As stated on the BU Hub webpage: The BU Hub is a University-wide general education program. In the Hub, students explore a broad array of disciplines and ways of thinking as they prepare to navigate an increasingly complex and interconnected world. The Hub helps students develop six essential capacities—knowledge, skills, and habits of mind—that will equip them to thrive in their personal, professional, and civic lives.
Learn more about the BU Hub by exploring the website where you can review requirements, Hub areas and FAQs.
Select a Hub area drop-down to view the WLL courses approved to fulfill each requirement.
Philosophical, Aesthetic, and Historical Interpretation
Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
CAS LC 261: Chinese Religion
Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life’s Meanings, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Creativity/Innovation
A historical survey of Chinese religions from the ancient period to modern times. Covers cosmology, divination, philosophy, divine kingship, ancestors, art, the Silk Road, death and afterlives, popular deities, Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism.
CAS LJ 261: Rome and the Chinese World
Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life’s Meanings, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Creativity/Innovation
Explore the cultural and intellectual worlds of ancient Rome and ancient East Asia (including China, Korea, and Japan), comparing world views, ethical values, political dynamics, and social functions of literature in these great Eurasian civilizations. Includes creative and performative assignments. Also offered as LK and XL 261.
CAS LJ 480: Japanese Women Writers (in English Translation)
Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Philosophical Inquiry and Life’s Meanings, Critical Thinking
Classic texts by Japanese women, including the “Tale of Genji” and “The Pillow Book,” and their modern legacy, read alongside important philosophical and theoretical texts in queer and feminist thought. Lectures and texts in English.
CAS LR 280: Dostoevsky (in English Translation)
Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life’s Meanings, Aesthetic Exploration
Dostoevsky’s evolution as novelist and philosopher. Explore major novels, including Crime and Punishment, The Idiot, and Demons, within cultural and political contexts; consider the significance of literary innovations and meditations on questions of morality, personality, freedom, health, justice, and evil.
CAS LR 281: Tolstoy (in English Translation)
Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life’s Meanings, Aesthetic Exploration
Tolstoy’s evolution as novelist and moral philosopher. Explore major works, including War and Peace and Anna Karenina, within cultural and political contexts; consider the significance of literary innovations and meditations on questions of morality, death, freedom, justice, meaning, and happiness.
CAS LR 288: Dostoevsky’s Brothers Karamazov
Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life’s Meanings, Aesthetic Exploration
Close, careful study of Dostoevsky’s masterpiece, with eye to historical, philosophical, theological, cultural, and literary significance; explores Dostoevsky’s reinvention of the novel alongside questions of morality, justice, modernity, community, personality, and the meaning of life.
CAS LR 355: Chekhov: The Stories and Plays (In English Translation)
Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life’s Meanings, Aesthetic Exploration, Teamwork/Collaboration
Explores Chekhov’s major plays and a wide selection from his prose (in English translation); studies the arc of his career, his aesthetic innovations, moral psychology, philosophical perspective. Includes practicum in which students produce a play composed of scenes from Chekhov.
CAS XL 325: Global Modernist Fiction
Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Philosophical Inquiry and Life’s Meanings, Critical Thinking
A comparative study of modernist authors from different world cultures: Faulkner, Kafka, Chang, Rushdie, and Murakami. Examines experiments in narrative technique as differently situated responses to the major events and legacy of the twentieth century. Also offered as CAS EN 215.
CAS XL 420: Queer Theory
Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Philosophical Inquiry and Life’s Meanings, Critical Thinking
Surveys major texts and arguments in queer theory from Butler’s Gender Trouble to contemporary discussions of cisnormativity, homonationalism, affect, pinkwashing, crip theory, and queer-of-color critique. Explores different uses of queer theory in legal debates, literary analysis, and cultural criticism. Also offered as CAS WS 420.
CAS XL 530: Marxist Cultural Criticism
Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Philosophical Inquiry and Life’s Meanings, Critical Thinking
An introduction to Marxist cultural criticism that examines the transformation of concepts in classic Marxism (Marx, Lukacs, Althusser, Adorno, and Gramsci) into contemporary debates about race, gender, sexuality, colonialism, modernity, and language (Said, Zizek, Spivak, and others). Also offered as CAS EN 539.
Aesthetic Exploration
CAS LC 250: Masterpieces of Classical Chinese Literature (in English Translation)
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Panoramic overview of three thousand years of Chinese literature from its beginnings to the threshold of modernity. Discusses masterpieces of one of the world’s oldest continuous traditions in their cultural context and in the context of literatures around the world.
CAS LC 251: Masterpieces of Modern Chinese Literature (in English Translation)
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Modern Chinese literature tells stories of trauma, accommodation, and resistance. It offers private and public records of tumultuous transitions. This course focuses on great works of transformative importance. Authors include Lu Xun, Wang Meng, and Jin Yong.
CAS LC 260: Gateway to Asian Cultures
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Panoramic introduction to the cultures of East and South Asia in comparative perspective (China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, India). Examines shared foundations, transformative inflection points, sites, peoples, and ideologies over the past two millennia through primary texts and media. Also offered as CAS LJ 260, LK 260, LN 260, XL 260.
CAS LC 281: Chinese Theater
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Interdisciplinary approach to Chinese theatrical traditions and performances. Famous dramatic works are studied for their theatricality and interpreted within the context of the spaces, situations, and practices of the time when they were written and produced.
CAS LC 282: Old Tales for New Times: Folktale in Modern China
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking
Folklore in modern and contemporary China. An interdisciplinary approach to China’s most famous folk tales such as the Weaving Maiden and the Ox Herder, and the White Snake and Mulan. Traces the development of these stories in premodern times and their modern incarnations
CAS LC 287: Screening Modern China (in English Translation)
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Major Chinese films interpreted in light of modern Chinese history and culture. Focus on questions of national and cultural identity in films from the 1980s to the present day by directors from Mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. In English.
CAS LC 314: Classical Chinese 1 for Students of East Asia
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Introductory readings in Classical Chinese for students of Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. Learn the shared literary language of premodern East Asia and read masterpieces of East Asian philosophy, history, poetry, and fiction in the original. Also offered as CAS LJ 314 and CAS LK 314.
CAS LC 315: Classical Chinese
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Learning the basic syntactical, lexical, and semantic features of classical Chinese by reading original ancient texts from Pre-Qin to the Qing, and examining how active classical Chinese is in modern Chinese, in order to understand this cultural and linguistic heritage.
CAS LC 320: Advanced Classical Chinese
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Readings of classical Chinese poetry, philosophy, and short and long fiction for students with a foundation in literary Chinese. Selected materials address perennial human questions and are drawn from the past three millennia of the Chinese textual tradition.
CAS LC 416: Chinese through Literary Masterpieces
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Oral and/or Signed Communication, Creativity/Innovation
This content-based course introduces students to selected original works in modern Chinese poetry, short stories, novels, drama, letters, and prose. Through close reading, collaborative presentations and group discussions, students will examine how social realities and ideologies are reflected in these works and explore how these works reflect the author’s sense of identity crisis.
CAS LC 451: Visual Politics: Propaganda Art, Literature, and “Model Films” During the Chinese Cultural Revolution 1966-1976
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Writing-Intensive Course
A study of “model films,” poster art, and literature during the Chinese Cultural Revolution. A critical approach to the larger cultural and political context of socialist art and literature as well as its legacy in China today.
CAS LC 470: Topics in Chinese Literature and Culture
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Writing-Intensive Course
Topics vary. May be repeated for credit if topic is different.
CAS LC 480: Modern Chinese Literature and Film
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
A seminar on the major works of modern Chinese literature and cinema from the May Fourth period to the present, with a focus on close reading and visual analysis.
CAS LG 250: Masterpieces of German Literature (in English Translation)
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Introduction to the major works of German literature, emphasizing methods of close reading and the art of critical writing. Texts by Johannes von Saaz, J.W. Goethe, Heinrich von Kleist, Georg Buchner, Robert Musil, Ingeborg Bachmann and others.
CAS LG 283: The Faust Tradition
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Writing-Intensive Course
Comparative study of the Faust theme, 1500 to present: Marlowe, Goethe, Mann, Gertrude Stein, Jan Svankmajer, others. Transmission and adaptation of literary themes within and between national traditions. Emphasis on close reading and research, use of theory and criticism.
CAS LG 335: Music, Art, and History in the German-Speaking World
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Introduction to works, lives, and times of some composers and artists who have shaped the cultures of the German-speaking world. Conducted in German, the course aims to deepen students’ cultural awareness as well as the sophistication of their language skills.
CAS LG 350: Introduction to German Literature
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Writing-Intensive Course
Masterpieces of German literature representing major eras and genres from the eighteenth century to the present. Practical introduction to methods of close reading and literary interpretation; class discussion. (Prereq: any course from CAS LG 302-309 or equivalent; or permission of instructor. First Year Writing Seminar, e.g., WR 100 or WR 120).
CAS LG 450: Origins of German Culture
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness
Survey of major developments in the cultural history of German-speaking countries, from the Middle Ages through the Enlightenment. Literature, expository texts, music, art and architecture, and their influence on contemporary cultural debates. Course conducted in German.
CAS LG 456: German Literature and Culture since 1945
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness
Survey of postwar and contemporary German-language literature in its cultural-historical context. The Nazi past and the Holocaust; the economic rise of West Germany and accompanying disillusionment; East Germany’s socialist ideal and reality; German reunification; women’s voices; migrant and transnational literature.
CAS LH 250: Masterpieces of Modern Hebrew Literature (in English Translation)
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Creativity/Innovation
Narrative prose by major writers from the revival of Hebrew culture in nineteenth-century Eastern Europe to present-day Israel, including works of Peretz, Agnon, Yehoshua, Oz, Shalev, Keret, Kashua, and Castel-Bloom. Special focus on the struggle to forge modern identity in the domains of family, nation, religion and in the broader Middle East. Required for the minor in Hebrew.
CAS LH 283: Israeli Culture through Film (in English Translation)
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Writing-Intensive Course
Israeli society, from its origins to contemporary times, through the medium of film. Topics include immigration; war; the ongoing impact of the Holocaust on Israeli society; trials of women; war; the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Introduction to film analysis and interpretive methods.
CAS LJ 250: Masterpieces of Japanese Literature (in English Translation)
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
An introduction to Japanese literary history. Topics include mythic beginnings, conceptions of nature and death, flowering of a court aesthetic, the writer as hermit-sage, the Tokugawa stage and its love suicides. Use of literary and visual materials.
CAS LJ 251: Modern Japanese Literature (in English Translation)
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Introduction to modern Japanese literature. Naturalism and its critics, rise of the I-novel, Taisho aestheticism, proletarian literature, postwar and post-recession crises of cultural identity, cell phone novels. Works by Natsume Soseki, Hayashi Fumiko, Tanizaki Jun’ichiro, Oe Kenzaburo, and Tsushima Yuko. Carries humanities divisional credit in CAS. This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
CAS LJ 283: Modern Japanese Culture in Cinema (in English Translation)
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Japanese film from the silent era to contemporary animation, with attention to the intersection of cinematic and cultural analysis and genres such as yakuza movies. Directors studied may include Ozu, Kurosawa, Mizoguchi, and Miyazaki Hayao. Also offered as CAS CI 260.
CAS LJ 350: Readings in Modern Japanese Fiction
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Creativity/Innovation
Readings in modern fiction from Akutagawa to Murakami and beyond to deepen knowledge of Japanese language, learn about the development of Japanese literature from 1900 to the present, and to place it in contemporary context. Readings and discussions in Japanese.
CAS LJ 360: Haiku
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Creativity/Innovation, Writing-Intensive Course
The history and evolving forms of haiku in Japan and around the world. Students write and workshop their own haiku in English or Japanese, learning from great poets how to focus attention, observe nature, read closer, and write better.
CAS LJ 383: Auteur Studies: Japan
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Creativity/Innovation, Historical Consciousness
Deep exploration of the films of one director with attention to cultural and historical context and the creative process. Topic for Spring 2023: Kurosawa Akira. Attention to Kurosawa’s film style, global reception, and his complex reflections on Japanese history and the nature of cinema and art. Readings in English and all films available with English subtitles.
CAS LJ 386: Japanese Translation/Interpretation Workshop
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Writing-Intensive Course, Oral and/or Signed Communication
Through training in translating and interpreting, the course enhances knowledge of Japanese language and culture and improves English writing skills. Students are given a wide variety of texts to translate and practice oral interpretation in a range of contexts.
CAS LJ 460: Haruki Murakami and His Sources
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Creativity/Innovation
Students read works by Haruki Murakami and by writers who shaped him or were shaped by him, reflect on the nature of intertextuality, and gain a perspective on contemporary literature as operating within a global system of mutual influence.
CAS LK 250: Introduction to Korean Literature (in English Translation)
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
What is Korean literature? How has it evolved through interaction with Chinese, Japanese, European and American literatures and cultures? What roles have regional and global changes played in shaping Korean imaginative writing? No prerequisites; readings and discussion in English.
CAS LK 251: Classics of Korean Literature (in English Translation)
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness
Introduction to Korean literature from its first recorded beginnings to the early twentieth century, understood against the backdrop of the complex historical, cultural, political, linguistic, philosophical and religious contexts and networks.
CAS LK 375: Growing Up in Korea
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Examining memoirs, prose fiction, film, television dramas, and graphic narratives to ask: how have the conventions of Korean coming-of-age narratives evolved? What does this say about changes in Korean identity? What roles have gender and sexuality played in Korean stories of growing up?
CAS LK 383: Modern Korean Culture Through Cinema (in English Translation)
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Critical Thinking, Ethical Reasoning
Introduction to modern Korean culture and society through film from the Korean war (1950-1953) to the present. Discussion and essays on modern Korean life as seen in Korean films. Critical analysis of changes in Korean Society.
CAS LK 460: Korean Translation
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Writing-Intensive Course
Through training in translating from Korean into English, the course enhances knowledge of Korean language and culture and improves English writing as well as deepening the understanding of what is involved in translating one language into another.
CAS LK 475: Major Authors in Korean Literature (in English Translation)
Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Aesthetic Exploration
Closely examines major authors in Korean literature through their representative works in English translation. Students analyze each author’s writing style, themes, and characters while exploring various theoretical questions, institutional practices, and cultural praxes regarding literary authors and authorship.
CAS LN 380: Modern India Through Bollywood
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Critical Thinking
Explores the social history and culture of modern India through the lens of popular Hindi cinema, commonly called Bollywood. We analyze Bollywood films both as forms of art and as cultural texts, and examine how they reflect and interpret modern Indian society. Course readings focus on theoretical approaches to Hindi cinema, and also shed light on the larger historical and social context that surrounds it. Also offered as CAS CI 380.
CAS LN 470: Topics in South Asian Literature and Culture
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Topics vary. May be taken multiple times for credit if topic is different. Topic for Spring 2022: Contemporary Indian Literature in Context. Focuses on a number of modern (post- 1947) and contemporary Indian and South Asian texts, and reads them both against the larger historical, political, and cultural contexts in which they emerge, and against the theoretical frameworks within which they are usually placed.
