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Courses

The listing of a course description here does not guarantee a course’s being offered in a particular term. Please refer to the published schedule of classes on the MyBU Student Portal for confirmation a class is actually being taught and for specific course meeting dates and times.

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  • CAS LR 289: Russian Culture: Literature, Film, and Arts (in English translation)
    Introduction to the history of Russian culture from its beginnings to the 21st century. This course surveys main works of literature, painting, architecture, and film chronologically. It keeps relevant historical developments in sight, and investigates cause-effect links between history and culture. Effective Spring 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
    • Aesthetic Exploration
    • Critical Thinking
    • Historical Consciousness
  • CAS LR 311: Russian Youth Culture
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: CASLR 212 or placement. - Explores the literature, culture, politics, and art of contemporary Russian youth throughout the former Soviet world; includes short stories, poems, paintings, photographs, and cinema. Consolidates and builds competencies in listening, speaking, reading, and writing Russian. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Oral and/or Signed Communication.
    • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
    • Oral and/or Signed Communication
  • CAS LR 312: Russia on Screen
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: CASLR 311 or placement. - Watch original unabridged Russian films and read scripts. Intensive work on improvement of fluency and quality of expression in Russian; special attention to pronunciation. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Digital/Multimedia Expression.
    • Digital/Multimedia Expression
    • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
  • CAS LR 327: Immigrant Women in Literature: Found in Translation
    This course explores literature about migration created by women primarily from Eastern Europe. We read autobiographical narratives that focus on the shaping of transcultural identity with an eye to the problem of translation as a linguistic, cultural, and personal phenomenon. Conducted in English. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
    • Critical Thinking
    • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
    • Historical Consciousness
  • CAS LR 353: Stalin's Crimes: Gulag and Genocide
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar CAS WR 100 or 120 or equivalent. - History, poetry and prose written in the genocidal conditions of Stalinist Russia, when the revolutionary euphoria and artistic innovation of the 1920s came up against the political repression and violence of the modern totalitarian state. Readings and films from some of the greatest poets, directors and prose writers of the 20th century display the richness of modern Russian literature as well as the complex interplay of political power, cinema and the written word, of murderous history and the creative imagination, during the Ukraine famine-genocide and the gulags. Effective Spring 2023, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Ethical Reasoning, Historical Consciousness.
    • Ethical Reasoning
    • Historical Consciousness
    • Writing-Intensive Course
  • CAS LR 401: Senior Independent Work
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: approval via form available from the department. Senior independent work.
  • CAS LR 442: Russian Media
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: CASLR 312 or placement. - A multimedia exploration of post-Soviet Russian mass media and pop culture. Engages in collaborative and in-depth study of contemporary Russian media sources (including print, music, television, film, and internet) while building and strengthening Russian proficiency. Taught in Russian. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Digital/Multimedia Expression.
    • Digital/Multimedia Expression
    • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
  • CAS LR 445: Russian in Boston: Advanced Experiential Russian
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASLR 311) or consent of instructor. - In this immersive experiential course, students connect classroom learning to hands-on work in the community. Students are expected to help and learn from members of the Boston Russian community, and to reflect creatively on real- life experiences. Taught entirely in Russian. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Teamwork/Collaboration.
    • The Individual in Community
    • Teamwork/Collaboration
  • CAS LR 457: Advanced Russian Language and Literature
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120) - Introduces students to major works of Russian literature in the original: stories, poems, and prose excerpts from writers such as Pushkin, Gogol, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Chekhov, Akhmatova, Kharms, Shalamov, Petrushevskaya. Emphasis on speaking and writing. Discussions provide historical and cultural context.' Effective Spring 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Writing-Intensive Course.
    • Aesthetic Exploration
    • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
    • Writing-Intensive Course
  • CAS LR 491: Directed Study: Russian
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: consent of department. - Application form available in the department.
  • CAS LR 492: Directed Study: Russian
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: consent of department. - Application form available in the department.
  • CAS LS 111: First-Semester Spanish
    For students who have never studied Spanish, or by placement test results. Introduction to grammatical structures. Emphasis on aural comprehension, speaking, and pronunciation. Introduction to Hispanic culture. Lab required. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: The Individual in Community.
