World Languages & Cultures

Introduction to the structure and practice of modern French through the skills of speaking, listening, reading, writing and culture.

Continued strengthening of the core skills with a practical approach. Emphasis given to augment professional competency in the language through career focused vocabulary and grammatical structures in key career fields. Modern cultural and literary texts are included. Credit may not be received for both FREN-202 and FREN-214.

Study of contemporary topics and world issues related to the cultures of the French-speaking world. Explores political, social and economic structures through literature, film, the visual arts and/or music. Taught in English. FILA general education: global dynamics.

This interdisciplinary travel course examines the history and culture of Canada, through its First Nations peoples, European colonization, and Confederation. As well as the core travel component, it is composed of an on-campus series of classes, in which students will learn about Canada's communities, political structures, current policy issues, and Canada's contribution to global politics. While traveling abroad, students will interact with Canadian citizens and guides, with a view to synthesize and apply what was learned in the classroom to what they encounter in the world. Emphasis will be on a variety of texts (including primary founding documents, historical analysis, documentaries, film, literature, visual arts), as well as discussions centered on major turning points in Canadian history and contextualizing contemporary tendencies within a longer historical view.

An introduction to the life, culture, and history of France. Through homestays with families, daily language classes and various excursions, students will be immersed in the life and culture of France to experience firsthand the French lifestyle through its art, food, music, marketplaces, historical landmarks, and landscapes. FILA general education: world cultures and experiential learning.

This interdisciplinary travel course (World Languages and Cultures/History) examines the history and diverse cultural memory of the First and Second World Wars in Britain, France, and Belgium. While gaining firsthand experience of contemporary culture and society in theses western European nations, the class will focus on specific sites of memory and history of these conflicts, including London, Paris, Normandy, the Somme, Verdun, and southern Belgium. Studying both literature and historical documents, students will gain an intimate knowledge of the landscapes, experiences, and legacies of the world wars within the discreet cultural contexts of Britain, France, and Belgium. FILA general education: world cultures. (Cross-listed as HIST-307)

Study and analysis of advanced grammatical structures, translation exercises and composition work.

Provides the tools to develop and enhance students' writing skills. Focuses on the skills involved in writing in a second language. Through a variety of writing techniques and reading material, such as newspaper and magazine articles, essays, among others, students broaden their vocabulary and learn how to write creatively and critically. May be taken more than once provided different topics are covered.

Covers materials on instructional practice and student assessment as they relate to the teaching of English as a Second Language (ESL) and foreign languages. Material and discussions are focused on the central theme of how to contextualize language instruction and how to run a proficiency-oriented classroom. Taught in English. Required for students seeking ESL endorsement. Strongly recommended for students preparing to teach Spanish. (Cross-listed as ENG-317 and SPAN-317)

Expansion of listening and speaking skills. A study of French phonetics to improve pronunciation skills. Emphasis on development of oral communication skills sufficient to discuss complex issues and express abstract ideas.

Reinforces more advanced syntactical structures of the language. Further develops these and vocabulary through expository, persuasive, argumentative and debate style speaking.

Provides a practical opportunity to enhance students' oral and aural skills. Focus may include the discussion of practical topics related to careers such as medical, business, journalism, etc.

Selected readings of the fiction, drama, poetry, and non-fiction prose of French literature. Includes study of French political and cultural history as a way to examine recurring themes, innovation, and movements in literature. FILA general education: literature and writing intensive. (Cross-listed as ENG-335W)

Introduction to French culture and its Revolution. Emphasis is on the intellectual, artistic, political, social, economic, and educational factors. Taught in French. FILA general education: world cultures.

Introduction to French culture and its historical development after the Fall of the Ancient Regime and a study of modern-day France, including geography, and consideration of intellectual, artistic, political, social, economic and educational factors. Taught in French. FILA general education: world cultures.

Study of specific topics related to the French language, culture and civilization. May be taken more than once provided different topics are covered. Taught in French. FILA general education: world cultures.

Study of specific topics related to Fine Arts, including theatre, visual arts, cinema, and music. May be taken more than once provided different topics are covered. Taught in English. FILA general education: fine arts and music.