CAS LR 250: Classics of Russian Prose (in English Translation)
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Prose works that define the Russian literary tradition, including Pushkin’s Queen of Spades, Gogol’s Overcoat, Turgenev’s Fathers and Sons, Dostoevsky’s Notes from the Underground, Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina.
CAS LR 280: Dostoevsky (in English Translation)
Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiries and Life’s Meanings, Aesthetic Exploration
Dostoevsky’s evolution as novelist and philosopher. Explore major novels, including Crime and Punishment, The Idiot, and Demons, within cultural and political contexts; consider the significance of literary innovations and meditations on questions of morality, personality, freedom, health, justice, and evil.
CAS LR 281: Tolstoy (in English Translation)
Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiries and Life’s Meanings, Aesthetic Exploration
Tolstoy’s evolution as novelist and moral philosopher. Explore major works, including War and Peace and Anna Karenina, within cultural and political contexts; consider the significance of literary innovations and meditations on questions of morality, death, freedom, justice, meaning, and happiness.
CAS LR 282: Russian Prose Classics of the Twentieth Century (in English Translation)
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Writing-Intensive Course
Introduction to the major writers of twentieth-century Russian Prose and to the literary traditions that they represent through a close reading of selected texts. Authors include Chekhov, Tolstoy, Babel, Bulgakov, Kharms, Pasternak, Shalamov, Solzhenitsyn, Petrushevskaya, Sorokin.
CAS LR 288: Dostoevsky’s Brothers Karamazov
Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiries and Life’s Meanings, Aesthetic Exploration
Close, careful study of Dostoevsky’s masterpiece, with eye to historical, philosophical, theological, cultural, and literary significance; explores Dostoevsky’s reinvention of the novel alongside questions of morality, justice, modernity, community, personality, and the meaning of life.
CAS LR 289: Russian Culture: Literature, Film & Art (in English Translation)
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking
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.
CAS LR 355: Chekhov: The Stories and Plays (In English Translation)
Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiries and Life’s Meanings, Aesthetic Exploration, Teamwork/Collaboration
Explores Chekhov’s major plays and a wide selection from his prose (in English translation); studies the arc of his career, his aesthetic innovations, moral psychology, philosophical perspective. Includes practicum in which students produce a play composed of scenes from Chekhov.
CAS LR 457: Advanced Russian Language and Literature
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Writing-Intensive Course
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.
CAS LT 389: The Interplay of Literature and History on the Turkic Silk Road
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Writing-Intensive Course
Historical and literary interactions among residents, travelers, armies, and intellectuals throughout dramatic transformations of the Central Asian Silk Road. Daily life of individuals and families in collapsing empires, the Soviet era, and the emergence of new nation states. Prereq: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120).
CAS LY 350: Introduction to Arabic Literature
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Writing-Intensive Course
Selection of Arabic poetry, short stories, novels, and drama. Focus on development and refinement of Arabic reading strategies, literary analysis of short passages, and writing and speaking skills. Readings and assignments in Arabic and English.
CAS LY 441: 1001 Nights in the World Literary Imagination
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Writing-Intensive Course
What is The Thousand and One Nights? How has this ever-expanding collection appealed to its diverse audiences? Focus on Nights’ structure and themes, notable translations and offshoots in western literature and art, and later appropriations by Arab and Muslim writers.
CAS LZ 315: Tradition and Modernity in Iranian Film and Literature
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Writing-Intensive Course
This course examines how competing notions of tradition and modernity are presented in Iranian cinema. Drawing on both classical and modern Persian literary works to draw out underlying connections between the readings and the films. Prereq: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120).
CAS LZ 380: Persian Epic and Romance (in English Translation)
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Introduction to the heroic and romantic narrative literature of Iran and Afghanistan. Readings include: the Persian epic Shahnameh, romances by Nezami and Jami, and Sadi’s Gulistan. Discussion of the endurance of Persian myths and tales in world literature and visual forms.
CAS LZ 381: Rumi and Persian Sufi Poetry (in English Translation)
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Introduction to the Persian Sufi poet Rumi’s narrative and lyric writings. Focus on Islamic mysticism, the innovative aspects of Rumi’s poetry, and the problem of profane vs sacred love. All readings in English translation.
CAS TL 500: History and Theory of Translation
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking
The goal of this course is to familiarize students with the history of translation and the main trends in Translation Studies. Students learn to apply concepts acquired in class to analyze and critique translations and develop their own strategies.
CAS TL 551: Topics in Translation
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking
May be taken multiple times for credit if topics are different. Examines how aspects of the translator’s identity have shaped the writing of translations, and explores translators in fiction. Translators include C.K. Scott Moncrieff, Arthur Waley, Barbara Wright, and Helen Lowe- Porter.
CAS XL 100: Leaving Home: Explorations in World Literature
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Growing up. Moving to the big city. Wisdom quest. Immigration. Tourism. How have the world’s great literatures portrayed and shaped these experiences? How have literary works themselves found new worlds through translation and adaptation? Counts for credit toward all WLL majors.
CAS XL 222: Introduction to Western Literature
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Writing-Intensive Course
Introduces basic methods of comparative literary study through close readings of influential texts of the Western tradition from antiquity to present. Topics include genre, translation, appropriation, interpretation, theories of literary production and effect. All works read in English.
CAS XL 223: Introduction to Middle Eastern Literatures
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Writing-Intensive Course
Introduces basic methods of comparative literary study through close readings of some of the most influential texts of Arabic, Persian, Turkish, and Hebrew literature. Readings may include The Arabian Nights, Shahnameh, lyric poetry, and novels from the twentieth century.
CAS XL 224: Introduction to East Asian Literatures
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Writing-Intensive Course
Explores why and how to compare literatures and cultures and envisions the place of East Asia’s traditions in World Literature. Embarks on theoretical reflection and close reading of Chinese, Japanese, and Korean texts from three millennia.
CAS XL 225: Introduction to South Asian Literatures
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Writing-Intensive Course
Introduces basic methods of comparative literary study through close readings of some of the most influential texts of Indian and other South Asian literatures. Readings may include Shakuntala, The Ramayana, bhakti and Sufi literatures.
CAS XL 230: Topics in Big Fat Books
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Writing-Intensive Course
Enters deeply into the world of one literary work and explores its reverberations across national and disciplinary boundaries. Prereq: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120).
CAS XL 236: Jewish Literature
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
How do changing notions of ethnicity and race, religion, and gender, as well as geographical place define Jewish family and community? Topics include immigration, diaspora, and national culture; patriotism, antisemitism, and multiculturalism; Jewish identities and gender; conversion, assimilation, and acculturation.
CAS XL 244: Greek Drama in Translation
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Ethical Reasoning, Teamwork/Collaboration
The history and development of ancient Greek theater; study of important plays in the genres of tragedy, comedy, and satyr drama by Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Aristophanes, and Menander. Cannot be taken for credit in addition to CAS CL 324.
CAS XL 342: Travel Writing and the Muslim World
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Writing-Intensive Course
How have Muslim travelers past and present written about place and people they saw abroad, and how have Western travelers in the Muslim lands described their travels in “the East”? Readings include Nasir Khusraw, Ibn Battuta, Eliza Fay, and Robert Byron. (Prereq: First Year Writing Seminar, e.g., WR 100 or WR 120).
CAS XL 343: Alexander the Great in the East
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Writing-Intensive Course
Study of the various narratives about Alexander the Great, also known as Sikandar or Iskandar, as conqueror, philosopher-king, and hero, in medieval Middle Eastern and Asian literatures. Modern filmic representations of the historical figure are also compared.
CAS XL 344: Global Shakespeares
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Creativity/Innovation
Why do contemporary writers parrot and parody “Shakespeare,” and how much of this activity is about Shakespeare at all? This seminar provides an introduction to reading and writing about Shakespeare’s plays. But it also takes a step back to consider Shakespeare as a phenomenon, inspiring adapters around the world. Beyond learning about particular offshoots and adaptations, the deeper point is to explore how playwrights think about their sources, their audiences, and their art.
CAS XL 380: Gender and Identity in Contemporary Middle Eastern Film
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Digital/Multimedia Expression
An exploration of representations of gender and identity in contemporary Middle Eastern films by male and female directors reflecting on the impact of modernization, globalization, war and trauma through different visual genres.
CAS XL 381: Topics in Gender and Literature (in English translation)
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Creativity/Innovation, Writing-Intensive Course
Topics vary. May be repeated for credit if topic is different. Topic for Spring 2023: Gender and Modernization Through Turkish Literature. Exploring the interplay of modernization of gender roles and gender performance through Turkish literary texts. The readings include Sabahattin Ali, Orhan Pamuk, Elif Shafak, Gulten Akin, Ayla Kutlu.
CAS XL 441: 1001 Nights in the World Literary Imagination
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Writing Intensive Course
What is The Thousand and One Nights? How has this ever-expanding collection appealed to its diverse audiences? Focus on Nights’ structure and themes, notable translations and offshoots in western literature and art, and later appropriations by Arab and Muslim writers. (Prereq: two literature courses or consent of instructor. First Year Writing Seminar, e.g., WR 100 or WR 120).
CAS XL 451: Visual Politics: Propaganda Art, Literature, and “Model Films” During the Chinese Cultural Revolution 1966-1976
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Writing-Intensive Course
A study of “model films,” poster art, and literature during the Chinese Cultural Revolution. A critical approach to the larger cultural and political context of socialist art and literature as well as its legacy in China today.
CAS XL 500: History and Theory of Translation
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking
The goal of this course is to familiarize students with the history of translation and the main trends in Translation Studies. Students learn to apply concepts acquired in class to analyze and critique translations and develop their own strategies
Historical Consciousness
CAS LC 280: Chinese Classics in Today’s World (in English Translation)
Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Discusses canonical texts, such as the “Five Confucian Classics” and “Four Books,” which for millennia have defined Chinese culture, and reflects on their appeal, significance, and current comeback in Chinese pop culture and politics.
CAS LC 282: Old Tales for New Times: Folktale in Modern China
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking
Folklore in modern and contemporary China. An interdisciplinary approach to China’s most famous folk tales such as the Weaving Maiden and the Ox Herder, and the White Snake and Mulan. Traces the development of these stories in premodern times and their modern incarnations
CAS LG 325: Modern German History and Culture through Film
Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Creativity/Innovation
Feature films about the legacies of World War II in East and West Germany, the effects of reunification, topics in present-day Germany and its multicultural scene. Readings on film art and the different historical contexts involved. Conducted in German. Also offered as CAS CI 390 D1.
CAS LG 388: World Cities: Berlin
Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Digital/Multimedia Expression, Research and Information Literacy
This course explores Berlin’s urban imaginary, investigating cinematic, written and visual texts, architecture and urban planning to witness the complex, exciting, and sometimes tragic history of Berlin and to understand how people make sense of cities in general.
CAS LG 450: Origins of German Culture
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness
Survey of major developments in the cultural history of German-speaking countries, from the Middle Ages through the Enlightenment. Literature, expository texts, music, art and architecture, and their influence on contemporary cultural debates. Course conducted in German.
CAS LG 456: German Literature and Culture: Since 1945
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness
Survey of postwar and contemporary German-language literature in its cultural-historical context. The Nazi past and the Holocaust; the economic rise of West Germany and accompanying disillusionment; East Germany’s socialist ideal and reality; German reunification; women’s voices; migrant and transnational literature.
CAS LJ 316: Classical Japanese
Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Introduction to Classical Japanese, Japan’s written language from the seventh until the twentieth century. A systematic study of grammar and lexicon enriched by original readings from major works of Japanese literature such as Man’yoshu, Pillow Book, Genji, and Heike monogatari, Hojoki.
CAS LJ 350: Readings in Modern Japanese Fiction
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Creativity/Innovation
Readings in modern fiction from Akutagawa to Murakami and beyond to deepen knowledge of Japanese language, learn about the development of Japanese literature from 1900 to the present, and to place it in contemporary context. Readings and discussions in Japanese.
CAS LJ 383: Auteur Studies: Japan
Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Aesthetic Exploration, Creativity/Innovation
Deep exploration of the films of one director with attention to cultural and historical context and the creative process. Topic for Spring 2023: Kurosawa Akira. Attention to Kurosawa’s film style, global reception, and his complex reflections on Japanese history and the nature of cinema and art. Readings in English and all films available with English subtitles.
CAS LJ 388: World Cities: Tokyo
Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Digital/Multimedia Expression, Research and Information Literacy
Explores the past and present of the vibrant city of Tokyo through literature and visual culture. Includes hand-on experiences mapping literary spaces. Reading and discussion in English.
CAS LJ 410: The History of the Japanese Language
Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Overview of major issues in the history of Japanese: genetic relationships, changes in sound system, word and sentence structures, and pragmatics. Special attention to the process leading to the current writing system. Representative texts used to demonstrate different literary languages.
CAS LJ 430: Supernatural Beings in Japan: Mononoke
Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry I
Mononoke “Supernatural Beings” have appeared in literature, historical records, traditions, and most recently, in anime and film. Through Mononoke students are able to learn about social issues, values and ideas in different periods of Japanese history.
CAS LJ 480: Japanese Women Writers (in English Translation)
Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Philosophical Inquiries and Life’s Meanings, Critical Thinking
Classic texts by Japanese women, including the “Tale of Genji” and “The Pillow Book,” and their modern legacy, read alongside important philosophical and theoretical texts in queer and feminist thought. Lectures and texts in English
CAS LK 251: Classic Korean Literature
Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Aesthetic Exploration
Introduction to Korean literature from its first recorded beginnings to the early twentieth century, understood against the backdrop of the complex historical, cultural, political, linguistic, philosophical and religious contexts and networks.
CAS LR 289: Russian Culture: Literature, Film & Art (in English Translation)
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking
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.
CAS LR 327: Immigrant Women in Literature: Found in Translation?
Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
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.
CAS LR 353: Stalin’s Crimes: Gulag and Genocide
Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Ethical Reasoning, Writing-Intensive Course
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. Prereq: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120).
CAS LT 388: World Cities: Istanbul
Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Digital/Multimedia Expression, Research and Information Literacy
An examination of Istanbul in the global imaginary as it transformed from the Capital of the Ottoman Empire to the cultural capital of the Republic of Turkey through critical analysis of visual and literary texts.
CAS LY 283: Arab Cultures Through Film (in English Translation)
Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Teamwork/Collaboration
Explores Arab cultures with a focus on key historical and social issues through the lens of Arabic films, both as historical artifacts and artworks. Diverse cinematic works from Syria, Palestine, Egypt, and beyond are discussed and analyzed. No prior knowledge of the Arab world or Arabic is required.
CAS TL 500: History and Theory of Translation
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking
The goal of this course is to familiarize students with the history of translation and the main trends in Translation Studies. Students learn to apply concepts acquired in class to analyze and critique translations and develop their own strategies.
