Modern Languages-DePauw University

ADVANCED PLACEMENT & RETROACTIVE CREDIT POLICIES

Students who enter DePauw with previous foreign language experience are assigned to the appropriate level by a placement examination administered on campus. They may not begin the language at DePauw at a lower level than the one assigned, but may move up in level if they wish. In no case may a student with more than two years of foreign language study in high school (grades 9-12) start at the beginning level in the same language.

CHINESE, JAPANESE
If assigned to the 200 level or higher, students will receive extra course credit on completion of that course with a grade of C or better, according to this pattern: after completion of JAPN 252 or CHIN 262 = 1 course credit extra, completion of one full credit of 300+ = 2 course credits extra.

FRENCH, SPANISH
If assigned to the 200 level or higher, students will receive extra course credit on completion of that course with a grade of C or better, according to this pattern: FRENCH 202, SPAN 232 = one course credit extra, 300 + = two course credits extra. Native speakers are not eligible to take the elementary or intermediate courses or the conversation/phonetics courses (FREN 305, SPAN 330) and must begin their coursework at the 300 level. If they are majors or minors, they will receive two (2) retroactive credits only upon successful completion of three (3) 300- or 400-level courses (beginning with FREN 315 or SPAN 332) with a grade of C or better. No course for the major or minor can be taken Pass/Fail.

GERMAN
If assigned to the 200 level or higher, students will receive extra course credit on completion of that course with a grade of C or better according to this pattern: GER 212 = 1 course credit extra; GER 300+ = 2 course credits extra.

RUSSIAN
If assigned to the 200 level or higher, students will receive extra course credit on completion of that course with a grade of C or better, according to this pattern: RUS 222, 224, or 263 = 1 course credit extra, RUS 324 = 2 course credits extra.

LANGUAGE STUDY ABROAD
The department encourages its majors to study in those countries which speak the target language. Two courses per semester of study abroad may count in the Department toward a major. Only one course taken off-campus may count toward the minor. The International Center may assist students in locating an appropriate off-campus study program.

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COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

See below for the current course descriptions for advanced-level language classes in the Modern Languages department. General course descriptions for regular classes offered in the Modern Languages Department may be found through the Registrar's page.

Course descriptions for Modern Languages topics courses and seminars

SPRING 2010

FRENCH

FREN 420 (Senior Seminar) LA NOUVELLE AU XIXème SIÉCLE. Prof. Françoise Coulont-Henderson

La littérature du XIXème siècle français est pleine de courtes histoires toutes plus fascinantes les unes que les autres (histoires fantastiques, histoires de guerre, histoires de moeurs, histoires de crimes, histoires politiques ou histoires d’amour).
Même si la nouvelle n’a pas été inventée au XIXème siècle, on peut affirmer que c’est au cours de ce siècle qu’elle est arrivée à maturité et qu’elle a reçu ses lettres de noblesse en tant que genre disposant d’un potentiel esthétique. Nous lirons et analyserons de nombreux chefs-d’oeuvre, et au-delà de ceux-ci de nombreuses histoires qui offrent un éventail de sujets, d’approches et de styles caractéristiques des oeuvres du dix-neuvième siècle.
La participation orale quotidienne sous forme de discussions et/ou de présentations est impérative. Il y aura également deux devoirs d’analyse et de recherche à faire (environ 15 pages chacun)

GERMAN

GER 415, Senior Seminar, and GER 411, Topics Weimarer Republik Prof. Inge Aures MW 2:20-3:50

Commenting on Berlin and the “Golden Twenties”, the writer Elias Canetti remarked: “What exactly defines a golden age? It is an era full of famous names, one following on after the other, and yet not eclipsing each other, although they may indeed be in competition. What is important is that there is a continual impetus and a continual collision, adding to the golden glow, rather than extinguishing it. It is a lack of sensitivity towards such collisions, and yet a sense of yearning for them, and the desire to abandon oneself to them.”
While marked by political and social upheaval, the Weimar Republic (1919-1933) is also a time of remarkable literary and artistic accomplishments and innovations. “Die Moderne” that often commented on every day life and the relationship between the individual and the masses, found its expression in a variety of literary and artistic movements. In this course we will be reading short pieces by a number of prominent writers. Among others, we will discuss works by Bertolt Brecht, Thomas and Heinrich Mann, Irmgard Keun and Erich Maria Remarque We will investigate the importance of these authors in their own time and their relevance for our times.

MODERN LANGUAGES (ML classes are taught in English.)

