Catalan Ba. Introduction to Catalan
Catalog Number: 2153
Bradley S. Epps and Staff
Half course (spring term). Tu., Th., 3–5. EXAM GROUP: 17, 18
A basic introductory course in Catalan, the language of approximately six million people in parts of Spain, France, and Italy, with its own rich literary and cultural traditions. Emphasizing oral communication, reading, and writing, Catalan Ba will include a selection of literary and historical texts and will offer students contact with contemporary Catalonia through the press and Internet sites. The course will cover approximately two-thirds of the material normally covered in first year Catalan.
Note: Conducted in Catalan. Knowledge of another Romance language is useful but not essential.
French Ax. Reading French
Catalog Number: 2763
Marlies Mueller and staff
Half course (fall term). Section I: Tu., Th., 10–11:30; Section II: Tu., Th., 11:30–1. EXAM GROUP: 13
An introduction to reading modern French prose for students who require only reading knowledge of French for research purposes. Selection of materials in accordance with students’ needs. Some previous study of a Romance language helpful but not necessary.
Note: Not open to students with a score of 500 or above on the SAT II French test, or to graduate students 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.
*French Bab. Intensive Elementary French: Special Course
Catalog Number: 8780 Enrollment: Limited to 15 students per section.
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 1 and Tu., Th., at 2. EXAM GROUP: 3, 12, 13
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. Interested students should see the Course Instructor for an interview during the fall term reading period.
Prerequisite: An advanced knowledge of at least one foreign language.
French Ca. Intermediate French I
Catalog Number: 1810
Marie-France Bunting 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 the basic communication skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing, and including a study of grammar, aided by computer tutorials. Students become familiar with contemporary France through videotapes, feature length films, and interactive videodisc and are introduced to French literature through a selection of short texts.
Note: Conducted in French. Open to students who have passed French A or for initial placement, to students with a placement score of 500-599 on the SAT II test
or the Harvard Placement Test, or 3 years of French in high school, or with permission of the instructor. May not be taken Pass/Fail.
French Cb. Intermediate French II: La Francophonie
Catalog Number: 6343
Marie-France Bunting and staff
Half course (spring term). Three weekly meetings M., W., F.: Section I, at 9; Section II, at 10; Section III, at 12; Section IV at 1. EXAM GROUP: 10
Aims to further develop the four communicative skills while introducing students to the concept of “la francophonie” as represented in literature and films from Quebec, the Caribbean, and Africa. In French Cb, students continue the study of grammar begun in French Ca.
Note: Conducted in French.
Prerequisite: Open to students after French Ca, or with a placement score of 600-659 on the SAT II test or the Harvard Placement test; or by permission of instructor. May not be taken pass/fail.
French 25. Intermediate French III: L’Etre humain et son univers
Catalog Number: 8781
Marlies Mueller and staff
Half course (fall term; repeated spring term). Fall: M., W., F., Section I at 9; Section II at 10; Section III at 12; Spring: M., W., F., at 10. EXAM GROUP: Fall: 10; Spring: 3
An introduction to French literature and cinema combined with a complete review of French grammar. Contemporary texts and films are chosen that explore enduring questions of human experience. Reflections on the meaning of life are compared and contrasted. Authors and filmmakers include Baudelaire, Camus, Kieslowski, Pagnol, Rimbaud, and Sartre. By the end of the semester, students should be able to understand lectures in French and express their thoughts orally and in writing with confidence using simple, complete French.
Note: Conducted in French. Open to students with 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, for initial placement, a placement score between 600-659 on the SAT II test or the Harvard Placement test; or by permission of the instructor. May not be taken Pass/Fail.
French 27. French Oral Survival: Le Français parlé
Catalog Number: 3060
Marie-France Bunting and staff
Half course (fall term; repeated spring term). Fall: M. through F., Section I at 9; Section II at 12; Section III at 1; Spring: M., through F., Section I at 9; Section II at 12; Section III at 1. EXAM GROUP: 2
A course stressing oral communication intended to prepare students for immersion in any Francophone country. Current vocabulary, idiomatic expressions, and culturally appropriate speech strategies are presented thematically. Students improve listening and speaking skills using videotapes, films, interactive videodiscs, and audiocassettes; they review grammar with a computer tutorial. Weekly articles from the French press offer opportunities to develop reading skills while providing information about contemporary France. After taking French 27, students should feel at ease speaking French and conversing with native speakers and should be able to handle all situations encountered in everyday life.
