Catalan 20. Catalan Language and Culture: a Multimedia Approach
Catalog Number: 2559
Kimberlee Campbell and staff
Half course (spring term). M., W., F., at 3. EXAM GROUP: 8
Intermediate course introducing students to Catalan culture and boosting their oral and written skills through a wide range of resources, such as Internet, television, radio, and press. Students will get a taste of various aspects of Catalan culture: art, cinema, music, literature, traditions, cuisine, history, and more.
Note: Conducted in Catalan. May be taken Pass/Fail by undergraduates or Sat/Unsat by GSAS students.
Prerequisite: Catalan Ba, basic knowledge of Catalan, or permission of course head.
*Catalan 91r. Supervised Reading and Research
Catalog Number: 2578
Kimberlee Campbell and staff
Half course (fall term; repeated spring term). Fall: M., 2–3:30, Th., 4:30–6.
Tutorial supervision of research on subjects not treated in regular courses. May be used for further language study after Catalan Ax or Ba.
French Ax. Reading Modern French
Catalog Number: 2763
Marlies Mueller and staff
Half course (fall term; repeated spring term). Fall: Section I, Tu., Th., 10–11:30; Section II, Tu., Th., 11:30–1.; Spring: Tu., Th., 10–11:30. EXAM GROUP: Fall: 12, 13; Spring: 12, 13, 14
An introduction to reading and translating modern French texts for students who require only a basic knowledge of French for research purposes. French Ax presents the principle structures of French grammar in a systematic and coherent manner and, at the same time, makes reading and translation assignments as discipline-specific as possible for each student’s needs.
Note: Conducted in English. Not open to students with a score of 500 or above on the Harvard Placement Test or the SAT II French test, to those with more than one year of undergraduate French, or to auditors. May not be used to fulfill the language requirement and may not be taken Pass/Fail, but may be taken Sat/Unsat by GSAS students. See details and section on-line on the French Ax website.
Prerequisite: Some previous study of a Romance language helpful but not necessary. Fluency in English required.
*French Bab. Intensive Beginning French: Special Course
Catalog Number: 8780
Marlies Mueller and staff
Full course (spring term). Section I, M. through F., at 10 and Tu., Th., at 11. Section II, M. through F., at 12 and Tu., Th., at 1. EXAM GROUP: 3, 5, 12
A complete first-year course for non-requirement students. Provides a solid foundation in French for those with absolutely no prior knowledge of the language. Speaking, listening, reading, and writing are all emphasized, with class time devoted to oral expression. After French Bab, students should be able to engage in everyday conversation with native speakers, and read straightforward texts, both fiction and non-fiction, with relative ease.
Note: May not be used to fulfill the language requirement and may not be taken Pass/Fail or Sat/Unsat. Limited enrollment. Interested students should fill out the on-line request form on the French Bab website by the beginning of the fall term examination period. Individual interviews will be scheduled during the examination period.
Prerequisite: An advanced knowledge of at least one foreign language but no previous study of French.
French Ca. Intermediate French I
Catalog Number: 1810
Carole Bergin and staff
Half course (fall term). M. through Th., sections at 9, 10, 11, 12, or 1. EXAM GROUP: 10
A beginning intermediate course emphasizing listening, speaking, reading, and writing, and including a study of grammar. Students become familiar with contemporary France through videotapes, feature length films, and multimedia and are introduced to French literature through a variety of texts.
Note: Conducted in French. May not be taken Pass/Fail, but may be taken Sat/Unsat by GSAS students. Section on-line on the French Ca website.
Prerequisite: 500-599 on the SAT II test or the Harvard Placement Test; 3 years of French in high school; French A; or permission of course head. Students who have studied French for three years or more in secondary school must begin at French Ca or higher.
French Cb. Intermediate French II: Voyage linguistique à travers la Francophonie
Catalog Number: 6343
Carole Bergin and staff
Half course (spring term). Sections M., W., F., at 10, 11, 12, or 1.
In French Cb, students continue the study of grammar begun in French Ca. and further develop their communicative skills. Students are introduced to the concept of “la francophonie” as represented in literary texts and films from Quebec, the Caribbean, and Africa.
Note: Conducted in French. May not be audited or taken Pass/Fail, but may be taken Sat/Unsat by GSAS students. Section on-line on the French Cb website.
Prerequisite: 550-599 on the SAT II test or the Harvard Placement test; French Ca; or permission of course head.
French 25. Comprehensive Intermediate French III, Language and Culture: L’Etre humain et son univers
Catalog Number: 8781
Marlies Mueller and staff
Half course (fall term; repeated spring term). Sections M., W., F., at 10, 12, or 1. EXAM GROUP: 3
Comprehensive review of French grammar and intensive vocabulary building combined with French literary and cinematographic masterpieces. Authors and filmmakers, whose reflections on enduring questions of human experience and the meaning of life are compared and contrasted, include Baudelaire, Camus, Kieslowski, Pagnol, Rimbaud, and Sartre. By the end of the term, students should be able to understand lectures in French and express their thoughts orally and in writing with confidence using correct French.
Note: Conducted in French. A grade of A- in French A or French Bab, a B in French Ca with language requirement completed, a B in French Cb; or 600 on the SAT II test or the Harvard Placement test; or permission of course head. May not be taken Pass/Fail but may be taken Sat/Unsat by GSAS students. See details and section on-line on the French 25 website.
French 31. Oral Expression II: La France à travers les médias
Catalog Number: 0490
Carole Bergin and staff
Half course (fall term; repeated spring term). Section I, Tu., Th., 10–11:30; Section II, Tu., Th., 11:30–1. EXAM GROUP: 12, 13
Intended for those who have learned how to handle everyday situations in a French-speaking environment, French 31 prepares students for interacting on a more sophisticated level. Students will fine-tune their oral language skills through a more advanced study of pronunciation, grammar and discourse strategies, while discussing and debating topics of current interest as they are presented in the media, including the press, radio, television, cinema, and the Internet.
Note: Conducted in French. May not be audited or taken Pass/Fail, but may be taken Sat/Unsat by GSAS students. Students may take no more than two courses numbered in the 30s. See details and section on-line on the French 31 website.
Prerequisite: French 25; 660-689 on the SAT II test or the Harvard Placement test; or permission of course head.
French 35. Upper-Level French I, Language and Culture: "La quête de soi et le rapport avec autrui”
Catalog Number: 1935
Marlies Mueller and staff
Half course (fall term; repeated spring term). Sections M., W., F., at 10, 11 or 12. EXAM GROUP: 3
Course in French language and culture designed to enhance facility in all language skills. Complete grammar review, vocabulary building, emphasizing idiomatic subtleties and social etiquette in oral and written communication. Considers representations of self and the quest for identity in literature and cinema. How does one arrive at knowledge of self, and what are the consequences of this knowledge for relationships with others? This question examined through authors and filmmakers such as Baudelaire, Camus, Hugo, Melville, Renais, Duras, Rouan, Vercors, Wargnier.
Note: Conducted in French. May not be taken Pass/Fail but may be taken Sat/Unsat by GSAS students. Students may take no more than two courses numbered in the 30s. Section on-line on the French 35 website.
Prerequisite: French 25; 660 on the SAT II test or the Harvard Placement test; or permission of course head.
French 36. Upper-Level French II, Language and Culture: Liberté et Conscience
Catalog Number: 6963
Marlies Mueller and staff
Half course (spring term). Tu., Th., 10–11:30. EXAM GROUP: 12, 13
Advanced course in French language and literature designed to develop near-native fluency in written and oral expression. Consolidating grammatical structures, vocabulary building, and stylistic exercises. Examines the nature and consequences of freedom. How do power, knowledge, and freedom interrelate? Politics, philosophy, art, and literary imagination are considered in their relation to the creation and expansion of individual autonomy. Authors and film directors include Balzac, Beauvoir, Camus, Granier-Deferre, Maupassant, Nuytten, Ophuls, Renoir, Ribowska, and Yourcenar.
Note: Conducted in French. May not be taken Pass/Fail but may be taken Sat/Unsat by GSAS students. Students may take no more than two courses numbered in the 30s. Section on-line on the French 36 website.
Prerequisite: French 25, 31 or 35; 690 on the SAT II test or the Harvard Placement test; or permission of course head.
French 37. Les régions de France: hier et aujourd’hui
Catalog Number: 7909
Marie-France Bunting and staff
Half course (fall term). Sections M., W., F., at 11 or 12. EXAM GROUP: 4
A journey through various regions of France surveying the present and past identities of Bretagne, Alsace, Provence, Dordogne, and Périgord, through history, folklore, gastronomy, art, music, and regional literature. Resources for class discussions include current articles from the French press, historical, sociological and literary writings as well as films and video documents. Emphasis on oral communication. An advanced grammar review is offered along with practice in writing and vocabulary enrichment.
Note: Conducted in French. May not be taken Pass/Fail. Students may take no more than two courses numbered in the 30s.
