit, independent study, or a combination thereof.

Additional Requirements
In order to declare a minor in a language, students must obtain approval from the chair of MLL and from the faculty advisor for the minor by the end of the second full week of the first semester of their senior year, at the latest.

Students must pass a language-proficiency test appropriate to minors, administered in early October of their senior year.

Students can apply up to 1/2 unit of advanced-placement credit toward the MLL minor provided that, in the case of students on Plan B, it be at least equivalent to the 213-214 level.

A minimum of 1 unit toward the minor must be completed in residence. Students should not expect to fulfill the requirements for the minor by registering for Individual Study.

Students are encouraged to undertake study abroad

Senior Exercise

All departmental majors are required, as part of the Senior Exercise, to pass a language-proficiency exam in the language(s) of their major. These exams are administered in September. The second language exam for modern language majors is administered in early October, on the same day as the exam for minors. In addition, each of the three majors offered by the department requires a written project, the first draft of which is due in February. Oral exams in the language of the major follow the submission of the final draft.

Modern Language Major
The written portion of the exercise is a research paper of at least fifteen (double-spaced) pages. It must be written in the first foreign language. The advisor(s) and student will agree on a topic for an oral exam to be held in the second foreign language.

French, German, and Spanish Studies Majors
The written portion of the exercise consists of a research paper of twenty to thirty (double-spaced) pages. The paper may be written in English. No special credit is given to papers written in the foreign language. An oral exchange of ideas in the foreign language between the student and appropriate faculty member takes place within three weeks of the submission of the final draft.

Literature Major
The written portion of the exercise consists of a research paper of twenty (double-spaced) pages. The paper may be written in English. No special credit is given to papers written in the foreign language; however, it is expected that the student will write the foreign language with a reasonable degree of accuracy and fluency. An oral exchange of ideas in the foreign language between the student and appropriate faculty member takes place within three weeks of the submission of the final draft. (See the department chair for a full description of the expectations and requirements for the Senior Exercises.)

Honors Projects

Foreign Literature and Civilization Courses in English Translation

The Department of Modern Languages and Literatures offers the following courses in English translation for the 2002-03 academic year. The classes are conducted in English. The full description and prerequisites, if any, may be found among the department’s listings in this catalogue.

GERM 395 Myth of Nation: German Film from Nosferatu to Hitler and Beyond
ITAL 340 Italian Cinema, Its Arts and History
MLL 331 Topics in Linguistics
MLL 351 Language Learning and Technology
RUSS 350 Survey of Russian Literature

MODERN LANGUAGES AND LITERATURES

First-Semester Course

Arabic
MLL 101; 102 (1 unit)
Nevine Nabil Demian, part-time instructor of modern languages, Denison University

Denison University and Kenyon are offering Arabic through video-conferencing, an arrangement made possible by a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The instructor for this course will be based at Denison; Kenyon students will use the College’s distance-learning facility. The course develops speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills. The work includes practice in understanding and using spoken language. Students at Kenyon interact with Denison students and the instructor via video-conferencing in real time. The class will use a textbook as well as computer-based exercises for audio practice.

Second-Semester Courses

Topics in Linguistics
MLL 331 (1/2 unit)
Bai

This course is an introduction to linguistics, an academic field devoted to the study of various aspects of human language. Among the topics covered are phonetics, phonology, morphology, semantics, syntax, psycholinguistics, and sociolinguistics. Students will learn what languages are like, how they are analyzed, how they change, how they are taught and acquired, how they differ from culture to culture, and how social relations are reflected in languages. No prerequisites. This course will be taught in English.

Language Learning and Technology
MLL 351 (1/ 2 unit)
Tomita

This course is designed for students who are interested in the systematic learning and teaching of foreign languages. It will review current theories of language learning and teaching, while offering hands-on practice incorporating technology into language materials. The goal of the course is to provide students with theoretical bases and practical training that will enable them to identify sound applications of technology to foreign language learning and teaching.

Honors Independent Study
MLL 498 (1/2 unit)
Staff

This course offers independent study for senior candidates for honors, under the direction of the honors supervisor. Prerequisite: permission of instructor.