Note: Open to students with a placement score of 600-659 on the SAT II test or the Harvard Placement test; and to those who have received a grade of B+ in French A or Bab, a B in French Ca with language requirement completed, or a B in French Cb or French 25, or permission of instructor. French 27 may not be used to fulfill the language requirement and may not be taken Pass/Fail.
[French 30. Oral Expression: Sujets d’actualité et problèmes sociaux]
Catalog Number: 1292
Judith Frommer and staff
Half course (fall term; repeated spring term). Hours to be arranged. EXAM GROUP: 3
Intended for students with a knowledge of everyday French who want to learn to speak on a more sophisticated level. Discussions and debates on topics of current interest are based on French films and excerpts from literature and the French press. While stressing acquisition of oral expression, the course also includes practice in writing and a review of grammar.
Note: Expected to be given in 2000–01. Conducted in French. May not be taken Pass/Fail.
Prerequisite: Open to students with a placement score of 660 the SAT II test or the Harvard Placement test. Also open to students who have taken French Cb, French 25, or French 27, or by permission of the instructor.
French 31. Oral Expresssion: La France à travers les medias
Catalog Number: 0490
Michael Andrew Fodor and staff
Half course (fall term; repeated spring term). M., W., F., at 11. EXAM GROUP: Fall: 4
Designed for students with a conversational level of French who want to further develop their oral-aural skills. Students will increase their vocabulary and acquire more sophisticated speech strategies while learning about France through the French press, (both written and audio-visual), films, and the world wide web. The course will include a grammar review and practice in writing.
Note: Conducted in French. May not be taken Pass/Fail.
Prerequisite: Open to students with a placement score of 660 on the SAT II test or the Harvard Placement test. Also open to students who have taken French 25 or French 27, or by permission of the instructor.
French 35. Upper-Level French I: “La quête de soi et le rapport avec autrui”
Catalog Number: 1935
Marlies Mueller and staff
Half course (fall term; repeated spring term). Fall: Section I: M., W., F., at 10; Section II: M., W., F., at 11; Section III: M., W., F., at 1. Spring: Section I: M., W., F., at 10; Section II: M., W., F., at 11. EXAM GROUP: 3, 4
A course in French language, literature, and film designed to develop facility in speaking, listening comprehension, writing, and reading at the advanced level. Considers representations of the self in French literature and cinema, and the various cultural institutions within which individuality is constructed. Genealogy, politics, law, art, memory, education, and religion are considered in literary context. How does one arrive at knowledge of self, and what are the consequences of this knowledge? Authors and filmmakers attempting to answer this question include Baudelaire, Camus, Duras, Hugo, Leconte, Truffaut, and Vercors; course includes a complete grammar review and vocabulary building, in context.
Note: Conducted in French.
Prerequisite: For initial placement, French 25, or permission of instructor. Open to students with a placement score of 660 on the SAT II test or the Harvard Placement test taken. May not be taken Pass/Fail.
French 36. Upper-Level French II: Liberté et Conscience
Catalog Number: 6963
Marlies Mueller and staff
Half course (spring term). M., W., F., Section I at 10; Section II at 11; Section III at 1. EXAM GROUP: 13
An advanced course in French language and literature structured to develop near-native fluency in written and oral expression. Examines the nature and consequences of freedom. How do power, knowledge, and freedom interrelate? What ethical difficulties does the affirmation of individual liberty occasion? Politics, philosophy, art, and literary imagination are considered as they relate to the creation and expansion of human autonomy. Authors and film directors include Balzac, Beauvoir, Camus, Granier-Deferre, Maupassant, Nuytten, Ophuls, Renoir, Ribowska, and Yourcenar. Grammar is reviewed in context, complemented by audiotapes, videotapes, films, and optional computer-assisted instruction materials designed to sharpen oral/aural skills.
Note: Conducted in French.
Prerequisite: French 25, 27, 30, or 35; a placement score of 690 on the SAT II test or the Harvard Placement test ; or permission of the instructor. May not be taken Pass/Fail.
French 37. Les régions de France: hier et aujourd’hui
Catalog Number: 7909
Marie-France Bunting and staff
Half course (fall term). M., W., F., Section I at 10; Section II at 12. EXAM GROUP: 3
A journey through various regions of France surveying the present and past identities of Bretagne, Alsace, and Provence, through art, folklore, traditions, regional literature. Resources for class discussions include current articles from the French press, information from web sites, and historical and literary writings as well as films and video documents. Emphasis on oral and written 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.