ML 164C Unhappy Loves: Masterpieces of the Italian Tradition. Prof. Francesca Seaman MWF 10:30-11:20

In this course we will see how the greatest authors of the Italian tradition have written about Love. We will start with Dante's Vita Nuova, and investigate some of the Cantos from the much celebrated Divine Comedy. We will continue with Boccaccio's revolutionary short stories, and consider his writing as the emergence of a new consciousness. Petrarch's collection of poems, The Canzoniere, will take us to consider introspection as a way to understand conflicts within oneself. The course will continue with readings from the Italian romantic tradition. We will look at Foscolo's love letters, Leopardi's diaries, and some of his poems. We will also consider some of the more recent literature, like the popular short stories of Calvino, and the love story between the two poets Dino Campana and Sibilla Aleramo. We will study the metaphors that these authors have chosen to speak about human emotion, we will question the limits of expression, the role of silence in literature, as well as the influence of their writing in today's western consciousness. In addition, we hope to have guest lectures on famous (and unhappy) love stories in Italian art, opera, roman mythology, and history.
Students will acquire vocabulary appropriate to literary analysis of poems, short stories, novels, epistolary and diaristic writings as well as film. Students will also learn how to question a theoretical text, and investigate the multiple possibilities of interpretation. They will develop critical thinking skills by evaluating the strength of a literary argument, and by learning how to formulate hypotheses, theories and questions that can generate a debate.
All texts will be read in English translation, though advanced students of Italian will have the option to read and discuss all readings in the original language.

RUSSIAN

RUS 324 Topics: The Art of Translation. Prof. Masha Belyavski-Frank MW 2:20-3:50
Prerequisites: RUS 221 or permission of instructor
Counts for Russian and Russian Studies

In this course you will learn skills in translating from Russian to English (and also to some extent from English to Russian). We will work on grammar, semantics, and stylistics, and other areas of importance in translation, such as slang, high style language, cultural references and the overall feel of a translation. Translation will be in areas as diverse as weather reports, letters, documents, and editorials, as well as prose and poetry.
We will also look at translations from Russian into English and analyze what makes a good translation, a bad translation, and a great translation. You will also be working on a special translation project of your own, in addition to other translation assignments. If you’ve ever wondered at what a translator does, or been puzzled by a particular English translation in literature class, now is the time to discover more of the art of translation.

SPANISH

SPAN 390 El cine español Bob Hershberger 1:40-2:40 MWF

Esta clase se dedica a una investigación del cine español desde el cine mudo de la vanguardia de los años 20 hasta el periodo contemporáneo. Un enfoque principal de esta clase será la comparación del cine patrocinado por el régimen franquista con el cine independiente. Analizaremos las estrategias y motivos que usan los cineastas de estos años para reforzar o subvertir la ideología oficial de la nación. Al final del semestre los estudiantes de esta clase:
1) tendrán un conocimiento básico del cine español del siglo XX,
2) podrán comentar e analizar películas de largometraje EN ESPAÑOL,
3) conocerán los factores culturales y sociales españoles que influyen la producción cinematográfica del periodo analizado.

SPAN 456a Oralidad y escritura en la novela latinoamericana Alejandro Puga 9:20-10:20 MWF

Tras lecturas representativas de novelas latinoamericanas después de 1950, y tras un repaso de relevantes obras críticas, examinaremos la problemática relación entre registros escriturarios y orales dentro del esquema estilístico de cada autor. Indagaremos las motivaciones estéticas y sociopolíticas que resultan en la representación literaria de jergas populares y de sectores marginados, así como la insistencia en el afirmar una identidad letrada por medio de trozos de literatura interna, y por medio del mismo bagaje cultural del autor. Las tensiones que observaremos entre ambos modos comunicativos formarán la materia prima para una discusión más amplia sobre cuál es el papel del discurso novelístico en una sociedad contemporánea que a la vez resiste y alaba su presencia.

SPAN 456b Federico García Lorca Linda Elman 12:40-2:10 TR

El seminario dedicado a la vida y obra de Federico Garciía Lorca abarca su biografía, su poesía, sus dramas, sus conferencias y correspondencia, sus dibujos y su música. Se leerán artículos de crítica, también. El enfoque de la clase no será limitado a la lectura de los textos y los análises escritos, sino que nos dedicaremos tiempo y esfuerzo a varias estrategias para la representación de las obras: la recitación poética, la dramatización de trozos de teatro, y otras aproximaciones a la producción artística de este singular escritor y personaje de la literatura moderna peninsular. Además asistiremos a una función de teatro (un drama de Lorca montado en DePauw por la compañía Aguijón de Chicago). Para colmar nuestra experiencia, la clase montará un programa (“Noche Lorca”) para la comunidad.

SPAN 456c Voces de mujeres en la literatura latinoamericana Soledad Forcadell 2:20-3:50MW

En este seminario se estudiarán cuentos, novelas y poesías producidos por escritoras latinoamericanas del siglo XX. Se observará el modo en que las producciones literarias incorporan y/o resisten los movimientos literarios canónicos, predominantemente masculinos. Las escritoras son Ana Lydia Vega, Rosario Ferré, Cristina Peri Rossi, Rosario Castellanos, Alejandra Pizarnik, Delmira Agustini, entre otras.

MAJOR REQUIREMENTS

Click here for the requirements for a major in the Modern Languages Department.
Click here for the requirements for a major in Russian Studies.

MINOR REQUIREMENTS

Click here for the requirements for a minor in the Modern Languages Department.
Click here for the requirements for a minor in Russian Studies.

EXAMPLE SYLLABI

Coming soon.

HONOR SOCIETIES

The Modern Languages Department is proud to feature:
French National Honor Society Pi Delta Phi
Spanish National Honor Society Sigma Delta Pi

Last updated: 10/26/09