Additional courses available another year include the following:

MLL 321 Imaging Women
MLL 483 Critical Theory and Its Application to Texts

CHINESE

Year Courses

Intensive Introductory Modern Chinese
CHNS 111-112 (1 1/2 units)
Bai

This is the basic introductory language course in Modern Standard Chinese (Putonghua). The course will develop speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills. In the first semester, pronunciation and some basic grammar will be taught. The bulk of in-class work will be devoted to developing oral and aural skills. There will also be an introduction to the Chinese writing system. By the end of the first semester, approximately two hundred Chinese characters will have been introduced. By the end of the second semester, most of the basic grammar will have been introduced, as will another two hundred fifty Chinese characters. Class meetings range from nine hours per week in the first semester to eight hours per week in the second. There will be required Language Practice Room work. Enrollment limited to twenty students.

Intermediate Modern Chinese
CHNS 213-214 (1 unit)
Bai

This course is a continuation of CHNS 111-112. By the end of the first semester, all the basic grammar of Modern Standard Chinese (Putonghua) and another three hundred Chinese characters will have been introduced. There will be extensive oral and written assignments. In the second semester, there will be a review of the basic grammar through in-class oral work and an introduction to the elements of Modern Written Chinese grammar. Approximately three hundred more Chinese characters will be introduced. Students will also learn how to use dictionaries and will read unedited Modern Chinese texts. In both semesters, there will be required Language Practice Room work and two discussion sections per week with an apprentice teacher. Prerequisite: CHNS 111-112 or equivalent.

First-Semester Course

Advanced Chinese: Language and Culture
CHNS 321 (1/2 unit)
Bai

This course is an upper-level course for students who wish to develop and refine their ability to understand, speak, read, and write Modern Standard Chinese. There will be extensive reading that deals with aspects of Chinese culture and society. Reading assignments serve as points of departure for discussion and composition. Video materials will also be used for this purpose. Reading and writing assignments will emphasize use of both simplified and traditional or “complex” forms of Chinese characters. This course is recommended for students wishing to specialize in any field related to China. The course may be repeated with credit. Prerequisite: CHNS 213-214 or equivalent or permission of instructor.

Second-Semester Course

Individual Study
CHNS 394
Bai

Students who have completed three years or more of Chinese language may be eligible to do independent study in Chinese language and literature. Topics will be arranged in consultation with the instructor and may include readings in Chinese literature (stories, essays, and so forth) or advanced conversation (Kouyu). Credit earned will vary depending upon the topic.

FRENCH

Year Courses

Intensive Introductory French
FREN 111-112 (1 1/2 units)
Guiney

This is a year-long course offering the equivalent of three semesters of conventional language study. Work for the course includes practice (in class, in scheduled drill and conversation sections with an apprentice teacher, and in the Language Learning Center or Language Practice Room) in understanding and using the spoken language. Written exercises and elementary reading materials serve to reinforce communicative skills, build vocabulary, and promote discussion. During the second semester, the class continues the study of the fundamentals of French with the addition of more literary and cultural materials, introduced with a view to developing techniques of reading, expanding vocabulary, and enhancing cultural awareness.

There are normally nine hours of class instruction in the first semester (including the conversation drill sessions) and eight hours in the second semester. Students are expected to complete multimedia exercises and work on their own in the Language Learning Center or in the Language Practice Room on a daily basis. This course is intended for students who have had no prior experience with French or who are placed in FREN 111-112 on the basis of a placement exam administered during fall Orientation. Enrollment limited.

Intermediate French
FREN 213-214 (1 unit)
Cowles, Vallury, Staff

This is an intermediate-level course open to students who have successfully completed FREN 111-112 or who qualify by virtue of a placement test. It is designed for students interested in developing their ability to speak, write, and read French. The course includes a comprehensive grammar review and short cultural and literary readings, which will serve as points of departure for class discussion. Course requirements include attendance at one to two extra discussion sections per week with a native assistant. Attendance at a weekly French Table is strongly encouraged. Prerequisite: FREN 111-112 or equivalent. Enrollment limited.

First-Semester Courses

Advanced Composition and Conversation
FREN 321 (1/2 unit)
Cowles

This course is designed to provide advanced students with the opportunity to strengthen their abilities to write, read, and speak French. The conversation component of the course will focus on the discussion of articles from the current French and Francophone press, films, other media and web sites, and on developing the fluency in French to perform linguistically and culturally appropriate tasks. The composition component will seek to improve the ability to write clearly and coherently in French. In order to foster these goals, the course will also provide a review of advanced grammatical structures. Prerequisite: FREN 213-214 or equivalent. Enrollment limited.