Prerequisite: French 31, 35 or 36. Open to students with a placement score of 710 on the SAT II test or the Harvard Placement test, or by permission of the instructor.
French 38b. Introduction to Francophone Literature
Catalog Number: 2581
Marie-France Bunting and staff
Half course (spring term). Section I: M., W., F., at 10; Section II: M., W., F., at 12. EXAM GROUP: 3
Designed to introduce students to the works of some leading Francophone writers from Quebec, Antilles, North and West Africa while helping them acquire greater skills and confidence in both oral and written expression. Discussions will focus on issues of identity and alienation as expressed in the works of Hébert, Césaire, Schwarz-Bart, Sembene, Laye, and Chraïbi.
Note: Conducted in French. May not be taken pass/fail.
Prerequisite: French 31, 35, 36, 37. Open to students with a placement score of 710 on the SAT II test or the Harvard Placement test, or permission of the instructor.
French 45. Le Français économique et commercial
Catalog Number: 7122
Michael Andrew Fodor
Half course (spring term). Section I: Tu., Th., 10–11:30; Section II: Tu., Th., 1–2:30. EXAM GROUP: 12, 13
Designed for students interested in international business or affairs or who intend to work or travel for business in French-speaking countries. Through audiovisual materials, and current newspaper and magazine articles, 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. Students learn specialized business and economic vocabulary and the principles of business correspondence. Those enrolled may take the Paris Chamber of Commerce and Industry exams and obtain an official certificate attesting to their proficiency in French.
Note: Conducted in French. May not be taken Pass/Fail.
Prerequisite: Open to students with a placement score of 660 on the SAT II test or the Harvard Placement test. Also open to students who have taken French 25 or French 27, or by permission of the instructor.
French 47. Contemporary French Society at the Turn of the Century
Catalog Number: 5611
Marie-France Bunting
Half course (fall term). Section I, M., W., F., at 10; Section II, M., W., F., at 12. EXAM GROUP: 3
Advanced study of French which combines an active use of the language and practice in writing with a close look at some fundamental issues within contemporary French society. We will study in depth such topics as: family, gender, the educational system, urban problems, and social stratification. Resources for class discussion include readings from sociological, historical and literary sources as well as articles from the French press and websites. Films and documentaries are frequently used to add a cultural and human understanding to the course material.
Note: Conducted in French. May not be taken Pass/Fail. Open to students with a placement score of 760 on the SAT II test or the Harvard Placement test.
French 48. French Institutions: Some Current Debates
Catalog Number: 8290
Marie-France Bunting
Half course (spring term). Section I, M., W., F., at 10; Section II, M., W., F., at 12. EXAM GROUP: 3, 5
Designed to develop greater linguistic fluency while introducing students to some major debates in French society today. Themes to be explored include: French politics, immigration, religion, the relationship of France with its former colonies, the French language, “l’exception culturelle,” “la Francophonie,” and France within the European Union. Students will participate in discussions based on readings from the French press and websites as well as from sociological, historical 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.
Prerequisite: French 37, 38, 45 or 47. Open to students with a placement score of 780 on the SAT II test or the Harvard placement test; or by permission of the instructor.
French 51. Writing Workshop
Catalog Number: 0575
Marie-France Bunting
Half course (fall term). M., W., 3–4:30. EXAM GROUP: 8, 9
Aims to strengthen and develop the students’ competence in written expression. Using short novels, short stories, essays and sample texts drawn from history, philosophy, and journalism, students learn to practice different styles in creative, argumentative, and analytical writings. Special emphasis will be paid to stylistic variations, lexical nuances, and complex grammatical structures. In addition, we will study certain forms of French rhetoric such as le résumé (summary), la lecture méthodique (close reading), and la dissertation littéraire. Students’ work will be discussed in class and in private conferences.
Note: Conducted in French.
Prerequisite: Open to students with a Harvard Placement test ot 750, or by permission of the instructor. Recommended for concentrators and joint concentrators.
French 52. Advanced Oral Expression
Catalog Number: 2610
Marie-France Bunting
Half course (spring term). M., W., 3–4:30. EXAM GROUP: 8, 9
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 threefold: to fine-tune listening comprehension; to develop linguistic skills in presenting oneself, expressing emotions, debating, negotiating, counseling, persuading, etc.; and to improve pronunciation (practice of sounds, intonation and rhythm through short dialogues and memorization of poems). Authentic materials in print or on audio or video cassettes will be used as models. In addition to practical, corrective work, students will participate collectively in a theatrical production as a final class project.