Prerequisite: French 31, 35 or 36; 690 on the SAT II test or the Harvard Placement test; or permission of course head.
French 42. Introduction au monde francophone
Catalog Number: 2581
Lison Baselis-Bitoun and staff
Half course (fall term). Section I: Tu., Th., 10–11:30; Section II: Tu., Th., 11:30–1. EXAM GROUP: 12, 13
Designed to introduce students to cultural issues expressed in the works of some leading Francophone writers and through art and films while helping them acquire greater skills and confidence in both oral and written expression. Discussions will focus on issues of identity, exile, tradition and modernity, rural/urban culture.
Note: Conducted in French. May not be taken Pass/Fail. Students may take no more than two courses numbered in the 40s.
Prerequisite: French 31, 35, 36, or 37; 720 on the SAT II test or the Harvard Placement test; or permission of course head.
French 47b. La Société française à travers les âges
Catalog Number: 6222
Marie-France Bunting
Half course (fall term). Sections M., W., F., at 10 or 12. EXAM GROUP: 3
Aims to improve all linguistic skills while providing an historical survey of France from the Middle Ages to the end of the 19th century. Discussion will focus on prominent figures, social archetypes and major events that contributed to the formation of a national identity. Readings from historical, literary and sociological sources, and films. Active use of the language in class and practice in writing will be emphasized.
Note: Conducted entirely in French. May not be taken Pass/Fail but may be taken Sat/Unsat by GSAS students. Students may take no more than two courses numbered in the 40s.
Prerequisite: French 35, 36, 37, or 42; 750 on the SAT II or the Harvard placement test; or permission of course head.
French 48b. Contemporary French Society
Catalog Number: 8290
Marie-France Bunting and staff
Half course (spring term). Sections M., W., F., at 10 or 12. EXAM GROUP: 3
Designed to develop greater linguistic fluency while introducing students to major debates in French society today. Themes to be explored include: family, gender, the education system, urban problems and social stratification, immigration, and French politics. Students will participate in discussions based on readings from the French press as well as from sociological and literary sources. Films and video documents closely related to the course material will emphasize the social, cultural and human aspects.
Note: Conducted entirely in French. May not be taken Pass/Fail, but may be taken Sat/Unsat by GSAS students. Students may take no more than two courses numbered in the 40s.
Prerequisite: French 35, 36, 37, 42, 45, or 47b; 750 on the SAT II or the Harvard placement test; or permission of course head.
French 51. Writing Workshop: Atelier d’ecriture
Catalog Number: 0575 Enrollment: Limited to 15 per section.
Marie-France Bunting
Half course (fall term). M., W., 1–2:30. EXAM GROUP: 6, 7
Aims to strengthen and develop competence in written expression. Using short stories, essays and sample texts drawn from history and philosophy, students learn to practice different styles in creative, argumentative, and analytical writings. Special emphasis is paid to stylistic variations, lexical nuances, and complex grammatical structures. In addition, each student presents several explications de texte (close reading of a text).
Note: Conducted in French. May not be taken Pass/Fail. Students may take no more than two courses numbered in the 50s.
Prerequisite: French 36, 37, 42, 47b, or 48b; 750 on the SAT II or the Harvard placement test; or permission of course head. Strongly recommended for concentrators and joint concentrators.
French 52. Advanced Oral Expression
Catalog Number: 2610
Marie-France Bunting
Half course (spring term). M., W., F., at 11 and 1. EXAM GROUP: 4, 6
Designed for students interested in working with the specificity of oral French in order to improve their comprehension, fluency, syntactic accuracy, and pronunciation. The aim of the course is: to fine-tune listening comprehension; to develop linguistic skills in presenting oneself, expressing emotions, debating, negotiating, etc.; and to improve pronunciation. Authentic materials on video cassettes will be used as models. In addition to practical and corrective work, students will participate collectively in a theatrical production.
Note: Conducted in French. May not be taken Pass/Fail. Students may take no more than two courses numbered in the 50s.
Prerequisite: French 36, 37, 42, 47b, or 48b; 750 on the SAT II or the Harvard placement test; or permission of course head. Recommended for concentrators and joint concentrators.
French 55 (formerly French 45). Le Français économique et commercial
Catalog Number: 7122
Carole Bergin and staff
Half course (spring term). Section I, Tu., Th., 10–11:30; Section II, Tu., Th., 11:30–1. EXAM GROUP: 12, 13
Designed for students working or traveling for business in French-speaking countries. Through audiovisual materials, the Internet, and the French press, students become familiar with the current business and economic climate in France and find out about practices, customs, and “intangibles” that make French businesses different from their American counterparts. Those enrolled may take the Paris Chamber of Commerce and Industry exams and obtain an official diploma attesting to their proficiency in French.
Note: Conducted in French. May not be audited or taken Pass/Fail, but may be taken Sat/Unsat by GSAS students. Students may take no more than two courses numbered in the 50s. See details and section on-line on the French 55 website.
Prerequisite: A placement score of 720 on the SAT II test or the Harvard Placement test; or permission of course head.
French 70a. Introduction to French Literature I: From the Middle Ages to Modernity
Catalog Number: 2865
Tom Conley
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Readings and discussion of texts of various genres representative of central trends in French literature from the Middle Ages through the 18th century. Emphasis on developing analytical skills by tracing the transformations of ethical, literary, philosophical and social currents.
Note: Conducted in French.
Prerequisite: 720 on the SAT II test; the Harvard Placement test; equivalent preparation; or permission of course head.
French 70b. Introduction to French Literature II: Representations of Change From the Romantics to the Present
Catalog Number: 6720
Janet Beizer
Half course (fall term). Tu., Th., at 10. EXAM GROUP: 12
Significant texts from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries examined in the light of close reading and contemporary criticism.
Note: Conducted in French; third hour devoted to discussion of texts studied.
Prerequisite: 720 on the SAT II test or the Harvard Placement test, equivalent preparation, or permission of course head.
French 70c. Introduction to French Literature III: The Francophone World
Catalog Number: 6432
Lison Baselis-Bitoun
Half course (spring term). Tu., Th., 11:30–1. EXAM GROUP: 13, 14
Studies literature, and film from Sub-Saharan Africa, the Maghreb and the French West Indies. Discussions centered on questions of cultural identities, diglossia, colonization, diaspora, trauma and memory.
Note: Conducted in French.
Prerequisite: 720 on the SAT II test or the Harvard Placement test, equivalent preparation, or permission of course head.
*French 91r. Supervised Reading and Research
Catalog Number: 3954
Marie-France Bunting and members of the Department
Half course (fall term; repeated spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Tutorial supervision of research on subjects not treated in regular courses.
*French 97. Tutorial—Sophomore Year: The Politics of Poetics: An Introduction to Literary and Cultural Analysis
Catalog Number: 0173
Alice Jardine
Half course (spring term). Tu., Th., at 10. EXAM GROUP: 12
An introduction to literary and cultural interpretation as it has evolved in French Studies since WWII. Our conversations will be structured around rigorous analysis of key literary works in relation to literary theory, semiotics, psychoanalysis, and politics.
Note: Required of concentrators in their sophomore year. Open to non-concentrators with permission of course head.
*French 98. Tutorial—Junior Year
Catalog Number: 0879
Marie-France Bunting and members of the Department and Tutorial Board
Half course (fall term; repeated spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Note: Successful completion of one term of French 98 is required of all honors concentrators.
*French 99. Tutorial—Senior Year
Catalog Number: 2836
Marie-France Bunting and members of the Department and Tutorial Board
Full course. Hours to be arranged.
Note: For honors seniors writing a thesis. The first term may be counted as a half course only with the permission of the Undergraduate Adviser in French. Students who do not complete a thesis are required to submit a substantial paper in order to receive either half course or full course credit. To enroll, see Marie-France Bunting, Undergraduate Adviser.
French 102. Introduction to Medieval Literature and Old French - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 3816
Virginie Greene
Half course (fall term). Tu., Th., 10–11:30. EXAM GROUP: 12, 13
Provides students with linguistic, literary and cultural means of exploring French medieval literature. We will study verse and prose works from the 12th to the 15th century, using both editions in Old French and translations in modern French.
Note: Conducted in French.
[French 112. From the Troubadour to the “Grand Rhétoriqueur”: Lyric Poetry in Medieval France (12th to 15th Century) ]
Catalog Number: 5007
Virginie Greene
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Medieval poets created both new poetic forms and new figures of poets. Singers, writers, composers, lovers, dreamers, rhetoricians, moralists, and preachers: poets could be all of those. This course studies how their poetry grew from and elaborated upon the impulse “I have to sing” (chanter m’estuet) to become a highly self-conscious art of writing.
Note: Expected to be given in 2009–10. Conducted in French.