Introduction to French Literature I
FREN 323 (1/2 unit)
Vallury

In this course, we will trace the evolution of three major genres—poetry, theater, and the novel—from the Renaissance to the French Revolution. We will do so by studying the works of authors such as Ronsard, DuBellay, Louise Labé, Madame de Lafayette, La Fontaine, Molière, Racine, Marivaux, Voltaire, and Françoise de Graffigny. The course seeks to help students gain a deeper understanding of French literary history, and of its relationship to major social and philosophical movements. We will see how the literature of each century reflects important societal, cultural, and intellectual debates of the time. The course will also emphasize the development of the skills of literary analysis. We will do this through the techniques of close textual readings and explication de texte. Students planning on studying abroad are especially encouraged to take this course. Prerequisite: FREN 213-214 or the equivalent.

Seventeenth-Century French Literature
FREN 343 (1/2 unit)
Guiney

The period of French Classicism, culminating between the years 1650 and 1680, holds the status in France as the golden age of the national literary tradition. Even today the belief persists that French literature came of age during that time, finally rivaling in ambition and form the great works of antiquity, with the tragedies of Racine, the Art poétique of Boileau, the letters of Madame de Sévigné, and other literary landmarks. We will read these works with the purpose of understanding the process of idealization they have undergone, and also to reach beyond the smooth classical façade to the diversity and even the contention that existed in French literature throughout the century. In addition to the authors already mentioned, we will read plays by Molière, poems by La Fontaine, and prose works by Pascal and Madame de Lafayette. Prerequisite: FREN 213-214 or equivalent required, FREN 321 or 323-324 recommended.

Romantics and Realists: Nineteenth-Century French Literature
FREN 346  (1/2 unit)
Vallury

Perhaps at no other time did France witness such political upheaval and turmoil as in the nineteenth century. The rapid succession of governments and regimes as well as the birth of French democracy results in a different understanding of the meaning of historical revolution and change. The nineteenth century is also a time when literature sets for itself the task of writing History. How do the authors of the nineteenth century understand the political events of the time? What is their conception of History, and how do they seek to represent it? This course aims at studying the representation of History in authors such as Hugo, Lamartine, Stendhal, Balzac and Flaubert. The texts that we read will provide us with an opportunity to reflect upon related themes such as the relationship between the individual and society, the question of class struggle, and the notion of historical progress. Prerequisite: FREN 213-214 or the equivalent.

Individual Study
FREN 293/393/493 (1/2 unit)
Staff

This course offers an opportunity to study on an individual basis in special-interest areas, literary, cultural, or linguistic, under the regular supervision of a faculty member. This course is normally available only to majors or, in unusual cases, to prospective majors. Prerequisites: permission of instructor and department chair.

Second-Semester Courses

Introduction to French Literature II
FREN 324 (1/2 unit)
Vallury

In this course, we will trace the evolution of three major genres—poetry, theater, and the novel—from the French Revolution to the twentieth century. We will do so by studying the works of authors such as Hugo, Baudelaire, Lamartine, Balzac, Maupassant, Jarry, Rimbaud, Mallarmé, Eluard, Anouilh, Cocteau, Duras, and Camus. The course seeks to help students gain a deeper understanding of French literary history, and of its relationship to major social and philosophical movements. We will see how the literature of each century reflects important societal and intellectual debates of the time. The course will continue the development of the skills of literary analysis. We will do this through the techniques of close readings and explication de texte. Students planning on studying abroad are especially encouraged to take this course. It is recommended that students complete French 323 before taking this course. Prerequisite: FREN 213-214 or the equivalent.

French Society in Film and Text
FREN 328 (1/2 unit)
Guiney

We will examine some of the issues that dominate the French social, cultural, and political scenes today, as well as their historical context, by analyzing representative films and texts from the twentieth century. Films and themes will include La Grande Illusion, Jules et Jim, Lacombe, Lucien, and World Wars I and II; Coup de Torchon, Indochine, and the colonial experience; A Bout de souffle, Milou en mai, and the fifties and sixties; and several other films from the last thirty years. Students will be required to view eight to ten films outside of class. We will also read texts of fiction and journalism to supplement the films, and students will be required to complete an independent research project on a topic related to class discussions. Prerequisite: FREN 213-214 or equivalent. Enrollment limited.

Heart and Reason: Eighteenth-Century French Prose
FREN 345 (1/2 unit)
Cowles

We will explore the competing forces of la raison and la sensibilité as they affect developing notions of the self and of human rights in eighteenth-century France. Our readings will include some of the major works of Enlightenment thought, representative of several genres: philosophical narratives, plays, novels, and autobiographical texts by such authors as Montesquieu, Voltaire, Diderot, Rousseau, and Laclos. Our considerations of the tensions between the heart and reason will also seek to provide some glimpses of the “underside” of the French Enlightenment. The course will be conducted in French. Prerequisite: FREN 213-214 or equivalent.

