Romance Studies
The Graduate ProgramMA in French Language and Literature
PhD in French Language and Literature
French Language and Literature Courses
MA in Hispanic Language and Literatures
PhD in Hispanic Language and Literatures
Hispanic Language and Literatures Courses
African Languages and Linguistics
Arabic
Comparative Courses
German
Italian
Linguistics
Methodology
Russian
Reading Courses in French, German, Italian, and Spanish
Chairman Christopher Maurer
Associate Chairman Dorothy Kelly
Director of Graduate Studies Pedro Lasarte
The following list reflects the 2006/2007 faculty.
Faculty
Jonathan Barnes Assistant Professor of Linguistics, College of Arts and Sciences. BA, Columbia University; MA, MA, PhD, University of California, Berkeley
Alicia Borinsky Professor of Spanish, College of Arts and Sciences. MA, PhD, University of Pittsburgh
Odile Cazenave Associate Professor of French, College of Arts and Sciences. BA, MA, University of Strasbourg; MA, PhD, Pennsylvania State University
Dennis J. Costa Associate Professor of Italian, College of Arts and Sciences. BA, Fordham University; MA, Cornell University; MPhil, PhD, Yale University
Elizabeth Goldsmith Professor of French, College of Arts and Sciences. BA, University of New Hampshire; MA, PhD, Cornell University
Paul Hagstrom Associate Professor of Linguistics, College of Arts and Sciences. BA, Carleton College; PhD, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Nancy Harrowitz Associate Professor of Italian, College of Arts and Sciences. BA, University of Oregon; MA, Case Western Reserve University; MPhil, PhD, Yale University
John Hutchison Associate Professor of African Languages, College of Arts and Sciences. BA, Pomona College; MA, PhD, Indiana University
James Iffland Professor of Spanish, College of Arts and Sciences. BA, Vanderbilt University; PhD, Brown University
Susan Jackson Associate Dean, College of Arts and Sciences; Associate Professor of French, College of Arts and Sciences. BA, Wellesley College; MA, Middlebury College; PhD, Ohio State University
Dorothy Kelly Associate Chairman, Department of Romance Studies; Professor of French, College of Arts and Sciences. BA, Smith College; MA, PhD, Yale University
Irit Kleiman Assistant Professor of French, College of Arts and Sciences. BA, University of Michigan; MA, PhD, Harvard University
T. Jefferson Kline Professor of French, College of Arts and Sciences. BA, Oberlin College; MA, PhD, Columbia University
Pedro Lasarte Associate Professor of Spanish, College of Arts and Sciences. BA, MA, University of Texas; PhD, University of Michigan
Christopher Maurer Chairman, Department of Romance Languages; Professor of Spanish, College of Arts and Sciences. BA, Columbia University; MA, PhD, University of Pennsylvania
Alberto Medina Assistant Professor of Spanish, College of Arts and Sciences. BA, Universidad de Salamanca; MA, University of Southern California; PhD, New York University
Jeffrey Mehlman University Professor; Professor of French, College of Arts and Sciences. AB, Harvard University; PhD, Yale University
Carol Neidle Professor of French and Linguistics, College of Arts and Sciences. BA, Yale University; MA, Middlebury College; PhD, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Adela Pineda Assistant Professor of Spanish, College of Arts and Sciences. BA, Universidad de las Américas, Puebla, Mexico; MA, PhD, University of Texas at Austin
Alan Smith Professor of Spanish, College of Arts and Sciences. BA, University of Maryland; AM, PhD, Harvard University
Rosanna Warren University Professor; Professor of French and English, College of Arts and Sciences. BA, Yale University; MA, Johns Hopkins University
Irene Zaderenko Associate Professor of Spanish, Modern Foreign Languages and Literatures, College of Arts and Sciences. MA, Universidad de Buenos Aires (Argentina); MPhil, PhD, City University of New York
Emeriti
Rodolfo Cardona University Professor Emeritus and Professor of Spanish, College of Arts and Sciences. BA, MA, Louisiana State University; PhD, University of Washington
Gerald P. Fitzgerald University Professor Emeritus and Professor Emeritus of English and Italian, College of Arts and Sciences. AB, AM, PhD, Harvard University
Nicholas P. Kostis Professor Emeritus of French, College of Arts and Sciences. AB, Bowdoin College; MA, PhD, Columbia University
Yvette Sendker Professor Emerita of French, College of Arts and Sciences. Bacc. de l’Enseign. Sec., Université Paris (France)
Affiliated Faculty in the Department of Modern Languages and Comparative Literature
Sarah Frederick Assistant Professor of Japanese, College of Arts and Sciences. BA, Harvard University; PhD, University of Chicago
Abigail Gillman Assistant Professor of German and Hebrew, College of Arts and Sciences. BA, Yale; PhD, Harvard University
Irena Gross Professor of Modern Languages; Director of the Institute for Human Sciences. MA, MPhil, PhD, Columbia University
