This course will introduce students to various aspects of the cultures and societies of the Arab world, including history, language, customs, food, business, and art. Conducted in English.

This course will examine aspects of daily life, customs, traditions, and cultural practices in a number of Arabic speaking countries, while also developing advanced reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills in Arabic.

(Same as MEST 331*.)

Satisfies Volunteer Core Requirement: (GCI)(RE) Prerequisite(s):ARAB 222* or ARAB 232* with a grade of C or better.

This course examines the changing meanings of “normal” and “queer” genders and sexualities in Asia and its diasporas. Working through the leading scholarship in Asian queer theories, students identify major issues about bodies, genders, and sexualities in Asian context, learn sex theories and norms, examine their representations in visual culture, and critically evaluate the knowledge production around queerness and sexuality in the encounters of Asia and the west.

Introduction to close reading and analysis of literary texts written in French. Works from a variety of periods and genres.

(RE) Prerequisite(s): FREN 333*.

Varying topics covering art, music, literature, society, and politics in the German speaking world.
Repeatability: May be repeated with approval of department. Maximum 6 hours.
Credit Restriction: Major credit, but no foreign language credit.
(RE) Prerequisite(s):ENGL 102*, ENGL 132*, or ENGL 298*.

Traces representations of witches from the Middle Ages to contemporary pop culture. Covers the witch persecutions in central Europe, the politics surrounding the Salem witch trials, stories of witches in 19th-century fairy tales, and representations of witches in popular films and literature today. Aside from covering important moments in the cultural history of central Europe, the class exposes students to the methodologies of critical media studies.(RE) Prerequisite(s):ENGL 102*, ENGL 132*, or ENGL 298*.

Dante’s times and the Divine Comedy.

(Same as MRST 401*.)

Comment(s): Open to non-majors. Italian majors and minors will be required to read selected texts and write papers in Italian.

This course explores misfit characters in short Russian novels and stories of the 1800s. From the comic to the serious, the absurd to the surreal, the light to the metaphysical, these quirky narratives will take you on journeys you might not have thought possible. You will have to pinch yourself to check whether you are still sane! Texts in English translation.

Credit Restriction: No foreign language credit.(RE) Prerequisite(s):ENGL 102*, ENGL 112*, ENGL 132*, or ENGL 298*.

This course explores the interconnections between news media, popular culture, governance, and propaganda in post-Soviet Russia. We will investigate the various factors that contribute to the production of news media in Russia and consider the key historical and cultural influences upon popular attitudes toward the information it produces and disseminates. We will also consider the nature of propaganda and state pressure in news media more generally. Is it always clear to us when bias or state pressure is present? Students will develop a critical eye for detecting bias in Russian (and other) news media.

In this course, we will learn about the German philosopher Friedrich
Nietzsche: his friendship and falling-out with Richard Wagner, his
affair with Lou Salomé, his troubled relationship with his sister
Elisabeth Förster-Nietzsche (who married a famous anti-Semite), his “discovery” in 1887 by the Danish literary historian Georg Brandes, and his collapse into insanity in January 1889.

In English. No pre-requisites.

Dive into the fascinating world of constructed languages—those deliberately created for artistic or political purposes, like Elvish or
Esperanto. This course will compare these languages with natural languages that arise spontaneously in human communities, such as Spanish or Arabic. In class, we will explore the design and
motivation behind constructed languages from a modern linguistic perspective, gain insights into the history and properties of existing
constructed languages, and engage in a collaborative project where you will construct your own language, incorporating phenomena from a variety of world languages.

Content varies. Focus from global perspectives on directors, stars, film genres, national and regional cinema movements or other topics. Taught in English.

(Same as CNST 482*; GLBS 482*.)Repeatability: May be repeated. Maximum 6 hours.