Individual Study
FREN 294/394/494 (1/2 unit)
Staff

This course offers an opportunity to study on an individual basis in special-interest areas, literary, cultural, or linguistic, under the regular supervision of a faculty member. This course is normally available to majors or, in unusual cases, to prospective majors. Prerequisites: permission of instructor and department chair.

Additional courses available in other years include:

FREN 337 French Drama Workshop
FREN 341 Francophone Literature
FREN 344 Introduction to Medieval Literature
FREN 348 Twentieth-Century French Prose
FREN 350 Introduction to Early Lyric
FREN 352 Baudelaire to Valery
FREN 353 1789: Myth and Meaning of the French Revolution
FREN 361 Symbolism to Surrealism: Twentieth-Century Poetry and its Context

Please also consult listings in modern languages and literatures for interdisciplinary courses related to French studies.

GERMAN

Year Courses

Intensive Introductory German
GERM 111-112 (1 1/2 units)
Moore

This is a year-long course for students who are beginning the study of German or who have had only minimal exposure to the language. The first semester comprises an introduction to German as a spoken and written language. The work includes practice (in class, in scheduled drill sessions with an apprentice teacher, and in the Language Practice Room as well as in the Language Learning Center) in understanding and using the spoken language. Written exercises and elementary reading materials serve as a basis for vocabulary-building and discussion. During the second semester there is more advanced practice (in class, drill sessions, and the Language Practice Room) in the use of the spoken and written language, and literary and cultural materials are introduced with a view to developing techniques of reading. The class meets eight and one-half hours per week.

Reading, Speaking, and Writing German
GERM 213-214 (1 unit)
Simpson

This middle-level course is designed to develop German reading, writing, and speaking skills beyond GERM 111-112. The class is conducted in German. The course is structured around a textbook, which will serve as a point of departure for discussions and compositions. Grammar is systematically reviewed. A fourth weekly meeting will be scheduled with the language assistant for German, who will conduct grammar drills as well as introduce cultural materials. Prerequisite: successful completion of GERM 111-112 or equivalent as established by the language placement exam.

First-Semester Courses

Advanced Conversation and Composition
GERM 321 (1/2 unit)
Simpson

This is a third-level course for students who wish to develop and refine their ability to understand, speak, and write German. The course has a clear area-studies orientation and will use materials such as German documentaries, television news programs, and feature films. A fourth weekly meeting will be scheduled with the language assistant for German, who will conduct grammar drills and discussions of literary and film materials used in the master class. Prerequisite: GERM 213-214 or equivalent as determined by the language placement exam.

Modern German Drama
GERM 391 (1/2 unit)
Simpson

This seminar introduces students to German, Austrian, and Swiss drama from the postwar period to the present. Beginning with Wolfgang Borchert’s poignant radio play, Draußen vor der Tür, we will focus on the interplay between historical upheaval and its representation. Themes of guilt, displacement, and alienation associated with postwar Germany resonate in the production of culture throughout the period of reconstruction, the “economic miracle,” the Cold War, the rebellious 1960s, and beyond. In addition to reading the works of such authors as Nelly Sachs, Friedrich Dürrenmatt, Tankred Dorst, Peter Weiss, Peter Handke, Heiner Müller, Thomas Brasch, and Elfriede Jelinek, seminar participants will be viewing films, videos, television movies, and documents of performance art. All reading, discussion, and writing are in German. Prerequisites: German 321 or above, or permission of the instructor.

Myth of Nation: German Film from Nosferatu to Hitler and Beyond
GERM 395 (1/2 unit)
Moore

This course will examine the construction of national identity through the medium of film. For Germany, which historically looked to its writers to define its national identity, film became a very important medium for expressing these goals. This course also aims to provide students with the socio-historic background to be able to understand and evaluate the role that films played in both shaping and reflecting cultural ideals. The films viewed in this course will represent three distinct historical epochs: 1) the Weimar period, which produced some of the greatest silent films ever made, such as Nosferatu, The Golem, Dr. Caligari, and Dr. Mabuse; 2) the Nazi period, for which we will view the artistically unequalled propaganda film The Triumph of the Will, as well as examples of “Hollywood”-inspired Nazi propaganda films; 3) the post-World War II period, for which we will view films made by members of the New German Cinema like The Marriage of Maria Braun by W. Fassbinder, Aguire: the Wrath of God by Werner Herzog, and Wings of Desire by Wim Wenders. The course will be conducted in English.