French 128. Patrimoine, Nation, Histoire: La Memoire Collective Française - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 1171
Faith Beasley (Dartmouth College)
Half course (fall term). F., 1–3:30. EXAM GROUP: 6, 7, 8
Examines the concept of French collective identity from the seventeenth century to the present, focusing on key characteristics such as a rich history, conversation, cafés, gastronomy, Paris and monuments such as the Eiffel Tower. Analyzes the process through which such characteristics came to be associated with France, highlighting the roles of historical writing and literature. Authors will include Nora, Elias, Barthes, Molière, Michelet, Hugo, Voltaire, Mercier, Stael and Delerm, among others.
Note: Conducted in French.
[French 132a. 20th-Century French Fiction I: The Realist Mode]
Catalog Number: 4382
Susan R. Suleiman
Half course (fall term). Th., at 6.
How has realism been interpreted by its major modern practitioners in French? Is realism in fiction a style, a genre, an ideology, a way of seeing, a way of reading? What is the relation between realism and history, politics, sexual politics, and ethics? Discussions of works by Colette, Gide, Céline, Malraux, Sartre, Camus, Beauvoir, and others, as well as selected critical and theoretical essays.
Note: Expected to be given in 2010–11. Conducted in French.
French 132b. 20th-Century French Fiction II: The Experimental Mode
Catalog Number: 1890
Susan R. Suleiman
Half course (fall term). Th., 2–4. EXAM GROUP: 16, 17
What are some alternatives to (or subversions of) realism in fiction? We will examine four major experimental currents or movements in 20th-century imaginative writing: Surrealism, the nouveau roman, the Oulipo, and écriture féminine. Discussion of works by Breton, Bataille, Robbe-Grillet, Sarraute, Queneau, Perec, Duras, Wittig, Cixous, as well as selected critical essays.
Note: Conducted in French. This course, when taken for a letter grade, meets the General Education requirement for Aesthetic and Interpretive Understanding.
[French 136. Feminist Literary Criticisms]
Catalog Number: 3845
Alice Jardine
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Close readings of postwar French fiction and theory with emphasis on what is called “the feminine” in key psychoanalytic, philosophical, and literary writings of the French poststructuralist tradition. What has been the legacy of fifty years of dialogue between French postwar theory and feminist practice in the US? Writers considered include Cixous, Duras, Hyvrard, Irigaray, Kristeva, and Wittig as well as Deleuze, Derrida, and Lacan.
Note: Expected to be given in 2009–10. Conducted in English.
Prerequisite: Excellent reading knowledge of French.
French 139a. The 18th Century: Self and Society
Catalog Number: 3637
Christie McDonald
Half course (fall term). M., 4–6. EXAM GROUP: 9
An exploration of how the relationship between self and other, society and utopia, inaugurates a discourse on change from the second half of the 18th century through the French Revolution: Marivaux, Rousseau, Diderot, d’Alembert, Voltaire, Sade, Gouges, Beaumarchais, Condorcet, Charrière, Graffigny, etc.
Note: Conducted in French.
[French 139b. The 18th Century: Ethical Dilemmas]
Catalog Number: 2223
Christie McDonald
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Questions how notions of personhood and otherness inhabit the emergent novel, exploring the way in which events and values are resisted or subsumed in literary discourse and the kind of social and political responsibility that accompanies it. Readings will be taken from the works of Charrière, Gouges, Laclos, Marivaux, Montesquieu, Rousseau, Sade, Voltaire, etc.
Note: Expected to be given in 2009–10. Conducted in French.
French 161. Walk, Look, Write: 19th-Century Flâneurs and Flâneuses
Catalog Number: 1729
Janet Beizer
Half course (spring term). Tu., 1–3. EXAM GROUP: 15, 16
We will discuss the importance of the eye and the wandering body that transports it in space, in a selection of realist and naturalist texts, looking too at alternatives to the commanding gaze of the observer that dominates realist doctrine. Readings may include Balzac, Huysmans, Tristan, Zola, Sand, Rachilde.
Note: Conducted in French.
French 165. Marcel Proust
Catalog Number: 4620
Christie McDonald
Half course (spring term). Th., 4–6. EXAM GROUP: 18
In Proust’s novel, A la recherche du temps perdu, questions of time and memory, truth and signification, literature and philosophy converge to ask: who am I? What does it mean to become a writer? Discussion of Proust’s novels and essays, as well as a number of critical texts.
Note: Conducted in French.
[French 167. Parisian Cityscapes]
Catalog Number: 7641
Verena A. Conley
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Examines the rapid urbanization of Paris from World War II to the present by means of fiction, films and critical essays. Investigates how the Americanization of France, decolonization, immigration, globalization and the European Union continue to restructure the city with repercussions on its social, political, and artistic life (Allouache, Augé, Balibar, Beauvoir, Beyala, Godard, Kassovitz, Maspero, Latour, Ross, and others).
Note: Expected to be given in 2009–10. Conducted in French.
French 170. The City - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 3007
Verena A. Conley
Half course (spring term). M., 3–5. EXAM GROUP: 8, 9
Focuses on representations of the city in literature (Mercier, Balzac, Baudelaire, Zola, Breton, Aragon) and theory (Benjamin, Lefebvre). Analyzes the evolution of the concept under the impact of industrialization and technological inventions.
Note: Conducted in French.
[French 185. National Identity and Narrative Representation in 20th-Century Francophone Literature]
Catalog Number: 5070
Mylène Priam
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Through works of prominent Francophone authors from various origins who discuss their own comprehension - fictionalized, poetic or autobiographic - of being French and/or African, Cuban, Eastern European, etc., we explore the plural foundations of contemporary France and the question of French cultural, national or social identity to examine, question, deconstruct issues namely of territoriality, boundaries, nomadism, exile, ethnicity, citizenship, notions of Republic, national or continental sentiment.
Note: Expected to be given in 2009–10. Conducted in French.
[French 190. Albert Camus]
Catalog Number: 7510
Stanley Hoffmann
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
A study of Camus’s writings as a journalist, playwright, novelist and political thinker, and of the controversies in which he was involved (the fate of Algeria, the occupation and liberation of France, the relations with Catholics, Camus’s anticommunism, the Camus-Sartre clash). The tension between his art and his commitments, as well as his influence during and after his life will be examined.
Note: Expected to be given in 2009–10. Conducted in French.
French 193. Aimé Césaire and His Others - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 4257
Francis Abiola Irele
Half course (fall term). M., 2–4. EXAM GROUP: 7, 8
An exploration of Aimé Césaire’s work, focused on thre seminal texts: Cahier d’un retour au pays natal, Discours sur le colonialisme, and La tragédie du roi Christophe. We will consider the historical background of Césaire’s writings, and the evolving context of their inspiration and development. The course will be conducted as a seminar, involving intensive reading of texts and projections of films related to Césaire’s life and work.
Note: Conducted in French.
French 194. Negotiating Identities in Contemporary Postcolonial Francophone Literature - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 6472
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Half course (fall term). M., W., at 10. EXAM GROUP: 3
An examination of the differences between the more established Francophone literatures of North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa and the Caribbean, and the emerging literatures of the Pacific , touching on the divide between Francophone and Anglophone indigenous Pacific literatures. Readings will include short stories, and novels by Mariama Bâ, Simone Schwartz-Bart, Albert Camus, Maryse Condé, Assia Djebar, Marguerite Duras, Déwé Gorodé, Titaua Peu, Chantal Spitz, Jean-Marie Tjibaou and Witi Ihimaera.
Note: Conducted in French.
French 255. Metamorphoses of the Vampire
Catalog Number: 3630
Janet Beizer
Half course (fall term). Tu., 1–3. EXAM GROUP: 15, 16
The vampire myth came of age with literary modernism and shares with it an identity in displacement, fragmentation, and fluidity. Texts may include Baudelaire, Nodier, Balzac, Gautier, Maupassant, Rachilde, Stoker, Coppola, and theory.
Note: Conducted in French or English.
[French 259. The Culture of Hysteria in Nineteenth-Century France ]
Catalog Number: 3349
Janet Beizer
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Reading medical and literary narratives of hysteria, we will ask why the disease flourished in this time and place, tracing hysteria as symptom of a cultural malaise. Readings in canonical and popular novels, medical encyclopedias and treatises.
Note: Expected to be given in 2010–11. Conducted in French or English, to be determined by class composition. Readings in French.
French 267. The Public Intellectual in France
Catalog Number: 7980
Susan R. Suleiman
Half course (spring term). W., 4–6. EXAM GROUP: 9
What forms has the political engagement of intellectuals in France taken since the Dreyfus Affair, when the term "intellectual" first came into use? Works by Zola, Barrès, Benda, Sartre, Beauvoir, Camus, Foucault, Kristeva, Bourdieu and others.
Note: Conducted in English or French, depending upon student preference. Open to qualified juniors and seniors, with permission of instructor.
Prerequisite: Open to qualified juniors and seniors, with permission of instructor.