Roberta Micallef Assistant Professor of Turkish, College of Arts and Sciences. BA, Oberlin College; MA, PhD, University of Texas, Austin
Shakir Mustafa Assistant Professor of Arabic, College of Arts and Sciences. BA, MA, Baghdad University; PhD, Indiana University
Katherine T. O’Connor Director of the Humanities Foundation; Professor of Russian, College of Arts and Sciences. AB, Bryn Mawr College; AM, PhD, Harvard University
Robert E. Richardson Associate Professor of Russian, College of Arts and Sciences. BA, Oakland University; AM, PhD, Harvard University
Peter Schwartz Assistant Professor of German, College of Arts and Sciences. BA, Harvard College; MA, PhD, Columbia University
Sunil Sharma Senior Lecturer in Persian, Modern Foreign Languages and Literatures. BA, MA, New York University; PhD, University of Chicago
William Waters Associate Professor of German, College of Arts and Sciences. BA, Harvard University; MA, PhD, University of California, Berkeley
Catherine Yeh Associate Professor of Chinese, College of Arts and Sciences. BA, University of California, Santa Cruz; MA, PhD, Harvard University
Affiliated EmeritiPaul Kurt Ackermann Professor Emeritus of German, College of Arts and Sciences. BA, Colgate University; MA, Columbia University; PhD, Harvard University
George W. Kreye Professor Emeritus of German, College of Arts and Sciences. AB, AM, University of Michigan; PhD, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (Germany)
Bodo Reichenbach Professor Emeritus of German, Modern Foreign Languages and Literatures, College of Arts and Sciences. BA, University of Toronto (Canada); MA, PhD, Harvard University
The Graduate Program
The Department of Romance Studies offers programs leading to the degrees of Master of Arts (MA) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in French Language and Literature and in Hispanic Language and Literatures. Although some courses are offered in German, Italian, and linguistics at the graduate level, no graduate degree programs exist in these fields. Comparative perspectives and interest in critical theory are supported by the structure of the department and by its relationship with the Department of Modern Languages and Comparative Literature. Graduate students may combine teaching with study in order to develop a strong grasp of a range of professional skills. A number of teaching fellowships are offered to qualified applicants. Applicants are also eligible for Presidential Fellowships offered by the Graduate School. Applications are considered for admission in January, as well as in September of each year. Further information is available from the Department of Romance Studies, 718 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02215; 617-353-2641.
Orientation for Teaching Fellows Students appointed as teaching fellows are required to participate in an orientation program on teaching given before the beginning of the academic year. Teaching fellows must also register for GRS LL 699.
Internship Requirement for the French and Spanish MA and PhD Programs The Department of Romance Studies recognizes the importance of practical training in those professional areas toward which its graduate academic curricula are aimed. Graduate students are, therefore, required, as an essential component of their academic preparation, to complete a practical training internship during the time of their enrollment in the program. Such training must provide students with experience (research, training, or other professional work) in an area that is relevant to progress in some aspect of their graduate program. A student may complete more than one practical training internship.
The requirement may be satisfied in a wide variety of settings and roles, including, but not limited to, teaching or tutoring language learners, conducting supervised research, acting as an instructor or teaching assistant in language or literature classes, designing or publishing language teaching or learning materials (paper or electronic), or other activities, as jointly decided by the student and his or her academic advisor. Research that is carried out for credit will not count toward the internship.
The internship may be paid or volunteer. Its duration will be negotiated among the student, advisor, and, where relevant, on-site supervisor. A written description of the proposed internship must be signed by the academic advisor and submitted to the Director of Graduate Studies. Upon completion of the internship, students give a brief, written report of the work accomplished to their advisor for his/her signature; the advisor passes this report to the Director of Graduate Studies, who appends it to the initial proposal as a standing record. The Director of Graduate Studies will then file an Exam Report with the Graduate School recording that the internship requirement has been fulfilled.