Individual Study
GERM 293/393/493 (1/2 unit)
Staff

This course offers an opportunity to study on an individual basis in special-interest areas, literary or linguistic, under the regular supervision of a faculty member. This course is normally available to majors or, in unusual cases, to prospective majors. Prerequisites: permission of instructor and department chair.

Second-Semester Courses

Survey of German Literature
GERM 325 (1/2 unit)
Simpson

This course is designed to be an introduction to the close reading of literary texts. We will read samples from various genres—drama, prose, and lyric poetry—which will be representative of the various epochs of German literature. Readings will range from the love poetry and epic songs of the Middle Ages to the twentieth-century expressionist poets. We will also examine the history of the drama from the Enlightenment to the twentieth century. The course will also include a selection of short stories from the eighteenth and nineteenth century, as well as pre- and postwar German literature. Authors to be studied include Walther von der Vogelweide, Goethe, Schiller, Rilke, Kafka, Brecht, and Christa Wolff.

Freud and German Literature
GERM 392 (1/ 2 unit)
Moore

While Freud’s psychoanalytic theories have influenced intellectual currents throughout the twentieth century, Freud was indebted to German intellectual thought in developing many of his insights into the human psyche. He explains, for example, the nature of the unconscious and sexuality, among other drives, in the light of literary examples taken from canonical works of the German literary tradition. This course will explore the canonical German texts which Freud read and used as examples, as well as the works of German authors who were strongly influenced by reading Freud’s texts. An example of the former is Freud’s essay on the uncanny (Das Unheimliche), in which his reading of E.T.A. Hoffmann’s story “Der Sandmann” illustrates Freud’s ideas on castration, and the return of the repressed. In this course we will be reading works by Goethe and Schiller, as well as Grimm’s fairy tales, along with relevant essays and excerpts from Freud’s works. In addition, we will further explore Freud’s psychoanalytic insights in terms of works by Arthur Schnitzler and Franz Kafka.

Individual Study
GERM 294/394/494 (1/2 unit)
Staff

This course offers an opportunity to study on an individual basis in special-interest areas, literary or linguistic, under the regular supervision of a faculty member. This course is normally available to majors or, in unusual cases, to prospective majors. Prerequisites: permission of instructor and department chair.

ITALIAN

Year Course

Intensive Introductory Italian
ITAL 111-112 (1 1/2 units)
Richards, Staff

This is a year-long course for students who are beginning the study of Italian or who have studied it only minimally. The first semester’s work comprises an introduction to Italian as a spoken and written language. The work includes practice (in class, in scheduled drill sessions with an apprentice teacher, and in the lab) for understanding and using the spoken language. Written exercises, themes, and readings serve for vocabulary-building, discussion, and writing practice. The second semester entails more advanced work in the use of the spoken and written language. Literary and cultural materials develop reading ability.

Language and Culture
ITAL 213-214 (1/2 unit)
Richards, Staff

This mid-level course develops speaking, reading, and writing skills while studying the language and heritage of Italy. The activities and materials focus on regional diversity in history, culture, and cuisine. Themes integrate reading and writing skills. Oral reports and work in the Language Practice Room develop verbal skills. Two fifty-minute practice classes are required weekly. Attendance at films (alternate weeks) is also required. The class is conducted in Italian. Prerequisite: ITAL 111-112.

First-Semester Courses

Introduction to Dante
ITAL 333 (1/2 unit)
Richards

This course introduces students to the late medieval works of Dante, with close reading of Italian texts, both poetry and prose. The course focuses on selected canti of the Commedia and includes study of significant critical essays (in English) on the poet’s work. The course aims to acquaint students with the rich and lively literary context of Dante’s thought and art and to provide a basis for understanding and appreciating early Italian literature. The course is conducted in Italian and is not offered on a pass/fail basis. Prerequisite: advanced standing in Italian.

Second-Semester Course

Italian Cinema, Its Art and History
ITAL 340 (1/2 unit)
Richards

The course introduces students to major films and important directors in their cultural context. The films shown represent a sampling of types, such as the historical spectacle, literary adaptations, comedy, the spaghetti western. Weekly film showings are required outside of class. Coursework includes readings, discussion, short papers, and a final exam. The format is lecture and discussion. The class is conducted in English. Those with adequate language preparation may read and write in Italian for credit toward the modern languages major (if one of the two languages is Italian) or toward the Italian minor. No prerequisite. Enrollment limited.