[French 274. Hybridization, Intertextuality and Metissage in Literatures from Mauritius, La Reunion & the Caribbean]
Catalog Number: 6398
Mylène Priam
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Explores novels, concepts, theories (Créolization, Divers, etc) that challenge any stable notion of identity and help to problematize the definition of postcolonial literatures in French. Works by Glissant, Chamoiseau, Maximin, Condé, Rakotoson, Segalen, Foucault, etc.
Note: Expected to be given in 2009–10. Conducted in French.
French 281. Contemporary Francophone Literature: Nation of Writers
Catalog Number: 0097
Reda Bensmaia (Brown University)
Half course (spring term). Th., 1–3. EXAM GROUP: 15, 16
Does a writer who writes in the language of a former colonial power belong to a single nation? Works by Nina Bouraoui, Memmi, Farès, Khatibi, Djébar, Béji will guide our problematization of this question.
Note: Conducted in French.
French 282. Africa and French Intellectuals - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 2241
Francis Abiola Irele
Half course (spring term). M., 4–6. EXAM GROUP: 9
Examines a significant current of French intellectual history —the concern by French writers with the rights and welfare of black populations, as exemplified by the work of Abbe Gregoire, André Gide, Jean-Paul Sartre and Georges Balandier.
Note: Conducted in French.
[French 285r. French Literature: Seminar]
Catalog Number: 7479
Tom Conley
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Topic for 2009-10: Montaigne.
Note: Expected to be given in 2009–10. Conducted in French. Open to qualified undergraduate students.
*French 330. Direction of Doctoral Dissertations
Catalog Number: 7843
Janet Beizer 3957, Tom Conley 1908, Verena A. Conley 2250, Virginie Greene 1007, Francis Abiola Irele 4354, Alice Jardine 7457, Christie McDonald 1160, Mylène Priam 5302 (on leave 2008-09), and Susan R. Suleiman 7234
Italian Ab. Beginning Italian II - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 7029
Elvira G. DiFabio
Half course (fall term; repeated spring term). Fall: M., W., F., at 10, W., at 5; Spring: M., W., F., at 9, 10, 12 or 1, and at M., or W., 4:30-5:30. EXAM GROUP: 10
Continuation of Ital Aa, second semester beginning level. Increasing emphasis on reading and writing. Introduction to Italian literature through excerpts from major writers; overview of the history of Italy. Course materials include online workbook and lab.
Note: May not be taken Pass/Fail but may be taken Sat/Unsat by GSAS students. Section on-line on the Italian Ab website. N.B. There are four contact hours per week. The conversation hour on M. or W. at 5 may be re-arranged to accommodate scheduling conflicts.
Prerequisite: Italian Aa, or a score of 450 or less on the SAT II test or the Harvard Placement test, or a score of 3 or less on the AP Italian exam, or two years of high school Italian, or permission of course head.
[Italian Ax. Reading Italian]
Catalog Number: 4015
Elvira G. DiFabio and staff
Half course (spring term). M., Th., 3–5. EXAM GROUP: 8, 9, 17, 18
For students (both undergraduate and graduate) with little or no knowledge of Italian. Aims at the rapid development of reading skills as a tool for research. Selections of materials in accordance with the needs of the participants.
Note: Expected to be given in 2009–10. Not open to auditors. May not be used to fulfill the language requirement. May not be taken Pass/Fail but may be taken Sat/Unsat by GSAS students. Section on-line on the Italian Ax website.
*Italian Bab. Intensive Beginning Italian: Special Course
Catalog Number: 3065 Enrollment: Limited to 15.
Elvira G. DiFabio and staff
Full course (fall term; repeated spring term). Section I, M., through F., at 10, and Tu.,Th., at 11; Section II, M., W., F., at 12, and Tu.,Th., 1–3. EXAM GROUP: 3, 12, 13
A complete first-year course in one term for students with no knowledge of Italian, focused on developing all four communicative skills. Students are introduced to contemporary Italian culture through a variety of websites, films and cultural readings that include G. Boccaccio’s Andreuccio da Perugia.
Note: May not be taken Pass/Fail but may be taken Sat/Unsat by GSAS students. Students who have not placed out of the language requirement must take one full year of a language. Italian Bab or Dab taken alone may not be used to fulfill the language requirement. However, there are ways to combine Bab or Dab with another course in order to fulfill the language requirement. Consult Elvira Di Fabio, Undergraduate Adviser for details.Conducted in Italian. Section on-line on the Italian Bab website.
Prerequisite: An advanced knowledge of at least one foreign language, preferably a modern Romance language, but no previous study of Italian.
Italian Ca. Intermediate Italian I: L’italiano con i fumetti
Catalog Number: 3217
Chiara Frenquellucci and staff
Half course (fall term; repeated spring term). Fall: Section I, M., W., F., at 12, and W., at 2; Section II, M., W., F., at 1, and W., at 3. Spring: M., W., F., at 1, and W., at 3. EXAM GROUP: Fall: 5, 7; Spring: 6, 8
A logical continuation of Italian A or Bab. Refines and expands the four communication skills. Students are introduced to contemporary Italian culture through comic books, films, short stories and Nicolò Ammaniti’s Io non ho paura. Assignments include workbook exercises to refine the use of complex grammatical structures, weekly blog entries, and an end of term collaborative creative project (fotoromanzo).
Note: Conducted in Italian. May not be taken Pass/Fail but may be taken Sat/Unsat by GSAS students. Section on-line on the Italian Ca website.
Prerequisite: Italian Ab or Bab, or 450-599 on the SAT II test or the Harvard Placement test, or permission of course head.
Italian Cb. Intermediate Italian II: L’italiano con le favole
Catalog Number: 6805
Chiara Frenquellucci and staff
Half course (spring term). M., W., F., at 12, W., at 2. EXAM GROUP: 5, 7
Further refines and expands the four communication skills that students have acquired in Italian Ca. Students come into contact with Italian culture through a variety of readings and films that include traditional and modern folktales. Assignments include workbook exercises to refine the use of complex grammatical structures, weekly blog entries on each group’s work in progress, and an end of term student-scripted adaptation and performance of Collodi’s Pinocchio.
Note: Conducted in Italian. Open to students whose placement score indicates a more advanced course, or as a continuation of Italian Ca. May not be taken Pass/Fail but may be taken Sat/Unsat by GSAS students. Section on-line on the Italian Cb website.
*Italian Dab. L’italiano con i documentari
Catalog Number: 7258 Enrollment: Limited to 15.
Chiara Frenquellucci and staff
Full course (fall term; repeated spring term). M., W., F., at 12, Tu., Th., 1–3. EXAM GROUP: Fall: 5; Spring: 5, 15, 16
A complete second-year course in one term for students with a basic knowledge of Italian. Speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills are all emphasized through the principal functions of communication. Class time focuses on further developing oral/aural skills through viewing and creating documentaries about Italians and Italian Americans in the Boston area. Assignments include workbook exercises to refine the use of complex grammatical structures, weekly blog entries on each group’s work in progress, and an end of term collaborative film project.
Note: May not be taken Pass/Fail but may be taken Sat/Unsat by GSAS students. Students who have not placed out of the language requirement must take one full year of a language. Italian Bab or Dab taken alone may not be used to fulfill the language requirement. However, there are ways to combine Bab or Dab with another course in order to fulfill the language requirement. Consult Elvira Di Fabio, Undergraduate Adviser for details. Conducted in Italian. Section on-line on the Italian Dab website.
Prerequisite: Italian Aa, Ab or Bab, 450-599 on the SAT II test or the Harvard Placement test, or permission of course head.
Italian 33. Oral Expression: La musica dell’italiano
Catalog Number: 6463
Elvira G. DiFabio and staff
Half course (fall term). M., W., F., at 11. EXAM GROUP: 4
An oral expression course based on Italian Opera, Italian 33 is intended for students with an advanced-intermediate knowledge of Italian but does not require prior knowledge of either music or opera. Content focuses on both the cultural and the linguistic elements of the "musical voice" of Italians as expressed by Rossini, Verdi, Donizetti, Puccini, Leoncavallo, and others.
Note: Conducted in Italian. Monthly screenings to be arranged. May not be taken for credit by students who have passed Italian 35. Section on-line on the Italian 33 website.
Prerequisite: Italian Cb, 600 or above on the SAT II or Harvard Placement test, or permission of course head.
Italian 35. Upper-Level Italian I: Parliamo dell’Italia
Catalog Number: 2659
Elvira G. DiFabio and staff
Half course (fall term). M., W., F., at 12. EXAM GROUP: 5
Insights into Italian society and culture, especially through Italian newspaper and magazine articles, feature films, and videotapes. For students with a solid grasp of the fundamentals of Italian grammar. Aims at improving command of the language both in speaking and writing, combined with reading strategies. Practice consists of discussions, exercises in diction, and written reports.
Note: Conducted in Italian. May not be taken for credit by students who have passed Italian 33. Section on-line on the Italian 35 website.