CAS TL 551: Topics in Translation
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking
May be taken multiple times for credit if topics are different. Examines how aspects of the translator’s identity have shaped the writing of translations, and explores translators in fiction. Translators include C.K. Scott Moncrieff, Arthur Waley, Barbara Wright, and Helen Lowe- Porter.
CAS XL 281: Representations of the Holocaust: Literature, Film, Memorials
Hub areas: Ethical Reasoning, Historical Consciousness
How can we understand the impact of the Holocaust and its ongoing legacies?
Holocaust representation in literature, film and memorials, including discussions of bystander complicity and societal responsibilities, testimonial and fictive works by Wiesel and Levi, documentaries and feature films
CAS XL 327: Immigrant Women in Literature: Found in Translation?
Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Critical Thinking
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. Also offered as CAS LR 327.
CAS XL 387: Holocaust Through Film
Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Writing-Intensive Course
An examination of film using the Holocaust as its central topic. What are the political and cultural effects when genocide is represented through film? Can feature films portray history, and if so, what are the consequences for an informed society?
CAS XL 396: World Cities: Berlin
Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Digital/Multimedia Expression, Research and Information Literacy
This course explores Berlin’s urban imaginary, investigating cinematic, written and visual texts, architecture and urban planning to witness the complex, exciting, and sometimes tragic history of Berlin and to understand how people make sense of cities in general.
CAS XL 397: World Cities: Istanbul
Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Digital/Multimedia Expression, Research and Information Literacy
An examination of Istanbul in the global imaginary as it transformed from the Capital of the Ottoman Empire to the cultural capital of the Republic of Turkey through critical analysis of visual and literary texts.
CAS XL 398: World Cities: Tokyo
Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Digital/Multimedia Expression, Research and Information Literacy
Explores the past and present of the vibrant city of Tokyo through literature and visual culture. Includes hand-on experiences mapping literary spaces. Reading and discussion in English.
CAS XL 459: Primo Levi Within Holocaust Literature
Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Ethical Reasoning
A study of Primo Levi’s writings and scientific, literary, theological, and philosophical approaches to the Holocaust. Other theorists (Arendt, Wiesel, and Muller-Hill) and other survivors’ testimonies (Delbo, Borowski, Fink) are read in conjunction with Levi’s works. Also offered as CAS LI 459 and RN 459.
Scientific and Social Inquiry
Social Inquiry I
CAS LG 260: Intercultural Communication
Hub areas: Social Inquiry I, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Teamwork/Collaboration
An interdisciplinary, interactive class designed to provide an introduction to intercultural questions stemming from the growing diversity and inter- connectedness of the United States and the world. Draws on the fields of psychology, anthropology, sociology, linguistics, and communication as it introduces students to the basic theories regarding intercultural communication and helps them develop a foundational level of intercultural competency.
CAS LG 305: Science and Culture
Hub areas: Social Inquiry I, Digital/Multimedia Expression, Teamwork/Collaboration
How do science, humanities, and arts intersect and influence cultural attitudes towards society, nature, and the environment? Students progress in all language skills and acquire reading and communicative strategies necessary to discuss the sciences in German.
CAS LJ 282: Samurai, Ships, and Soil: Japan Among the Empires of Asia, 1600-1950
Hub areas: Social Inquiry I, Oral and/or Signed Communication, Creativity/Innovation
Exotic as it may seem, Japan was never an isolated island country floating off the coast of Asia. This course offers a new narrative about the history of Japan in relation to the imperial orders and transnational spaces of Asia.
CAS LJ 430: Supernatural Beings in Japan: Mononoke
Hub areas: Social Inquiry I, Historical Consciousness
Mononoke “Supernatural Beings” have appeared in literature, historical records, traditions, and most recently, in anime and film. Through Mononoke students are able to learn about social issues, values and ideas in different periods of Japanese history.
CAS LJ 441: Japanese Through Media
Hub areas: Social Inquiry I, Ethical Reasoning, Digital/Multimedia Expression
Analysis and discussion of authentic print, digital, visual, and social media while developing a high level of Japanese proficiency, and gaining knowledge of current issues and media literacy. Develops critical reading/viewing skills as well as communicative and intercultural proficiency. Prereq: LJ 303.
CAS LK 44o: Korean Conversation and Composition Through Media
Hub areas: Social Inquiry I, Ethical Reasoning, Digital/Multimedia Expression
Intensive practice of both oral and written forms of Korean. Survey of important cultural, social, political, and economic issues in Korea as portrayed in films, television, and periodicals. Development of effective written and spoken communication. Prereq: LK 312 or consent of instructor.
CAS LN 381: Language and Indentity in India: Exploring the Phemomenon of Hinglish (in English Translation)
Hub areas: Social Inquiry I, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Explores how the history and contemporary usage of Hinglish reflect India’s postcolonial and globalized identity. Readings on sociolinguistic theories and linguistic rules of Hinglish, with examples from cinema, advertising, social media, and popular fiction. Course taught in English.
Diversity, Civic Engagement, and Global Citizenship
The Individual in Community
CAS LC 111: First-Semester Chinese
Hub areas: The Individual in Community
Essentials of structure, oral practice, introduction to the writing system.
CAS LC 112: Second-Semester Chinese
Hub areas: The Individual in Community
Essentials of structure, oral practice, introduction to the writing system.
CAS LC 116: Chinese Reading and Writing I
Hub areas: The Individual in Community
Intensive course covering first-year Chinese in one semester for students who speak Mandarin but possess limited or no reading and writing skills. Listening and speaking skills are also developed; aspects of students’ Chinese heritage are explored.
CAS LC 211: Third-Semester Chinese
Hub areas: The Individual in Community
Review of structure and grammar, practice in conversation and writing, introduction to reading.
CAS LC 212: Fourth-Semester Chinese
Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Review of structure and grammar, practice in conversation and writing, introduction to reading. Satisfactory completion of CAS LC 212 fulfills the CAS language requirement.
CAS LC 216: Chinese Reading and Writing 2
Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Intensive course covering second-year Chinese in one semester for students who speak Mandarin. Training in listening and speaking, but emphasis is on reading and writing; aspects of students’ Chinese heritage are also explored. Satisfactory completion of CAS LC 216 fulfills the CAS language requirement.
CAS LG 111: First Semester German
Hub areas: The Individual in Community
For beginners or according to placement test results. Introduction to grammar, vocabulary, structure of German, emphasizing the four basic skills: speaking, writing, listening, and reading. (If CAS LG 112 or a more advanced college- level course has been completed, this course may not be taken for credit.)
CAS LG 112: Second Semester German
Hub areas: The Individual in Community
Continues study and practice of the basic skills of speaking, writing, and reading German. Conversational dialogues, reading of short texts, grammar sessions, compositions. Conducted in German. (If a more advanced college-level course has been completed, this course may not be taken for credit.)
CAS LG 211: Third Semester German
Hub areas: The Individual in Community
Further development of communicative skills acquired in the first year, emphasizing both production (speaking, writing) and comprehension (listening, reading). Grammar review. Reading and discussion of selected short stories, poetry, and plays as well as nonliterary texts. Conducted in German.
CAS LG 212: Fourth Semester German
Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Continued development of communicative skills and strategies for functioning socially in German-language contexts. Students learn to understand literary and nonliterary texts. Conducted in German.
CAS LG 310: German Translation and Interpretation
Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Oral/Signed Communication, Critical Thinking
Advanced German language training. Pleasures and frustrations of the incommensurability of German and U.S. cultures, investigated through systematic practice in translating and interpreting from German into English. Translation and interpretation as technical skill and creative performance.
CAS LH 111: Modern Hebrew 1
Hub areas: The Individual in Community
For students with no previous knowledge of Hebrew or minimal background. Introduction to the language of contemporary Israel. Fundamentals of grammar, extensive practice in speaking, reading, and writing about topics such as getting acquainted, learning and living situations. Curriculum incorporates technology and original Israeli materials.
CAS LH 112: Modern Hebrew 2
Hub areas: The Individual in Community
Builds on vocabulary, grammar and skills acquired in LH111. Students learn to read and converse about topics related to friendship, family, hobbies and travel. Curriculum incorporates Israeli materials and communicative and technology-based activities.
CAS LH 139: Intensive First Year Hebrew
Hub areas: The Individual in Community
Intensive beginning Hebrew for students with some prior knowledge. Equivalent to Fundamentals of Modern Hebrew 1 & 2 (CAS LH 111 & 112)
CAS LH 211: Intermediate Modern Hebrew 1
Hub areas: The Individual in Community
Reinforces and expands vocabulary, grammar and language structures, leading to a deeper comprehension of style and usage. Focuses on language skills (speaking and writing) and performing more complex tasks such as comparing, narrating, describing, reasoning, and discussing topics beyond the immediate environment.
CAS LH 212: Intermediate Modern Hebrew 2
Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Expands vocabulary, grammar, language structures and communicative skills to enable students to achieve solid proficiency. Develops students’ ability to respond orally and in writing to literary texts and audio- visual material such as Israeli films, television clips, and news.
CAS LH 284: Israel: History, Politics, Culture, Identity (taught in English)
Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Critical Thinking, Writing-Intensive Course
Using a broad array of readings, popular music, documentaries, film and art, this course explores Israel’s political system, culture, and society, including the status of minorities in the Jewish state; post-1967 Israeli settlement projects; and the struggle for Israel’s identity. Prereq: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120).
CAS LJ 111: First-Semester Japanese
Hub areas: The Individual in Community
Introduction to spoken and written Japanese and to fundamentals of Japanese grammar with oral drills and written exercises.
CAS LJ 112: Second-Semester Japanese
Hub areas: The Individual in Community
Introduction to spoken and written Japanese and to fundamentals of Japanese grammar with oral drills and written exercises
CAS LJ 211: Third-Semester Japanese
Hub areas: The Individual in Community
Elaboration and refinement of the fundamental skills introduced in CAS LJ 111, 112 with an introduction to reading and composition.
CAS LJ 212: Fourth-Semester Japanese
Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Elaboration and refinement of the fundamental skills introduced in CAS LJ 111, 112 with an introduction to reading and composition. Satisfactory completion of CAS LJ 212 fulfills the CAS language requirement
CAS LJ 303: Third-Year Modern Japanese 1
Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Oral/Signed Communication, Teamwork/Collaboration
Reading and viewing modern Japanese texts and media in order to develop advanced reading, writing, listening and speaking skills, as well as familiarity with contemporary cultural topics. Prepares for working with authentic Japanese materials. Opportunity for engagement with Japanese speakers.
CAS LK 111: First Semester Korean
Hub areas: The Individual in Community
Elementary grammar, conversation, reading, writing.
CAS LK 112: Second Semester Korean
Hub areas: The Individual in Community
Continues the text from LK 111; grammar, conversation, reading, writing.
CAS LK 116: First Year Korean for Heritage Speakers
Hub areas: The Individual in Community
Designed for students who can understand spoken Korean but who have little or no practice in reading or writing. Comprehensive coverage of first year Korean grammar, reading, writing, and speaking.
CAS LK 211: Third Semester Korean
Hub areas: The Individual in Community
Development of communicative skills acquired in the first year. Readings in Korean. Writing exercises involving more complex grammatical patterns.
CAS LK 212: Fourth Semester Korean
Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Further review of the structures of Korean. Practice in conversation involving specialized topics. Advanced readings from Korean culture. Frequent compositions. Satisfactory completion of LK 212 fulfills the CAS language requirement.
CAS LK 216: Second Year Korean for Heritage Speakers
Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Continues from CAS LK 116. Designed for students who are fluent in spoken Korean but have only basic practice in reading or writing. Comprehensive coverage of second-year Korean grammar, reading, writing, and speaking. Successful completion of CAS LK 216 fulfills the CAS foreign language requirement.
CAS LN 111: First Semester Hindi-Urdu
Hub areas: The Individual in Community
Elementary grammar, conversation, reading, writing.
CAS LN 112: Second Semester Hindi-Urdu
Hub areas: The Individual in Community
Continues the text from CAS LN 111; grammar, conversation, reading, writing
CAS LN 211: Third Semester Hindi-Urdu
Hub areas: The Individual in Community
Development of communicative skills acquired in the first year. Readings in Indian civilization. Practice in conversational Hindi-Urdu. Writings exercises involving more complex grammatical patterns.
CAS LN 212: Fourth Semester Hindi-Urdu
Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Further review of the structures of Hindi-Urdu. Practice in conversation involving specialized topics. Advanced readings in Hindi. Frequent compositions. Satisfactory completion of LN 212 fulfills the CAS language requirement.
CAS LR 111: First-Year Russian 1
Hub areas: The Individual in Community
An introduction to the fundamentals of Russian grammar. Extensive practice in orthography and pronunciation: oral drills, development of comprehension and conversation skills. Reading of simple texts.
CAS LR 112: First-Year Russian II
Hub areas: The Individual in Community
An introduction to the fundamentals of Russian grammar. Extensive practice in orthography and pronunciation: oral drills, development of comprehension and conversation skills. Reading of simple texts.
CAS LR 211: Second-Year Russian 1
Hub areas: The Individual in Community
The fundamentals of Russian grammar and syntax. Development of reading and oral skills.
CAS LR 212: Second-Year Russian II
Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
The fundamentals of Russian grammar and syntax. Development of reading and oral skills. Satisfactory completion of CAS LR 212 fulfills the CAS language requirement.
CAS LR 445: Russian in Boston: Advanced Experimental Russian
Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Teamwork/Collaboration
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.
CAS LT 111: First-Semester Turkish
Hub areas: The Individual in Community
Introduction to spoken and written Turkish and fundamentals of Turkish grammar, with oral drills and written exercises
CAS LT 112: Second-Semester Turkish
Hub areas: The Individual in Community
Completes introduction to modern Turkish grammar, with emphasis on development of aural and written comprehension, as well as writing and speaking abilities
CAS LT 211: Third-Semester Turkish
Hub areas: The Individual in Community
Further, intermediate-level, development of Turkish language skills through textbooks and readings including literary works, internet-based exercises, and Turkish audio and visual materials
CAS LT 212: Fourth-Semester Turkish
Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Completes presentation of structures of Turkish. Students achieve “intermediate-high” levels of proficiency in reading, writing, listening, and speaking.
CAS LY 111: Elementary Modern Arabic 1
Hub areas: The Individual in Community
Advances proficiency in Modern Standard Arabic to the Beginner Mid level. Expands vocabulary repertoire. Practice speaking, listening, reading, writing using engaging materials and real-life communicative activities.
CAS LY 112: Elementary Modern Arabic 2
Hub areas: The Individual in Community
Advances proficiency in Modern Standard Arabic to the Beginner High level. Expands vocabulary repertoire. Practice speaking, listening, reading, writing using engaging materials and real-life communicative activities.