JAPANESE

Year Courses

Intensive Introductory Modern Japanese
JAPN 111-112 (1 1/2 units)
Tomita

This is the basic introductory language course in Modern Standard Japanese (Tokyo dialect). The course will develop speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills. In the first semester, pronunciation and some basic grammar will be taught. The bulk of in-class work will be devoted to developing aural and oral skills. The second semester is a continuation of the first semester, with more of the basic grammar of Modern Standard Japanese introduced. There will also be an introduction to kanji (Chinese characters); students will learn how to use Japanese-English dictionaries as well as kanji dictionaries.

Class meetings range from nine hours per week in the first semester to eight hours per week in the second, with a language practice session of at least twenty minutes for each day of class. Enrollment limited to twenty students.

Intermediate Modern Japanese
JAPN 213-214 (1 unit)
Tomita

This course is a continuation of JAPN 111-112. By the end of the year, all the basic grammar of Modern Standard Japanese (Tokyo dialect) will have been introduced, as will approximately three hundred kanji. In both semesters, there will be extensive oral and written assignments. Two additional fifty-minute practice sessions per week are required. In both semesters, Language Practice Room work will be required. Prerequisite: JAPN 111-112 or equivalent. Enrollment limited to twenty students.

First-Semester Course

Advanced Japanese
JAPN 321 (1/2 unit)
Tomita

This is an upper-level course, taught in Japanese, for students who wish to develop and refine their ability to understand, speak, read, and write Modern Standard Japanese. Reading materials include writings on Japanese culture, short stories, and newspaper articles, which will serve as points of departure for discussion. Written assignments will include essays, letters, and short academic papers. This course is strongly recommended for students who wish to specialize in any field related to Japan. The course may be repeated for credit. Prerequisite: JAPN 213-214 or equivalent or permission of instructor. Enrollment limited to ten students.

RUSSIAN

Year Courses

Intensive Introductory Russian
RUSS 111-112 (1 1/2 units)
Olshanskaya

This is a year-long course equivalent to one and a half years of conventional Russian language study. During the first semester, students will concentrate on the Cyrillic alphabet, pronunciation, and basic grammar. They will learn a basic conversational vocabulary, use conversational phrases in questions and answers, and develop good accents through work with an apprentice teacher and with tapes in in the Language Practice Room. In the second semester, continuing language study will be supplemented by materials on contemporary Russian society. Students will have covered the six grammatical cases and will have an understanding of verbal aspects and of verbs of motion.

The class will meet five hours per week with the master teacher and four hours per week with the apprentice teacher; students must also work in the Language Practice Room for at least twenty minutes, four times per week. Students will also attend a weekly Russian Table.

Intermediate Russian
RUSS 213-214 (1 unit)
Olshanskaya

This course provides a review of basic Russian grammar in the context of modern Russian usage. Specific areas to be covered are verbs of motion and prefixed verbs of motion, the formation of the genitive/accusative plural of nouns and adjectives, and the use of participles and verbal adverbs. Conversation will be emphasized in class. Students will also begin reading short stories and articles. Regular quizzes will help in expanding vocabulary. The class meets three times a week with the master teacher and twice a week with a native assistant. Attendance at a weekly Russian Table is also required. Prerequisite: RUSS 111-112 or equivalent.

First-Semester Course

Advanced Russian
RUSS 321 (1/2 unit)
Olshanskaya

This is an upper-level course for those students who wish to develop and refine their ability to understand, speak, read, and write modern Russian. Students will read materials in Russian on political, social, economic, and cultural affairs. In addition, short stories and articles from the Russian press will be used. We will read and discuss topics in class; then students will write short academic papers and essays. Difficulties in translation and in grammar will also be covered. Prerequisite: RUSS 213-214 or permission of instructor.

Second-Semester Courses

Russian Mass Media and Journalistic Style
RUSS 322 (1/4 unit)
Olshanskaya

The course will concentrate on the analysis of the contemporary Russian press, leading newspapers, main journalistic genres, and a variety of styles. The course is offered for students with advanced knowledge of Russian. Prerequisite: RUSS 321 or permission of instructor.

Survey of Russian Literature
RUSS 350 (1/2 unit)
Olshanskaya

The central aim of this course is to introduce students to classic and modern works in prose and poetry of nineteenth- and twentieth-century Russian literature, and to develop their ability to discuss and analyze various genres and individual styles. Lectures and discussions will focus on works by Pushkin, Gogol, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Chekhov, Pasternak, Nabokov, Solzhenitsyn, and others. While our emphasis will be on close readings and analysis of individual texts, we will pay special attention to the development of realist aesthetics and to the special role played by literature in Russian, Soviet, and post-Soviet society. Though centered on the short story, this course examines various genres and their boundaries: novel, drama, and film. No prerequisite. The course will be conducted in English.

