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.

• CAS LS 350: Introduction to Analysis of Hispanic Texts
  Prerequisites: any 300-level Spanish language course or placement exam results. - Development of techniques for reading and interpreting Hispanic literary texts; reading of lyric poetry, drama, and fictional narrative. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
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  • Aesthetic Exploration
  • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
• CAS LS 401: Senior Independent Work
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: approval of the Honors Committee. - SR INDEP WORK
• CAS LS 402: Senior Independent Work
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: approval of the Honors Committee. - SR INDEP WORK
• CAS LS 410: Religion and Literature in Medieval Spain
  Prerequisites: CASLS 350 and a First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., CASWR 100 or WR 120). - Explores religion and literature in medieval Spain through a critique of Convivencia, the notion of a peaceful coexistence among Jews, Christians, and Muslims. Close readings of medieval literary works that imagine religious identity and relationships across religious boundaries. Effective Spring 2023 this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Aesthetic Exploration.
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  • Aesthetic Exploration
  • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
  • Writing-Intensive Course
• CAS LS 450: Topics in Contemporary Spanish Literature
  Prerequisites: CASLS 350 - May be taken twice for credit if topics are different. Topic for Fall 2026: TBA. Effective Fall 2026, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU HUB areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Critical Thinking, The Individual in Community.
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  • Aesthetic Exploration
  • Critical Thinking
  • The Individual in Community
• CAS LS 452: Topics in Latin American Literature and Culture
  Prerequisite: CASLS 350 - May be taken twice for credit if topics are different. Provides new and contemporary perspectives on Latin American literature and culture. Can focus on some specific works through their connection to avant-garde movements, questions of identity and politics, media and the arts, canonical and marginal authors. Topic for Spring 2026: Horror and Dystopias of Latin American Literature. This course focuses on contemporary Latin American novels and short stories that center and denounce current issues such as climate change, gender violence, and racial capitalism through the literary genres of horror and dystopia. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Aesthetic Exploration, Critical Thinking.
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  • Aesthetic Exploration
  • Critical Thinking
  • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
• CAS LS 456: Medieval and Early Modern Iberian Literature
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: CASLS 350 and First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., CASWR 100 or WR 120). - May be taken twice for credit if topics are different. A literary and cultural approach to Iberian writers of the medieval and early modern periods. Explores interactions between the literary production of Christians, Jews, and Muslims and their diverse linguistic, historical, and cultural contexts. Topics Fall 2025: Section A1: Honor, Loyalty, & Betrayal. What do soldiers, lovers, or friends owe to one another in premodern Iberia? What do they owe themselves? We explore these moral and social obligations in literature, theater, and visual arts by Christians, Jews, and Muslims. Section B1: Under the Spotlight: Theater in the Age of Cervantes. Deep dive into the most important mode of mass entertainment in early modern Iberia: theater. From the classic five-act play to the revolutionary comedia nueva, this course explores themes such as humor, empire, gender and sexuality, stage technology, and race. Effective Fall 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Aesthetic Exploration.
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  • Aesthetic Exploration
  • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
  • Writing-Intensive Course
• CAS LS 491: Directed Study: Spanish
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: consent of department and CAS Academic Advising, 100 Bay State Rd., Ro om 401. - Application form available in CAS Academic Advising.
• CAS LS 492: Directed Study: Spanish
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: consent of department and CAS Academic Advising, 100 Bay State Rd., Ro om 401. - Application form available in CAS Academic Advising.
• CAS LS 507: The Sounds of Spanish
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASLX250) AND one LS 300-level language course; or consent of instructor. - Introduction to Spanish phonetics and phonology. Covers articulatory, acoustic, and auditory phonetics, focusing on techniques for visualizing speech sounds. Examines the phonemic inventory and phonological organization of Spanish from several perspectives, including generative and articulatory phonology as well as sociolinguistics. Conducted in Spanish. Also offered as CAS LX 383 and GRS LX 683.
• CAS LS 508: The Structure of Spanish
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASLX250) AND one LS 300-level language course; or consent of instructor. - Introduction to Spanish morphology and syntax. Explores the structure of Spanish words, phrases, and sentences from multiple perspectives with a focus on natural language data. Examines Generative, Usage-based, and Lexical-Functional approaches to the analysis of grammatical structure. Conducted in Spanish. Also offered as CAS LX 384 and GRS LX 684.
• CAS LS 548: Topics in Text/Image/Spectacle in the Hispanic World
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: CASLS 350 and one CASLS 400-level course, or consent of instructor. - May be taken twice for credit if topics are different. Explores literature from the Spanish-speaking world and its relation to visual and performance art. Combines critical inquiry with creative practices to explore dynamics of influence, appropriation, and transformation across time and space. Two topics are offered Fall 2026. Section A1: The Middle Ages at the Movies. Explores the relationship between literature and visual media through legends of medieval Iberia and their modern film and TV adaptations. Creative engagement with adaptations as aesthetic objects and products of historical imagination. Section B1: Explores how childhood became central to cultural, literary, and political projects in the Americas from the early 20th century through the Good Neighbor era. Through children’s books and educational projects, we examine nationhood, identity, and international visions of the future. Effective Fall 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Creativity/Innovation, Ethical Reasoning.
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  • Aesthetic Exploration
  • Creativity/Innovation
  • Ethical Reasoning
• CAS LS 557: Poetry of the Spanish Golden Age
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASLS350) and at least two 400-level LS course. - The development of lyric poetry during the Renaissance and the baroque period. Emphasis on close thematic, stylistic, and structural analysis of individual poems by major figures including Garcilaso, Fray Luis, San Juan de la Cruz, Góngora, and Quevedo.
• CAS LS 575: Topics in Peninsular Literature
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: CASLS 350 and two LS 400-level literature courses or consent of the instructor. - May be taken twice for credit if topics are different.
• CAS LS 576: Topics in Spanish American Literature
  Prerequisites: CASLS 350 and two 400-level LS literature courses; or consent of instructor. - May be taken twice for credit if topics are different. Topic for Spring 2026: Identity and Migration in Latinx Literature. This class focuses on shedding light on the intersections between queerness, brownness, and transnational identities at the core of contemporary Latinx and Latin American Literature. The class analyzes novels, short stories, and poems from an intersectional perspective.
• CAS LT 111: First-Semester Turkish
  Introduction to spoken and written Turkish and fundamentals of Turkish grammar, with oral drills and written exercises. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: The Individual in Community.
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  • The Individual in Community
• CAS LT 112: Second-Semester Turkish
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASLT111) or equivalent. - Completes introduction to modern Turkish grammar, with emphasis on development of aural and written comprehension, as well as writing and speaking abilities. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: The Individual in Community.
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  • The Individual in Community
• CAS LT 211: Third-Semester Turkish
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASLT112) or equivalent. - Further, intermediate-level, development of Turkish language skills through textbooks and readings including literary works, internet-based exercises, and Turkish audio and visual materials. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: The Individual in Community.
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  • The Individual in Community
• CAS LT 212: Fourth-Semester Turkish
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASLT211) or consent of instructor. - Completes presentation of structures of Turkish. Students achieve "intermediate-high" levels of proficiency in reading, writing, listening, and speaking. 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 area: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, The Individual in Community.
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  • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
  • The Individual in Community
• CAS LT 303: Understanding Modern Turkey through Film and Literature
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASLT212) - Exploration of contemporary Turkish culture and society through an examination of the literature, music, film, and cuisine of Republican Turkey. Students will gain a deeper understanding of complex issues faced by Turkish people and society while improving their Turkish language skills. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Oral and/or Signed Communication.
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  • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
  • Oral and/or Signed Communication