College of Arts & Sciences

Romance Studies

Chair Christopher Maurer

Associate Chair T. Jefferson Kline

Professors Borinsky, Cazenave, DeWinter, Goldsmith, Iffland, Kelly, Kline, Lasarte, Maurer, Mehlman, Neidle, Smith, Warren

Associate Professors Barnes, Costa, Hagstrom, Harrowitz, Jackson, Pineda, Zaderenko

Assistant Professor Kleiman

Lecturers Adamowicz, Avcikurt, Basker-Seigel, Brusetti McGinn, Coté, del Haya, Dorff, Duséwoir, Griffin, Hadley, Hawkes, Hennessey, Huckle, Livni, Lozano, Marino, Parra, Raffo (Laura), Raffo (Luisella), Tonetti, Villanueva

Visiting Assistant Professor Zabbal

Associated Faculty M.C. O’Connor (SED)

Professors Emeriti Cardona, Fitzgerald, Kostis, Sendker, Wilder

Associate Professor Emeritus Hutchison

The Department of Romance Studies focuses its research and teaching on the Romance languages (French, Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese) and on their literatures and cultures, including Latin America and the Francophone world. It also offers a program in linguistics. Language/literature and linguistics majors combine their coursework with study abroad and international internships, and acquire insight into other cultures and into the nature of language. The BA prepares students for the encounter with cultural difference in an increasingly global workplace.

Divisional Studies Requirements

Courses marked with a (†) satisfy divisional studies requirements.

Concentrations and Minor Concentrations in Romance Studies

Concentrations and minor concentrations are offered in French, Italian, Spanish, and Linguistics. Students majoring in one of these areas are encouraged to pursue a second major or minor concentration in the department. Language and literature concentrators frequently prepare themselves for careers or advanced study in international relations, education, journalism, and teaching; Linguistics concentrators, in information technology, psychology, communications, philosophy, neuroscience, and artificial intelligence. Students in premedical and pre-law programs find the major and minor in language and literature or linguistics a satisfying way to broaden their programs of study.

Minor Concentrations  The department encourages CAS students, whatever their concentration, to obtain the greatest benefit from their foreign language requirement by pursuing a minor concentration in their chosen language. Advanced courses increase proficiency in that language, present the great works and epochs of the literature, and acquaint students to the contemporary culture and to that culture’s roots in the past. A grade of C or higher is required in all courses taken toward the minor concentration. Students plan a minor concentration program with their advisor, consisting ordinarily of six courses in their language or literature at the 240 level or above. Minors are available in French (1102), Italian (1104), Linguistics (1505), and Spanish (1105). Internships taken during Boston University’s or other study abroad programs may not be credited toward minor concentrations offered by the department. Most minor concentrations have specific course requirements; these are detailed for each minor concentration in the following pages.

College of Arts & Sciences Language Requirement  Detailed information is available under Languages and Mathematics. Several options are available for students who must fulfill the College language requirement. Information concerning these options is listed for each language.

Courses in Other Departments  Students are encouraged to consult the offerings of the Departments of Modern Languages & Comparative Literature, Classical Studies, and English.

Language Center

The James Geddes Jr. Language Center, on the fifth floor of 685 Commonwealth Avenue, includes language laboratories, specially equipped classrooms, audiovisual production facilities, and libraries of audiovisual materials. Use of these facilities is required for many courses and is assigned for supplementary work in other courses.

Foreign-Language Specialty Residences

French, Italian, and Spanish houses enable majors, minors, and students taking courses in one of these languages to use the language daily and to strengthen their knowledge of the language and culture of the countries. La Maison Française is located at 153 Bay State Road; the Carlos and Velia Tosi Casa Italiana at 193 Bay State Road; and La Casa Española at 164 Bay State Road.

Boston University Study Abroad Programs in Buenos Aires, Burgos, Dakar, Geneva, Grenoble, Madrid, Niger, Padua, and Paris

These programs feature intensive language courses as well as literature, film, civilization, and other courses. Detailed information is available from the International Programs office.

Information on the Department’s Courses and Programs is described in the following sections:

Courses in Literature or Civilization in English Translation

French (LF)

Italian (LI)

Linguistics (LX)

Portuguese (LP)

Spanish (LS)

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Courses in Literature or Civilization in English Translation


The following courses are offered with lecture, discussion, and readings in English. Courses marked with a (†) satisfy humanities divisional studies requirements. Some may satisfy concentration requirements within specific programs. The courses are described in their respective language sections.

†CAS LF 250 Masterpieces of the French Novel

CAS LF 286 French Cinema

†CAS LI 250 Masterpieces of Modern Italian Literature

CAS LI 283 Twentieth-Century Culture and the Italian Film

CAS LI 285 Topics in Italian Literature

CAS LI 288 The Novel in Nineteenth- and Twentieth-Century Italy

†CAS LS 250 The Novelistic Tradition in the Hispanic World

CAS XL 383 Dante’s Hell

F r e n c h

Minor Concentration in French (1102)

Required courses: six LF courses numbered 300 and above. Students may include up to three transfer courses from other colleges, universities, or non-Boston University study abroad programs and must take a minimum of three courses (or a minimum of two, if they have four courses approved for credit toward the minor from Boston University’s programs in Gren-oble, Niger, and Paris) on the Charles River Campus. Internships taken through Boston University or other study abroad programs may not be credited toward minor concentrations offered by the department. A grade of C or higher is required in all courses taken toward the minor.

Concentration in French Language & Literature (1132)

Twelve courses with a grade of C or higher are required. Students entering with advanced standing in French must complete a minimum of six principal courses in French at Boston University. Students participating in the Boston University program in France must complete a minimum of four principal courses in French on the Boston campus; two of these four courses must be taken at the 400 level or above following study abroad. Internships taken on study abroad programs may not be credited toward a concentration in French.