CAS LY 139: Intensive First-Year Arabic for Heritage Learners
Hub areas: The Individual in Community
Intensive first-year Arabic for students already knowing the Arabic alphabet and possessing some colloquial Arabic conversation skills. Advances reading, writing, speaking, and comprehension to Novice High. One semester covers all material taught in CAS LY 111 and LY 112.
CAS LY 211: Second-Year Modern Arabic 1
Hub areas:The Individual in Community
Advances proficiency in Modern Standard Arabic to the Intermediate Low level. Expands vocabulary repertoire. Practice speaking, listening, reading, writing using engaging materials and real-life communicative activities
CAS LY 212: Second-Year Modern Arabic 2
Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Advances proficiency in Modern Standard Arabic to the Intermediate Mid level. Expands vocabulary repertoire. Practice speaking, listening, reading, writing using engaging materials and real-life communicative activities.
CAS LY 214: Levantine Arabic 1
Hub areas: The Individual in Community
To enhance oral communicative ability in colloquial Levantine Arabic. Introduces vocabulary, grammatical features, and cultural skills essential for informal communication with speakers of Syrian, Lebanese, Palestinian, and Jordanian Arabic.
CAS LY 215: Levantine Arabic 2
Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Advances communicative proficiency in Levantine colloquial Arabic to the intermediate level. Using engaging materials and activities, students learn and practice vocabulary and grammar essential for practical everyday communication with Syrians, Lebanese, Palestinians, Jordanians.
CAS LY 572: Arabic Translation and Interpreting
Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Oral and/or Signed Communication, Critical Thinking
Training in strategies of written translation between Arabic and English, and introduction to the challenges of oral interpreting. Exercises drawn from various contemporary materials including print and broadcast media as well as literary texts.
CAS LZ 111: First Semester Modern Persian (Farsi)
Hub areas: The Individual in Community
For beginners. Introduction to spoken and written Persian and to fundamentals of Persian grammar, with oral drills and written exercises.
CAS LZ 112: Second Semester Modern Persian (Farsi)
Hub areas: The Individual in Community
For beginners. Continues CAS LZ 111. Spoken and written Persian and fundamentals of Persian grammar, with oral drills and written exercises
CAS LZ 211: Third Semester Modern Persian (Farsi)
Hub areas: The Individual in Community
Development of communication skills acquired in the first year (CAS LZ 111 and 112).
CAS LZ 212: Fourth Semester Modern Persian (Farsi)
Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Continues CAS LZ 211. Development of communication skills acquired in the first year (CAS LZ 111 and 112). Satisfactory completion of CAS LZ 212 fulfills the CAS language requirement.
CAS TL 541: Translation Today
Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Creativity/Innovation
Weekly lectures and discussions with prominent literary translators from Boston and elsewhere. Students engage with a variety of languages and several genres: poetry, drama, essay, fiction, and more. Focus on concrete, practical translation issues arising from the speakers’ work.
CAS XL 325: Global Modernist Fiction
Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Philosophical Inquiries and Life’s Meanings, Critical Thinking
A comparative study of modernist authors from different world cultures: Faulkner, Kafka, Chang, Rushdie, and Murakami. Examines experiments in narrative technique as differently situated responses to the major events and legacy of the twentieth century. Also offered as CAS EN 215.
CAS XL 420: Queer Theory
Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Philosophical Inquiries and Life’s Meanings, Critical Thinking
Surveys major texts and arguments in queer theory from Butler’s Gender Trouble to contemporary discussions of cisnormativity, homonationalism, affect, pinkwashing, crip theory, and queer-of-color critique. Explores different uses of queer theory in legal debates, literary analysis, and cultural criticism. Also offered as CAS WS 420.
CAS XL 530: Marxist Cultural Criticism
Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Philosophical Inquiries and Life’s Meanings, Critical Thinking
An introduction to Marxist cultural criticism that examines the transformation of concepts in classic Marxism (Marx, Lukacs, Althusser, Adorno, and Gramsci) into contemporary debates about race, gender, sexuality, colonialism, modernity, and language (Said, Zizek, Spivak, and others). Also offered as CAS EN 539.
Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
CAS LC 212: Fourth-Semester Chinese
Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, The Individual in Community
Review of structure and grammar, practice in conversation and writing, introduction to reading.
CAS LC 216: Chinese Reading and Writing 2
Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, The Individual in Community
Intensive course covering second-year Chinese in one semester for students who speak Mandarin. Training in listening and speaking, but emphasis is on reading and writing; aspects of students’ Chinese heritage are also explored. Satisfactory completion of CAS LC 216 fulfills the CAS language requirement. This course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
CAS LC 250: Masterpieces of Classical Chinese Literature (in English Translation)
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Panoramic overview of three thousand years of Chinese literature from its beginnings to the threshold of modernity. Discusses masterpieces of one of the world’s oldest continuous traditions in their cultural context and in the context of literatures around the world.
CAS LC 251: Masterpieces of Modern Chinese Literature (in English Translation)
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Modern Chinese literature tells stories of trauma, accommodation, and resistance. It offers private and public records of tumultuous transitions. This course focuses on great works of transformative importance. Authors include Lu Xun, Wang Meng, and Jin Yong.
CAS LC 260: Gateway to Asian Cultures
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Panoramic introduction to the cultures of East and South Asia in comparative perspective (China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, India). Examines shared foundations, transformative inflection points, sites, peoples, and ideologies over the past two millennia through primary texts and media. Also offered as CAS LJ 260, LK 260, LN 260, XL 260.
CAS LC 261: Chinese Religion
Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life’s Meanings, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Creativity/Innovation
A historical survey of Chinese religions from the ancient period to modern times. Covers cosmology, divination, philosophy, divine kingship, ancestors, art, the Silk Road, death and afterlives, popular deities, Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism.
CAS LC 280: Chinese Classics in Today’s World (in English Translation)
Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Discusses canonical texts, such as the “Five Confucian Classics” and “Four Books,” which for millennia have defined Chinese culture, and reflects on their appeal, significance, and current comeback in Chinese pop culture and politics.
CAS LC 281: Chinese Theater
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Interdisciplinary approach to Chinese theatrical traditions and performances. Famous dramatic works are studied for their theatricality and interpreted within the context of the spaces, situations, and practices of the time when they were written and produced.
CAS LC 287: Screening Modern China (In English Translation)
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
Major Chinese films interpreted in light of modern Chinese history and culture. Focus on questions of national and cultural identity in films from the 1980s to the present day by directors from Mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. In English.
CAS LC 311: Third Year Modern Chinese 1
Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
Readings and discussion in modern Chinese of a range of authentic materials, including essays, newspaper articles and multi-media recourses. Explore social issues in contemporary Chinese society (e.g. love and marriage, education, employment, population, housing problem, etc.) and compare them with the other countries.
CAS LC 314: Classical Chinese 1 for Students of East Asia
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Introductory readings in Classical Chinese for students of Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. Learn the shared literary language of premodern East Asia and read masterpieces of East Asian philosophy, history, poetry, and fiction in the original. Also offered as CAS LJ 314 and CAS LK 314.
CAS LC 315: Classical Chinese
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Learning the basic syntactical, lexical, and semantic features of classical Chinese by reading original ancient texts from Pre-Qin to the Qing, and examining how active classical Chinese is in modern Chinese, in order to understand this cultural and linguistic heritage. Prerequisites CAS LC 212 or CAS LC 216; or consent of instructor.
CAS LC 317: Chinese in Modern Society
Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Oral and/or Signed Communication
Explore a wide range of social issues that contemporary China confronts today through media, press, movie, literature and art. Students continue developing Chinese communication skills and cultural awareness. Specific topics vary by semester.
CAS LC 320: Advanced Classical Chinese
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Readings of classical Chinese poetry, philosophy, and short and long fiction for students with a foundation in literary Chinese. Selected materials address perennial human questions and are drawn from the past three millennia of the Chinese textual tradition.
CAS LC 322: Business Chinese
Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Oral and/or Signed Communication, Teamwork/Collaboration
Advanced Chinese language course focuses on both oral and written communication to prepare students for employment or research in a variety of China-related fields or in Chinese-speaking communities. Specific topics vary by semester. (Prereq: LC 311)
CAS LC 420: Topics in Chinese Through Media
Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Digital/Multimedia Expression
Introduction to Chinese language media. Learn journalistic rhetoric in Chinese, explore various aspects of contemporary Chinese society and cultivate digital literacy. Specific topics vary by semester. This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Digital/Multimedia Expression.
CAS LC 451: Visual Politics: Propaganda Art, Literature, and “Model Films” During the Chinese Cultural Revolution 1966-1976
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Writing-Intensive Course
A study of “model films,” poster art, and literature during the Chinese Cultural Revolution. A critical approach to the larger cultural and political context of socialist art and literature as well as its legacy in China today.
CAS LC 480: Modern Chinese Literature and Film
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
A seminar on the major works of modern Chinese literature and cinema from the May Fourth period to the present, with a focus on close reading and visual analysis.
CAS LC 586: Chinese Literary Translation Workshop
Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
A workshop on translating literary works from Chinese to English designed for MFA students and advanced undergraduate students. Discusses strategies for rendering context-dependent and idiomatic expressions, translating different literary genres, and syntactical and stylistic choices for the translator. Prereq: CAS CL 311 or equivalent.
CAS LG 212: Fourth-Semester German
Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, The Individual in Community
Continued development of communicative skills and strategies for functioning socially in German-language contexts. Students learn to understand literary and nonliterary texts. Conducted in German.
CAS LG 220: Introduction to German Linguistics
Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Introduction to major subfields of German linguistics: phonetics/ phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, historical linguistics, regional variation, and sociolinguistic aspects such as gender and English influence. Course also aims to improve students’ German proficiency and pronunciation.
CAS LG 250: Masterpieces of German Literature (in English Translation)
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Introduction to the major works of German literature, emphasizing methods of close reading and the art of critical writing. Texts by Johannes von Saaz, J.W. Goethe, Heinrich von Kleist, Georg Buchner, Robert Musil, Ingeborg Bachmann and others.
CAS LG 260: Intercultural Communication
Hub areas: Social Inquiry I, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Teamwork/Collaboration.
An interdisciplinary, interactive class designed to provide an introduction to intercultural questions stemming from the growing diversity and inter- connectedness of the United States and the world. Draws on the fields of psychology, anthropology, sociology, linguistics, and communication as it introduces students to the basic theories regarding intercultural communication and helps them develop a foundational level of intercultural competency.
CAS LG 307: German Modern Society and Culture
Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Oral and/or Signed Communication
Exploration of life and social issues in the German-speaking world through media, press, and a recent novel and film. Students progress in all language skills and acquire reading and communicative strategies necessary to discuss complex cultural topics. Prereq: CAS LG 212 or placement test results or consent of instructor.
CAS LG 308: Food-Culture in German-speaking Countries
Hub areas: Oral and/or Signed Communication, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Creativity/Innovation
What is German food culture? How does regional and global food shape our community, culture and identity? Debates on sustainable food choices and food waste initiatives. In this advanced language course, students progress in all language skills through analyses of media, images, a graphic novel, short stories and film, and acquire reading and communicative strategies necessary to discuss food-related and complex cultural topics.
CAS LG 309: German for the Professions
Hub areas: Oral and/or Signed Communication, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Advanced study of German through analysis of materials ranging from expository texts, advertisements, and business case studies to current events. Students acquire professional communication strategies and gain sophistication in written communication, intercultural analysis, interviewing techniques, and presentation skills.
CAS LG 335: Music, Art, and History in the German-Speaking World
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Introduction to works, lives, and times of some composers and artists who have shaped the cultures of the German-speaking world. Conducted in German, the course aims to deepen students’ cultural awareness as well as the sophistication of their language skills.
CAS LG 350: Introduction to German Literature
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Writing Intensive Course
Masterpieces of German literature representing major eras and genres from the eighteenth century to the present. Practical introduction to methods of close reading and literary interpretation; class discussion. (Prereq: any course from CAS LG 302-309 or equivalent; or permission of instructor. First Year Writing Seminar, e.g., WR 100 or WR 120).
CAS LH 212: Intermediate Modern Hebrew 2
Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, The Individual in Community
Expands vocabulary, grammar, language structures and communicative skills to enable students to achieve solid proficiency. Develops students’ ability to respond orally and in writing to literary texts and audio – visual material such as Israeli films, television clips and news. (Prereq: LH211 or consent of instructor).
CAS LH 250: Masterpieces of Modern Hebrew Literature (in English Translation)
Hub Areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship & Intercultural Literacy, Creativity/Innovation
Narrative prose by major writers from nineteenth-century Eastern Europe to present-day Israel, including works of S.Y. Agnon, Dvora Baron, A.B. Yehoshua, Amos Oz, Shalev, Etgar Keret, Sayed Kashua, and Orly Castel-Bloom. Focus on the struggle to forge modern identity in the domains of family, nation, religion and Middle East. Required for the minor in Hebrew.
CAS LH 283: Israeli Culture Through Film (taught in English)
Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Aesthetic Exploration, Writing-Intensive Course
Israeli society, from its origins to contemporary times, through the medium of film. Topics include immigration; war; the impact of the Holocaust; trials of women; the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Introduction to film analysis and interpretive methods. Required for the Hebrew minor. Prereq: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120).
CAS LH 311: Advanced Modern Hebrew: Voices in Israeli Society
Hub areas: Digital/Multimedia Expression, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
This course provides advanced language practice and introduction to globally diverse groups in Israeli society: Orthodox and secular, immigrants and veteran immigrants, Mizrahi and Ashkenazi Jews, Arab-Israelis and more. Through reading a variety of academic and newspapers articles, short stories, poems and viewing interviews, documentaries and movies, students will enhance their interpretation, writing and oral skills while acquiring fundamental knowledge about ethnic/religious/national/social diversity in Israel.
CAS LH 312: Sixth Semester Hebrew: Food Culture in Israel
Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Oral and/or Signed Communication, Creativity/Innovation
Israel has a rich cuisine that reflects the diversity of Israeli society, Jewish and Arab culinary traditions, and a wide range of regional influences. Through reading/viewing a variety of authentic materials, students will enhance their language and cultural proficiency.
CAS LH 330: Israeli Popular Music
Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Digital/Multimedia Expression, Creativity/Innovation
Intermediate Hebrew language and culture course for those who have completed at least four semesters’ college Hebrew or equivalent. Introduction to Israeli cultural history through music. Students expand vocabulary and develop writing, reading, listening, and conversational skills in Hebrew.
CAS LJ 212: Fourth Semester Japanese
Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, The Individual in Community
Elaboration and refinement of the fundamental skills introduced in CAS LJ 111, 112 with an introduction to reading and composition.
CAS LJ 250: Masterpieces of Japanese Literature (in English Translation)
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
An introduction to Japanese literary history. Topics include mythic beginnings, conceptions of nature and death, flowering of a court aesthetic, the writer as hermit-sage, the Tokugawa stage and its love suicides. Use of literary and visual materials.