International students must register for spring or fall semester while doing practical training internships. Summer registration is not required if the student will continue to register for the following fall semester. Having first acquired the approval of their internship from the departmental Director of Graduate Studies, international students who seek off-campus employment to fulfill their internship requirements must also obtain written authorization from the ISSO. Please contact the ISSO for additional information.
MA in French Language and Literature
The program develops (1) an advanced general knowledge of the history of French literature; (2) a knowledge of selected specialized areas within the field; and (3) a knowledge of the traditions, aims, and methods of research scholarship.
Admissions Prerequisites Applicants should send an academic paper of not more than ten pages, written in French, with the application. Applicants must submit results of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test; they should hold a bachelor’s degree or its equivalent in French language and literature. Degree candidates are expected to possess a reasonably sound command of written and spoken French. In cases of serious deficiencies, students may be required to take additional courses in language without receiving degree credit. The candidate should include a summary page of all courses and grades taken in the field of French Literature to accompany transcripts.
Course Requirements A minimum of eight semester courses (32 credits) at the 500 level or above, including one seminar each semester. In electing courses, students should bear in mind the aims of the degree program expressed in the description of the comprehensive examination (see below). A maximum of two semester courses (8 credits) in a related field may be taken with the advisor’s approval.
Language Requirement None, other than the proficiency requirement in French stated above in the section on “Admissions Tests and Prerequisites.”
Comprehensive Examination Candidates qualify for the MA degree by passing a written comprehensive examination based on the departmental reading list. The contents and times of these examinations are described fully on the application form for admission to the examination, which is distributed, along with the reading list, at the beginning of the first year of registration.
Advising The program allows the student maximum liberty in the selection of courses while providing safeguards to ensure maximum intellectual growth. An advisor is assigned to each student; together, they share responsibility for the development of an academically sound program. Therefore, the student should consult with the advisor about all aspects of the academic experience.
PhD in French Language and Literature
The doctoral program provides a thorough professional preparation in the selected field of study through the acquisition of (1) skill in the use and critical evaluation of research materials; (2) a thorough knowledge of a specialized area; and (3) experience in the interpretation and communication of acquired knowledge and the results of original research.
Admissions Prerequisites The candidate must have an MA degree or the equivalent in French and must submit results of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test. The candidate should include a summary page of all courses and grades taken in the field of French Literature to accompany transcripts.
Course Requirements A minimum total of eight semester courses (32 credits) is required. At least three courses or seminars in the area of specialization are elected; this requirement may be satisfied in part through directed study. The area of specialization is chosen at the beginning of doctoral study. It may focus upon a specific genre within a literature, the literature of a period, a genre within a period, or a problematical aspect of literature.
Language Requirement Students must demonstrate a reading knowledge of at least one language in addition to French that will be useful in their research work. In some areas of specialization two or more languages may be required in order to ensure competence in continuing research and learning.
Qualifying Examination Qualification for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy is achieved as follows: (1) students who have not earned the Master of Arts degree in French at Boston University must take a written examination of the General Reading List by December of their second year of coursework if such an exam was not required for the Master of Arts elsewhere; (2) students must write substantial (25–40 pages) research papers on two significantly different topics in French literature, approved by the advisor and the director of graduate studies. One of the papers must be written in French. An oral examination based on these papers takes place not later than the end of the first semester of the third year of the PhD program.
Residency Requirement Candidates must spend at least one academic year in residence as full-time students at the doctoral level before presenting themselves for qualifying examinations. (See General Requirements for the PhD on this website.)
Dissertation Prospectus A detailed outline of the dissertation must be submitted to the department.
Dissertation See General Requirements for the PhD on this website.
Advising An advisor is assigned to each student.