A survey of French thought, drawing together the evolution of French culture through study of representative philosophers and theologians. Taught in English. FILA general education: philosophy or religion and ethical reasoning.

Representative French authors from the Middle through the 18th-century including social and historical background. Taught in French. FILA general education: literature and writing intensive.

Representative French authors from the 19th and 20th centuries. Social and historical background is included. Taught in French. FILA general education: literature and writing intensive.

Writings of representative Francophone authors (African, Caribbean, Quebecois), primarily of short stories, poetry and plays. Taught in French. FILA general education: literature and writing intensive.

Study of a specific literary topic. Topics may include a focus on French and/or Francophone genres, movements or regional studies. May be taken more than once provided different topics are covered. Taught in French.

Provides an opportunity for a student to gain field experience in an area related to the student's program of study or career goals. The learning objectives for internships include connecting academic knowledge and problem-solving processes to experiences and problems in professional settings. Supervision of an intern is provided by an appropriate faculty member and by a site supervisor of the agency or business in which the student is an intern. A student who wishes to engage in an internship must consult with the appropriate faculty member at least eight weeks in advance of the start of the term in which the internship is to be completed. A description of the internship, signed by the student and the faculty sponsor, must be filed with the director of internships by the first day of the semester prior to the start of the internship. Approval of each application for an internship is made by the director of internships based upon approved policies and guidelines. Internships are graded on an S or U basis. Students must complete 120 hours of internship-related work as well as weekly journal entries and a final reflective paper completed in accordance with approved requirements. A student may enroll in an internship program for 3 credits per semester, and internship credit may be earned in subsequent semesters subject to the limitations that no more than two internships may be pursued in any one agency or business and a maximum of 9 credits in internships may be applied toward graduation. FILA general education: experiential learning.

Introduction to the structure and practice of modern German through the skills of speaking, listening, reading, writing and culture.

Continued strengthening of the core skills with a practical approach. Emphasis given to augment professional competency in the language through career focused vocabulary and grammatical structures in key career fields. Modern cultural and literary texts are included. Credit may not be received for both GER-202 and GER-214. FILA General Education: world cultures through language.

This course provides a broad introduction to German history and culture and to the field of German Studies. Taught in English, it is an ideal course for those with a general interest in history and culture of German-speaking countries. FILA general education: world cultures and writing intensive.

Study of contemporary topics and world issues related to the cultures of the German-speaking world. Explores political, social and economic structures through literature, film, the visual arts and/or music. Taught in English. FILA general education: global dynamics.

Study of German cultures and media by traveling to German-speaking countries, such as Germany, Austria or Switzerland and other relevant European sites. FILA general education: world cultures and experiential learning.

Study of German-language fiction, non-fiction, drama, and poetry. Additionally, students will gain knowledge of Germanic political, cultural, and literary histories. FILA general education: literature and writing intensive. (Cross-listed as ENG-334W)

Through film, this course introduces students to a variety of cultural issues. Topics may include current implications of Germany's Nazi-past, post-war and post-unification eras, and German- Turkish identities, as portrayed in films by directors such as Werner Herzog, Margarethe von Trotta, Fatih Akin, and Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck. Students will explore political and economic structures as well as gender and social questions in modern Germany. Taught in English FILA general education: global dynamics.

Provides an opportunity for a student to gain field experience in an area related to the student's program of study or career goals. The learning objectives for internships include connecting academic knowledge and problem-solving processes to experiences and problems in professional settings. Supervision of an intern is provided by an appropriate faculty member and by a site supervisor of the agency or business in which the student is an intern. A student who wishes to engage in an internship must consult with the appropriate faculty member at least eight weeks in advance of the start of the term in which the internship is to be completed. A description of the internship, signed by the student and the faculty sponsor, must be filed with the director of internships by the first day of the semester prior to the start of the internship. Approval of each application for an internship is made by the director of internships based upon approved policies and guidelines. Internships are graded on an S or U basis. Students must complete 120 hours of internship-related work as well as weekly journal entries and a final reflective paper completed in accordance with approved requirements.  A student may enroll in an internship program for 3 credits per semester, and internship credit may be earned in subsequent semesters subject to the limitations that no more than two internships may be pursued in any one agency or business and a maximum of 9 credits in internships may be applied toward graduation.
FILA general education: experiential learning.