Note: Conducted in French.
Prerequisite: Open to students with a score of 750 on a Harvard Placement test, or by permission of the instructor. Recommended for concentrators and joint concentrators.
French 70a. Introduction to French Literature I: The Beginnings of Literary Space
Catalog Number: 2865
Tom Conley
Half course (fall term). Tu., Th., 11:30–1. EXAM GROUP: 13
Panorama of texts selected from medieval, early modern, and classical periods. Emphasis on literature and the visual arts.
Note: Lectures in French, accompanied by viewings of related visual materials; and discussion.
Prerequisite: Open to students with a placement score of 660 on the SAT II test or the Harvard Placement test, equivalent preparation, or permission of instructor.
French 70b. Introduction to French Literature II: From the Romantics to the Present
Catalog Number: 6720
Alice Jardine
Half course (spring term). M., 1–3, plus one additional hour to be arranged. EXAM GROUP: 6, 7
Significant texts from the 19th and 20th centuries examined in the light of contemporary literary and cultural criticism.
Note: Lectures in French; third hour devoted to discussion of texts studied.
Prerequisite: Ability to understand and read French with ease.
French 70c. Introduction to French Literature III: The Francophone World
Catalog Number: 6432
Samba Diop
Half course (spring term). M., W., F., at 11. EXAM GROUP: 4
Studies short stories, poetry, film, and drama from Black Africa, Quebec, Martinique, Guadeloupe, French Guyana, Vietnam, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Madagascar, Djibouti, and La Réunion.
Note: Expected to be omitted in 2000–01. Lectures in French.
Prerequisite: Ability to understand and read French with ease.
*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. The French Tutorial: What is “Literature”?
Catalog Number: 0173
Abby Zanger
Half course (fall term). F., 2–4:30.
Group tutorial. Introduction to literary theory in the Francophone tradition. Particular attention paid to theories of textuality from the 17th century to the present day, including post-War French theoretical questions. Authors range from Pascal to Foucault, Mallarmé to Kristeva, Diderot to Derrida, Balzac to Barthes, and others.
Note: Required of concentrators in their sophomore year. Open to non-concentrators by permission of the instructor. Conducted in French.
*French 99. Tutorial — Senior Year
Catalog Number: 2836
Marie-France Bunting and members of the Department
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 permission of the Undergraduate Advisor 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, the Undergraduate Advisor in French.
[French 102. Introduction to Medieval Literature and Old French]
Catalog Number: 9929
Virginie Greene
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged. 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: Expected to be given in 2000–01. Conducted in French.
French 109. Representations of Death and Mourning in French Medieval Literature
Catalog Number: 0180
Virginie Greene
Half course (spring term). Tu., Th., 10–11:30. EXAM GROUP: 12, 13
Death will be studied as a perspective on social and cultural values. We will investigate how medieval literature treats death through a selection of narrative, lyric, and didactic texts, ranging from La Vie de Saint Alexis (11th century) to Le Testament Villon (15th century). We will also consider representations pertaining to death in painting and sculpture.
Note: Expected to be omitted in 2000–01. Conducted in French.
French 111. Comic Prose and Cultural Ideologies in 16th-Century France
Catalog Number: 8949
D. Lorraine Sterritt
Half course (fall term). Tu., Th., at 9. EXAM GROUP: 11
This course will involve close readings of selected comic and satiric literary works. We will examine the relationship between these works and the ideologies (e.g., humanism, evangelism, feminism) on which they provide commentary. We will also consider a variety of modern critical approaches (narratological, historical, linguistic, stylistic, cultural, feminist) to the 16th-century texts. Readings will include works by Rabelais and Marguerite de Navarre and brief selections (in translation) from Boccaccio’s Decameron.
Note: Expected to be omitted in 2000–01. Conducted in French.
Prerequisite: French 70a or permission of the instructor.