Prerequisite: Italian Cb, 630 or above on the SAT II test or the Harvard Placement test, or permission of course head.
Italian 36. Upper-Level Italian II: La cultura della lingua
Catalog Number: 5223
Elvira G. DiFabio and staff
Half course (spring term). M., W., F., at 12. EXAM GROUP: 5
Aims at advancing students’ proficiency in speaking, reading and writing through vocabulary development and extension of control of higher-level syntactical patterns. Students read two complete novels and selections from two others, and view feature films on which they are based, all related to twentieth-century Italian society. Practice through class presentations, compositions, and discussions.
Note: Conducted in Italian. Section on-line on the Italian 36 website.
Prerequisite: Italian 35 or permission of course head.
Italian 40. Advanced Oral Expression: Teatro dal vivo
Catalog Number: 0804 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Chiara Frenquellucci and staff
Half course (fall term; repeated spring term). M., Th., 3–5. EXAM GROUP: 8, 9, 17, 18
Class time focuses on further developing oral/aural skills, while reading, analyzing and enacting plays by Carlo Goldoni, Eduardo De Filippo, Carmelo Bene and Nobel Prize-winners Luigi Pirandello and Dario Fo. Student preparation culminates in the production of a theatrical work at the end of the term.
Note: Conducted in Italian. Open to graduate students with permission of course head. May not be taken Pass/Fail but may be taken Sat/Unsat by GSAS students. Section on-line on the Italian 40 website.
Prerequisite: Italian 33 or higher, or permission of course head.
[Italian 44. Advanced Italian: Effetto Commedia: What Makes Italians Laugh?]
Catalog Number: 5776
Elvira G. DiFabio and staff
Half course (fall term). M., Th., 3–5. EXAM GROUP: 8, 9, 17, 18
Comedy Italian-style in cinema (from Totò to Benigni) and its origins. Presents students with another dimension of Italian culture, while perfecting their language skills. Problems in composition addressed through short weekly assignments; grammar review in context. Weekly video screenings.
Note: Expected to be given in 2009–10. Conducted in Italian. Open to graduate students with permission of course head. Section on-line on the Italian 44 website.
Prerequisite: Italian 35 or higher, or permission of course head. Appropriate for concentrators electing the Italian Studies track.
[Italian 48. Advanced Italian: Voices from Italy: Issues of Identity]
Catalog Number: 0178
Elvira G. DiFabio
Half course (fall term). Tu., Th., 11:30–1. EXAM GROUP: 13, 14
An exploration of various identities of Italy, including that of non–Italians in contemporary Italy and Italians living abroad. Students will investigate these issues from a wide variety of sources, including literary, historical and sociological texts, news reports and feature films. Frequent oral and written assignments. Grammar reviewed in context, with particular emphasis on the functions of describing, summarizing and expressing an opinion.
Note: Expected to be given in 2010–11. Conducted in Italian. Open to graduate students with permission of course head. Section on-line on the Italian 48 website.
Prerequisite: Italian 35 or higher, or permission of course head. Appropriate for concentrators selecting the Italian Studies track.
Italian 50. Literary Translation
Catalog Number: 5676
Elvira G. DiFabio and staff
Half course (fall term). M., at 2; Th., 2–4. EXAM GROUP: 7
Translation from English to Italian, and occasionally from Italian to English, using sample texts from literature, history, and philosophy, as well as texts being considered for publication. Discussion of a variety of styles, literary devices, semantic and cultural distinctions, and structural differences, along with testimony from a number of authors, including Pavese, Eco and Venuti.
Note: Conducted in Italian. Open to graduate students with permission of course head. Section on-line on the Italian 50 website.
Prerequisite: Italian 44 or higher or permission of course head.
[*Italian 60. Italian and the Community]
Catalog Number: 4014 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Elvira G. DiFabio and staff
Half course (fall term; repeated spring term). M., at 3, Th., 3–5. EXAM GROUP: 8, 17, 18
An advanced language course examining the Italian experience in the US. Promotes community engagement as a vehicle for greater linguistic fluency and cultural understanding. Students will be placed with Boston-area public schools as teaching assistants or aides. Class work focuses on community service through language; texts and articles on language pedagogy, including national/European standards and advanced placement; development of activities using archives the Italian public broadcast network, for application in the classroom.
Note: Expected to be given in 2009–10. Section online at the Italian 60 web site.
Prerequisite: Italian 36, 40 or above, a score of 750 on the Harvard Placement Test, or permission of course head.
[Italian 83. Italian Popular Culture from ’60 to ’06]
Catalog Number: 4259
Giuliana Minghelli
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Introduction to Italian popular culture through songs, TV shows, comics, popular films and fiction. Texts will be read against the socio-historical context of the early sixties "miracolo economico," the political upheaval of the late sixties and seventies, the "riflusso" of the eighties, the political "glasnost" of the nineties and up to contemporary times. We will discover and analyze competing inscriptions of "Italianness" and the ongoing creation of their meaning over the past half-century.
Note: Expected to be given in 2009–10. Conducted in Italian.
*Italian 91r. Supervised Reading and Research
Catalog Number: 2287
Elvira G. DiFabio and staff
Half course (fall term; repeated spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Tutorial supervision of research on subjects not treated in regular courses.
Italian 96r. Italian and the Community: Italy. Academic Internships in Italian Language and Culture - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 3749
Elvira G. DiFabio and members of the Department.
Half course (fall term; repeated spring term). Hours to be arranged.
An opportunity to engage in the practical applications of Italian language and culture in an immersion environment. Internships may include placement in a variety of sectors, including public education, the media and the arts.
Note: Students who wish to take this course as part of a study abroad program should consult the Office of International Programs. Students are expected to produce substantial research papers based on their class work and field placements, which are typically arranged with institutions in Italy. The student, under the guidance of faculty and study abroad advisers, is responsible for arranging the terms of the internship.
Prerequisite: Italian 36 or higher, or consent of Undergraduate Adviser in Italian.
*Italian 97. Tutorial—Sophomore Year
Catalog Number: 1795
Elvira G. DiFabio and members of the Department and Tutorial Board
Half course (fall term; repeated spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Note: Conducted in Italian. Successful completion of one term of Italian 97 is required of concentrators.
*Italian 98. Tutorial—Junior Year
Catalog Number: 1167
Elvira G. DiFabio and members of the Department and Tutorial Board
Half course (fall term; repeated spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Note: Successful completion of one term of Italian 98 is required of all honors concentrators.
*Italian 99. Tutorial — Senior Year
Catalog Number: 7840
Elvira G. DiFabio and members of the Department and Tutorial Board
Full course. Hours to be arranged.
Note: Successful completion of one term of Italian 99 is required of all honors concentrators.
Italian 116. Visions of the Renaissance
Catalog Number: 1211
Francesco Erspamer
Half course (fall term). Th., 1–3:30. EXAM GROUP: 15, 16, 17
A survey of the one hundred years that changed the world. Each week the analysis of a visual image introduces the class to a text and a concept. Readings include Machiavelli, Castiglione, Michelangelo, Vasari, Galileo.
Note: Conducted in English.
Italian 123. Semantics of Desire: Love in Dante’s Poetry
Catalog Number: 8912
Lino Pertile
Half course (spring term). Tu., 1-3; Th. at 1. EXAM GROUP: 15, 16
Examines Dante’s discourse on love, earthly and heavenly, in the context of the literature and culture of his times. In addition to a selection from Dante’s Comedy, texts will include Book 4 of Virgil’s Aeneid, Ovid’s Ars amatoria and Andreas Cappellanus’ De amore, Saint Bernard’s commentary on the Song of Songs, Guinizzelli’s and Cavalcanti’s Rime and Iacopone da Todi’s Laude.
Note: Conducted in Italian.
Prerequisite: Reading knowledge of Italian.
[Italian 128. The Fantastic from Dante to Calvino and Beyond]
Catalog Number: 3468
Giuliana Minghelli
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Starting with Dante’s descent to hell on the back of Gerione and with Ariosto’s ascent to the moon on the hippogryph, explores the notion of the fantastic and the marvelous in Italian literature. The Gothic short story, the uncanny worlds of Buzzati and Landolfi, Calvino’s postmodern knights, and Benni’s science fiction show how fantastic literature defamiliarizes and questions the "laws" of verisimilitude, mapping new territories between utopia and dystopia, suspended at the border of the unconscious.
Note: Expected to be given in 2010–11. Conducted in English.
[Italian 140. The Human Comedy: the novella from its origins to the Renaissance]
Catalog Number: 4689
Lino Pertile
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
The tradition of the Italian novella, or short story in prose, from its inception in the anonymous Novellino to its maturity in Boccaccio’s Decameron and the works of other major storytellers from Sacchetti to Bandello. Selected tales will be studied for their artistic quality, and as a mirror of the varied life of Italian society between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.
Note: Expected to be given in 2009–10. Conducted in English or Italian.