French Language and Literature Courses
CAS LF 500 Phonetics and Diction
Problems of articulation and intonation; special attention given to corrective phonetics. Readings of poetic and dramatic texts with emphasis on diction. Transcription based on International Phonetic Alphabet. Neidle. 4 cr, 1st sem.CAS LF 502 The Structure of French: Syntax
Not offered 2007/2008CAS LF 503 The Structure of French: Phonology
Not offered 2007/2008CAS LF 550 Studies in Eighteenth-Century French Literature: Diderot and the Enlightenment
Not offered 2007/2008CAS LF 551 Modern French Theatre
Origins and definitions of major theatrical forms, especially tragedy. Close analysis of both theoretical and theatrical texts. Application of dramatic theory (Artaud, Grotowski) to plays by Claudel, Cocteau, Giraudoux, Anouilh, Genet, Beckett, and others. Kline. 4 cr, 1st sem.CAS LF 552 French Romanticism
Not offered 2007/2008CAS LF 553 Molière
Critical and historical study of theater of Molière. Early farces and minor comedies examined along with major plays. Goldsmith. 4 cr, 1st sem.CAS LF 554 Émile Zola and Naturalism
Not offered 2007/2008CAS LF 555 The Epistolary Novel
Fictional letter writing, 1669–1784, as inspired by Ovid, Héloïse and Abélard, and letter-writing manuals. Masterpieces by Guilleragues, Montesquieu, Mme de Grafigny, Laclos, and Mme de Charrière. Revivals of epistolary storytelling in twentieth-century novels by Colette and Gide. Jackson. 4 cr, 1st sem.CAS LF 556 French Cinema and Literature
Not offered 2007/2008CAS LF 558 Colonial Fictions: Modern French Writing and the Colonies
Cazenave. 4 cr, 2nd sem.CAS LF 560 Seventeenth-Century Prose
Not offered 2007/2008CAS LF 561 Proust
Not offered 2007/2008CAS LF 563 French Tragedy of the Seventeenth Century
Not offered 2007/2008CAS LF 564 Medieval Lyric and Courtly Romance
Explores medieval love poetry and social codes of love. Studies the position of the “lady” and investigates women’s responses. Texts and authors: troubadour, trobairitz, and trouvère poetry, Roman de la Rose, Christine de Pisan, Machaut, Froissart, Villon. Kleiman. 4 cr, 1st sem.CAS LF 565 Medieval Courtly Literature
Not offered 2007/2008CAS LF 569 Topics in Francophone Literature. Topic for Fall 2006: Writing New Identities: Post-Colonial Literatures in France.
Not offered 2007/2008CAS LF 570 Topics in Twentieth-Century French Literature
Not offered 2007/2008CAS LF 571 Topics in Nineteenth-Century French
Topic for Spring 08: Romanticism. A reading of major poems and plays of Hugo, Musset, and Vigny. Mehlman. 4 cr, 2nd sem.CAS LF 574 Early French Renaissance
Not offered 2007/2008CAS LF 575 Later French Renaissance
Not offered 2007/2008Seminars
Consent of instructor required.
GRS LF 860 Seminar: Topics in French Literature
Two topics are offered in 2007/2008. Topic for Fall 07: Mallarmé. A reading of the poetry and prose of Stéphane Mallarmé, with particular attention to the role his work has played in the history of literary criticism in France. Topic for Spring 08: The Romance of the Rose. Addresses interpretive, critical, and historical elements in the production and reception of this mirror of medieval society and its discontents. Significant attention to issues in both manuscript and psychoanalytically based critical approaches. Mehlman, Kleiman. 4 cr, 1st & 2nd sem.GRS LF 951, 952 Directed Study: French Language and Literature
Hours arranged. Consent of instructor and department. Variable cr, 1st & 2nd sem.MA in Hispanic Language and Literatures
The program develops an advanced knowledge of Spanish literature from its beginnings, of Spanish-American literature, and of the traditions, aims, and methods of research scholarship.
Admissions Prerequisites Applicants should send an academic paper of not more than fifteen pages, written in Spanish, with the application. Applicants should hold a bachelor’s degree or its equivalent in Spanish language and literature; they must submit results of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test. The candidate should include a summary page of all courses and grades taken in the field of Hispanic Literature to accompany transcripts.
Course Requirements A minimum of eight semester courses (32 credits) including: (1) CAS LS 504 History of the Spanish Language; (2) CAS LS 570 Don Quixote; (3) a course in medieval or Golden Age Spanish literature; (4) a course in Peninsular literature since 1700; (5) a course in Spanish-American literature; (6) two seminar courses; and (7) elective(s). The courses in the history of the Spanish language and Don Quixote may be waived and replaced with other graduate-level courses in the field if the student has completed equivalent courses as an undergraduate concentrator. The seminar courses may also serve to satisfy requirements in areas (3), (4), or (5). No transfer of credit normally shall be granted toward the fulfillment of the eight semester courses required for the degree.