    • The Individual in Community
  • CAS LS 112: Second-Semester Spanish
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASLS111) or placement test results. - Completes study of basic grammatical structures. Emphasis on speaking and aural comprehension. Readings on contemporary Hispanic culture. Writing assignments. Lab required. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: The Individual in Community.
    • The Individual in Community
  • CAS LS 123: First-Year Spanish
    For beginners only. Intensive equivalent of one year of college Spanish. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: The Individual in Community.
    • The Individual in Community
  • CAS LS 211: Third-Semester Spanish
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASLS112) or placement test 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. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: The Individual in Community.
    • The Individual in Community
  • CAS LS 212: Fourth-Semester Spanish
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASLS211) or placement test 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. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
    • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
    • The Individual in Community
  • CAS LS 306: Spanish Through Translation
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: CASLS 212 or Spanish SAT subject test score of 560 or higher, or placement test results. - Not open to students for whom Spanish is a first language. Advanced study of the Spanish language through the translation of written texts. Analysis of the theory and practice of translation as a catalyst of cultural transfer. Taught in Spanish. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Oral and/or Signed Communication.
    • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
    • Oral and/or Signed Communication
  • CAS LS 307: Spanish Through Literature and the Arts
    Prerequisites: CASLS 212 or Spanish SAT subject test score of 560 or higher, or placement test results. - Not open to students for whom Spanish is a first language. Advanced study of the Spanish language through the analysis of literature in its relations to the arts and society. Topics for Fall 2026: Section A1: Indigenous Perspectives on Contemporary Global Issues. Explore indigenous cultures in Latin America from a decolonial perspective, addressing colonization's impacts and seeking insights into contemporary challenges like climate change, food sovereignty, and gender inequality. Invited guest scholars and indigenous activists enhance understanding without romanticizing the past. Section B1: Bad Bunny & the Rise of Puerto Rican Culture. Discover Puerto Rican culture and history and learn how to speak the Puerto Rican dialect through the music of Bad Bunny. Explore the global impact of Bad Bunny’s album DTMF, and its significance for Puerto Rico and all Latin America. Section C1: Visual Creations in the Hispanic World. In this advanced course of Spanish language, we analyze and discuss works of art, including paintings, street art, sculptures, architecture, and film from the Hispanic World, with an emphasis on the thematic and cultural messages contained within them. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Oral and/or Signed Communication. Effective Fall 2026, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Historical Consciousness, Oral and/or Signed Communication.
    • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
    • Historical Consciousness
    • Oral and/or Signed Communication
  • CAS LS 308: Spanish Through Film and New Media
    Prerequisites: CASLS 212; or Spanish SAT subject test score of 560 or higher, or placement test results. - Advanced study of the Spanish language through the analysis of films and media of the Spanish-speaking world: cinema, the internet, and social media. Fall 2026: Section A1: Through films, music, and visual art, students better understand the role the arts play in discourses of politics, power, race, and gender in Latin America. Course includes collaborative work and film analyses. Creative work encouraged. Section B1: Cinema as Counterpower – Gender, Sound, and Resistance in Latin America. Dive into Latin American cinema, where gender, identity, and music pulse through every frame. Students unpack how filmmakers and composers shatter stereotypes, amplify marginalized voices, and transform audiovisual storytelling into acts of resistance, memory, and political force. Section C1: Screening the Underground – Countercultural Scenes in Latin America from the 60s to the Present. This course explores countercultural movements in Latin America from the 1960s to today. Through cinema, documentaries, music videos, and digital media, students analyze protest art, punk, hip hop, and contemporary street mobilizations, examining alternative cultures across different Spanish-speaking countries. Effective Fall 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub areas: Creativity/Innovation, Digital/Multimedia Expression, Global Citizenship & Intercultural Literacy.
    • Creativity/Innovation
    • Digital/Multimedia Expression
    • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
  • CAS LS 309: Spanish for Heritage and Native Speakers
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120). Not open to stude nts who have completed any 300- level Spanish Language course. - Designed for heritage speakers who have lived part of their lives in Spanish-speaking settings (including Spanish-speaking households in the U.S.), who speak at an advanced level, and who wish to strengthen their reading and writing skills while exploring Hispanic cultures. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Writing-Intensive Course.
    • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
    • The Individual in Community
    • Writing-Intensive Course

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