Required Courses

1. two semesters of advanced language study at the 300 level from CAS LF 303, 304, 305, 306. Students with a grade of A– or better in LF 303 may advance to 305 or 306.

2. five literature courses: CAS LF 350 and 351 and a 400- or 500-level course from each of the following three historical periods:
   Middle Ages, Renaissance CAS LF 451, 457, 564, 565, 574, 575;
   Classical Period, Enlightenment CAS LF 450, 452, 453, 550, 553, 555, 560, 563;
   Nineteenth and Twentieth Century CAS LF 454, 456, 459, 460, 461, 462, 551, 552, 557, 558, 567, 570, 571, 572, 573.

3. CAS LF 475

4. two courses, chosen from the following, in literature and/or linguistics: CAS LX 250, CAS LX 222, general literature courses approved by the concentration advisor, French linguistics courses approved by the concentration advisor.

5. two additional electives taken from among other upper-level (300-, 400-, or 500-level) French courses; or, with faculty advisor’s approval, upper-level courses offered in Boston University programs in Grenoble, Niger, and Paris.

BA/MA in French Language & Literature (1132)

This program gives students an opportunity to develop a coherent program with the following objectives: a knowledge of the major historical periods of specialization, of the critical approaches applicable in the study of the principal literary genres, and of some of the methods of analysis of linguistic phenomena, as well as a high level of proficiency in oral and written expression. For specific information, consult the Director of Graduate Studies in the department. Please refer to BA/MA Program on this site for general information about BA/MA programs.

Grenoble and Paris

Students may take courses to fulfill their language requirement or courses toward a French concentration or minor concentration in the Boston University Study Abroad Program in Grenoble. The program in Paris offers upper-level language work combined with an internship; students may, with faculty advisor’s approval, count some of the academic courses offered in the Paris program toward a concentration or minor concentration in French. Additional information on this program is available under Study Abroad and Internship Programs.

Placement Examination

A placement test is required of all students whose most recent course in French was taken in high school or at a college other than Boston University and who wish to continue their study of this language here. Information on testing dates and times is available from the department.

Courses

Listings are ordered as follows: basic language courses, upper-level language courses, and literature and civilization courses.

Basic Language Courses

Four-Skills Sequence (reading, writing, listening, and speaking)

CAS LF 111 First-Semester French

A multimedia approach for students who have never studied French. A variety of communicative tasks develop speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills. Staff. 4 cr, either sem.

CAS LF 112 Second-Semester French

Prereq: CAS LF 111 or placement test results. Continues CAS LF 111. A multimedia approach which develops speaking, reading, writing, and listening skills, together with the grammar and vocabulary needed for more complex communicative tasks. Staff. 4 cr, either sem.

CAS LF 211 Third-Semester French

Prereq: CAS LF 112 or placement test results. Reading of a mystery novel, discussion of films, role-playing, and creative use of online materials, accompanied by advanced study of grammar and emphasis on communicative skills. Staff. 4 cr, either sem.

CAS LF 212 Fourth-Semester French

Prereq: CAS LF 211 or placement examination results. Continues CAS LF 211: grammar review, conversations, and composition. Selections from contemporary literature; listening to a dramatized novel in lab with discussions in class. Conducted in French. Lab required. (If CAS LF 223 or a more advanced college-level course has been completed, this course cannot be taken for credit.) Satisfactory completion of CAS LF 212 fulfills the CAS language requirement. Staff. 4 cr, either sem.

Reading Sequence

CAS LF 121 First-Semester French for Reading

Not offered 2009/2010

CAS LF 122 Second-Semester French for Reading

Not offered 2009/2010

CAS LF 221 Third-Semester French for Reading

Prereq: CAS LF 122 or placement test results. Develops proficiency in translating French. Begins with intensive grammar review and close readings of short literary texts and culminates with the study of a mystery novel by Simenon. Study of Francophone culture through film and music. (Students intending to continue in CAS LF 303 must take LF 211, not 221.) Staff. 4 cr, either sem.

CAS LF 222 Fourth-Semester French for Reading

Prereq: CAS LF 221 or placement test results. Refines accuracy and fluency of reading and translation skills. Develops an appreciation of complex sentence structures, idiomatic usage, and writing styles through study of a contemporary novel and play, newspaper articles, songs, films, and comic strips. Fulfills CAS language requirement. (Students intending to continue in CAS LF 303 must take LF 212, not LF 222.) Staff. 4 cr, either sem.

Upper-Level Language Courses

CAS LF 303 French Composition and Conversation I

Prereq: CAS LF 212 or equivalent, or placement test results. Discussion of literary texts by classic and contemporary writers and of films on pertinent cultural themes. Development of spoken and written French and aural comprehension. Review of advanced grammar. 4 cr. either sem. Staff. 4 cr, either sem.

CAS LF 304 French Composition and Conversation II

Prereq: CAS LF 303 or equivalent, or placement test results. Develops increased fluency and a more nuanced use of spoken and written French through discussion of contemporary fiction and film. Reading of articles from the press to explore current and historical issues in French society. Staff. 4 cr, either sem.

CAS LF 305 Advanced Written Expression

Prereq: CAS LF 304 or equivalent, or placement test results. Intensive study of the art of writing. Development of individual style through explications de texte, free composition, and written reports. Reading and discussion of manuscripts; translation and transcription; individual projects and conferences. TBA. 4 cr, either sem.

CAS LF 306 Advanced Oral Expression

Prereq: CAS LF 304 or equivalent. Advanced training in rapid and idiomatic French speech. Oral reports. Role playing; vocabulary building; targeted work on pronunciation, intonation, and aural comprehension. Lab required. Livni, Hawkes. 4 cr, either sem.