Language Requirement See the above section on “Admissions Prerequisites.”
Departmental Review A review of the student’s program and progress is conducted by the faculty in lieu of a comprehensive examination.
Advising An advisor is assigned to each student; the advisor and student share responsibility for the development of an academically sound program. Therefore, the student should consult with the advisor about all aspects of the academic experience.
PhD in Hispanic Language and Literatures
The doctoral program provides a thorough professional preparation in the selected field of study through the acquisition of (1) skill in the use and critical evaluation of research materials; (2) a thorough knowledge of a specialized area; and (3) experience in the interpretation and communication of acquired knowledge and the results of original research.
Admissions Prerequisites Applicants should send an academic paper of not more than fifteen pages, written in Spanish, with the application. Applicants must have an MA degree or the equivalent in Spanish and must submit results of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test. The candidate should include a summary page of all courses and grades taken in the field of Hispanic Literature to accompany transcripts.
Course Requirements A minimum total of eight semester courses (32 credits) is required. At least three courses or seminars in the area of specialization are to be elected; this requirement may be satisfied in part through directed study. The area of specialization is chosen at the beginning of doctoral study. It may focus upon a specific genre within a literature, the literature of a period, a genre within a period, or a problematical aspect of literature.
Language Requirement Students must demonstrate a reading knowledge of at least one language in addition to Spanish that will be useful in their research work. In some areas of specialization two or more languages may be required in order to ensure competence in continuing research and learning.
Qualifying Examination Qualification for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy is achieved by successful completion of the following: (1) a written examination on the history of the language (or successful completion of an equivalent course); (2) written examinations on four literary periods; and (3) an oral examination based on a substantial essay (25–35 pages) centering on the area of the dissertation.
Residency Requirement Candidates must spend at least one academic year in residence as full-time students at the doctoral level before presenting themselves for qualifying examinations. (See General Requirements for the PhD on this website.)
Dissertation Prospectus A detailed outline of the dissertation must be submitted to the department.
Dissertation See General Requirements for the PhD on this website.
Advising An advisor is assigned to each student.
Hispanic Language and Literatures Courses
CAS LS 504 History of the Spanish Language
Study of the structure of sounds, general concepts of language change, and specific phonological, morphological, and syntactic changes in the history of Spanish. Begins with the modern language and proceeds to successively earlier stages; includes reading of representative medieval and dialectal texts. Zaderenko. 4 cr, 2nd sem.CAS LS 551 Galdós
Not offered 2007/2008CAS LS 552 Lorca and His Contemporaries
Not offered 2007/2008CAS LS 553 Prose Fiction of the Spanish Golden Age
Not offered 2007/2008CAS LS 554 Jorge Luis Borges
Not offered 2007/2008CAS LS 555 Modern Spanish-American Literature
Not offered 2007/2008CAS LS 556 Contemporary Spanish-American Novel
Not offered 2007/2008CAS LS 557 Poetry of the Spanish Golden Age
Maurer. 4 cr, 2nd sem.CAS LS 558 Contemporary Spanish-American Poetry
Not offered 2007/2008CAS LS 559 The Spanish Civil War in Literature
Not offered 2007/2008CAS LS 560 Los Novecentistas
Not offered 2007/2008CAS LS 561 The Generation of 1898
Not offered 2007/2008CAS LS 562 Colonial Spanish-American Literature
Not offered 2007/2008CAS LS 563 Spanish Theatre Since 1868
Not offered 2007/2008CAS LS 564 Spanish Realism
Not offered 2007/2008CAS LS 565 The Spanish Picaresque Novel
Not offered 2007/2008CAS LS 566 Spanish Romanticism
Origins and evolution of the Spanish Romantic movement and its relation to European Romanticism. Readings in theatre, poetry, and prose include Rivas, Espronceda, García Gutiérrez, Hartzenbusch, Zorilla, Larra, Bécquer, and others. Smith. 4 cr, 1st sem.CAS LS 567 Spanish Poetry of the Middle Ages
Not offered 2007/2008CAS LS 568 Prose Fiction of the Spanish Middle Ages
Not offered 2007/2008CAS LS 569 Nineteenth-Century Spanish-American Literature
Major works from the Romantic and Realist/Naturalist periods. Emphasis on Spanish America’s quest for cultural independence; relationships with European artistic and literary trends. Authors include Issacs, Palma, Hernandez, Blest Gana, Cambaceres, Altamirano, and Marti. Pineda. 4 cr, 1st sem.CAS LS 570 Don Quixote