CAS LJ 251: Modern Japanese Literature (in English Translation)
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Introduction to modern Japanese literature. Naturalism and its critics, rise of the I-novel, Taisho aestheticism, proletarian literature, postwar and post-recession crises of cultural identity, cell phone novels. Works by Natsume Soseki, Hayashi Fumiko, Tanizaki Jun’ichiro, Oe Kenzaburo, and Tsushima Yuko. Carries humanities divisional credit in CAS.
CAS LJ 283: Modern Japanese Culture in Cinema (in English Translation)
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Japanese film from the silent era to contemporary animation, with attention to the intersection of cinematic and cultural analysis and genres such as yakuza movies. Directors studied may include Ozu, Kurosawa, Mizoguchi, and Miyazaki Hayao. Also offered as CAS CI 260.
CAS LJ 304: Third Year Modern Japanese 2
Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Oral and/or Signed Communication.
Reading and viewing modern Japanese texts and media in order to develop advanced reading, writing, listening and speaking skills, as well as familiarity with contemporary cultural topics.
CAS LJ 316: Classical Japanese
Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Introduction to Classical Japanese, Japan’s written language from the seventh until the twentieth century. A systematic study of grammar and lexicon enriched by original readings from major works of Japanese literature such as Man’yoshu, Pillow Book, Genji, and Heike monogatari, Hojoki.
CAS LJ 320: Conversational Japanese
Hub areas: Oral and/or Signed Communication, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Teamwork/Collaboration
Advanced training to increase fluency in spoken Japanese with an emphasis on different levels of politeness in speech and cultural awareness. Role playing; vocabulary and expression building; and aural comprehension. Concurrent enrollment in a four-skills language course is encouraged.
CAS LJ 322: Japanese for the Professions
Hub areas: Oral and/or Signed Communication, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Teamwork/Collaboration
Advanced Japanese language course to prepare students to use workplace Japanese and to understand Japanese business culture and the economic landscape. Discussions and assignments facilitate communication, presentation, reading/writing, cross-cultural understanding, and collaboration skills.
CAS LJ 385: Intensive Kanji
Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Creativity/Innovation
Intensive study of the 1006 Kanji to build additional proficiency in reading and writing for advanced Japanese language students. The course also explores the history and aesthetics of kanji characters. Intended for students without heritage knowledge of Chinese characters.
CAS LJ 410: The History of the Japanese Language
Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Overview of major issues in the history of Japanese: genetic relationships, changes in sound system, word and sentence structures, and pragmatics. Special attention to the process leading to the current writing system. Representative texts used to demonstrate different literary languages.
CAS LJ 460: Haruki Murakami and His Sources
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Creativity/Innovation
Students read works by Haruki Murakami and by writers who shaped him or were shaped by him, reflect on the nature of intertextuality, and gain a perspective on contemporary literature as operating within a global system of mutual influence.
CAS LK 212: Fourth Semester Korean
Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, The Individual in Community
Further review of the structures of Korean. Practice in conversation involving specialized topics. Advanced readings from Korean culture. Frequent compositions.
CAS LK 216: Second-Year Korean for Heritage Speakers
Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, The Individual in Community
Continues from CAS LK 116. Designed for students who are fluent in spoken Korean but have only basic practice in reading or writing. Comprehensive coverage of second-year Korean grammar, reading, writing, and speaking. Successful completion of CAS LK 216 fulfills the CAS foreign language requirement.
CAS LK 250: Introduction to Korean Literature (in English Translation)
Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Aesthetic Exploration
What is Korean literature? How has it evolved through interaction with Chinese, Japanese, European, and American literatures and cultures? What roles have regional and global changes played in shaping Korean imaginative writing? No prerequisites; readings and discussions in English.
CAS LK 313: Korean Through TV Drama
Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Oral and/or Signed Communication
Using recent South Korean TV drama series as primary texts to elevate Korean proficiency level to advanced and increase cultural awareness. A special emphasis on speaking and listening.
CAS LK 322: Korean for the Professions
Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Oral and/or Signed Communication, Teamwork/Collaboration
Content-based advanced Korean language course focusing on developing communication skills needed in a variety of professional environments in Korea. Helps students prepare for job applications, interviews, professional meetings and presentations.
CAS LK 375: Growing Up in Korea
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Examining memoirs, prose fiction, film, television dramas, and graphic narratives to ask: how have the conventions of Korean coming-of-age narratives evolved? What does this say about changes in Korean identity? What roles have gender and sexuality played in Korean stories of growing up?
CAS LN 212: Fourth-Semester Hindi-Urdu
Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, The Individual in Community
Further review of the structures of Hindi-Urdu. Practice in conversation involving specialized topics. Advanced readings in Hindi. Frequent compositions. (Prereq: LN211 or consent of Instructor).
CAS LN 380: Modern India Through Bollywood
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Critical Thinking
Explores the social history and culture of modern India through the lens of popular Hindi cinema, commonly called Bollywood. We analyze Bollywood films both as forms of art and as cultural texts, and examine how they reflect and interpret modern Indian society. Course readings focus on theoretical approaches to Hindi cinema, and also shed light on the larger historical and social context that surrounds it. Also offered as CAS CI 380.
CAS LN 381: Language and Identity in India: Exploring the Phenomenon of Hinglish (in English Translation)
Hub areas: Social Inquiry I, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Explores how the history and contemporary usage of Hinglish reflect India’s postcolonial and globalized identity. Readings on sociolinguistic theories and linguistic rules of Hinglish, with examples from cinema, advertising, social media, and popular fiction. Course taught in English.
CAS LN 470: Topics in South Asian Literature and Culture
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Topics vary. May be taken multiple times for credit if topic is different.
CAS LR 212: Second-Year Russian II
Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, The Individual in Community
The fundamentals of Russian grammar and syntax. Development of reading and oral skills. (Prereq: LR211 or consent of Instructor).
CAS LR 250: Classics of Russian Prose (in English Translation)
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Prose works that define the Russian literary tradition, including Pushkin’s Queen of Spades, Gogol’s Overcoat, Turgenev’s Fathers and Sons, Dostoevsky’s Notes from the Underground, Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina.
CAS LR 282: Russian Prose Classics of the Twentieth Century (in English Translation)
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Writing Intensive Course
Introduction to the major writers of twentieth-century Russian Prose and to the literary traditions that they represent through a close reading of selected texts. Authors include Chekhov, Tolstoy, Babel, Bulgakov, Kharms, Pasternak, Shalamov, Solzhenitsyn, Petrushevskaya, Sorokin.
CAS LR 311: Russian Youth Culture
Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Oral/Signed Communication
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.
CAS LR 312: Russia on Screen
Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Digital/Multimedia Expression
Watch original unabridged Russian films and read scripts. Intensive work on improvement of fluency and quality of expression in Russian; special attention to pronunciation.
CAS LR 442: Russian Media and Pop Culture
Hub areas: Digital/Multimedia Expression, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
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.
CAS LR 457: Advanced Russian Language and Literature
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Writing-Intensive Course
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.
CAS LT 212: Fourth-Semester Turkish
Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, The Individual in Community
Completes presentation of structures of Turkish, to “intermediate-high” levels of proficiency in reading, writing, listening, and speaking. (Prereq: LT211 or consent of Instructor).
CAS LT 303: Understanding Modern Turkey Through Film and Literature
Hub areas: Oral and/or Signed Communication, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
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 complex issues faced by Turkish people and society while improving their Turkish language skills. Prereq: CAS LT 212.
CAS LY 212: Second-Year Modern Arabic 2
Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, The Individual in Community
Advances proficiency in Modern Standard Arabic to the Intermediate Mid level. Expands vocabulary repertoire. Practice speaking, listening, reading, writing using engaging materials and real-life communicative activities. (Prereq: LY211 or consent of Instructor).
CAS LY 215: Levantine Arabic 2
Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, The Individual in Community
Advances communicative proficiency in Levantine colloquial Arabic to the intermediate level. Using engaging materials and activities, students learn and practice vocabulary and grammar essential for practical everyday communication with Syrians, Lebanese, Palestinians, Jordanians. Prereq: LY 214, or novice-high proficiency level.
CAS LY 283: Arab Cultures Through Film (in English Translation)
Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Historical Consciousness, Teamwork/Collaboration
Explores Arab cultures with a focus on key historical and social issues through the lens of Arabic films, both as historical artifacts and artworks. Diverse cinematic works from Syria, Palestine, Egypt, and beyond are discussed and analyzed. No prior knowledge of the Arab world or Arabic is required.
CAS LY 303: Third Year Modern Arabic 1
Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Oral and/or Signed Communication
Advances proficiency in Modern Standard Arabic to the Intermediate Mid level. Expands vocabulary repertoire. Practice speaking, listening, reading, writing using engaging materials and real-life communicative activities.
CAS LY 304: Third Year Modern Arabic 2
Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Digital/Multimedia Expression
Advances proficiency in Modern Standard Arabic to the Advanced Low level. Expands vocabulary repertoire. Practice speaking, listening, reading, writing using engaging materials and real-life communicative activities.
CAS LY 350: Introduction to Arabic Literature
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Writing Intensive Course
Selection of Arabic poetry, short stories, novels, and drama. Focus on development and refinement of Arabic reading strategies, literary analysis of short passages, and writing and speaking skills. Readings and assignments in Arabic and English.
CAS LY 411: Arab Society through Hip Hop & Cartoons
Hub areas: Oral and/or Signed Communication, Global Citizenship & Intercultural Literacy, Creativity/Innovation
Develop advanced Arabic linguistic skills and cultural knowledge, especially the ability to discuss topics on social, cultural, and political problems in the Arab World. Texts include: hip hop music and lyrics, editorial cartoons, and news articles in Arabic.
CAS LY 441: 1001 Nights in the World Literary Imagination
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Writing Intensive Course
What is The Thousand and One Nights? How has this ever-expanding collection appealed to its diverse audiences? Focus on Nights’ structure and themes, notable translations and offshoots in western literature and art, and later appropriations by Arab and Muslim writers.
CAS LZ 212: Fourth-Semester Modern Persian (Farsi)
Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, The Individual in Community
Development of communication skills acquired in the first year, CAS LZ111 and LZ112.
CAS LZ 315: Tradition and Modernity in Iranian Film and Literature
Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Aesthetic Exploration, Writing-Intensive Course
This course examines how competing notions of tradition and modernity are presented in Iranian cinema. Drawing on both classical and modern Persian literary works to draw out underlying connections between the readings and the films. Prereq: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120).
CAS LZ 380: Persian Epic and Romance (in English Translation)
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Introduction to the heroic and romantic narrative literature of Iran and Afghanistan. Readings include: the Persian epic Shahnameh, romances by Nezami and Jami, and Sadi’s Gulistan. Discussion of the endurance of Persian myths and tales in world literature and visual forms.
CAS LZ 381: Rumi and Persian Sufi Poetry (in English Translation)
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Introduction to the Persian Sufi poet Rumi’s narrative and lyric writings. Focus on Islamic mysticism, the innovative aspects of Rumi’s poetry, and the problem of profane vs sacred love. All readings in English translation.
CAS TL 541: Translation Today
Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Creativity/Innovation
Weekly lectures and discussions with prominent literary translators from Boston and elsewhere. Students engage with a variety of languages and several genres: poetry, drama, essay, fiction, and more. Focus on concrete, practical translation issues arising from the speakers’ work.
CAS XL 100: Leaving Home: Explorations in World Literature
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Growing up. Moving to the big city. Wisdom quest. Immigration. Tourism. How have the world’s great literatures portrayed and shaped these experiences? How have literary works themselves found new worlds through translation and adaptation? Counts for credit toward all WLL majors.
CAS XL 222: Introduction to Western Literatures
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Writing Intensive Course
Introduces basic methods of comparative literary study through close readings of influential texts of the Western tradition from antiquity to present. Topics include genre, translation, appropriation, interpretation, theories of literary production and effect. All works read in English. Prereq: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120).
CAS XL 223: Introduction to Middle Eastern Literatures
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Writing Intensive Course
Introduces basic methods of comparative literary study through close readings of some of the most influential texts of Arabic, Persian, Turkish, and Hebrew literature. Readings may include The Arabian Nights, Shahnameh, lyric poetry, and novels from the twentieth century.
CAS XL 224: Introduction to East Asian Literatures
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Writing Intensive Course
Explores why and how to compare literatures and cultures and envisions the place of East Asia’s traditions in World Literature. Embarks on theoretical reflection and close reading of Chinese, Japanese, and Korean texts from three millennia.
CAS XL 225: Introduction to South Asian Literatures
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Writing Intensive Course
Introduces basic methods of comparative literary study through close readings of some of the most influential texts of Indian and other South Asian literatures. Readings may include Shakuntala, The Ramayana, bhakti and Sufi literatures.
CAS XL 236: Jewish Literature
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
How do changing notions of ethnicity and race, religion, and gender, as well as geographical place define Jewish family and community? Topics include immigration, diaspora, and national culture; patriotism, antisemitism, and multiculturalism; Jewish identities and gender; conversion, assimilation, and acculturation.
CAS XL 327: Immigrant Women in Literature: Found in Translation?
Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Critical Thinking
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. Also offered as CAS LR 327.
CAS XL 342: Travel Writing and the Muslim World
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Writing-Intensive Course
How have Muslim travelers past and present written about place and people they saw abroad, and how have Western travelers in the Muslim lands described their travels in “the East”? Readings include Nasir Khusraw, Ibn Battuta, Eliza Fay, and Robert Byron.
CAS XL 343: Alexander the Great in the East
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Writing-Intensive Course
Study of the various narratives about Alexander the Great, also known as Sikandar or Iskandar, as conqueror, philosopher-king, and hero, in medieval Middle Eastern and Asian literatures. Modern filmic representations of the historical figure are also compared.
CAS XL 344: Global Shakespeares
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Creativity/Innovation
Why do contemporary writers parrot and parody “Shakespeare,” and how much of this activity is about Shakespeare at all? This seminar provides an introduction to reading and writing about Shakespeare’s plays. But it also takes a step back to consider Shakespeare as a phenomenon, inspiring adapters around the world. Beyond learning about particular offshoots and adaptations, the deeper point is to explore how playwrights think about their sources, their audiences, and their art.
CAS XL 387: Holocaust Through Film
Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Writing-Intensive Course
An examination of film using the Holocaust as its central topic. What are the political and cultural effects when genocide is represented through film? Can feature films portray history, and if so, what are the consequences for an informed society?
Ethical Reasoning
CAS LH 340: Israeli Culture Through Media
Hub areas: Digital/Multimedia Expression, Ethical Reasoning
Advanced Hebrew language and culture course that introduces students to the main social, cultural and political issues in Israeli society and how they have been covered by important media sources in Israel.
CAS LJ 441: Japanese Through Media
Hub areas: Ethical Reasoning, Digital/Multimedia Expression, Social Inquiry I
Analysis and discussion of authentic print, digital, visual, and social media while developing a high level of Japanese proficiency, and gaining knowledge of current issues and media literacy. Develops critical reading/viewing skills as well as communicative and intercultural proficiency.