French 127a (formerly French 127). Early Modern Books and Their Readers
Catalog Number: 1943
Abby Zanger
Half course (spring term). W., 3–5. EXAM GROUP: 8, 9
In an era that has prophesied the death of print in the face of electronic media and the information highway, what can be learned from the history of books and other printed materials? In order to better understand the objects handled constantly in everyday life and that form the center of the university curriculum, the first half of this course focuses on topics from the history of the book in early modern France such as the invention of the printing press, the book as material object, scribal culture, the relation of gender to publishing, and the issues of property and authorship. It then turns to particular cases (Montaigne, Crenne, Descartes, Molière, Furetière, Lafayette) and to student projects.
Note: Expected to be omitted in 2000–01. Taught in English. Excellent reading knowledge of French is required.
French 129. Louis XIV and the Generation of the Sixties
Catalog Number: 1051
Abby Zanger
Half course (fall term). Th., 2–4. EXAM GROUP: 16, 17
Studies the first decade of the reign of Louis XIV and the generation of writers that came of age during this period. Focuses on transitions occurring in French culture during this era, including changes in the notion of the intellectual, debates over visual art and tensions between Paris and the court. Authors read include Molière, Perrault, Racine, Lafayette, Boileau, La Fontaine, and others who came to prominence during this decade.
Note: Expected to be omitted in 2000–01. Conducted in French.
French 130. Literature and Cartography: History and Theory
Catalog Number: 7252
Tom Conley
Half course (spring term). Tu., Th., 11:30–1. EXAM GROUP: 13, 14
Studies groundwork of a new field through comparative analysis of space, language, and locational imaging from late-medieval texts to the computer. Readings will extend into early modern print-culture (Rabelais, Finé, Thevet), the classical age (Descartes, Corneille, Sanson); the Enlightenment (Diderot, Cassini survey, Vaugondy); post-1789 (De Lisle, Balzac, Vidal de la Blache); the age of cinema (Clair, L’Herbier, Godard). Theory includes Certeau, Deleuze, Foucault, Jacob, Lefebvre.
Note: Conducted in English or French, depending upon desire of students enrolled.
[French 132b. 20th Century French Fiction II: The Experimental Mode]
Catalog Number: 1890
Susan R. Suleiman
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
What happens to fiction when it rejects realism? Does it become surreal, transgressive, revolutionary, playful, new, or repetitive and boring? Discussion of works between the 1920’s and 1980’s by Breton, Beckett, Qúneau, Perec, the nouveaux romanciers and avant-garde feminist writers, among others.
Note: Expected to be given in 2001–02.
French 136. Feminist Literary Criticisms
Catalog Number: 3845
Alice Jardine
Half course (fall term). M., 1–3. EXAM GROUP: 6, 7
Close readings of postwar French fiction and theory with emphasis on what is called “the feminine” in key psychoanalytic, philosophical, and literary feminist writings of the French poststructuralist tradition. What has been the legacy and impact of the last three decades of dialogue between French “theory” and feminist “practice” in the United States? Writings to be considered include Hélène Cixous, Marguerite Duras, Jeanne Hyvrard, Luce Irigaray, Julia Kristeva, and Monique Wittig as well as Gilles Deleuze, Jacques Derrida, and Jacques Lacan.
Note: Expected to be omitted in 2000–01. Conducted in English. Readings in French.
Prerequisite: Excellent reading knowledge of French.
[French 139a (formerly French 139). The 18th Century: Self and Society]
Catalog Number: 2906
Christie McDonald
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
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.
Note: Expected to be given in 2000–01. Given in French.
French 139b. The 18th Century: Ethical Dilemmas
Catalog Number: 2223
Christie McDonald
Half course (spring term). W., 3–5. EXAM GROUP: 8, 9
Questions how notions of the 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 omitted in 2000–01. Conducted in French.
French 155. Mallarmé & the Fate of Reading
Catalog Number: 2195
Jeffrey Stewart Mehlman (Boston University)
Half course (spring term). W., 1–3. EXAM GROUP: 6, 7
A close reading of the poetry and prose of one of the seminal figures of modern literature with particular attention to the implications for reading in general entailed by the limit to which Mallarmé pressed the poetic project. The course will also attend to the most significant critical and philosophical statements on the poet and, as such, will constitute a succinct history of French thought since World War II as refracted through the reading of Mallarmé.
Note: Conducted in French.
French 159. The 19th Century “Author”: Studies of Major Writers and their Movements
Catalog Number: 3972
Susan R. Suleiman and Tom Conley
Half course (fall term). Tu., Th., 10–11:30. EXAM GROUP: 12, 13
This course, to be taught in three segments by visiting professors from Paris, Jacques Rancière, Lucette Finas, and Alain Pagès, will examine major 19th-century novelists and poets through close analysis and historical treatment of selected texts. Works by Balzac, Hugo, Mallarmé, Zola, and others.