CAS LF 500 Phonetics and Diction

Not offered 2009/2010

Literature and Civilization Courses

†CAS LF 250 Masterpieces of the French Novel (in English translation)

Not offered 2009/2010

CAS LF 286 French Cinema (in English translation)

Analysis of major films by Renoir, Clair, Vigo, Carne, Malle, Resnais, Bresson, Ophuls, Godard, Cocteau, and Truffaut. Weekly screenings, reading of criticism. Lectures and discussions in English. Kline. 4 cr, 2nd sem.

CAS LF 340 French Civilization

Prereq: CAS LF 303. Current issues in politics, society, and education. Today’s France through its memories and cultural symbols: Joan of Arc, the French Academy, Vichy and de Gaulle, among others. Materials drawn from contemporary essays, articles, movies, and videotapes. Livni. 4 cr, 2nd sem.

†CAS LF 350 Introduction to Analysis of French Texts

Prereq: CAS LF 303 or equivalent. Development of techniques for reading and interpreting French literary texts. Special attention to the study of lyric poetry, drama, and short narrative. Kleiman, Mehlman. 4 cr, either sem. (HU)

CAS LF 351 Introduction to the French Novel

Prereq: CAS LF 350. Close readings in the French novel from its origins to the nouveau roman. Attention to narration, themes, symbols, and schools. Investigation of the roman d’analyse, Romantic prose, realist fiction, and other types of narrative. Cazenave, Kline, Mehlman. 4 cr, either sem.

CAS LF 356 Le Cinéma Français

Prereq: CAS LF 303. Introduction to the history and analysis of French film, including major films by Renoir, Clair, Vigo, Carné, Malle, Resnais, Bresson, Ophuls, Godard, Cocteau, Truffaut, and others. Weekly screenings, reading of criticism. Lectures and discussions in French. Kline. 4 cr, 1st sem.

CAS LF 401, 402 Senior Independent Work

Prereq: approval of the Honors Committee. 4 cr each, 1st & 2nd sem.

CAS LF 407 Composition of French Poetry

Prereq: CAS LF 304. A course in the composition of French poetry, using classic poems from the sixteenth to the twentieth centuries as models. Warren. 4 cr, 2nd sem.

CAS LF 451 Literature of the French Renaissance

Not offered 2009/2010

CAS LF 452 The Age of Versailles

Not offered 2009/2010

CAS LF 453 The French Enlightenment

Not offered 2009/2010

CAS LF 455 Studies in Nineteenth-Century French Literature

Not offered 2009/2010

CAS LF 456 The Postcolonial Novel

Prereq: CAS LF 350. An examination of postcolonial novels by contemporary writers. Discussion of linguistic and literary issues related to the process of decolonization, including debates about continued use of French by modern African novelists. Cazenave. 4 cr, 2nd sem.

CAS LF 457 Medieval French Literature

Prereq: CAS LF 350. Explores French literature at the time of France’s political and cultural emergence. Analyzes France’s nation-formation through military expansion, relationship with the Catholic Church, cultivation of language, and France’s cultural prestige through chivalric ideals, women’s roles and voices, scholastic education. Kleiman. 4 cr, 1st sem.

CAS LF 460 Twentieth-Century French Literature II

Not offered 2009/2010

CAS LF 475 Senior Seminar

Prereq: senior French concentrators only. Topic for Fall 2009: The Gaze in the French Novel. From La Princesse de Clèves to Proust, a study of texts in which the gaze plays an important dynamic role. Topics include: gender and the gaze; theories of looking in art, literature, and cinema. Kline. 4 cr, 1st sem.

CAS LF 491, 492 Directed Study: French

Prereq: consent of department and CAS Room 105. Application form available in department. Variable cr, 1st & 2nd sem.

CAS LF 550 Studies in Eighteenth-Century French Literature

Prereq: CAS LF 350. Topic for Fall 2009: Seductive Fictions. The novel’s flourishing and firm establishment as a modern genre in pre-Revolutionary France. Eighteenth-century narrative techniques, social transformations, and theories of storytelling as, for better and worse, an art of seduction. Authors include Montesquieu, Prévost, Rousseau, Diderot, Laclos, and Charrière. Jackson. 4 cr, 1st sem.

CAS LF 551 Modern French Theatre

Prereq: CAS LF 350 and one 400-level literature course. 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, 2nd sem.

CAS LF 553 Molière

Not offered 2009/2010

CAS LF 554 Émile Zola and Naturalism

Not offered 2009/2010

CAS LF 555 The Epistolary Novel

Not offered 2009/2010

CAS LF 556 French Cinema and Literature

Not offered 2009/2010

CAS LF 558 Colonial Fictions: Modern French Writing and the Colonies

Prereq: CAS LF 350 and one 400-level literature course. Literary representations of the people, cultures, and places of the former colonies in works by Baudelaire, Camus, Céline, Duras, Gide, Leiris, and Robbe-Grillet. Attention to colonialist discourse in historical perspective, including exoticism, primitivism, and fetishism. Cazenave. 4 cr, 1st sem.

CAS LF 560 Seventeenth-Century Prose

Not offered 2009/2010

CAS LF 563 French Tragedy of the Seventeenth Century

Not offered 2009/2010

CAS LF 564 Medieval Lyric

Not offered 2009/2010

CAS LF 565 Medieval Courtly Literature

Prereq: CAS LF 350 and one 400-level literature course. Just what is “courtly literature”? Using le roi Arthur, Guenièvre, Lancelot, and Merlin as guides, this course follows the intertwined evolution of courtly romance and Arthur’s very particular court romances. Also analyses issues of authorship and authority, social critique, and the emergence of “fiction.” Kleiman. 4 cr, 2nd sem.