An honors project is one in which a student researches a subject, by examination of relevant literature or by experimentation or both; the student reports the results in an accurately documented and well-written paper or appropriate representation of the work. Whenever the study deals with the subject of an established course, the student is expected to go well beyond the usual work of the course in research and in assimilation of the results as revealed in the report. Juniors and seniors with a cumulative grade point average of 3.40 or above may register for an honors project. One desiring to pursue an honors project must submit a written description of his or her proposed work to the chair of the appropriate department and to the appropriate division head prior to the last day of the drop and add period for the semester in which the study is to be conducted. Upon the completion of the honors project, the student must present an oral defense of his or her project. The final grade must include a satisfactory performance on the oral defense, assessed by a three-faculty member team. The project advisor will authorize the make-up of the oral defense team and will assign the final grade on the project. The honors project title will be noted on the student's transcript. It is the student's responsibility to provide a copy of the written paper or appropriate representation of the work to the library in compliance with specifications approved by the Council on Education. The library director arranges for binding and storage.

Provides elementary introduction to a non-European language and culture. Some examples could be, but not limited to: Arabic; Mandarin; Japanese; or other languages in demand. This course will provide an elementary understanding of alphabet/character set, pronunciation, themed vocabulary, basic communicative skills and grammar along with cultural knowledge, etc. Arabic is currently offered on-campus.

Provides elementary introduction to a non-European language and culture. Some examples could be, but not limited to: Arabic; Mandarin; Japanese; or other languages in demand. This course will provide an elementary understanding of alphabet/character set, pronunciation, themed vocabulary, basic communicative skills and grammar along with cultural knowledge, etc. Arabic is currently offered on-campus.

Provides an intermediate level introduction to a non-European language and culture. Examples include, but are not limited to: Arabic, Mandarin, Japanese or other languages in demand. Provides an intermediate understanding of alphabet/character set, pronunciation, themed vocabulary, basic communicative skills and grammar, along with cultural knowledge, etc. Arabic is currently offered on-campus.

Provides a continuation of an intermediate level introduction to a non-European language and culture. Examples include, but are not limited to: Arabic, Mandarin, Japanese or other languages in demand. Provides an intermediate understanding of alphabet/character set, pronunciation, themed vocabulary, basic communicative skills and grammar, along with cultural knowledge, etc. Arabic is currently offered on-campus.

Introduction to the structure and practice of modern Spanish through the skills of speaking, listening, reading, writing and culture.

Strengthening the skills of speaking, listening, reading, writing and culture at the intermediate level. Modern cultural and literary texts are included.

Continued strengthening of core skills with a practical approach. Emphasis given to augment professional competency in the language through career focused vocabulary and grammatical structures in key career fields. Modern cultural and literary texts are included.

Study of contemporary topics and world issues related to the cultures of the Spanish-speaking world. Explores political, social and economic structures through literature, film, the visual arts, and/or music. Taught in English. Credit available for Spanish majors and minors upon completion of a Spanish language component. FILA general education: world cultures.

Through a combination of films, short-stories, in-class discussions, and personal interviews with immigrants in our communities, this course is designed to provoke reflection and dynamic discussions about migration in and from Spanish speaking countries. This class will focus on migration from: 1) African countries to Spain, 2) Spain to other European and Latin American countries, 3) South and Central American countries to North America, and 4) migrations between Latin American countries and the Caribbean. FILA general education: global dynamics and experiential learning.

This course is an immersive experience in the life, language, culture, and history of Peru. Students will develop an understanding of the ways that Peruvian society manages interactions and sustains relationships with other cultures. Through study of texts, history and art and through interaction with a variety of communities, students will gain an understanding of Peruvian culture. They will reflect on differences of culture and integrate knowledge and skills from across the disciplines. The first week of this course is based in the capital, Lima, and the second week includes travel to Cuzco, Puno, Uros & Taquile Islands, and Machu Picchu. Students will have firsthand experience of the Peruvian lifestyle through its art, food, music, marketplaces, historical landmarks, and its landscapes. Knowledge of Spanish is not required. FILA general education: global dynamics and experiential learning.