Note: Conducted in French.
[French 161. The Subject in Question]
Catalog Number: 3214
Christie McDonald
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Explores the question of the subject in autobiographical and biographical writings: how identities constituted in fiction and nonfiction explore the limits of available models (rhetorical, historical, political, and sexual) from the Western tradition. Readings include works by such authors as Rousseau, Stein, de Beauvoir, Sartre, Barnes, Barthes, Carol Shields, Gabrielle Ray.
Note: Expected to be given in 2000–01. Conducted in English. French concentrators may take for credit.
Prerequisite: Reading knowledge of French recommended.
French 165. Marcel Proust
Catalog Number: 4620
Christie McDonald
Half course (fall term). Tu., 2–4. EXAM GROUP: 16, 17
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: Expected to be omitted in 2000–01. Conducted in French.
French 167. Parisian Cityscapes
Catalog Number: 7641
Verena A. Conley
Half course (spring term). Tu., Th., at 1. EXAM GROUP: 15
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, de Beauvoir, Beyala, Godard, Kassovitz, Maspero, Latour, Ross and others).
Note: Conducted in French.
French 175. Julia Kristeva: Introduction and Conclusions
Catalog Number: 1888
Alice Jardine
Half course (spring term). Tu., 2–4. EXAM GROUP: 16, 17
A textual and political introduction to one of the most important intellectuals of the 20th century as well as an attempt to draw some conclusions about the promises of her work for the future. Special attention will be paid to the question of gender and women in her writings.
Note: Conducted in English with readings in French.
Prerequisite: Excellent reading knowledge of French. Some background in French Poststructuralist Theory would be helpful.
[French 184. Cinema and the auteur]
Catalog Number: 0512
Tom Conley
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Studies development of auteur theory in French film and criticism. Readings include Cahiers du cinéma, Bazin, Deleuze, Godard, and Foucault. Viewings include Renoir, American and Italian auteurs, and post-new wave cinemas.
Note: Expected to be given in 2000–01. Conducted in French.
[French 188. Women Francophone Writers]
Catalog Number: 9922
Samba Diop
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Women writers of the Francophone world brought forth a style of writing referred to as l’écriture féminine and féministe. Their narratives project a new social vision based on the elucidation of problems that reflect the colonial and post-colonial world. Thus, there is a dynamic impulse predicated on the articulation of themes pertaining to societies where women are at the forefront in many areas; through the aid of narratives, we are given specific interpretations of topics: family, polygeny, modern/urban and rural life, education, marriage, the workplace, gender, race and ethnicity, etc. Authors include A. Andria, A. Sow Fall, M. Bâ, K. Bugul, C. Njuzi, H.Bassek, W. Liking, M. Rakotoson, (Africa and Madagascar); A. Djebar, F. Mernissi (Maghreb); M. Lacrosil, M.-T. Colimon, M. Condé (Antilles); M. Ndiaye, C. Beyala (France).
Note: Expected to be given in 2000–01. Conducted in French.
French 190. The Post-Colonial Novel
Catalog Number: 0599
Samba Diop
Half course (fall term). M., 3–6. EXAM GROUP: 8, 9
Discusses novels and narratives written by African writers in the period following the political independences in the 1960’s. In these works, the main themes are wrought around living conditions in the former French colonies; additionally, these writers experiment with new forms of writings by embedding in their narratives techniques such as satire, pastiche, parody, verisimilitude, imagery,and magic realism. Authors: C.H. Kane, A. Kouroumah, M. Bâ, Sow Fall, H. Lopes, S.L. Tansi, M. Beti, Boris Diop, E. Dongala.
Note: Conducted in French.
[French 191. Le roman d’ Afrique noire]
Catalog Number: 3569
Samba Diop
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
A selection of novels that runs the gamut of African Francophone fictional narratives will be selected and discussed. There are various sub-genres among these novels: “roman historique”, “roman autobiographique”, “roman de moeurs”, “roman urbain”, “roman rural”, etc. Various novelists whose concerns cover a vast array of topics such as the encounter between Africa and Europe, the description of African customs, religions, and ways of life, family life, so on and so forth, will be read: H. Ba, F. Oyono, O. Sembène, M. Beti, A. Sow Fall, M. Bâ, M.Diabate, R. Maran, H. Lopes.