SPANISH

Year Courses

Intensive Introductory Spanish
SPAN 111-112 (1 1/2 units)
Hedeen, Rodríguez-Núñez

This is a year-long course for students who are beginning the study of Spanish or who have had only minimal exposure to the language. The course offers the equivalent of conventional beginning and intermediate language study. The first semester’s work comprises an introduction to Spanish as a spoken and written language. The work includes practice (in class, in scheduled drill sessions with an apprentice teacher, and in the Language Practice Room) in understanding and using the spoken language. Written exercises and elementary reading materials serve to reinforce communicative skills, build vocabulary, and enhance discussion.

During the second semester, the class undertakes a rapid review and continued study of the fundamentals of Spanish. Literary and cultural materials are introduced with a view to developing techniques of reading, cultural awareness, and mastery of the spoken and written language. Spanish magazines, Hispanic films, and multimedia programs are among the materials around which class activities may be centered.

Class meetings range from nine hours per week in the first semester to eight hours per week in the second, with a Language Practice Room session of at least twenty minutes for each day of class. Enrollment limited.

Conversation and Composition
SPAN 213-214 (1 unit)
Piano, Metzler

This is an intermediate-level language course designed for students who are interested in developing their ability to speak, read, write, and understand Spanish. A comprehensive grammar review is included. The texts chosen for the course serve as a general introduction to Hispanic culture and literature. Short articles from the Hispanic press and Spanish-language magazines, language software, and a video series of images from Spanish-speaking cultures are among the materials around which class activities may be centered. One additional fifty-minute practice session per week, conducted by a native assistant, will be required. Prerequisite: SPAN 111-112 or equivalent. Enrollment limited.

Advanced Grammar, Conversation, and Composition
SPAN 321-322 (1 unit)
Metzler, Román-Odio

This course is designed to give advanced students the opportunity to refine and increase their abilities to write, read, and speak Spanish. The course will have a strong emphasis on oral proficiency. Cultural and literary readings, writing software, and selected Spanish-language films are among the materials around which class discussion and assignments may be centered. A grammar review, focused mainly on typical areas of difficulty, will be included. One additional fifty-minute practice session per week, conducted by a native assistant, may be required. Prerequisite: SPAN 213-214 or equivalent. Enrollment limited.

Survey of Spanish Literature I & II
SPAN 323-324 (1 unit)
Piano

This course presents an introduction to the literature of Spain and to techniques of literary analysis. Readings, which are entirely in Spanish, include selections from major literary works of different time periods and genres: short stories, poetry, a play, and essays on techniques of literary analysis. The class will also read short prose pieces providing historical background. In the second semester, complete works, mostly novels, of major authors will be read. Prerequisite: three or four years of high school Spanish, SPAN 213-214, or permission of instructor. Enrollment limited.

First-Semester Courses

Introduction to Spanish-American Fiction
SPAN 238 (1/2 unit)
Staff

This course is designed to introduce students to contemporary Spanish-American prose. The course will examine novellas and short stories to explore a variety of contemporary issues in Latin America: identities and subjectivities, feminism, youth subcultures, urban violence, and mass culture. Among the authors included are: Gabriel García Márquez, Elena Poniatowska, Juan J. Saer, Luisa Valenzuela, Osvaldo Soriano, Carmen Boullosa, Luis Rafael Sánchez, Ana Lydia Vega, Diamela Eltit, and José Donoso. Almost all readings and class discussions will be in Spanish. Prerequisite: SPAN 321-322 or equivalent. Enrollment limited.

The Literature of National Experience in Argentina
SPAN 353 (1/2 unit)
Piano

This course examines the history, culture, and literature of Argentina since the war of independence. Our study proceeds thematically and chronologically, focusing primarily on works that either implicitly or explicitly deal with the theme of nation-building. We will examine an array of issues as they are portrayed in a variety of representative works of literature: early nation-building, the theme of civilization against barbarism, the loss of the frontier and of innocence, the region’s export-oriented agricultural economy, urbanization and industrialization, and dictatorships and revolutions. The course will focus on how particular Argentine communities experienced and responded to these processes. The course will include many of the most celebrated and influential works of Argentine literature. Prerequisites: one year of Hispanic literature, placement by exam, or permission of instructor

Spanish Short Story of the Twentieth Century
SPAN 373 (1/2 unit)
Metzler

Students will read and discuss selected short stories and works of short fiction by such accomplished twentieth-century writers as Paó Baroja, Cristina Fernández Cubas, Carmen Laforet, Ana María Matute, Gabriel Miró, Ramón Pérez de Ayala, Mercé Rodoreda, and Miguel de Unamuno. Close textual analysis will be stressed, and the individual works will be related to social and political realities and aesthetic ideas that have shaped Spain during the twentieth century. Prerequisite: SPAN 321-322, any Spanish or Spanish-American Literature course, or permission of the instructor.