Not offered 2007/2008CAS LS 571 Sentimental Romance
Not offered 2007/2008CAS LS 572 The Spanish-American Colonial Experience: Early Texts, New Interpretations
Reading of early texts that contributed to Europe’s perception of the American continent, and of modern literary works from Spanish America that re-examine the European view. Authors include Columbus, Cabeza de Vaca, Silvestre de Balboa, Carpentier, and Posse. Lasarte. 4 cr, 1st sem.CAS LS 573 Spanish-American Literary Modernismo and Modernization
Not offered 2007/2008CAS LS 574 Literature and Politics in Post-Franco Spain (1975–2000)
Not offered 2007/2008CAS LS 575 Topics in Peninsular Literature
Topic for Spring 08: Spain Interrupted: Avant-Garde Prose. Experimental narratives written in Spain immediately before the Civil War. A tumultuous political environment is also the space of hope where radical aesthetics try to open new spaces that will be violently shut down in 1936. Medina. 4 cr, 2nd sem.CAS LS 576 Topics in Spanish-American Literature
Topic for Fall 07: Latin American Women Writers. Study of works by prominent women writers including Silvina Ocampo, Norah Lange, Diamela Eltit, Elena Poniatowska, and Clarice Lispector. Gender theory and criticism delineating and questioning feminine discourse and the role of women authors in the shaping of literary history. Topic for Spring 08: The Mexican Revolution Revisited. This course explores questions regarding the representation of the Mexican Revolution in literature and film since 1910 to the present, from authors and directors such as Azuela, López Velarde, Campobello, Revueltas, Rulfo, E. Fernández, Sergei Eisenstein, and Elia Kazan. Borinsky, Pineda. 4 cr, 1st & 2nd sem.CAS LS 577 Topics in Hispanic Thought and Criticism
Not offered 2007/2008CAS LS 578 Spanish Drama of the Golden Age
Not offered 2007/2008CAS LS 579 Topics in Hispanic Film
Topic for Spring 08: True Film: Uses of Neo-realism in Spain and Latin America. Italian neo-realism as aesthetic source for cinematic needs on both sides of the Atlantic. Confronted with the need of politicizing the aesthetic and renewing the language of film, the Italian model allows different national cinemas to develop a new identity. Medina. 4 cr, 2nd sem.GRS LS 850 Seminar: Topics in Hispanic Literature
Four topics are offered in 2007/2008. Topics for Fall 07: Section A: Poetry and Politics in Contemporary Central America: Claribel Alegría, Ernesto Cardenal, Roque Dalton. Close study of three great Central American poets, centering on the way in which poetry can address problems of political and socioeconomic injustice. Consideration of Alegría’s exploration of women’s role in social change, Cardenal’s revolutionary Christianity, and Dalton’s Marxism-Leninism. Section B. Explores the development of the sentimental romance, one of the most innovative genres of the late Middle Ages. Study of its formal features, its complex relation with Spanish society of the fifteenth century, and its parody in one of Spain’s masterpieces, La Celestina. Topics for Spring 08: Section A: Discourses of Discovery and Colonization, 16th and 17th Centuries. Close reading of historical and fictive narratives from the sixteenth and the seventeenth centuries. Authors to be read include Columbus, Cortés, Cabeza de Vaca, Las Casas, Inca Garcilaso de la Vega, Sigüenza y Góngora, Freyle. Section B: Realism—Theory and Practice in Painting and Literature: a propos of Galdós. A study of nineteenth-century theories of realism, from their consolidation in commentaries of French mid-century art to their development in Spain. Galdós’s creative and critical dialogue with art. Iffland, Zaderenko, Lasarte, Smith. 4 cr, 1st & 2nd sem.GRS LS 851 Writing in the Americas I
Not offered 2007/2008GRS LS 852 Writing in the Americas II
Not offered 2007/2008GRS LS 951, 952 Directed Study in Hispanic Language and Literature
Prereq: consent of instructor and department. Hours arranged. Variable cr, 1st & 2nd sem.African Languages and Linguistics
GRS LD 951, 952 Directed Study in African Languages and Linguistics
Study of the linguistic structure of an African language, or the typology of African language families, or of linguistic problems related to African languages. Variable cr, 1st & 2nd sem.Arabic
GRS LY 781 Contemporary Arab Cultures: Subversion, Censorship, Exile in English Translation
Mustafa. 4 cr, 2nd sem.GRS LY 782 Qur’anic Negotiations
Contemporary Muslim writers’ responses to the Qur’an, especially their imitations of its rhetorical effects, and their use of the Holy Book to attack social and political ills. Writers include Mahfouz, Durrani, Nisrin, and Rushdie. Mustafa. 4 cr, 1st sem.GRS LY 783 Contemporary Arab Women Writings
Not offered 2007/2008GRS LY 951, 952 Directed Study in Arabic Language and Literature.