Travel course requiring immersion homestay and language courses in the capital city. Covers themes of Central American life and cultures. Includes excursions out of the city to gain a greater awareness of the whole society within the regional context. FILA general education: world cultures.

Travel course designed as a total immersion cultural experience. This class includes daily excursions, visits to museums and social activities focused on language, conversation, and culture. This class will be taught at different levels of Spanish depending on the students' level.

Travel course to Cuba. The first two weeks will be spent in Havana with daily language and culture classes, excursions around the city to museums, musical events, and other relevant cultural activities. Students will stay with a host family in pairs in Havana. Week three will be spent traveling around the island to see and study Caribbean architecture and colonial heritage. FILA general education: global dynamics and experiential learning.

This course is an introduction to the life, culture, and history of Spain. Through homestays with families, daily language classes, and various excursions, students will be immersed in the life and culture of Spain to experience firsthand the Spanish lifestyle through its art, food, music, marketplaces, historical landmarks and landscapes. General education: world cultures and experiential learning.

This course is a 10-day travel course to Argentina. The first six days will be spent in Buenos Aires with daily cultural excursions around the city to museums, musical events, dance lessons, and other relevant cultural activities. Students will stay in a hotel in the city, in pairs. While in Buenos Aires, students will complete research and critical analysis projects on the impact of dictatorial rule during the second half of the Twentieth Century in Argentina and the sociopolitical and cultural changes in the country since the end of Videla's regime. To this end, students will visit landmarks such as the Plaza de Mayo and similar memorial sites and explore their historical significance and connections to literature and other cultural products of Argentina. The last four days of the trip will be spent at the Iguaz Falls, on the border with Brazil and Paraguay. We will visit Iguaz to see and study salient geographic and cultural features of the region in contrast to the more urbanized environment of Buenos Aires, and the cultural, historical, and economic connections between both. FILA general education: global dynamics and experiential learning.

This course introduces students to the linguistic structure of Spanish. By allowing students to solve problem sets, write papers, make oral presentations, and lead in-class discussions, students will learn the main aspects of the morphological and syntactic structure (words and sentences) of Spanish. Furthermore, this course introduces the history of the Spanish language, in other words, how Spanish evolved from Latin. This course will be taught in Spanish.

Provides the tools to develop and enhance students' writing skills. Focuses on the skills involved in writing in a second language. Through a variety of writing techniques and reading material, such as newspaper and magazine articles, essays, among others, students broaden their vocabulary and learn how to write creatively and critically. May be taken more than once provided different topics are covered.

The goal of this class is to improve students' mastery and understanding of the Spanish language through the activity of translating texts from Spanish to English and from English to Spanish. In this class, students will: 1) Study theoretical and practical issues relating to the process of translation, 2) Analyze good and poor examples of translation, 3) Learn strategies for creating effective, communicative translations that faithfully convey the original message, 4) Practice translating complex, contextual, and cultural documents, and 5) Work with a local non-profit organization to offer translating services in order to understand the practical realities involved in translating for a specific audience. Ultimately, this course will help students to improve their communicative abilities in Spanish and English through critical reflection on the components of public communication and its translation. FILA general education: experiential learning.

Covers materials on instructional practice and student assessment as they relate to the teaching of English as a Second Language (ESL) and foreign languages. Material and discussions are focused on the central theme of how to contextualize language instruction and how to run a proficiency-oriented classroom. Taught in English. Required for students seeking ESL endorsement. Strongly recommended for students preparing to teach Spanish. (Cross-listed as ENG-317 and FREN-317)

Develops and improves oral and listening skills, broadens vocabulary and strengthens grammar. Engages students in functional daily conversations and expression of opinions on culture and current issues. Includes writing component related topics in the readings.

Reinforces more advanced syntactical structures of the language. Further develops these and vocabulary through expository, persuasive, argumentative and debate style speaking.