CAS LK 383: Modern Korean Culture Though Cinema (In English Translation)
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Ethical Reasoning, Critical Thinking
Introduction to Korean Cinema from the early 20th century to the present. Discussion and essays on ethics of representation, colonialism, wars, state violence against citizens, psychological violence, sexual violence.
CAS LK 440: Korean Conversation and Composition Through Media
Hub areas: Social Inquiry I, Ethical Reasoning, Digital/Multimedia Expression
Intensive practice of both oral and written forms of Korean. Survey of important cultural, social, political, and economic issues in Korea as portrayed in films, television, and periodicals. Development of effective written and spoken communication. Prereq: CAS LK 312 or consent of instructor.
CAS LR 353: Stalin’s Crimes: Gulag and Genocide
Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Ethical Reasoning, Writing-Intensive Course
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. Prereq: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120).
CAS LY 420: Arabic Media
Hub areas: Digital/Multimedia Expression, Oral/Signed Communication, Ethical Reasoning
This advanced Arabic language course builds skills in reading, listening, discussion, presentation, and composition while familiarizing students with a broad range of Arab online media, their coverage of current socio-political and cultural issues, and their impact on Arab public opinion.
CAS XL 244: Greek Drama in Translation
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Ethical Reasoning, Teamwork/Collaboration
The history and development of ancient Greek theater; study of important plays in the genres of tragedy, comedy, and satyr drama by Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Aristophanes, and Menander. Cannot be taken for credit in addition to CAS CL 324.
CAS XL 281: Representations of the Holocaust: Literature, Film, Memorials
Hub areas: Ethical Reasoning, Historical Consciousness
How can we understand the impact of the Holocaust and its ongoing legacies?
Holocaust representation in literature, film and memorials, including discussions of bystander complicity and societal responsibilities, testimonial and fictive works by Wiesel and Levi, documentaries and feature films
CAS XL 459: Primo Levi Within Holocaust Literature
Hub areas: Ethical Reasoning, Historical Consciousness
How can we understand the impact of the Holocaust and its ongoing legacies?
A study of Primo Levi’s writings and scientific, literary, theological, and philosophical approaches to the Holocaust. Other theorists (Arendt, Wiesel, and Muller-Hill) and other survivors’ testimonies (Delbo, Borowski, Fink) are read in conjunction with Levi’s works. Also offered as CAS LI 459 and RN 459.
COMMUNICATION
Writing-Intensive Course
CAS LC 318: Chinese Through Public Speaking
Hub areas: Oral and/or Signed Communication, Teamwork/Collaboration, Writing-Intensive Course
As public speakers, how can we engage different communities at different times and places? This course explores theories concerning how to construct narratives and arguments that resonate with specific audiences in the Chinese- speaking world, and invites students to put such theories into performative practice in Chinese. Prereq: CAS LC 311 or consent of instructor; First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120).
CAS LC 451: Visual Politics: Propaganda Art, Literature, and “Model Films” During the Chinese Cultural Revolution 1966-1976
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Writing-Intensive Course
A study of “model films,” poster art, and literature during the Chinese Cultural Revolution. A critical approach to the larger cultural and political context of socialist art and literature as well as its legacy in China today.
CAS LG 283: The Faust Tradition
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Writing-Intensive Course
Comparative study of the Faust theme, 1500 to present: Marlowe, Goethe, Mann, Gertrude Stein, Jan Svankmajer, others. Transmission and adaptation of literary themes within and between national traditions. Emphasis on close reading and research, use of theory and criticism
CAS LG 350: Introduction to German Literature
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Writing-Intensive Course
Masterpieces of German literature representing major eras and genres from the eighteenth century to the present. Practical introduction to methods of close reading and literary interpretation; class discussion.
CAS LH 283: Israeli Culture through Film (in English Translation)
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Writing-Intensive Course
Israeli society, from its origins to contemporary times, through the medium of film. Topics include immigration; war; the ongoing impact of the Holocaust on Israeli society; trials of women; war; the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Introduction to film analysis and interpretive methods.
CAS LH 284: Israel: History, Politics, Culture, Identity (taught in English)
Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Critical Thinking, Writing-Intensive Course
Using a broad array of readings, popular music, documentaries, film and art, this course explores Israel’s political system, culture, and society, including the status of minorities in the Jewish state; post-1967 Israeli settlement projects; and the struggle for Israel’s identity.
CAS LJ 360: Haiku
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Creativity/Innovation, Writing-Intensive Course
The history and evolving forms of haiku in Japan and around the world. Students write and workshop their own haiku in English or Japanese, learning from great poets how to focus attention, observe nature, read closer, and write better.
CAS LJ 386: Japanese Translation/Interpretation Workshop
Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Oral and/or Signed Communication, Aesthetic Exploration
Through training in translating and interpreting, the course enhances knowledge of Japanese language and culture and improves English writing skills. Students are given a wide variety of texts to translate and practice oral interpretation in a range of contexts. Prerequisites: CAS LJ 212; , or CASLJ 211 and consent of instructor.
CAS LK 460: Korean Translation
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Writing-Intensive Course
Through training in translating from Korean into English, the course enhances knowledge of Korean language and culture and improves English writing as well as deepening the understanding of what is involved in translating one language into another.
CAS LK 475: Major Authors in Korean Literature
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Writing-Intensive Course
Closely examines major authors in Korean literature through their representative works in English translation. Students analyze each author’s writing style, themes, and characters while exploring various theoretical questions, institutional practices, and cultural praxes regarding literary authors and authorship.
CAS LR 282: Russian Prose Classics of the Twentieth Century (in English Translation)
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Writing-Intensive Course
Introduction to the major writers of twentieth-century Russian Prose and to the literary traditions that they represent through a close reading of selected texts. Authors include Chekhov, Tolstoy, Babel, Bulgakov, Kharms, Pasternak, Shalamov, Solzhenitsyn, Petrushevskaya, Sorokin.
CAS LR 353: Stalin’s Crimes: Gulag and Genocide
Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Ethical Reasoning, Writing-Intensive Course
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.
CAS LR 457: Advanced Russian Language and Literature
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Writing-Intensive Course
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.
CAS LT 389: The Interplay of Literature and History on the Turkic Silk Road
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Writing-Intensive Course
Historical and literary interactions among residents, travelers, armies, and intellectuals throughout dramatic transformations of the Central Asian Silk Road. Daily life of individuals and families in collapsing empires, the Soviet era, and the emergence of new nation states.
CAS LY 350: Intro to Arabic Literature
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Writing-Intensive Course
Selection of Arabic poetry, short stories, novels, and drama. Focus on development and refinement of Arabic reading strategies, literary analysis of short passages, and writing and speaking skills. Readings and assignments in Arabic and English.
CAS LY 441: 1001 Nights in the World Literary Imagination
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Writing-Intensive Course
What is The Thousand and One Nights? How has this ever-expanding collection appealed to its diverse audiences? Focus on Nights’ structure and themes, notable translations and offshoots in western literature and art, and later appropriations by Arab and Muslim writers.
CAS LZ 315: Tradition and Modernity in Iranian Film and Literature
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Writing-Intensive Course
This course examines how competing notions of tradition and modernity are presented in Iranian cinema. Drawing on both classical and modern Persian literary works to draw out underlying connections between the readings and the films.
CAS TL 505: Literary Style Workshop
Hub areas: Critical Thinking, Creativity/Innovation, Writing-Intensive Course
Workshop cultivating awareness of and sensitivity to style, cohesiveness, and patterning in literary English. Topics range from text-type to subtle effects of rhythm and sound. Imitation practice. Emphasis on translators’ process, from strategic decisions to editing. Workshop format.
CAS XL 222: Introduction to Western Literature
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Writing-Intensive Course
Introduces basic methods of comparative literary study through close readings of influential texts of the Western tradition from antiquity to present. Topics include genre, translation, appropriation, interpretation, theories of literary production and effect. All works read in English.
CAS XL 223: Introduction to Middle Eastern Literatures
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Writing-Intensive Course
Introduces basic methods of comparative literary study through close readings of some of the most influential texts of Arabic, Persian, Turkish, and Hebrew literature. Readings may include The Arabian Nights, Shahnameh, lyric poetry, and novels from the twentieth century.
CAS XL 224: Introduction to East Asian Literatures
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Writing-Intensive Course
Explores why and how to compare literatures and cultures and envisions the place of East Asia’s traditions in World Literature. Embarks on theoretical reflection and close reading of Chinese, Japanese, and Korean texts from three millennia.
CAS XL 225: Introduction to South Asian Literatures
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Writing-Intensive Course
Introduces basic methods of comparative literary study through close readings of some of the most influential texts of Indian and other South Asian literatures. Readings may include Shakuntala, The Ramayana, bhakti and Sufi literatures.
CAS XL 230: Topics in Big Fat Books
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Writing-Intensive Course
Enters deeply into the world of one literary work and explores its reverberations across national and disciplinary boundaries.
CAS XL 313: The “Odyssey” and “Ulysses”
Hub areas: Oral and/or Signed Communication, Creativity/Innovation, Writing-Intensive Course
This course consists of a close reading of James Joyce’s Ulysses with particular attention to his use of the Odyssey. We also examine the relation of oral and book cultures and other works Joyce takes in, such as the Aeneid, Divine Comedy and Hamlet.
CAS XL 342: Travel Writing and the Muslim World
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Writing-Intensive Course
How have Muslim travelers past and present written about place and people they saw abroad, and how have Western travelers in the Muslim lands described their travels in “the East”? Readings include Nasir Khusraw, Ibn Battuta, Eliza Fay, and Robert Byron.
CAS XL 343: Alexander the Great in the East
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Writing-Intensive Course
Study of the various narratives about Alexander the Great, also known as Sikandar or Iskandar, as conqueror, philosopher-king, and hero, in medieval Middle Eastern and Asian literatures. Modern filmic representations of the historical figure are also compared.
CAS XL 381: Topics in Gender and Literature (in English translation)
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Creativity/Innovation, Writing-Intensive Course
Topics vary. May be repeated for credit if topic is different. Topic for Spring 2023: Gender and Modernization Through Turkish Literature. Exploring the interplay of modernization of gender roles and gender performance through Turkish literary texts. The readings include Sabahattin Ali, Orhan Pamuk, Elif Shafak, Gulten Akin, Ayla Kutlu.
CAS XL 387: Holocaust Through Film
Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Writing-Intensive Course
An examination of film using the Holocaust as its central topic. What are the political and cultural effects when genocide is represented through film? Can feature films portray history, and if so, what are the consequences for an informed society?
CAS XL 389: The Interplay of Literature & History on the Turkic Silk Road
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Writing-Intensive Course
Historical and literary interactions among residents, travelers, armies, and intellectuals throughout dramatic transformations of the Central Asian Silk Road. Daily life of individuals and families in collapsing empires, the Soviet era, and the emergence of new nation states. Also offered as LT 389.
CAS XL 479: WLL Senior Seminar
Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Oral and/or Signed Communication, Research and Information Literacy
Through discussions of intercultural reading and translation, bibliographic assignments, student presentations, workshops, and work with a faculty language mentor, seniors majoring in WLL use this course to develop their final project: a substantial scholarly paper, translation, or creative work in a foreign language.
Oral and/or Signed Communication
CAS LC 317: Chinese in Modern Society
Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Oral and/or Signed Communication
Explore a wide range of social issues that contemporary China confronts today through media, press, movie, literature and art. Students continue developing Chinese communication skills and cultural awareness. Specific topics vary by semester.
CAS LC 318: Chinese Through Public Speaking
Hub areas: Oral and/or Signed Communication, Teamwork/Collaboration, Writing-Intensive Course
As public speakers, how can we engage different communities at different times and places? This course explores theories concerning how to construct narratives and arguments that resonate with specific audiences in the Chinese- speaking world, and invites students to put such theories into performative practice in Chinese.
CAS LC 322: Business Chinese
Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Oral and/or Signed Communication, Teamwork/Collaboration
Advanced Chinese language course focuses on both oral and written communication to prepare students for employment or research in a variety of China-related fields or in Chinese-speaking communities. Specific topics vary by semester.
CAS LC 416: Chinese through Literary Masterpieces
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Oral and/or Signed Communication, Creativity/Innovation
This content-based course introduces students to selected original works in modern Chinese poetry, short stories, novels, drama, letters, and prose. Through close reading, collaborative presentations and group discussions, students will examine how social realities and ideologies are reflected in these works and explore how these works reflect the author’s sense of identity crisis.
CAS LG 307: German Modern Society and Culture
Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Oral and/or Signed Communication
Exploration of life and social issues in the German-speaking world through media, press, and a recent novel and film. Students progress in all language skills and acquire reading and communicative strategies necessary to discuss complex cultural topics
CAS LG 308: Food-Culture in German-speaking Countries
Hub areas: Oral and/or Signed Communication, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Creativity/Innovation
What is German food culture? How does regional and global food shape our community, culture and identity? Debates on sustainable food choices and food waste initiatives. In this advanced language course, students progress in all language skills through analyses of media, images, a graphic novel, short stories and film, and acquire reading and communicative strategies necessary to discuss food-related and complex cultural topics.
CAS LG 309: German for the Professions
Hub areas: Oral and/or Signed Communication, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Advanced study of German through analysis of materials ranging from expository texts, advertisements, and business case studies to current events. Students acquire professional communication strategies and gain sophistication in written communication, intercultural analysis, interviewing techniques, and presentation skills.
CAS LG 310: German Translation and Interpretation
Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Oral/Signed Communication, Critical Thinking
Advanced German language training. Pleasures and frustrations of the incommensurability of German and U.S. cultures, investigated through systematic practice in translating and interpreting from German into English. Translation and interpretation as technical skill and creative performance.
CAS LH 312 Sixth Semester Hebrew: Food Culture in Israel
Hub areas: Oral and/or Signed Communication, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Creativity/Innovation
Israel has a rich cuisine that reflects the diversity of Israeli society, Jewish and Arab culinary traditions, and a wide range of regional influences. Through reading/viewing a variety of authentic materials, students will enhance their language and cultural proficiency.
CAS LJ 282: Samurai, Ships, and Soil: Japan Among the Empires of Asia, 1600-1950
Hub areas: Social Inquiry I, Oral and/or Signed Communication, Creativity/Innovation
Exotic as it may seem, Japan was never an isolated island country floating off the coast of Asia. This course offers a new narrative about the history of Japan in relation to the imperial orders and transnational spaces of Asia.
CAS LJ 303: Third Year Modern Japanese 1
Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Oral and/or Signed Communication, Teamwork/Collaboration
Reading and viewing modern Japanese texts and media in order to develop advanced reading, writing, listening and speaking skills, as well as familiarity with contemporary cultural topics. Prepares for working with authentic Japanese materials. Opportunity for engagement with Japanese speakers.