Note: Expected to be given in 2000–01. Conducted in French.
French 194. Francophone Film and Cinema
Catalog Number: 9392
Samba Diop
Half course (spring term). Th., 2–4, with additional film screenings on Wednesday evenings. EXAM GROUP: 16, 17
Francophone cinema articulates themes in visual forms, with a distinct style of expression: colonization; decolonization; millenarian politics; the status of women; Western consumerism; the disenfranchised poor; Islam, Christianity and African religions; the griot and epic traditions; urban and rural life; myths and folktales; post-colonial life; education; reverse anthropology; etc. The peculiarity of Francophone cinema is that national languages such as Berber, Wolof, Arabic, Creole, Mandinka, are used as media of expression. However because of the interferences with French, there is a disglossia between French and the national languages. Contrary to the novel, films allow us a broader view of the landscapes and of peoples in concrete forms. Screening: O. Sembène, A. Djebar, D. Diop Mambéty, G. Kaboré, D. Achkar, M. Diawara, E. Palcy.
Note: Expected to be omitted in 2000–01. Conducted in French.
[French 196. Masterpieces of Literature from Africa]
Catalog Number: 5193
Samba Diop
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
The works of Glissant, Kane, Cesaire, Condé, Schwartz-Bart, Ben Jelloun, Damas, Zobel, Roumain, Chamoiseau, Senghor. Exposes students to the African and Francophone world by exploring and analyzing in depth major themes pertaining to Francophone literature and poetry: The search for a usable identity, the appropriation of Western and European values by the colonized subject, the aim for freedom and emancipation, the struggle to undo European rule on the colonized, women’s role and aspirations in Africa, the affirmation of a Negro and Black personality through a philosophy such as Negritude, as well as the pertinence of the novel and of poetry in the postcolonial African and Francophone world.
Note: Expected to be given in 2000–01. Conducted in English.
French 266. France in the 1930’s: Literature, History, Film
Catalog Number: 4622
Susan R. Suleiman, Tom Conley, and Stanley Hoffmann
Half course (fall term). W., 2:30–5, plus evening film screenings to be arranged. EXAM GROUP: 7, 8, 9
It has been called a “low dishonest decade,” but it was also one of high passions and idealism, preparing both postwar innovations and postwar conflicts. This seminar will discuss the decade from multiple perspectives, with focus on the colonial experience, the Popular Front, the Spanish Civil War, the coming of World War II, and other moments of collective significance as manifested in cultural production. Works by Malraux, Céline, Drieu, Bataille, Renoir, Buñuel, and others.
Note: Open to qualified juniors and seniors.
French 270. War and Memory: Representations of World War II in Postwar French Literature, History and Film
Catalog Number: 7428
Susan R. Suleiman
Half course (spring term). M., 3–5:30. EXAM GROUP: 8, 9
Discussion of selected novels, essays, autobiographical and historical writings, and films about wartime experiences, as seen from immediate and later postwar perspectives. Topics include trauma, testimony, and the relations between history and its representations. Works by Sartre, Céline, Simon, Perec, Duras, Modiano, Delbo, Ophuls, and others.
Note: Expected to be omitted in 2000–01. Open to qualified juniors and seniors.
French 271r. French Literature: Seminar
Catalog Number: 4939
Abby Zanger
Half course (spring term). F., 2–5. EXAM GROUP: 7, 8, 9
Topic for 1999–00. Women Going Public: Scudéry, Sévigné, Lafayette. The 17th-century female intellectual voice studied via the example of three writers. Topics include the culture of the salon, career strategies, notorious women, questions of genre, scribal culture, collaborative writing, female authorship, the relation of women to print culture and an emerging public sphere, and how modern critics have appropriated the early modern female voice.
Note: Conducted in English.
French 286r. French Literature: Seminar
Catalog Number: 1731
Susan R. Suleiman and Tom Conley
Half course (fall term). Th., 4–6.
Topic for 1999-00: Approaches to the Nineteenth Century: Critical Appraisals and Views. Like French 159, this seminar will be taught serially by visiting professors Jacques Rancière, Lucette Finas, and Alain Pagès. It will focus on two main questions: how has the "nineteenth century" been constructed through literary history and critical assessment of its canon? What is the relation between history and literature in the 19th century? Reading and discussion of selected primary and secondary texts, from Balzac to Zola and from Marxism to new historicism.