Increases students' cultural competency and enhances their Spanish oral and aural skills through conversation-based lessons and activities focused on social justice topics such as immigration, citizenship, labor practices, globalization, and public policy, among others. Course includes a final project where students use their acquired conversation skills to interview members of Latinx non-profits and social organizations locally.

The historical development of Spain, including consideration of geography, as well as political, social, economic, intellectual, and artistic factors. Taught in Spanish. FILA general education: world culture.

The historical development of Spanish-speaking and Latin America including consideration of geography as well as political, social, economic, intellectual, and artistic factors. Taught in Spanish. FILA general education: world cultures.

Study of specific topics related to the Hispanic language, culture and civilization. Recent topics include, Hispanics in the U.S. Regional Studies, etc. May be taken more than once provided different topics are covered. Taught in Spanish.

This course will explore the development of the science fiction genre in various Latin American countries and how the unique sociopolitical and cultural contexts of this region have produced sci-fi literature, comics, and films that stand apart from their canonical English-language counterparts. We will examine the evolution of Latin American science fiction production from its first manifestations in colonial literature to present-day cultural products, focusing on how each literary era reflects and engages with major sociohistorical changes in Latin America. Through critical reading of Latin American sci-fi novels, short stories, comics, and films, students will identify and discuss issues of historical memory, gender, race, politics, mass media, globalization, religion, social justice and how these relate to the authors and countries we will study. Primary sources (literary works, film) will be in Spanish, while textbook(s) and supplemental academic materials (articles, critical theory chapters) may include both Spanish and English. Class will be conducted in Spanish. FILA general education: world cultures.

This course will examine the social construction of masculinity in the Hispanic world. We will read about and study concepts such as honor, shame, sexual identity, machismo and their correlated societal effects. We will also research and discuss the topics of gender relations and sexuality and how these themes intersect with issues of race, class, and politics. We will explore the construction of masculinity in specific areas such as sports (futbol) and dance (tango, salsa, etc.). Our readings will primarily be in Spanish but will come from Spain, Central and South America, and also the United States. FILA general education: world cultures and writing intensive.

An exploration of the linguistic diversity of the Latino communities in the United States, including an examination of the historical and linguistic processes that have shaped different varieties of Spanish spoken in the United States. Students will also examine language ideologies, language attitudes and the linguistic and social consequences of language contact and language change. This course is taught in Spanish.

Study of specific topics related to fine arts, including theatre, visual arts, cinema and music. May be taken more than once provided different topics are covered. Taught in Spanish. FILA general education: fine arts and music.

This course is a study of the history and production of cinema in the Hispanic world. It examines the development of the cinematic arts; studies examples of unique cultural cinematic production and analyzes relevant techniques and historical contexts. FILA general education: fine arts and music.

Representative authors, works, and literary movement of Spain, including social and historical background. Taught in Spanish. FILA general education: literature.

Representative authors, works, and literary movements of Latin America, including social and historical background. Taught in Spanish. FILA general education: literature.

Study of a specific literary topic. Recent topics include Latin American short story, Generation of '98, and Hispanic women writers. May be taken more than once, provided different topics. Taught in Spanish.

Provides an opportunity for a student to gain field experience in an area related to the student's program of study or career goals. The learning objectives for internships include connecting academic knowledge and problem-solving processes to experiences and problems in professional settings. Supervision of an intern is provided by an appropriate faculty member and by a site supervisor of the agency or business in which the student is an intern. A student who wishes to engage in an internship must consult with the appropriate faculty member at least eight weeks in advance of the start of the term in which the internship is to be completed. A description of the internship, signed by the student and the faculty sponsor, must be filed with the director of internships by the first day of the semester prior to the start of the internship. Approval of each application for an internship is made by the director of internships based upon approved policies and guidelines. Internships are graded on an S or U basis. Students must complete 120 hours of internship-related work as well as weekly journal entries and a final reflective paper completed in accordance with approved requirements. A student may enroll in an internship program for 3 credits per semester, and internship credit may be earned in subsequent semesters subject to the limitations that no more than two internships may be pursued in any one agency or business and a maximum of 9 credits in internships may be applied toward graduation. FILA general education: experiential learning.