Prereq: consent of instructor and department. Hours arranged. Variable cr, 2nd sem.Comparative Courses
CAS LL 550 Topics in Literary Criticism
Not offered 2007/2008CAS LL 556 Studies in Literature and Culture
Topic for Spring 08: Borges, Calvino, Kafka, and Cortázar: Humor and the Fantastic. An exploration of the relationship between humor and uncanny representations of the world through the reading of masters of the fantastic. Photography, film, and painting will be incorporated in the course. Lectures in English. Students may opt to read materials in the original language. Borinsky. 4 cr, 2nd sem.GRS LL 560 Topics in Bible and Literature
Not offered 2007/2008GRS LL 792 Introduction to Literary Study
Not offered 2007/2008GRS LL 951, 952 Directed Study in Comparative and Literary Studies
Prereq: consent of the instructor and department. Hours arranged. Variable cr, 1st & 2nd sem.German
GRS LG 951, 952 Directed Study in German Language and Literature
Prereq: consent of instructor and department. Hours arranged. Variable cr, 1st & 2nd sem.Italian
CAS LI 551 Narrative Poetry of the Renaissance
Not offered 2007/2008CAS LI 553 Petrarch and the Tradition of Love Poetry
Petrarch’s Canzoniere and earlier philosophical love poems in Italian. Study of later English, French, Spanish poems in the Petrarchan style. Bilingual texts available. Costa. 4 cr, 1st sem.CAS LI 555 Dante: The Divine Comedy
Not offered 2007/2008CAS LI 556 Dante: The Divine Comedy II
Costa. 4 cr, 2nd sem.CAS LI 590 Topics in Modern Italian Literature and Criticism
Not offered 2007/2008GRS LI 951, 952 Directed Study in Italian Language and Literature
Prereq: consent of instructor and department. Hours arranged. Variable cr, 1st & 2nd sem.Linguistics
Linguistics courses are also described in the Applied Linguistics section of this website.
CAS LX 500 Topics in Linguistics
Staff. 4 cr, 2nd sem.CAS LX 501 Linguistic Field Methods
An in-depth investigation of the phonology, morphology, syntax, and discourse/pragmatics of an African or other non-Indo-European language. Staff. 4 cr, 1st sem.CAS LX 502 Semantics
Introduction to the study of linguistic meaning, with the goal of improving understanding of the ways in which native speakers produce and interpret language. Emphasis on the interaction of meaning with other components of grammar and cognitive systems. Staff. 4 cr, 1st sem.CAS LX 503 Semantics II
Staff. 4 cr, 2nd sem.CAS LX 504 Topics in Pragmatics
Not offered 2007/2008CAS LX 505 Structure of African Language
Staff. 4 cr, 2nd sem.CAS LX 510 Phonetics
Introduction to articulatory and acoustic phonetics; the anatomy of human speech production. Practice in using feature-based analysis beginning with English and including European and non-European languages. Introduction to spectographic analysis. Rudiments of phonological analysis. Barnes. 4 cr, 1st sem.CAS LX 513 Phonology
Introduction to the sound system of languages. Study and analysis of physical and mental aspects of sound production in speech and the system in which sounds are organized. Phonological rules, processes, and universals are examined through consideration of various languages Barnes. 4 cr, 2nd sem.CAS LX 521 Morphology
Not offered 2007/2008CAS LX 522 Syntax I
Introduction to the logical structure and organization of language and to recent Chomskyan theory. Application of principles of syntactic analysis to students’ own and other languages through data-oriented problems from different language types. Hagstrom. 4 cr, 1st sem.CAS LX 523 Syntax II
Continuation of CAS LX 522. Investigation of the relationship between syntactic structure and logical representation. Overview of major syntactic theories, with particular emphasis on Chomsky’s “principles and parameters” approach and Bresnan’s Lexical Functional Grammar. Hagstrom. 4 cr, 2nd sem.CAS LX 533 The Structure of Creole Languages
Overview of pidginization and Creolization. Evolution, typology, and area characteristics of Creole languages. Role of contact languages and other linguistic substrata. Field and classroom research with Creole language speakers Staff. 4 cr, 1st sem.CAS LX 535 Historical and Comparative Linguistics