CAS LF 569 Topics in Francophone Writing

Not offered 2009/2010

CAS LF 570 Topics in Twentieth-Century French Literature

Prereq: CAS LF 350 and one LF 400-level literature course. Grad prereq: graduate standing. Topic for Fall 2009: The Dark Years: The Literature of World War II. Readings from Saint-Exupéry, Céline, Drieu La Rochelle, Malraux, Sartre, Dutourd, Aragon, Paulhan, and Claude Simon. Mehlman. 4 cr, 1st sem.

CAS LF 571 Topics in Nineteenth-Century French Literature

Prereq: CAS LF 350 and one 400-level literature course. Topic for Spring 2010: Romanticism. A reading of major poems and plays of Hugo, Musset, and Vigny. Mehlman. 4 cr, 2nd sem.

CAS LF 575 Later French Renaissance

Not offered 2009/2010

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I t a l i a n


Minor Concentration in Italian (1104)

Required courses: six courses numbered CAS LI 254 and above, including at least one from the LI 350 to 352 course sequence and at least one from literature courses at the 400 or 500 level. Up to four courses taken at Boston University’s Centro Studi in Padua may count toward the minor. Students may include up to three transfer courses from other colleges, universities, or non-Boston University study abroad programs and must take a minimum of three courses (or a minimum of two, if they have four courses approved for credit toward the minor from Boston University’s Centro Studi in Padua) on the Charles River Campus. Internships taken through Boston University or other study abroad programs may not be credited toward minor concentrations offered by the department. A grade of C or higher is required in all courses taken toward the minor.

Concentration in Italian Studies (1131)

Thirteen courses with a grade of C or higher are required for the concentration. Students entering with advanced standing in Italian studies must complete a minimum of six principal courses at Boston University. Students participating in the Boston University Program in Italy must complete a minimum of four principal courses in Italian language and literature on the Boston campus; two of these four courses must be taken at the 400 level or above on the student’s return from Padua.

Required Courses  Thirteen courses are required:

1. one course: CAS LX 250 or a general literature course approved by the concentration advisor

2. two language courses: CAS LI 303, 304

3. six literature courses: CAS LI 350, 351, 352, and three courses from 450, 452, 551, 553, 555, 556, 590

4. two culture courses from CAS LI 340, 349, 452, 473, 480, 540; or one CAS LI cultural course, plus one course from another department, chosen with advisor’s consent

5. two additional CAS LI courses or related courses from other departments chosen with advisor’s approval. Students may use these two courses, along with one cultural offering in #4 (above), to form an interdisciplinary component to their Italian Studies concentration.

Padua

Students may take courses to fulfill their language requirement or courses toward their concentration or minor concentration in the Boston University Study Abroad Program in Padua. Additional information on this program is available under Study Abroad and Internship Programs.

Placement Examination

A placement test is required of all students whose most recent course in Italian was taken in high school or at a college other than Boston University and who wish to continue their study of this language here. Information on testing dates and times is available in the department.

Language Courses

CAS LI 111 First-Semester Italian

For beginners only, or placement examination results. Grammar, conversation practice, written exercises, and compositions. Conducted in Italian. Lab required. Four hours weekly. (If CAS LI 131 or a more advanced college-level course has been completed, this course cannot be taken for credit.) Staff. 4 cr, either sem.

CAS LI 112 Second-Semester Italian

Prereq: CAS LI 111 or placement examination results. Continues the CAS LI 111 basic text: grammar, conversation, compositions. Conducted in Italian. Lab required. Four hours weekly. (If CAS LI 132 or a more advanced college-level course has been completed, this course cannot be taken for credit.) Staff. 4 cr, either sem.

CAS LI 211 Third-Semester Italian

Prereq: CAS LI 112 or placement examination results. Intended for students with a satisfactory background in elementary Italian who require some review of basic structures, verbs, and related essentials. Review, emphasis on composition skills and conversation. Reading and discussion of short stories, poetry, and plays. Conducted in Italian. Lab required. Staff. 4 cr, either sem.

CAS LI 212 Fourth-Semester Italian

Prereq: CAS LI 211 or placement examination results. For students who wish to build active use of Italian in speaking, writing, and reading. Continuation of CAS LI 211: review, development of reading skills through analysis of contemporary texts, compositions, conversation. Lab required. Satisfactory completion of CAS LI 212 fulfills the CAS language requirement. Staff. 4 cr, either sem.

CAS LI 303 Self-Expression

Prereq: CAS LI 212 or placement examination results. Building and expansion of vocabulary through development of fluent discussion in Italian on topics of current interest. Emphasis on idiomatic expressions. Individual oral reports related to Italian culture, history, cinema, and literature. Reading of a novel. Not open to native speakers of Italian. Lab required. Raffo, Tonetti. 4 cr, 1st sem.

CAS LI 304 Advanced Self-Expression

Prereq: CAS LI 303. Conversational skills developed through class discussions. Reading of contemporary Italian novels and articles from Italian magazines and newspapers. Review of fundamental grammatical topics and idiomatic patterns. Weekly compositions. Not open to native speakers of Italian. Raffo. 4 cr, 2nd sem.

Literature and Civilization Courses

†CAS LI 250 Masterpieces of Modern Italian Literature (in English translation)

Not offered 2009/2010

CAS LI 283 Twentieth-Century Culture and the Italian Film (in English translation)

Not offered 2009/2010

CAS LI 285 Topics in Italian Literature (in English translation)

Not offered 2009/2010

CAS LI 288 The Novel in Nineteenth- and Twentieth-Century Italy (in English translation)

Not offered 2009/2010

CAS LI 340 Culture and Civilization in Italy

Prereq: CAS LI 212. Readings in history, art, literature, and contemporary journalism. A broad view of Italian culture and civilization, ancient and modern, to strengthen the student’s grasp of Italian language, vocabulary, and syntax. Coté. 4 cr, 2nd sem.