[Italian 141. Renaissance Epic]
Catalog Number: 5328
Francesco Erspamer
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
The literary masterpieces of the golden century of Italian civilization were two narrative poems, Ariosto’s Orlando Furioso and Tasso’s Jerusalem Delivered, both celebrating the chivalric spirit of a bygone era. The course analyzes their relation with the epic tradition and their significance in the making of the modern conception of the world.
Note: Expected to be given in 2009–10. Conducted in English.
[Italian 148. Between Africa and Italy: Literature, Film and Cartoons] - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 4618
Giuliana Minghelli
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
From Emilio Salgari’s 19th-century adventure novels, to the postmodern comics of Hugo Pratt, this course investigates the representation of Africa in Italian culture. How does Africa shape the work of Modernist writers who lived in Alexandria like Marinetti, Ungaretti, and Cialente, and filmakers like Pasolini and Antonioni, shooting their postmodern wanderings "on location" in Africa? And reversing the gaze, what is the image of Italy in the texts of recent African immigrant writers?
Note: Expected to be given in 2010–11. Conducted in Italian.
[Italian 168. Picturing Place: Landscape, Literature, and Cinema from the Eighteenth through the Twentieth Century] - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 9547
Giuliana Minghelli and Maria Grazia Lolla
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Changing approaches to the experience, the representation and the interpretation of the Italian landscape from the eighteenth to the twentieth centuries through literary texts, visual arts, film.
Note: Expected to be given in 2009–10. Conducted in English.
Italian 171. Cultural History and Nation-Making: 1870-1920 - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 4705
Maria Grazia Lolla
Half course (spring term). Tu., Th., 11:30–1. EXAM GROUP: 13, 14
Introduction to the contested cultural history of the newly-made Italy: war, work, education, popular culture, fashion, festivals and cooking. Students will explore the interaction between literary texts and other cultural forms.
Note: Conducted in English.
Italian 174. On Beauty: History and Representation - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 4364
Francesco Erspamer
Half course (spring term). M., W., at 12. EXAM GROUP: 5
Studies the development of the idea of beauty (and ugliness) in Western culture and theory, with examples mostly taken from Italian literature and film, including Petrarch, Veronica Franco, Tasso, d’Annunzio, the Futurists, Fellini, Muccino.
Note: Conducted in English.
[Italian 185. Births of a Nation: A History of Italian Cinema (1895-1945)] - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 4529
Giuliana Minghelli
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
The history of Italian cinema (genres, styles, technological and institutional developments) will be studied in connection with the tumultuous unfolding of the cultural and political history of the nation. A wide variety of works, from Giovanni Pastrone’s ground-breaking epic Cabiria, to Fascist-era melodramas and war movies and the cinematic revolution of Neorealism, will be screened and discussed.
Note: Expected to be given in 2010–11. Conducted in English.
Italian 186. Futurism at 100: To Measure a Century - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 5790
Ara H. Merjian
Half course (fall term). Tu., 3–5:30. EXAM GROUP: 17, 18
2009 marks the centenary of the Futurist movement. Looking at texts, images, and objects in a range of media, we consider how Futurism’s fundamental interdisciplinarity challenges traditional accounts of modernist aesthetics. Issues include: the prominence of Bergson and Nietzsche’s philosophies; Futurism’s place in Italian politics; the role of the manifesto; rapports with the International avant-gardes; theories of language and poetics; sexual and gender politics; the afterlifes of Futurism.
Note: Conducted in English; reading knowledge of French or Italian helpful.
Italian 230. Petrarca and the Divided Self
Catalog Number: 5548
Lino Pertile
Half course (spring term). Th., 3–5. EXAM GROUP: 17, 18
Petrarch’s vernacular poetry in cultural context of Trecento Italy. Particular reference to Dante and the dolce stil nuovo. Stylistic and linguistic features of Petrarch’s Rime analyzed in depth while philosophical aspects are related to Petrarch’s Latin works, especially the Secretum.
Note: Conducted in Italian.
[Italian 263. Cities Visible and Invisible: Italian Urban Life and Cultural Change (1904-2004)] - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 8114
Giuliana Minghelli
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Resistant to rationality, Italian cities are both archeological sites and blueprints of utopia. From unification to globalization, explores changing ideas of identity, community and citizenship through fiction, film and critical essays on the urban scene.
Note: Expected to be given in 2010–11. Conducted in Italian.
Italian 288r. Italian Literature Seminar
Catalog Number: 0613
Lino Pertile
Half course (fall term). W., 1:30–4. EXAM GROUP: 6, 7, 8
Topic for 2008-09: Pavese
Note: Conducted in Italian.
*Italian 330. Direction of Doctoral Dissertations
Catalog Number: 3679
Francesco Erspamer 5074, Franco Fido 2446, Giuliana Minghelli 4442 (on leave 2008-09) (fall term only), and Lino Pertile 3416
Latin American Studies 98. Tutorial—Junior Year
Catalog Number: 1224
Mariano Siskind and members of the Department and Tutorial Board
Half course (fall term; repeated spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Note: Successful completion of one term of Latin American Studies 98 is required of all honors concentrators in their junior year.
Latin American Studies 99. Tutorial—Senior Year
Catalog Number: 7959
Mariano Siskind and members of the Department and Tutorial Board
Full course. Hours to be arranged.
Weekly individual instruction for honors seniors writing a thesis.
Note: Successful completion of one term of Latin American Studies 99 is required of all honors concentrators. To enroll, see the Undergraduate Adviser in Latin American Studies.
Portuguese Ac. Beginning Portuguese for Spanish Speakers
Catalog Number: 0430
Clémence Joüet-Pastré and staff
Half course (fall term). M., W., F., at 12 or 1. EXAM GROUP: 5
An introductory language course designed for Spanish-English bilinguals. Along with the fundamental communication skills—understanding, speaking, reading and writing—the course will focus on those features of Portuguese which are most difficult for Spanish speakers: pronunciation, idioms and grammatical structures particular to Portuguese. Students will be introduced to the cultures of the Portuguese-speaking world through readings and authentic materials, including films, music, and videotapes.
Note: Conducted in Portuguese. May not be taken Pass/Fail but may be taken Sat/Unsat by GSAS students. Open to Spanish-English bilinguals. Not open to auditors. Section on-line on the Portuguese Ac website.
Prerequisite: 750 on the Spanish SAT II or the Harvard Placement test; 5 on the Spanish AP test; or a 40s level Spanish course.
Portuguese Ad. Beginning Portuguese for Spanish Speakers
Catalog Number: 1315
Clémence Jouët-Pastré and staff
Half course (spring term). M., W., F., at 12 or 1. EXAM GROUP: 5
A continuation of Portuguese Ac. By the end of the second term, students should be able to communicate easily with native speakers and be acquainted with basic elements of Luso-Brazilian culture.
Note: Conducted in Portuguese. May not be taken Pass/Fail but may be taken Sat/Unsat by GSAS students. Not open to auditors. Section on-line on the Portuguese Ad website.
Prerequisite: Portuguese Ac.
Portuguese Ba. Introduction to Portuguese
Catalog Number: 0514
Clémence Jouët-Pastré and staff
Half course (spring term). Section I, M., W., 3–5; Section II, Tu., Th., 3–5. EXAM GROUP: 8, 9
A basic introductory course for students who can devote only one term to the study of Portuguese. Teaches fundamental communication skills—understanding, speaking, reading and writing—but does not offer a complete study of grammar.
Note: Conducted in Portuguese. May not be taken Pass/Fail, but may be taken Sat/Unsat by GSAS students. Not open to auditors. Section on-line on the Portuguese Ba website.
Portuguese Ca. Intermediate Portuguese I
Catalog Number: 7692
Clémence Jouët-Pastré and staff
Half course (fall term). Section 1, M., W., 2–3:30; Section II, Tu., Th., 11:30–1. EXAM GROUP: 7, 8
A beginning intermediate course for students interested in expanding and strengthening their basic Portuguese linguistic skills. Reading, writing, and conversational competency is emphasized through the study of the Luso-African-Brazilian cultures. The course aims to promote cross-cultural understanding through the use of authentic materials such as literary texts, multimedia, film, music, and videotapes.
Note: Conducted in Portuguese. Recommended for students who wish to improve their ability to speak and write Portuguese. May not be taken Pass/Fail. Section on-line on the Portuguese Ca website.
Prerequisite: Portuguese A or permission of course head.
Portuguese Cb. Intermediate Portuguese II
Catalog Number: 2799
Clémence Jouët-Pastré and staff
Half course (spring term). Tu., Th., 11:30–1. EXAM GROUP: 13, 14
Aims to further develop the four communicative skills while expanding students’ background knowledge of the history and cultures of the Portuguese-speaking world. Portuguese Cb covers the important grammar points not studied in Portuguese Ca.
Note: Conducted in Portuguese. May not be taken Pass/Fail. Section on-line on the Portuguese Cb website.