Prereq: CAS LX 250. Introduction to language change and the methodology of historical linguistic analysis, using data from a wide array of languages. Investigates genetic relatedness among languages, language comparison, historical reconstruction, and patterns and principles of change in phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics. Barnes. 4 cr, 2nd sem.GRS LX 700 Language Acquisition and Linguistic Theory
Examines the relationship of linguistic theory to language acquisition. Data are drawn from a wide range of languages; areas are identified for future research. Hagstrom. 4 cr, 1st sem.GRS LX 801/802 Seminar in Applied Linguistic Research
Not offered 2007/2008GRS LX 865 Advanced Topics in Linguistics
Not offered 2007/2008GRS LX 951, 952 Directed Study: Linguistics
Prereq: consent of instructor and director of the program. Directed study in linguistics. Hours arranged. Variable cr, 1st & 2nd sem.Methodology
GRS LL 699 Teaching College Languages I
The goals, contents, and methods of instruction in languages. General teaching-learning issues. Required of all teaching fellows. 2 cr, both semesters.Russian
GRS LR 951, 952 Directed Study in Russian Language and Literature
Prereq: consent of instructor and the department. Variable cr, 1st & 2nd sem.Reading Courses in French, German, Italian, and Spanish
GRS LF 621 Reading French for Graduate Students
Designed for graduate degree candidates preparing for language reading examinations. Develops skills in interpreting written French with minimal phonological or cultural references. Practice in translating passages relating to the sciences and humanities. No previous knowledge of French required. Students will not receive graduate credit for this course and there is no tuition charge. Huckle. 1st & 2nd sem.GRS LG 621 Reading German for Graduate Students
Designed to prepare graduate students for the German reading exam. Develops a knowledge of the fundamentals of German grammar. Practice in translating passages. No previous knowledge of German required. Students will not receive graduate credit for this course and there is no tuition charge. Staff. 1st & 2nd sem.GRS LI 621 Reading Italian for Graduate Students
Designed to prepare graduate students for the Italian reading exam. Develops a knowledge of the fundamentals of Italian grammar. Practice in translating passages. No previous knowledge of Italian required. Students will not receive graduate credit for this course and there is no tuition charge. Staff. 2nd sem.GRS LS 621 Reading Spanish for Graduate Students
Designed to prepare graduate students for the Spanish reading exam. Develops a knowledge of the fundamentals of Spanish grammar. Practice in translating passages. No previous knowledge of Spanish required. Students will not receive graduate credit for this course and there is no tuition charge. Staff. 2nd sem.GRS LP 621 Reading Portuguese for Graduate Students
Not offered 2007/2008Related Courses in Other Literatures
Department of Modern Languages and Comparative Literature faculty offer a range of courses and directed study options focusing on the literatures of the German-speaking world, Russia, the Middle East, and Asia. These courses are open to gradute students in Romance Studies and other departments. A more comprehensive program of Comparative Literature courses for graduate students is currently under development.
GRS LC 951, 952 Directed Study in ChineseGRS LG 621 Reading German for Graduate Students
GRS LG 951, 952 Directed Study in German
GRS LH 951, 952 Directed Study in Hebrew
CAS LJ 510 Structure of the Japanese Language
CAS LL 550 Topics in Literary Criticism
CAS LL 556 Topics in Literature and Culture
CAS LL 560 Topics in Bible and Literature
GRS LL 792 Introduction to Literary Study
GRS LL 951, 952 Directed Study in Comparative Literature
GRS LR 621 Reading Russian for Graduate Students
GRS LR 951, 952 Directed Study in Russian
GRS LY 781 Arabic Literature (in English Translation)
GRS LY 782 Qur’anic Negotiations
GRS LY 951, 952 Directed Study in Arabic
Published by Trustees of Boston University
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Boston, MA 02215
31 October 2007
Boston University
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