Spanish-American Essay and the Quest for Decolonization
SPAN 375 (1/2 unit)
Rodríguez-Núñez

This course examines the modern and contemporary Spanish-American essay in its defiance of colonialism and neocolonialism, a process that is inseparably related to the insubordination of class, gender, ethnicity, and sexuality. We will consider, among others, texts by Bolívar, Bello, Sarmiento, Gómez de Avellaneda, Martí, Rodó, Henríquez Ureña, Mariátegui, Reyes, Borges, Ortiz, Paz, Castellanos, Fernández Retamar, and García Márquez. A theoretical perspective informed by postcolonial studies will be used extensively. However, a critique of this theory as a metropolitan representation that does not accurately reflect the periphery’s social reality will also be incorporated. Readings and class will be conducted in Spanish. Prerequisites: SPAN 321-322, any Spanish or Spanish-American literature course, or permission of the instructor. Course especially recommended for international studies majors.

Individual Study
SPAN 293/393/493 (1/2 unit)
Staff

This course is offered primarily to candidates for honors, to majors, and, under special circumstances, to potential majors. Staff limitations restrict this offering to a very few students. Prerequisites: permission of instructor and department chair.

Second-Semester Courses

Spanish-American Poetry Since 1880
SPAN 354 (1/2 unit)
Rodríguez-Núñez

This course is designed to introduce students to the literary trends and the poetics that underlie twentieth-century Spanish-American poetry, including those labeled “modernism,” “avant-garde,” “social poetry,” “anti-poetry,” and “conversationalism.” Through close readings of representative works, the course will examine the representation of nation, class, gender, ethnicity, and sexuality by the practice of these poetics. Some of the authors included are: Martí, Darío, Mistral, Vallejo, Storni, Girondo, Huidobro, Borges, Guillén, Neruda, Lezama Lima, Burgos, Paz, Parra, Cardenal, Castellanos, Benedetti, Varela, Gelman, and Pacheco. Readings and class will be conducted in Spanish. Prerequisite: SPAN 321-322, any Spanish or Spanish-American literature course, or permission of the instructor. Course especially recommended for international studies majors.

Art, Identity, and Power in Women’s Works from Latin America
SPAN 371 (1/2 unit)
Román-Odio

The artistic discourse of Latin American women has been largely omitted in academic studies, yet the contributions of women’s works have been instrumental in shaping and changing our world views. In this course we will examine Latin American women’s use of the dimension of gender to produce a critique of their culture and oppressive structures of power. Art, film, and literature will be used as the primary sources of exploration. Recurring themes such as self-knowledge, affirmation of female eroticism, and struggles for social and gender equality will be examined within the framework of the historical and sociopolitical realities of Latin American societies. Contemporary feminist theories will serve to interpret writing and creative strategies used by these women to produce an experimental language that embodies new human relationships. Among the filmmakers, painters, and writers included are: Fina Torres, María Luisa Bemberg, María Novara, Frida Kahlo, Remedios Varo, Tilsa Tsuchiya, Julia de Burgos, Claribel Alegría, Luisa Valenzuela, Gioconda Belli, Cristina Perri Rossi, Pía Barros, Elizabeth Subercaseaux, and Diamela Eltit.

Individual Study
SPAN 294/394/494 (1/2 unit)
Staff

This course is offered primarily to candidates for honors, to majors and, under special circumstances, to potential majors. Staff limitations restrict this offering to a very few students. Prerequisites: permission of instructor and department chair.

Additional courses available in other years include the following:
SPAN 328 Spanish-American Civilizaiton
SPAN 333-334 Spanish-American Literature of the Colonial Period and Nineteenth Century
SPAN 334 Latin American Literature and Popular Culture
SPAN 344 Contemporary Spanish- American Short Stories
SPAN 347 The Nineteenth-Century Spanish Novel
SPAN 361 Spanish Literature of the Siglo de Oro
SPAN 363-364 Spanish Literature of the Twentieth Century