Prerequisite: Portuguese Ca or permission of course head.
Portuguese 37. Brasil hoje: Contemporary Brazilian Culture through Media
Catalog Number: 5024
Clémence Jouët-Pastré
Half course (fall term). Section l, M., W., 2:30–4; Section ll, Tu., Th., 11:30–1. EXAM GROUP: 7, 8
Students engage in systematic grammar review, along with practice in writing and vocabulary enrichment, while examining contemporary Brazil as presented in the Portuguese-language press, television, literature, and film. They analyze the ways Brazilians and non-Brazilians construct different and conflicting images of Brazil and “Brazilness.” Issues of race relations, national identity, ethnicity, and gender addressed. Discussions based on historical and literary tests, advertisements, films, videotapes of Brazilian television, and current issues of newspapers and magazines.
Note: Conducted in Portuguese. May not be taken Pass/Fail, but may be taken Sat/Unsat by GSAS students.
Prerequisite: Portuguese Ca/Cb or permission of course head.
Portuguese 44 (formerly Portuguese 38). Images of Brazil: Contemporary Brazilian Cinema
Catalog Number: 8893
Clémence Jouët-Pastré
Half course (spring term). Tu., Th., 2:30–4. EXAM GROUP: 16, 17
Examines major Brazilian films in their historical, political, and social context. Class discussion also focuses on documentaries, reviews, and critical articles. In-depth textual and grammatical analysis, vocabulary building, reflections on the similarities and differences of the oral and written Portuguese will lead students to achieve a high level of competency.
Note: Conducted in Portuguese. May not be taken Pass/Fail, but may be taken Sat/Unsat by GSAS students. Section on-line on the Portuguese 44 website.
Prerequisite: Portuguese Ca/Cb or permission of course head.
Portuguese 60. Portuguese and the Community
Catalog Number: 3322
Clémence Jouët-Pastré and staff.
Half course (spring term). Tu., Th., 11:30–1, and four hours of activity-based learning per week. EXAM GROUP: 13, 14
An advanced language course examining the Luso-African-Brazilian experience in the US. Promotes community engagement as a vehicle for greater linguistic fluency and cultural understanding. Students will be placed with Boston-area community organizations and agencies. Class work focuses on readings and films by and about Luso-African-Brazilians and specific uses of Portuguese language from these communities. Authors include D. Macedo, Braga Martes, Margolis, Sales, Albues, and Villas Boas.
Note: Section on-line on the Portuguese 60 website.
Prerequisite: Portuguese 37, 38 or a score of 100 on the Harvard Placement Test.
*Portuguese 91r. Supervised Reading and Research
Catalog Number: 5589
Clémence Jouët-Pastré and members of the Department and Tutorial Board
Half course (fall term; repeated spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Advanced reading in topics not covered in regular courses.
Note: Limited to juniors and seniors.
*Portuguese 97. Tutorial — Sophomore Year
Catalog Number: 5769
Clémence Jouët-Pastré and members of the Department and Tutorial Board
Half course (spring term). M., W., 2–3:30. EXAM GROUP: 7, 8
Successful completion of one term of Portuguese 97 is required of all concentrators in their sophomore year.
*Portuguese 98. Tutorial — Junior Year
Catalog Number: 8667
Clémence Jouët-Pastré and members of the Department and Tutorial Board
Half course (fall term; repeated spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Successful completion of one term of Portuguese 98r is required of all honors concentrators. To enroll see course head.
*Portuguese 99. Tutorial — Senior Year
Catalog Number: 8753
Clémence Jouët-Pastré and members of the Department and Tutorial Board
Full course. Hours to be arranged.
For honors seniors writing a thesis. Successful completion of one term of Portuguese 99 is required of all honors concentrators. To enroll, see course head.
Portuguese 119 (formerly Portuguese 219br). Major Poems of the Portuguese Language II
Catalog Number: 3242
Joaquim-Francisco Coelho
Half course (spring term). M., 3–5. EXAM GROUP: 8, 9
A continuation of Portuguese 118.
Note: Conducted in Portuguese.
[Portuguese 122a. Introduction to the Literature of Portugal I]
Catalog Number: 2943
Joaquim-Francisco Coelho
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
The main currents of Portuguese literature. Emphasis on major authors, literary schools, and socio-aesthetic ideas from Gil Vicente and Camões to Eça de Queiroz, Fernando Pessoa, Jorge de Sena and José Saramago. Aims to teach students to read Portuguese texts and to think and write about them in a broad Western European context.
Note: Expected to be given in 2009–10.
Prerequisite: Excellent reading knowledge of Portuguese.
[Portuguese 122b. Introduction to the Literature of Portugal II] - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 9754
Joaquim-Francisco Coelho
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
A continuation of Portuguese 122a.
Note: Expected to be given in 2009–10.
[Portuguese 133a. The History of the Short Story in Portugal and Brazil] - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 4881
Joaquim-Francisco Coelho
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
A history of the shapes and intentions of the short story in the literatures of Portugal and Brazil, from early medieval tales to the present. Emphasis given to modern narratives. Among authors include: Eça de Queirós, Machado de Assis, Mário de Andrade, Clarice Lispector, Almada Negreiros, and Jorge de Sena.
Note: Expected to be given in 2010–11.
[Portuguese 133b. The History of the Short Story in Portugal and Brazil, II] - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 5672
Joaquim-Francisco Coelho
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
A continuation of Portuguese 133a.
Note: Expected to be given in 2010–11.
[Portuguese 139. Sonnets and Sonneteers of the Portuguese Language] - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 7381
Joaquim-Francisco Coelho
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
A historical survey of the theory and practice of the sonnet in the literature of the Portuguese language, from the Renaissance to the end of the 20th century. Portuguese and Brazilian authors include, among others, Camôes, Sá de Miranda, Bocage, Antero de Quental, Fernando Pessoa, Carlos Drummond de Andrade, Mário Quintana, Ledo Ivo, David, Mourâo-Ferreira, Sophia de Melo Breyner Andresen, Alexandre O’Neill, and Jorge de Sena.
Note: Expected to be given in 2010–11.
Portuguese 141. The Short Stories of Machado de Assis
Catalog Number: 8700
Joaquim-Francisco Coelho
Half course (fall term). W., 2–4. EXAM GROUP: 7, 8
Analyzes Machado’s short stories in chronological order of composition, emphasizing their social content, the idiosyncratic behavior of their characters, and the author’s use of language to convey the ambiguities of human nature.
Note: Conducted in Portuguese and English.
Portuguese 151 (formerly Portuguese 251). Culture in Turmoil: Brazil in the 50s, 60s and 70s
Catalog Number: 7461
Nicolau Sevcenko (Universidade de São Paulo)
Half course (spring term). W., 1–3. EXAM GROUP: 6, 7
Discusses some creative and exciting trends in modern Brazilian culture that arose in resistance to military dictatorship: Tropicalismo, Concretismo and Neo-Concretismo, MPB, Cinema Novo, Teatro de Arena and Literatura Marginal.
Note: Conducted in Portuguese.
[Portuguese 165. The Rise and Fall of Nationalism in Brazil] - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 4830
Nicolau Sevcenko (Universidade de São Paulo)
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Since the times of Independence in 1822, nationalism was a rising trend in Brazilian culture. Its climax came with Modernism in the 1920s, the Vargas dictatorship in the 1930s and the building up of Brasilia in the 1950/60s. After that, new trends in globalization started casting Brazilian culture in new, more challenging and problematic directions.
Note: Expected to be given in 2009–10. Conducted in Portuguese.
[Portuguese 171. A Poetic of the Senses: The Brazilian Experience] - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 9449
Nicolau Sevcenko (Universidade de São Paulo)
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
The prevalence of popular baroque as one of the main sources of Brazilian culture in general puts a stress on the sensorial, the performative, the rhythmic and the sensual as preponderant elements of artistic creativity. Aims to explore this poetic of the senses in different dimensions: literature, poetry, music, dance, theatre, visual arts, film, architecture and urban design.
Note: Expected to be given in 2009–10. Conducted in Portuguese.
*Portuguese 321. Literature of Brazil: Supervised Reading and Research
Catalog Number: 5933
Joaquim-Francisco Coelho 7715 and Nicolau Sevcenko (Universidade de São Paulo) 5229 (spring term only)
*Portuguese 330. Direction of Doctoral Dissertations
Catalog Number: 4072
Joaquim-Francisco Coelho 7715, Bradley S. Epps 2880 (on leave 2008-09), Luis Fernández-Cifuentes 2091, Mary M. Gaylord 2632 (on leave spring term), Nicolau Sevcenko (Universidade de São Paulo) 5229 (spring term only), and Doris Sommer 2744
*Romance Studies 91r. Supervised Reading and Research
Catalog Number: 8210
Mary M. Gaylord (fall term), Virginie Greene (spring term) and members of the Department and Tutorial Board
Half course (fall term; repeated spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Tutorial supervision of research on subjects not treated in regular courses.