CAS LI 349 Italian Seminar: Social, Political, and Cultural Life of Today's Italy

Prereq: CAS LI 303. Special topics in Italian area studies, stressing access, via the press and other written and visual means, to contemporary Italian society. Raffo. 4 cr, 1st sem.

†CAS LI 350 Italian Literature I: Medieval

Not offered 2009/2010

CAS LI 351 Italian Literature II: Renaissance and Baroque

Prereq: CAS LI 212. Development of techniques for reading and interpreting Italian literary texts. Historical and critical study of Italian literature from 1300–1750: Boccaccio, Ariosto, and Renaissance epic poetry, Machiavelli, the Baroque, Goldoni’s theatre. Staff. 4 cr, 2nd sem.

CAS LI 352 Italian Literature III: Modern Period

Prereq: CAS LI 212. Development of techniques for reading and interpreting Italian literary texts. Historical and critical study of Italian literature from the eighteenth to the twentieth century: Alfieri, Romanticism and Leopardi, Verga, Capuana and verismo, theatre of Pirandello. Harrowitz. 4 cr, 1st sem.

CAS LI 401, 402 Senior Independent Work

Prereq: approval of the Honors Committee. 4 cr each, 1st & 2nd sem.

CAS LI 450 The Novel in Nineteenth- and Twentieth-Century Italy

Not offered 2009/2010

CAS LI 452 Humanism and the Renaissance

Political, humanistic, and artistic writings of the Renaissance. Readings include Pico della Mirandola, Castiglione, Erasmus, Vasari, Bruno. Discussions and texts in English. Costa. 4 cr, 2nd sem.

CAS LI 453 Autobiography and the Confessional Novel

Not offered 2009/2010

CAS LI 459 Primo Levi Within Holocaust Literature

Not offered 2009/2010

CAS LI 473 The Masters of Italian Cinema

Prereq: CAS LI 303. The creative work of Fellini, Visconti, Antonioni, Bertolucci, and De Sica as expressions of a specific cultural perspective on Italian life of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Additional focus on several novels and screen plays that have influenced the work of the directors. Tonetti. 4 cr, 2nd sem.

CAS LI 491, 492 Directed Study: Italian

Prereq: consent of department and CAS Room 105. Application form available in department. Variable cr, 1st & 2nd sem.

CAS LI 553 Petrarch and the Tradition of Love Poetry

Not offered 2009/2010

CAS LI 556 Dante: The Divine Comedy II: Purgatorio and Paradiso

Prereq: CAS LI 350 or CAS LI 351 or CAS LI 352. Focus on the literary, philosophical, and theological ideas Dante uses to represent his experience of himself and human nature. Lectures in English; bilingual text available. Also offered as CAS RN 556. Costa. 4 cr, 2nd sem.

CAS LI 590 Topics in Modern Italian Literature and Criticism

Not offered 2009/2010

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L i n g u i s t i c s


The Linguistics major and minor concentrations enable students to study human language from a variety of perspectives and to consider the relationship between linguistics and other disciplines. The program introduces students to linguistic theory and analysis, and students can choose from a wide range of courses examining the biological, social, cultural, historical, and cognitive bases of language.

Minor Concentration in Linguistics (1505)

Required courses: six linguistics courses chosen in consultation with an advisor. The core courses highly recommended for students with a minor concentration in linguistics are CAS LX 250 Introduction to Linguistics, CAS LX 502 Semantics I, CAS LX 510 Phonetics, and CAS LX 522 Syntax I. Students may include up to three transfer courses from other colleges, universities, or non-Boston University study abroad programs and must take a minimum of three courses on the Charles River Campus.

Major Concentration in Linguistics (1505)

The major consists of twelve courses: eight in linguistics (including four basic required courses and four electives) plus four intermediate or advanced language courses (including two different foreign languages).

1. an introductory course—to be taken before all other linguistics courses in the concentration:

CAS LX 250 Introduction to Linguistics

1. two courses chosen from the following offerings:

Logic and the philosophy of language

CAS LX 245 Language and Mind

CAS PH 160 Reasoning and Argumentation

CAS PH 360 Symbolic Logic

CAS PH 421 Frege, Moore, and Russell

CAS PH 463 Philosophy of Language

CAS PH 486 Topics in Knowledge, Language, and Logic

Language, culture, and society

CAS AN 351 Language, Culture, and Society

CAS AN 521 Sociolinguistics

CAS AR 208 Lost Languages and Decipherments

Language acquisition and development

CAS PS 545 Language Development

SED LS 566 Language Acquisition

CAS LX 400 Second Language Acquisition

Neurological aspects of language

CAS PS 544 Developmental Neuropsychology

SAR SH 505 Introduction to Phonological Disorders

SAR SH 524 Normal Bases for Language Development

SAR SH 531 Introduction to Speech-Language Pathology

Linguistic theory

CAS LX 240 Great Linguists

CAS LX 500 Topics in Linguistics

CAS LX 503 Semantics II

CAS LX 504 Topics in Pragmatics

CAS LX 513 Introduction to Phonology

CAS LX 521 Morphology

CAS LX 523 Syntax II

CAS LX 535 Historical and Comparative Linguistics

Independent study

CAS LX 491/492 Directed Study

3. three basic linguistics courses:

CAS LX 502 Semantics I

CAS LX 510 Phonetics

CAS LX 522 Syntax I

4. one course in the linguistic analysis of a specific language:

Offered in English

CAS LX 501 Linguistic Field Methods

CAS EN 513 Modern English Grammar

CAS EN 515 History of the English Language I

CAS EN 516 History of the English Language II

CAS EN 518 Linguistic Problems in the Teaching of English as a Foreign Language

CAS LX 505 Structure of African Languages

CAS LX 533 The Structure of Creole Languages

SED DE 672 Structure of American Sign Language

Knowledge of the language a prerequisite

CAS LF 500 French Phonetics and Diction

CAS LF 502 The Structure of French: Syntax

CAS LJ 410 History of the Japanese Language

CAS LJ 510 The Structure of the Japanese Language

CAS LS 504 History of the Spanish Language

5. one additional elective chosen from group 2 or 4, or from other linguistics offerings in the University (with approval of a faculty advisor)

6. four courses made up of any combination of language courses at or above the third-semester level and/or upper-level courses taught in a foreign language, including two different foreign languages. (These include both Indo-European and non-Indo-European languages. One of the two languages may be American Sign Language, taught in the School of Education.)