CAS LJ 304: Third Year Modern Japanese 2
Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Oral and/or Signed Communication
Reading and viewing modern Japanese texts and media in order to develop advanced reading, writing, listening and speaking skills, as well as familiarity with contemporary cultural topics.
CAS LJ 320: Conversational Japanese
Hub areas: Oral and/or Signed Communication, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Teamwork/Collaboration.
Advanced training to increase fluency in spoken Japanese with an emphasis on different levels of politeness in speech and cultural awareness. Role playing; vocabulary and expression building; and aural comprehension. Concurrent enrollment in a four-skills language course is encouraged.
CAS LJ 322: Japanese for the Professions
Hub areas: Oral and/or Signed Communication, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Teamwork/Collaboration
Advanced Japanese language course to prepare students to use workplace Japanese and to understand Japanese business culture and the economic landscape. Discussions and assignments facilitate communication, presentation, reading/writing, cross-cultural understanding, and collaboration skills.
CAS LJ 386: Japanese Translation/Interpretation Workshop
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Writing-Intensive Course, Oral and/or Signed Communication
Through training in translating and interpreting, the course enhances knowledge of Japanese language and culture and improves English writing skills. Students are given a wide variety of texts to translate and practice oral interpretation in a range of contexts.
CAS LK 312: Sixth-Semester Korean
Hub areas: Oral and/or Signed Communication, Teamwork/Collaboration
Reading and discussing modern Korean texts in order to further develop reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills while enhancing the understanding of Korean culture.
CAS LK 313: Korean Through TV Drama
Hub areas: Oral and/or Signed Communication, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Using recent South Korean TV drama series as primary texts to elevate Korean proficiency level to advanced and increase cultural awareness. A special emphasis on speaking and listening.
CAS LK 322: Korean for the Professions
Hub areas: Oral and/or Signed Communication, Teamwork/Collaboration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Content-based advanced Korean language course focusing on developing communication skills needed in a variety of professional environments in Korea. Helps students prepare for job applications, interviews, professional meetings and presentations.
LK 410: Korean Conversation and Discourse
Hub areas: Oral and/or Signed Communication, Critical Thinking, Research & Information Literacy
Introduction to linguistic, cultural, and conversational features of the Korean language. Students collect, transcribe, and analyze spoken-Korean data, gaining both a deeper understanding of Korean conversation and discourse norms and increased language proficiency at advanced levels or higher.
CAS LR 311: Russian Youth Culture
Hub areas: Oral and/or Signed Communication, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
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.
CAS LT 303: Third Year First Semester Turkish
Hub areas: Oral and/or Signed Communication, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
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 complex issues faced by Turkish people and society while improving their Turkish language skills.
CAS LY 303: Third Year Modern Arabic 1
Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Oral and/or Signed Communication
Advances proficiency in Modern Standard Arabic to the Intermediate Mid level. Expands vocabulary repertoire. Practice speaking, listening, reading, writing using engaging materials and real-life communicative activities.
CAS LY 411: Arab Society through Hip Hop & Cartoons
Hub areas: Oral and/or Signed Communication, Global Citizenship & Intercultural Literacy, Creativity/Innovation
Develop advanced Arabic linguistic skills and cultural knowledge, especially the ability to discuss topics on social, cultural, and political problems in the Arab World. Texts include: hip hop music and lyrics, editorial cartoons, and news articles in Arabic.
CAS LY 420: Arabic Media
Hub areas: Digital/Multimedia Expression, Oral/Signed Communication, Ethical Reasoning
This advanced Arabic language course builds skills in reading, listening, discussion, presentation, and composition while familiarizing students with a broad range of Arab online media, their coverage of current socio-political and cultural issues, and their impact on Arab public opinion.
CAS LY 572: Arabic Translation and Interpreting
Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Oral and/or Signed Communication, Critical Thinking
Training in strategies of written translation between Arabic and English, and introduction to the challenges of oral interpreting. Exercises drawn from various contemporary materials including print and broadcast media as well as literary texts.
CAS XL 313: The “Odyssey” and “Ulysses”
Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Oral and/or Signed Communication, Creativity/Innovation
This course consists of a close reading of James Joyce’s Ulysses with particular attention to his use of the Odyssey. We also examine the relation of oral and book cultures and other works Joyce takes in, such as the Aeneid, Divine Comedy and Hamlet.
CAS XL 479: WLL Senior Seminar
Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Oral and/or Signed Communication, Research and Information Literacy
Through discussions of intercultural reading and translation, bibliographic assignments, student presentations, workshops, and work with a faculty language mentor, seniors majoring in WLL use this course to develop their final project: a substantial scholarly paper, translation, or creative work in a foreign language.
Digital/Multimedia Expression
CAS LC 313: Chinese Through Theater and Performance
Hub areas: Digital/Multimedia Expression, Teamwork/Collaboration, Creativity/Innovation
This course explores communication through reading, writing, discussing and performing theater in Chinese. It focuses on linguistic, para-linguistic, and cultural aspects in authentic drama, and help learners express ideational, emotional, and social meanings in theatrical settings that simulate real life.
CAS LC 420: Topics in Chinese Through Media
Hub areas: Global Citizenship & Intercultural Literacy, Digital/Multimedia Expression
Introduction to Chinese language media. Learn journalistic rhetoric in Chinese, explore various aspects of contemporary Chinese society and cultivate digital literacy. Specific topics vary by semester. Topic for Fall 2020: News China. Introduction to Chinese- language news media and critical analysis of differences in reporting on current events. Topics may include economic, political, legal, and socio-cultural issues. Conducted in Chinese.
CAS LG 305: Science and Culture
Hub areas: Social Inquiry I, Digital/Multimedia Expression, Teamwork/Collaboration
How do science, humanities, and arts intersect and influence cultural attitudes towards society, nature, and the environment? Students progress in all language skills and acquire reading and communicative strategies necessary to discuss the sciences in German.
CAS LG 388: World Cities: Berlin
Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Digital/Multimedia Expression, Research and Information Literacy
This course explores Berlin’s urban imaginary, investigating cinematic, written and visual texts, architecture and urban planning to witness the complex, exciting, and sometimes tragic history of Berlin and to understand how people make sense of cities in general.
CAS LH 311: Advanced Modern Hebrew: Voices in Israeli Society
Hub areas: Digital/Multimedia Expression, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
This course provides advanced language practice and introduction to globally diverse groups in Israeli society: Orthodox and secular, immigrants and veteran immigrants, Mizrahi and Ashkenazi Jews, Arab-Israelis and more. Through reading a variety of academic and newspapers articles, short stories, poems and viewing interviews, documentaries and movies, students will enhance their interpretation, writing and oral skills while acquiring fundamental knowledge about ethnic/religious/national/social diversity in Israel.
CAS LH 330: Israeli Popular Music
Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Digital/Multimedia Expression, Creativity/Innovation
Advanced-intermediate Hebrew language and culture course for those who have completed at least four semesters’ college Hebrew or equivalent. Introduction to Israeli cultural history through music. Students expand vocabulary and develop writing, reading, listening, and conversational skills in Hebrew.
CAS LH 340: Israeli Culture through Media
Hub areas: Ethical Reasoning, Digital/Multimedia Expression
An advanced Hebrew language course, which uses as its “textbook” Israeli newspapers, television, and online news media. Students follow current events in Israel (politics, business, sports, etc.); compare coverage in diverse outlets; speak and write knowledgeably about Israeli society
CAS LJ 388: World Cities: Tokyo
Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Digital/Multimedia Expression, Research and Information Literacy
Explores the past and present of the vibrant city of Tokyo through literature and visual culture. Includes hand-on experiences mapping literary spaces. Reading and discussion in English.
CAS LJ 441: Japanese Through Media
Hub areas: Ethical Reasoning, Digital/Multimedia Expression, Social Inquiry I
Analysis and discussion of authentic print, digital, visual, and social media while developing a high level of Japanese proficiency, and gaining knowledge of current issues and media literacy. Develops critical reading/viewing skills as well as communicative and intercultural proficiency.
CAS LK 319: Korean Through Popular Music
Hub areas: Digital/Multimedia Expression, Creativity/Innovation
A content-based Korean language course designed to improve listening, speaking, and reading skills while analyzing the lyrics to legendary Korean popular songs and exploring the history of Korean pop music from the 1940s to the contemporary.
CAS LK 440: Korean Conversation and Composition Through Media
Hub areas: Digital/Multimedia Expression, Social Inquiry I, Ethical Reasoning
Intensive practice of both oral and written forms of Korean. Survey of important cultural, social, political, and economic issues in Korea as portrayed in films, television, and periodicals. Development of effective written and spoken communication.
CAS LR 312: Russia on Screen
Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Digital/Multimedia Expression
Watch original unabridged Russian films and read scripts. Intensive work on improvement of fluency and quality of expression in Russian; special attention to pronunciation.
CAS LR 442: Russian Media and Popular Culture
Hub areas: Digital/Multimedia Expression, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
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.
CAS LT 388: World Cities: Istanbul
Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Digital/Multimedia Expression, Research and Information Literacy
An examination of Istanbul in the global imaginary as it transformed from the Capital of the Ottoman Empire to the cultural capital of the Republic of Turkey through critical analysis of visual and literary texts.
CAS LY 304: Third Year Modern Arabic 2
Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Digital/Multimedia Expression
Advances proficiency in Modern Standard Arabic to the Advanced Low level. Expands vocabulary repertoire. Practice speaking, listening, reading, writing using engaging materials and real-life communicative activities.
CAS LY 420: Arabic Media
Hub areas: Digital/Multimedia Expression, Oral/Signed Communication, Ethical Reasoning
This advanced Arabic language course builds skills in reading, listening, discussion, presentation, and composition while familiarizing students with a broad range of Arab online media, their coverage of current socio-political and cultural issues, and their impact on Arab public opinion.
CAS XL 380: Gender and Identity in Contemporary Middle Eastern Film
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Digital/Multimedia Expression
An exploration of representations of gender and identity in contemporary Middle Eastern films by male and female directors reflecting on the impact of modernization, globalization, war and trauma through different visual genres.
CAS XL 396: World Cities: Berlin
Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Digital/Multimedia Expression, Research and Information Literacy
This course explores Berlin’s urban imaginary, investigating cinematic, written and visual texts, architecture and urban planning to witness the complex, exciting, and sometimes tragic history of Berlin and to understand how people make sense of cities in general.
CAS XL 397: World Cities: Istanbul
Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Digital/Multimedia Expression, Research and Information Literacy
An examination of Istanbul in the global imaginary as it transformed from the Capital of the Ottoman Empire to the cultural capital of the Republic of Turkey through critical analysis of visual and literary texts.
CAS XL 398: World Cities: Tokyo
Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Digital/Multimedia Expression, Research and Information Literacy
Explores the past and present of the vibrant city of Tokyo through literature and visual culture. Includes hand-on experiences mapping literary spaces. Reading and discussion in English.
Intellectual Toolkit
Critical Thinking
CAS LC 282: Old Tales for New Times: Folktale in Modern China
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking
Folklore in modern and contemporary China. An interdisciplinary approach to China’s most famous folk tales such as the Weaving Maiden and the Ox Herder, and the White Snake and Mulan. Traces the development of these stories in premodern times and their modern incarnations
CAS LG 310: German Translation and Interpretation
Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Oral/Signed Communication, Critical Thinking
Advanced German language training. Pleasures and frustrations of the incommensurability of German and U.S. cultures, investigated through systematic practice in translating and interpreting from German into English. Translation and interpretation as technical skill and creative performance.
CAS LH 284: Israel: History, Politics, Culture, Identity (taught in English)
Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Writing-Intensive Course, Critical Thinking
Using a broad array of readings, popular music, documentaries, film and art, this course explores Israel’s political system, culture, and society, including the status of minorities in the Jewish state; post-1967 Israeli settlement projects; and the struggle for Israel’s identity.
CAS LJ 480: Japanese Women Writers (in English Translation)
Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Philosophical Inquiries and Life’s Meanings, Critical Thinking
Classic texts by Japanese women, including the “Tale of Genji” and “The Pillow Book,” and their modern legacy, read alongside important philosophical and theoretical texts in queer and feminist thought. Lectures and texts in English
CAS LK 383: Modern Korean Culture Through Cinema (In English Translation)
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Ethical Reasoning, Critical Thinking
Introduction to Korean Cinema from the early 20th century to the present. Discussion and essays on ethics of representation, colonialism, wars, state violence against citizens, psychological violence, sexual violence.
LK 410: Korean Conversation and Discourse
Hub areas: Oral and/or Signed Communication, Critical Thinking, Research & Information Literacy
Introduction to linguistic, cultural, and conversational features of the Korean language. Students collect, transcribe, and analyze spoken-Korean data, gaining both a deeper understanding of Korean conversation and discourse norms and increased language proficiency at advanced levels or higher.
CAS LN 380: Modern India Through Bollywood
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Critical Thinking
Explores the social history and culture of modern India through the lens of popular Hindi cinema, commonly called Bollywood. We analyze Bollywood films both as forms of art and as cultural texts, and examine how they reflect and interpret modern Indian society. Course readings focus on theoretical approaches to Hindi cinema, and also shed light on the larger historical and social context that surrounds it. Also offered as CAS CI 380.
CAS LR 289: Russian Culture: Literature, Film & Art (in English Translation)
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking
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.
CAS LY 572: Arabic Translation and Interpreting
Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Oral and/or Signed Communication, Critical Thinking
Training in strategies of written translation between Arabic and English, and introduction to the challenges of oral interpreting. Exercises drawn from various contemporary materials including print and broadcast media as well as literary texts.
CAS TL 551: Topics in Translation
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking
May be taken multiple times for credit if topics are different. Examines how aspects of the translator’s identity have shaped the writing of translations, and explores translators in fiction. Translators include C.K. Scott Moncrieff, Arthur Waley, Barbara Wright, and Helen Lowe- Porter.
CAS XL 325: Global Modernist Fiction
Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life’s Meanings, The Individual in Community, Critical Thinking
A comparative study of five modernist authors from different world cultures: Faulkner, Kafka, Chang, Rushdie, and Murakami. Examines experiments in narrative technique as differently situated responses to the major events and legacy of the twentieth century.
CAS XL 327: Immigrant Women in Literature: Found in Translation?
Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Critical Thinking
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. Also offered as CAS LR 327.
CAS XL 420: Queer Theory
Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life’s Meanings, The Individual in Community, Critical Thinking
Surveys major texts and arguments in queer theory from Butler’s Gender Trouble to contemporary discussions of cisnormativity, homonationalism, affect, pinkwashing, crip theory, and queer-of-color critique. Explores different uses of queer theory in legal debates, literary analysis, and cultural criticism.
CAS XL 500: History and Theory of Translation
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking
The goal of this course is to familiarize students with the history of translation and the main trends in Translation Studies. Students will learn to apply concepts acquired in class to analyze and critique translations and develop their own strategies.