*Romance Studies 97. Tutorial—Sophomore Year
Catalog Number: 1994
Mary M. Gaylord (fall term), Virginie Greene (spring term) and members of the Department and Tutorial Board
Half course (fall term; repeated spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Note: Successful completion of one term of Romance Studies 97 is required of all concentrators in their sophomore year.
*Romance Studies 98. Tutorial—Junior Year
Catalog Number: 5203
Mary M. Gaylord (fall term), Virginie Greene (spring term) and members of the Department and Tutorial Board
Half course (fall term; repeated spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Note: Successful completion of one term of Romance Studies 98 is required of all honors concentrators in their junior year.
*Romance Studies 99. Tutorial-Senior Year
Catalog Number: 1067
Mary M. Gaylord (fall term), Virginie Greene (spring term) and members of the Department and Tutorial Board
Full course. Hours to be arranged.
Note: Weekly individual instruction. Successful completion of one term of Romance Studies 99 is required of all honors concentrators. To enroll, see the Undergraduate Adviser in Romance Studies.
Romance Studies 143. Texts, Materially Speaking: An Introduction to the History of the Book - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 7283
Maria Grazia Lolla
Half course (spring term). W., 1–3. EXAM GROUP: 6, 7
The relation of literature to authors, publisher and readers from manuscripts to cybertexts: the physical make-up of books, the sociology of authorship and readership, editorial practices, libraries and museums, censorship and intellectual property.
Note: Conducted in English.
[Romance Studies 170. Fictions of Marginality: Italian and Latin American Novel and Film in the Age of Globalization] - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 7076
Francesco Erspamer and Mariano Siskind
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Contemporary Latin American and Italian writers share commonalities: they acknowledge their cultures as marginal, and as unable to compete on the global scene and in their own countries with the imaginaries mass-marketed by the English-speaking world. This narrative of loss and exclusion has inspired great novels and films, in which the desire for recognition is expressed through translation and re-writing, the invention of the past, the critique of traditional identities, the hope of social change.
Note: Expected to be given in 2010–11. Conducted in English.
[Romance Studies 189. The Culture of Antifascism]
Catalog Number: 3680
Francesco Erspamer
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
The purpose of this course is to show that antifascism has not just been a form of tactical resistance to historical fascisms but rather a vital intellectual and social movement in its own right, committed to fight against bigotry, racism, authoritarianism, and inequality. Readings will include Italian writers and thinkers of the first and second half of the 20th century, such as Gramsci, Silone, Emilio Lussu, Piero Gobetti, Carlo Rosselli, Moravia, Vittorini, Pasolini.
Note: Expected to be given in 2010–11. Conducted in English.
Romance Studies 202. Ethics and Aesthetics (Graduate Seminar in General Education) - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 2167
Francesco Erspamer and Doris Sommer
Half course (fall term). M., 3–5. EXAM GROUP: 8, 9
Readings alternate between theory and literature/other arts to explore mutual relationships between the social conditions for art-making and art’s effects. How do creative practices play into ethics? Does philosophy depend on counter-factual [fictional] imaginings? The seminar will design and develop a General Education course on these themes for undergraduates.
Note: Conducted in English.
Spanish Ab. Beginning Spanish II - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 3328
Johanna Damgaard Liander and staff
Half course (fall term; repeated spring term). M., through Th., 9, 10, 11, 1 or 2. EXAM GROUP: 10
For students with the equivalent of one semester previous study of Spanish. Emphasis on speaking, reading and writing while including Hispanic culture through contemporary texts and using computer, video and film materials. After Spanish Aa and Ab, students should be able to engage in everyday conversation with native speakers, and read straightforward texts, both fiction and non-fiction, with relative ease.
Note: Conducted in Spanish. May not be taken Pass/Fail but may be taken Sat/Unsat by GSAS students. Section on-line on the Spanish Ab website. Students who have studied Spanish for two years or more in secondary school must begin at Spanish Ab or higher. Upon the recommendation of the course head, students who have performed at a superior level in this course may enroll in any course for which they are linguistically prepared.Prerequisite: 450 on the SAT II test or on the Harvard Placement Test, Spanish Aa, or permission of course head.
*Spanish Acd (Formerly Spanish Bab). Intensive Beginning Spanish: Special Course
Catalog Number: 5577 Enrollment: Limited to 15 students per section.
Johanna Damgaard Liander and staff
Full course (fall term; repeated spring term). Section I, M., through F., at 9, and Tu., Th., at 10; Section II, M., through F., at 11, and Tu., Th., at 12. EXAM GROUP: 2, 11, 12
For students with no previous formal training in Spanish but with competence in at least one foreign language. Emphasis on communication skills. Language instruction supplemented by cultural and literary readings, film, and computer materials.
Note: May not be used to fulfill the language requirement. May not be taken Pass/Fail but may be taken Sat/Unsat by GSAS students.. Interested students should contact the instructor before registration for fall term and before fall examination period for spring term. Upon the recommendation of the course head, students who have performed at a superior level in this course may enroll in any course for which they are linguistically prepared.
Spanish Ax. Reading Spanish
Catalog Number: 5318
Nina C. de W. Ingrao and staff
Half course (spring term). Tu., Th., 11:30–1. EXAM GROUP: 13, 14
For students (both undergraduate and graduate) with little or no knowledge of Spanish. Aims at the rapid development of reading skills as a tool for research.
Note: Not open to auditors. May not be used to fulfill the language requirement. May not be taken Pass/Fail, but may be taken Sat/Unsat by GSAS students. Conducted in English. Section on-line on the Spanish Ax website.
Spanish C. Intermediate Spanish - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 5819
Adriana Gutiérrez and staff
Half course (fall term; repeated spring term). Sections M., T., W., Th. at 9, 10, 11, 1, and 2. EXAM GROUP: 10
An intermediate language and culture class that aims to consolidate and expand the skills of listening comprehension, speaking, reading and writing in Spanish. Includes a comprehensive review of the grammar and reinforces linguistic acquisition through texts, movies, art and multi-media projects to acquaint students with cultural issues relevant to the Spanish-speaking world.
Note: Conducted in Spanish. May not be taken Pass/Fail but may be taken Sat/Unsat by GSAS students. Section on-line on the Spanish C website. Upon the recommendation of the course head, students who have performed at a superior level in this course may enroll in any course for which they are linguistically prepared.
Prerequisite: Spanish A, Bab, 600 on the SAT II test or on the Harvard Placement Test, or permission of course head. Students who have studied Spanish for three years or more in secondary school must begin at Spanish C or higher.
Spanish 30. Advanced Language Review through Literature and Culture, I
Catalog Number: 0479
Adriana Gutiérrez and staff
Half course (fall term; repeated spring term). M., W., F. at 10, 11, and 1. EXAM GROUP: 4, 5, 6
Continues to reinforce the practice of oral and written communication in Spanish through topics in contemporary cultural materials from Spain and Latin America. Students will focus on improving accuracy, refining pronunciation and developing vocabulary. In addition to in-class discussions, course work involves grammar review and practice in writing. Consult course website for current semester topics.
Note: Conducted in Spanish. May not be taken Pass/Fail but may be taken Sat/Unsat by GSAS students. Students may take no more than two courses numbered in the 30s. Section on-line on the Spanish 30 website. Upon the recommendation of the course head, students who have performed at a superior level in this course may enroll in any course for which they are linguistically prepared.
Prerequisite: 680 on the SAT II test or on the Harvard Placement Test, Spanish C, or permission of course head.
Spanish 40. Advanced Language Review through Literature and Culture, II - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 9393
Adriana Gutiérrez, Nina C. de W. Ingrao, and Johanna Damgaard Liander
Half course (fall term; repeated spring term). M., W., F., at 10; 11. EXAM GROUP: 3, 4
An advanced language and culture class that further develops linguistic competence using a region of the Hispanic world as a focus for class discussion, grammar review, and an introduction to Hispanic social contexts and texts. Course materials may also include films, interviews, painting, selections from the press, as well as literary or historical readings. Frequent written and oral assignments, and a thorough review of grammar. Consult course website for current semester topics.
Note: Conducted in Spanish. May not be taken Pass/Fail, but may be taken Sat/Unsat by GSAS students. Section on-line on the Spanish 40 website.
Prerequisite: 720 on the SAT II test or on the Harvard Placement Test, AP 5, a Spanish 30-level course, or permission of course head.
Spanish 50. Writing and Performance
Catalog Number: 6794
Adriana Gutiérrez, Nina C. de W. Ingrao, Johanna Damgaard Liander and staff
Half course (fall term; repeated spring term). Fall: Section I, Tu., Th. 11:30-1; Section II, Tu., Th. 1-2:30; Spring: M., W., F., at 10, 11 or 1. EXAM GROUP: Fall: 13, 14; Spring: 3
An advanced language course designed to strengthen and develop competence in written expression.