General Linguistics Courses

CAS LX 235 Language in the Contemporary World: Technology, Society, and the Law

Not offered 2009/2010

†CAS LX 240 Great Linguists

Not offered 2009/2010

CAS LX 245 Language and Mind

Not offered 2009/2010

†CAS LX 250 Introduction to Linguistics

Properties that languages share and how languages differ with respect to structure (sound system, word formation, syntax), expression of meaning, acquisition, variation, and change; cultural and artistic uses of language; comparison of oral, written, and signed languages. Neidle. 4 cr, 1st & 2nd sem. (HU)

CAS LX 400 Second Language Acquisition

Not offered 2009/2010

CAS LX 401, 402 Senior Independent Work

Prereq: approval of the Honors Committee. 4 cr, 1st & 2nd sem.

CAS LX 491, 492 Directed Study: Linguistics

Prereq: consent of department and CAS Room 105. Application form available in department. Variable cr, 1st & 2nd sem.

CAS LX 500 Topics in Linguistics

Prereq: CAS LX 250 or consent of instructor. Two topics are offered 2009/2010. Students may take one or both for credit. Topic for Fall 2009: Focus. Exploration of linguistic focus from several perspectives. Developing a theoretical understanding of how languages signal focus through syntax and intonation, and how focus interacts with semantics and pragmatics, this course examines how diverse aspects of language knowledge interact as a system. Topic for Spring 2010: Language Acquisition. A general introduction to theoretical study of first and second language acquisition, focusing mainly on the development of syntax. Topics include tense and agreement, word order, and constraints on pronoun use, as well as lexical semantics and discourse constraints. Hagstrom. 4 cr, either sem.

CAS LX 501 Linguistic Field Methods

Prereq: CAS LX 250 or consent of instructor. An in-depth investigation of the phonology, morphology, syntax, and discourse/pragmatics of an African or other non-Indo-European language. Weekly sessions with language consultant. O’Connor. 4 cr, 2nd sem.

CAS LX 502 Semantics I

Prereq: CAS LX 250. 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

Prereq: CAS LX 502. Systematic development of a semantic theory of natural language, using the tools of model-theoretic semantics. In-depth study of the relation between meaning and grammar, and the relation between meaning and context. Staff. 4 cr, 2nd sem.

CAS LX 504 Topics in Pragmatics

Not offered 2009/2010

CAS LX 505 Structure of African Languages

Not offered 2009/2010

CAS LX 510 Phonetics

Prereq: CAS LX 250 or consent of instructor. Introduction to articulatory and acoustic phonetics: the anatomy of human speech production and perception. Practice in using feature-based analysis beginning with English and including other European and non-European languages. Introduction to spectographic analysis. Staff. 4 cr, 2nd sem.

CAS LX 513 Introduction to Phonology

Prereq: CAS LX 510 or equivalent. 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. Staff. 4 cr, 1st sem.

CAS LX 521 Morphology

Prereq: CAS LX 250. Introduction to major theoretical and methodological approaches to the study of word structure in natural language. Emphasis on the development of skills for analysis of morphological structures of unfamiliar languages. Staff. 4 cr, 2nd sem.

CAS LX 522 Syntax I

Prereq: CAS LX 250 or consent of instructor. Introduction to the logical structure and organization of language and to 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

Prereq: CAS LX 522 or equivalent. Continuation of CAS LX 522. Investigation of the relationships 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

Not offered 2009/2010

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. Staff. 4 cr, 1st sem.

French Linguistics Courses

CAS LF 500 Phonetics and Diction

Not offered 2009/2010

CAS LF 502 The Structure of French: Syntax

Not offered 2009/2010

Spanish Linguistics Courses

CAS LS 504 History of the Spanish Language

Prereq: CAS LS 350 and two LS 400-level courses. 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.

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P o r t u g u e s e


CAS LP 111 First-Semester Portuguese

Not offered 2009/2010

CAS LP 112 Second-Semester Portuguese

Not offered 2009/2010

CAS LP 123 Intensive Elementary Portuguese

Intensive elementary Portuguese for those with previous study of Spanish and other interested students. Equivalent of one year of college Portuguese. Speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills; introduction to the culture of the Lusophone world. Staff. 8 cr, 2nd sem.

CAS LP 211 Third-Semester Portuguese

Not offered 2009/2010

CAS LP 212 Fourth-Semester Portuguese

Not offered 2009/2010

S p a n i s h

Minor Concentration in Spanish (1105)

Required courses: six LS courses in language and literature numbered 254 and above. Up to four courses taken at Boston University’s programs in Madrid, Burgos, or Quito may count toward the minor. Students may include up to three transfer courses from other colleges, universities, or non-Boston University study abroad programs and must take a minimum of three courses (or a minimum of two, if they have four courses approved for credit toward the minor from Boston University’s programs in Quito, Burgos, or Madrid) on the Charles River Campus. Internships taken through Boston University or other study abroad programs may not be credited toward minor concentrations offered by the department. Up to two related cultural courses taught in Spanish may be taken abroad with the consent of the advisor. A grade of C or higher is required in all courses taken toward the minor.