CAS XL 530: Marxist Cultural Criticism
Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life’s Meanings, The Individual in Community, Critical Thinking
An introduction to Marxist cultural criticism that examines the transformation of concepts in classic Marxism (Marx, Lukacs, Althusser, Adorno, and Gramsci) into contemporary debates about race, gender, sexuality, colonialism, modernity, and language (Said, Zizek, Spivak, and others).
Research and Information Literacy
CAS LG 388: World Cities: Berlin
Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Digital/Multimedia Expression, Research and Information Literacy
This course explores Berlin’s urban imaginary, investigating cinematic, written and visual texts, architecture and urban planning to witness the complex, exciting, and sometimes tragic history of Berlin and to understand how people make sense of cities in general.
CAS LJ 388: World Cities: Tokyo
Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Digital/Multimedia Expression, Research and Information Literacy
Explores the past and present of the vibrant city of Tokyo through literature and visual culture. Includes hand-on experiences mapping literary spaces. Reading and discussion in English.
LK 410: Korean Conversation and Discourse
Hub areas: Oral and/or Signed Communication, Critical Thinking, Research & Information Literacy
Introduction to linguistic, cultural, and conversational features of the Korean language. Students collect, transcribe, and analyze spoken-Korean data, gaining both a deeper understanding of Korean conversation and discourse norms and increased language proficiency at advanced levels or higher.
CAS LT 388: World Cities: Istanbul
Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Digital/Multimedia Expression, Research and Information Literacy
An examination of Istanbul in the global imaginary as it transformed from the Capital of the Ottoman Empire to the cultural capital of the Republic of Turkey through critical analysis of visual and literary texts.
CAS XL 396: World Cities: Berlin
Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Digital/Multimedia Expression, Research and Information Literacy
This course explores Berlin’s urban imaginary, investigating cinematic, written and visual texts, architecture and urban planning to witness the complex, exciting, and sometimes tragic history of Berlin and to understand how people make sense of cities in general.
CAS XL 397: World Cities: Istanbul
Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Digital/Multimedia Expression, Research and Information Literacy
An examination of Istanbul in the global imaginary as it transformed from the Capital of the Ottoman Empire to the cultural capital of the Republic of Turkey through critical analysis of visual and literary texts.
CAS XL 398: World Cities: Tokyo
Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Digital/Multimedia Expression, Research and Information Literacy
Explores the past and present of the vibrant city of Tokyo through literature and visual culture. Includes hand-on experiences mapping literary spaces. Reading and discussion in English.
CAS XL 479: WLL Senior Seminar
Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Oral and/or Signed Communication, Research and Information Literacy
Through discussions of intercultural reading and translation, bibliographic assignments, student presentations, workshops, and work with a faculty language mentor, seniors majoring in WLL use this course to develop their final project: a substantial scholarly paper, translation, or creative work in a foreign language.
Teamwork/Collaboration
CAS LC 313: Chinese Through Theater and Performance
Hub areas: Digital/Multimedia Expression, Teamwork/Collaboration, Creativity/Innovation
This course explores communication through reading, writing, discussing and performing theater in Chinese. It focuses on linguistic, para-linguistic, and cultural aspects in authentic drama, and help learners express ideational, emotional, and social meanings in theatrical settings that simulate real life.
CAS LC 318: Chinese Through Public Speaking
Hub areas: Oral and/or Signed Communication, Teamwork/Collaboration, Writing-Intensive Course
As public speakers, how can we engage different communities at different times and places? This course explores theories concerning how to construct narratives and arguments that resonate with specific audiences in the Chinese- speaking world, and invites students to put such theories into performative practice in Chinese.
CAS LC 322: Business Chinese
Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Oral and/or Signed Communication, Teamwork/Collaboration
Advanced Chinese language course focuses on both oral and written communication to prepare students for employment or research in a variety of China-related fields or in Chinese-speaking communities. Specific topics vary by semester. (Prereq: LC 311)
CAS LG 260: Intercultural Communication
Hub areas: Social Inquiry I, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Teamwork/Collaboration
An interdisciplinary, interactive class designed to provide an introduction to intercultural questions stemming from the growing diversity and inter- connectedness of the United States and the world. Draws on the fields of psychology, anthropology, sociology, linguistics, and communication as it introduces students to the basic theories regarding intercultural communication and helps them develop a foundational level of intercultural competency.
CAS LG 305: Science and Culture
Hub areas: Social Inquiry I, Digital/Multimedia Expression, Teamwork/Collaboration
How do science, humanities, and arts intersect and influence cultural attitudes towards society, nature, and the environment? Students progress in all language skills and acquire reading and communicative strategies necessary to discuss the sciences in German. Prerequisite: CAS LG 212; or placement test results or consent of instructor
CAS LJ 303: Third Year Modern Japanese 1
Hub areas: Oral and/or Signed Communication, Teamwork/Collaboration, The Individual in Community
Reading and viewing modern Japanese texts and media in order to develop advanced reading, writing, listening and speaking skills, as well as familiarity with contemporary cultural topics. Prepares for working with authentic Japanese materials. Opportunity for engagement with Japanese speakers.
CAS LJ 320: Conversational Japanese
Hub areas: Oral and/or Signed Communication, Teamwork/Collaboration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Advanced training to increase fluency in spoken Japanese with an emphasis on different levels of politeness in speech and cultural awareness. Role playing; vocabulary and expression building; and aural comprehension. Concurrent enrollment in a four-skills language course is encouraged. Prerequisites: CAS LJ 212; or consent of instructor
CAS LJ 322: Japanese for the Professions
Hub areas: Oral and/or Signed Communication, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Teamwork/Collaboration
Advanced Japanese language course to prepare students to use workplace Japanese and to understand Japanese business culture and the economic landscape. Discussions and assignments facilitate communication, presentation, reading/writing, cross-cultural understanding, and collaboration skills.
CAS LK 312: Sixth-Semester Korean
Hub areas: Teamwork/Collaboration, Oral and/or Signed Communication
Reading and discussing modern Korean texts in order to further develop reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills while enhancing the understanding of Korean culture.
CAS LK 322: Korean for the Professions
Hub areas: Teamwork/Collaboration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Oral and/or Signed Communication
Content-based advanced Korean language course focusing on developing communication skills needed in a variety of professional environments in Korea. Helps students prepare for job applications, interviews, professional meetings and presentations.
CAS LR 355: Chekhov: The Stories and Plays (In English Translation)
Hub areas: Teamwork/Collaboration, Philosophical Inquiry and Life’s Meanings, Aesthetic Exploration
Explores Chekhov’s major plays and a wide selection from his prose (in English translation); studies the arc of his career, his aesthetic innovations, moral psychology, philosophical perspective. Includes practicum in which students produce a play composed of scenes from Chekhov.
CAS LR 445: Russian in Boston: Advanced Experimental Russian
Hub areas: Individual in Community, Teamwork/Collaboration
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.
CAS XL 244: Greek Drama in Translation
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Ethical Reasoning, Teamwork/Collaboration
The history and development of ancient Greek theater; study of important plays in the genres of tragedy, comedy, and satyr drama by Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Aristophanes, and Menander. Cannot be taken for credit in addition to CAS CL 324.
Creativity/Innovation
CAS LC 261: Chinese Religion
Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life’s Meanings, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Creativity/Innovation
A historical survey of Chinese religions from the ancient period to modern times. Covers cosmology, divination, philosophy, divine kingship, ancestors, art, the Silk Road, death and afterlives, popular deities, Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism.
CAS LC 313: Chinese Through Theater and Performance
Hub areas: Digital/Multimedia Expression, Teamwork/Collaboration, Creativity/Innovation
This course explores communication through reading, writing, discussing and performing theater in Chinese. It focuses on linguistic, para-linguistic, and cultural aspects in authentic drama, and help learners express ideational, emotional, and social meanings in theatrical settings that simulate real life.
CAS LC 416: Chinese Through Literary Masterpieces
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Oral and/or Signed Communication, Creativity/Innovation
This content-based course introduces students to selected original works in modern Chinese poetry, short stories, novels, drama, letters, and prose. Through close reading, collaborative presentations and group discussions, students will examine how social realities and ideologies are reflected in these works and explore how these works reflect the author’s sense of identity crisis.
CAS LG 308: Food-Culture in German-speaking Countries
Hub areas: Oral and/or Signed Communication, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Creativity/Innovation
What is German food culture? How does regional and global food shape our community, culture and identity? Debates on sustainable food choices and food waste initiatives. In this advanced language course, students progress in all language skills through analyses of media, images, a graphic novel, short stories and film, and acquire reading and communicative strategies necessary to discuss food-related and complex cultural topics.
CAS LG 325: Modern German History and Culture Through Film
Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Creativity/Innovation
Feature films about the legacies of World War II in East and West Germany, the effects of reunification, topics in present-day Germany and its multicultural scene. Readings on film art and the different historical contexts involved. Conducted in German. Also offered as CAS CI 390 D1.
CAS LH 250: Masterpieces of Modern Hebrew Literature (in English Translation)
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Creativity/Innovation
Narrative prose by major writers from the revival of Hebrew culture in nineteenth-century Eastern Europe to present-day Israel, including works of Peretz, Agnon, Yehoshua, Oz, Shalev, Keret, Kashua, and Castel-Bloom. Special focus on the struggle to forge modern identity in the domains of family, nation, religion and in the broader Middle East. Required for the minor in Hebrew.
CAS LH 312: Sixth Semester Hebrew: Food Culture in Israel
Hub areas: Oral and/or Signed Communication, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Creativity/Innovation
Israel has a rich cuisine that reflects the diversity of Israeli society, Jewish and Arab culinary traditions, and a wide range of regional influences. Through reading/viewing a variety of authentic materials, students will enhance their language and cultural proficiency.
CAS LH 330: Israeli Popular Music
Hub areas: Digital/Multimedia Expression, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Creativity/Innovation
Advanced-intermediate Hebrew language and culture course for those who have completed at least four semesters’ college Hebrew or equivalent. Introduction to Israeli cultural history through music. Students expand vocabulary and develop writing, reading, listening, and conversational skills in Hebrew.
CAS LJ 261: Rome and the Chinese World
Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life’s Meanings, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Creativity/Innovation
Explore the cultural and intellectual worlds of ancient Rome and ancient East Asia (including China, Korea, and Japan), comparing world views, ethical values, political dynamics, and social functions of literature in these great Eurasian civilizations. Includes creative and performative assignments.
CAS LJ 282: Samurai, Ships, and Soil: Japan Among the Empires of Asia, 1600-1950
Hub areas: Social Inquiry I, Oral and/or Signed Communication, Creativity/Innovation
Exotic as it may seem, Japan was never an isolated island country floating off the coast of Asia. This course offers a new narrative about the history of Japan in relation to the imperial orders and transnational spaces of Asia.
CAS LJ 350: Readings in Modern Japanese Fiction
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Creativity/Innovation
Readings in modern fiction from Akutagawa to Murakami and beyond to deepen knowledge of Japanese language, learn about the development of Japanese literature from 1900 to the present, and to place it in contemporary context. Readings and discussions in Japanese.
CAS LJ 360: Haiku
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Creativity/Innovation, Writing-Intensive Course
The history and evolving forms of haiku in Japan and around the world. Students write and workshop their own haiku in English or Japanese, learning from great poets how to focus attention, observe nature, read closer, and write better.
CAS LJ 383: Auteur Studies: Japan
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Creativity/Innovation, Historical Consciousness
Deep exploration of the films of one director with attention to cultural and historical context and the creative process. Topic for Spring 2023: Kurosawa Akira. Attention to Kurosawa’s film style, global reception, and his complex reflections on Japanese history and the nature of cinema and art. Readings in English and all films available with English subtitles.
CAS LJ 385: Intensive Kanji
Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Creativity/Innovation
Intensive study of the 1006 Kanji to build additional proficiency in reading and writing for advanced Japanese language students. The course also explores the history and aesthetics of kanji characters. Intended for students without heritage knowledge of Chinese characters.
CAS LJ 460: Haruki Murakami and His Sources
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Creativity/Innovation
Students read works by Haruki Murakami and by writers who shaped him or were shaped by him, reflect on the nature of intertextuality, and gain a perspective on contemporary literature as operating within a global system of mutual influence.
CAS LK 319: Korean Through Popular Music
Hub areas: Digital/Multimedia Expression, Creativity/Innovation
A content-based Korean language course designed to improve listening, speaking, and reading skills while analyzing the lyrics to legendary Korean popular songs and exploring the history of Korean pop music from the 1940s to the contemporary.
CAS LK 430: Novels of Joseon Korea
Hub areas: Creativity/Innovation
An advanced Korean language course focusing on understanding and interpreting three major novels of the mid-to-late Joseon era of Korea in their historical context. Opportunities for creative and expository writing.
CAS LY 411: Arab Society through Hip Hop & Cartoons
Hub areas: Oral and/or Signed Communication, Global Citizenship & Intercultural Literacy, Creativity/Innovation
Develop advanced Arabic linguistic skills and cultural knowledge, especially the ability to discuss topics on social, cultural, and political problems in the Arab World. Texts include: hip hop music and lyrics, editorial cartoons, and news articles in Arabic.
CAS TL 505: Literary Style Workshop
Hub areas: Critical Thinking, Creativity/Innovation, Writing-Intensive Course
Workshop cultivating awareness of and sensitivity to style, cohesiveness, and patterning in literary English. Topics range from text-type to subtle effects of rhythm and sound. Imitation practice. Emphasis on translators’ process, from strategic decisions to editing. Workshop format.
CAS TL 541: Translation Today
Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Creativity/Innovation
Weekly lectures and discussions with prominent literary translators from Boston and elsewhere. Students engage with a variety of languages and several genres: poetry, drama, essay, fiction, and more. Focus on concrete, practical translation issues arising from the speakers’ work.
CAS XL 313: The “Odyssey” and “Ulysses”
Hub areas: Oral and/or Signed Communication, Creativity/Innovation, Writing-Intensive Course
This course consists of a close reading of James Joyce’s Ulysses with particular attention to his use of the Odyssey. We also examine the relation of oral and book cultures and other works Joyce takes in, such as the Aeneid, Divine Comedy and Hamlet.
CAS XL 344: Global Shakespeares
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Creativity/Innovation
Why do contemporary writers parrot and parody “Shakespeare,” and how much of this activity is about Shakespeare at all? This seminar provides an introduction to reading and writing about Shakespeare’s plays. But it also takes a step back to consider Shakespeare as a phenomenon, inspiring adapters around the world. Beyond learning about particular offshoots and adaptations, the deeper point is to explore how playwrights think about their sources, their audiences, and their art.
CAS XL 381: Topics in Gender and Literature (in English translation)
Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Creativity/Innovation, Writing-Intensive Course
Topics vary. May be repeated for credit if topic is different. Topic for Spring 2023: Gender and Modernization Through Turkish Literature. Exploring the interplay of modernization of gender roles and gender performance through Turkish literary texts. The readings include Sabahattin Ali, Orhan Pamuk, Elif Shafak, Gulten Akin, Ayla Kutlu.
Life Skills
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