Concentration in Hispanic Language & Literatures (1135)

Courses may be credited toward the concentration only if a grade of C or higher is earned. Students entering with advanced standing in Hispanic language and literatures must complete a minimum of six principal courses at Boston University. Students participating in the Boston University Madrid, Burgos, and Quito Programs must complete a minimum of five principal courses in Hispanic language and literatures on the Boston campus. Two of these five, CAS LS 303 and 350, are to be completed before going to Madrid or Quito; three courses must be taken at the 400–500 level on returning from Madrid, Burgos, or Quito. Eleven courses are required for the concentration, as indicated below.

Required Courses

1. one course: CAS LX 250 or a general literature course approved by the concentration advisor

2. two language courses: CAS LS 303 and CAS LS 304 or 305. (Native speakers of Spanish take one course, CAS LS 309, and one additional Hispanic literature course at the 500 level.)

3. seven literature courses: CAS LS 350, LS 456; two from the following survey courses: CAS LS 454, 455, 457; three courses from the CAS LS 500-level literature courses (a minimum of one course must be selected from Spanish Peninsular literature and one in Spanish American literature). Students in the Boston University Madrid, Burgos, and Quito Study Abroad Programs may request approval from their advisor for one course taken in Spain or Ecuador not in the field of literature in order to satisfy this part of the requirement.

4. linguistics: CAS LS 504

BA/MA in Hispanic Language & Literatures (1135)

This program gives students an opportunity to develop a coherent program with the following objectives: a knowledge of the major historical periods of specialization, of the critical approaches applicable in the study of the principal literary genres, and of some of the methods of analysis of linguistic phenomena, as well as a high level of proficiency in oral and written expression. For specific information, consult the Director of Graduate Studies in the department. Please refer to BA/MA Program under Special Courses and Programs for for general information about BA/MA programs.

Madrid, Burgos, and Quito

Students may take courses to fulfill their language requirement or courses toward their concentration or minor concentration in the Boston University Madrid, Burgos, and Quito Study Abroad Programs. A summer program is also available in Madrid. Additional information on this program is available under Study Abroad.

Placement Examination

A placement examination is required of all students whose most recent course in Spanish was taken in high school or at a college other than Boston University and who wish to continue their study of this language here. Information on testing dates and times is available in the department.

Courses

Listings are ordered as follows: basic language courses, upper-level language courses, and literature and civilization courses.

Basic Language Courses

Four-Skills Sequence (reading, writing, listening, and speaking)

CAS LS 111 First-Semester Spanish

For students who have never studied Spanish. Introduction to grammatical structures. Emphasis on aural comprehension, speaking, and pronunciation. Introduction to Hispanic culture. Lab required. Staff. 4 cr, either sem.

CAS LS 112 Second-Semester Spanish

Prereq: CAS LS 111 or placement test results. Continues study of basic grammatical structures. Emphasis on speaking and aural comprehension. Readings on contemporary Hispanic culture. Writing assignments. Lab required. Staff. 4 cr, either sem.

CAS LS 123 First-Year Spanish

For beginners only. Intensive equivalent of one year of college Spanish. Griffin. 8 cr, either sem.

CAS LS 211 Third-Semester Spanish

Prereq: CAS LS 112 or placement examination results. Completes study of grammatical structures of Spanish. Use of spoken language in conversation. Reading in Hispanic civilization and of contemporary short stories. Writing exercises involving more complex grammatical and syntactical patterns. Staff. 4 cr, either sem.

CAS LS 212 Fourth-Semester Spanish

Prereq: CAS LS 211 or placement examination results. Review of the structures of Spanish. Intensive practice of spoken language. More advanced readings from Hispanic culture. Frequent compositions. Satisfactory completion of CAS LS 212 fulfills the CAS language requirement. Staff. 4 cr, either sem.

Reading Sequence

CAS LS 121 First-Semester Spanish for Reading

For beginners. Contrastive study of Spanish and English spelling and pronunciation. Fundamentals of Spanish grammar. Techniques of vocabulary building: cognate recognition and morphology. Reading, translation, and discussion of short literary and cultural texts written primarily in the present tense. If CAS LS 111 or a more advanced Spanish course has been completed, this course cannot be taken for credit. Staff. 4 cr, either sem.

CAS LS 122 Second-Semester Spanish for Reading

Prereq: CAS LS 121, LS 111, or placement test results. Completes study of basic grammatical structures with emphasis on contrastive analysis of Spanish and English verb tenses. Expansion of vocabulary. Listening comprehension exercises. Reading of poetry, narrative, and expository prose. Compositions on cultural topics. Staff. 4 cr, either sem.

CAS LS 221 Third-Semester Spanish for Reading

Prereq: CAS LS 122, LS 112, or placement test results. Intensive review of grammatical structures. Focus on idiomatic usage. Expansion of reading materials to theatre, art criticism, more complex narratives, and short periodical articles. Viewing and discussion of films. Weekly written translation assignments. (Students intending to continue in CAS LS 303 must take CAS LS 211, not LS 221.) Staff. 4 cr, either sem.

CAS LS 222 Fourth-Semester Spanish for Reading

Prereq: CAS LS 221 or placement test results. Completes intensive review of grammatical structures. Emphasis on sophisticated sentence structures and the contemporary idiom. Readings include historical texts, representative examples of journalism, and a short novel. Viewing and discussion of films. Weekly written translations leading to a final project. (Students intending to continue in CAS LS 303 must take LS 212, not LS 222.) Staff. 4 cr, either sem.

Upper-Level Spanish Language

CAS LS 303, 304 Composition and Conversation in Spanish I, II

Prereq: CAS LS 212, Spanish SAT subject test score of 560 or placement examination results. Not open to students for whom Spanish is a first language. Development of skills in spoken and written language. Grammar review, vocabulary building, regular compositions. (Students who have completed CAS LS 309 or a more advanced college-level language course may not receive credit for CAS LS 303 or 304.) Staff. 4 cr each, either sem.

CAS LS 305 Topics in Language and Culture

Prereq: CAS LS 303 or placement examination results. Topic for Fall 2009: Spanish for Business. Develops the language skills, specialized vocabulary, and cultural knowledge needed for successful communication and interaction in the world of business and the professions in Spanish-speaking areas of the U.S. and abroad. Staff. 4 cr, either sem.

CAS LS 309 Composition for Native Speakers of Spanish

Prereq: open only to native speakers of Spanish. Not open to students who have completed CAS LS 303 or 304. Emphasis on written and oral skills. Contemporary literary and cultural texts used as the basis for class discussions and written exercises. Villanueva. 4 cr, 1st sem.

CAS LS 504 History of the Spanish Language

Prereq: CAS LS 350 and two 400-level literature courses or consent of instructor. 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.

Literature and Civilization Courses

†CAS LS 250 The Novelistic Tradition in the Hispanic World (in English translation)

Not offered 2009/2010

†CAS LS 350 Introduction to Analysis of Hispanic Texts

Prereq: CAS LS 303 or placement examination results. Development of techniques for reading and interpreting Hispanic literary texts; reading of lyric poetry, drama, and fictional narrative. Staff. 4 cr, either sem. (HU)

CAS LS 401, 402 Senior Independent Work

Prereq: approval of the Honors Committee. 4 cr each, 1st & 2nd sem.

CAS LS 452 Topics in Latin American Literature and Culture

Not offered 2009/2010

CAS LS 454 Survey of Nineteenth- and Twentieth-Century Spanish Literature

Prereq: CAS LS 350. A chronological survey of Spanish literature of the last two centuries, including romanticism, realism, modernism, and contemporary Spanish literature. Readings from Larra, Zorrilla, Bécquer, Rosalía de Castro, Galdós, Unamuno, Lorca, Sastre, Cela, Celaya, de Otero, and Rosa Montero. Maurer, Smith. 4 cr, either sem.

CAS LS 455 Spanish-American Literature Through the Nineteenth Century

Prereq: CAS LS 350. A close reading of representative texts of Spanish-American literature from early writings of discovery and conquest through the nineteenth century. Emphasis on the development of the modern novel and on Spanish America’s quest for a cultural identity. Lasarte, Pineda. 4 cr, either sem.

CAS LS 456 Spanish Medieval and Golden Age Literature

Prereq: CAS LS 350. Major works from the Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque periods. Attention to development of different genres: epic and lyric poetry, drama, and the novel. Issues of Spain’s cultural history. Authors include Fernando de Rojas, Cervantes, Góngora, Lope, Quevedo, and Calderón. Zaderenko. 4 cr, 2nd sem.

CAS LS 457 Twentieth-Century Spanish-American Literature

Prereq: CAS LS 350. Major authors and works from the twentieth century. Attention to different genres: poetry, short story, novel, and drama. Authors include Lugones, Quiroga, Felisberto Hernández, Arlt, Borges, García Márquez, Vallejo, and Vargas Llosa. Lasarte, Pineda. 4 cr, either sem.

CAS LS 491, 492 Directed Study: Spanish

Prereq: consent of department and CAS Room 105. Application form available in the department. Variable cr, 1st & 2nd sem.

CAS LS 552 Lorca and His Contemporaries

Not offered 2009/2010

CAS LS 554 Jorge Luis Borges

Not offered 2009/2010

CAS LS 559 The Spanish Civil War in Literature

Not offered 2009/2010

CAS LS 561 The Generation of 1898

Not offered 2009/2010

CAS LS 564 Spanish Realism

Not offered 2009/2010

CAS LS 565 The Spanish Picaresque Novel

Prereq: CAS LS 350. Development of the Spanish picaresque in relation to social and historical context. Special attention to its place in the evolution of the modern novel. Close study of Lazarillo de Tormes, Estebanillo González, works by Alemán, Cervantes, Quevedo, López de Ubeda. Iffland. 4 cr, 1st sem.

CAS LS 566 Spanish Romanticism

Prereq: CAS LS 350 and two LS 400-level courses or consent of instructor. 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 2009/2010

CAS LS 568 Prose Fiction of the Spanish Middle Ages

Not offered 2009/2010

CAS 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, Hernández, Blest Gana, Cambaceres, Altamirano, and Martí. Pineda. 4 cr, 2nd sem.

CAS LS 570 Don Quixote

Not offered 2009/2010

CAS LS 572 The Spanish-American Colonial Experience: Early Texts, New Interpretations

Not offered 2009/2010

CAS LS 574 Literature and Politics in Post-Franco Spain (1975–2000)

Not offered 2009/2010

CAS LS 575 Topics in Peninsular Literature

Not offered 2009/2010

CAS LS 576 Topics in Spanish-American Literature

Prereq: CAS LS 350 and two 400-level LS literature courses. Graduate prereq: consent of instructor. Topic for Spring 2010: Hispanic Fiction by Women. Borinsky. 4 cr, 2nd sem.

CAS LS 577 Topics in Hispanic Thought and Criticism

Not offered 2009/2010

CAS LS 578 Spanish Drama of the Golden Age

Prereq: CAS LS 350 and two 400-level literature courses or consent of instructor. Close thematic, stylistic, and structural analysis of works by Lope de Vega, Tirso de Molina, Calderón, and Alarcón. Consideration of the social and historical background that led to the flourishing of the Spanish stage. Iffland. 4 cr, 2nd sem.

CAS LS 579 Topics in Hispanic Cinemas

Not offered 2009/2010

CAS LS 580 Mexico City in Literature and Film

Prereq: CAS LS 350 and two LS 400-level courses. Study of literary and cinematic representations of Mexico City by authors and directors including Gamboa, Fuentes, and Buñuel. Emphasis on the rise of the city as a myth of modernity during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Pineda. 4 cr, 1st sem.

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