Note: Conducted in French. Open to qualified juniors and seniors.
[French 288r. French Literature: Seminar]
Catalog Number: 2560
Christie McDonald
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged. EXAM GROUP: 15, 16
Topic for 2000-01: The Anxiety of Change: Rereading Enlightenment. Analysis of the crossover between political, social, philosophical and literary discourses with particular focus on shifts in the relation between the public and private domains. 18th-century readings include Rousseau, Diderot, Sade, De Staël; 20th-century discussions span existentialist thought to post-structuralism and the contemporary debate about Enlightenment in Europe and the United States.
Note: Expected to be given in 2000–01. Conducted in French.
[French 289r. French African Literature: Seminar]
Catalog Number: 4502
Samba Diop
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Topic for 2000-01: Visions of Africa. From 1830-1960, French writers, travelers, colonial administrators, and poets visited Africa and represented it in their accounts, placing Africa in the "imaginaire" of French culture: Rimbaud (Abyssinia), Gide (Congo), Flaubert (Tunisia), and less known writers including A. Londres, H. Crouzat, J.-F. Didelot. Conversely, we will read works by L. Senghor, H. Bâ, B. Dadié, etc. studying African perceptions of French culture and mores.
Note: Expected to be given in 2000–01. Conducted in French.
*French 330. Direction of Doctoral Dissertations
Catalog Number: 7843
Tom Conley 1908, Samba Diop 3079, Virginie Greene 1007, Alice Jardine 7457, Barbara E. Johnson 7626, Christie McDonald 1160, Naomi Schor 1909 (on leave fall term), Susan R. Suleiman 7234, and Abby Zanger 2338
Italian Ax. Reading Italian
Catalog Number: 4015
Elvira G. DiFabio and staff
Half course (spring term). M., W., 2:30–4. EXAM GROUP: 7, 8
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: Not open to auditors. May not be used to fulfill the language requirement. May not be taken Pass/Fail.
*Italian Bab. Intensive Elementary 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, Tu., Th., at 9; Section II: M. through F., at 12, Tu., Th., at 11. EXAM GROUP: 3, 11, 12
A complete first-year course in one semester for students with no knowledge of Italian. Speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills are all emphasized with class time focused on developing oral/aural skills. Selected readings from 20th-century authors.
Note: May not be used to fulfill the language requirement and may not be taken Pass/Fail. Conducted largely in Italian. Before the first day of classes interested students should call 495-5478 for sign-up information. Students who complete Italian Bab in the fall with a grade of B+ or above may continue with Italian Cb in the spring.
Prerequisite: An advanced knowledge of at least one foreign language, preferably a modern Romance language.
Italian Ca. Intermediate Italian I
Catalog Number: 3217
Elvira G. DiFabio and staff
Half course (fall term). Section I Tu., Th., 1–2:30 and one hour to be arranged; Section II Tu., Th., 2:30–4 and one hour to be arranged; Section III M., W., F., 12–1 and one hour to be arranged. EXAM GROUP: 15, 16
Students are introduced to contemporary Italian culture with notions of history, geography, art, music, and literature, while developing the four basic communication skills. Includes a grammar review. Special audiovisual materials are used for insight into modern Italian culture and for developing the ability to understand Italian in many different social and intellectual situations.
Note: Conducted in Italian. Open to students who have passed Italian A, Italian Bab or, for initial placement, to students who achieve a placement score of 450-599 on the SAT II test or the Harvard Placement test, or permission of the instructor.
Italian Cb. Intermediate Italian II
Catalog Number: 6805
Elvira G. DiFabio and staff
Half course (spring term). Section I Tu., Th., 1–2:30 and one hour to be arranged; Section II Tu., Th., 2:30–4 and one hour to be arranged; M., W., F., 12–1 and one hour to be arranged. EXAM GROUP: 15, 16
A logical continuation of Italian Ca, emphasizes developing fluent reading skills with two novels and a play by 20th century authors. Sophisticated written communication will be stressed through regular reaction papers and critical essays, and oral expression will be practiced with a performance of a theatrical work at the end of the semester. Computer-assisted activities reinforce vocabulary and grammar review.
Note: Conducted in Italian. Open to students whose placement score indicates a more advanced course, or as a continuation of Italian Ca. Also open to students who have earned a grade of B+ or above in Italian Bab.
Italian 35. Upper-Level Italian I: Parliamo dell’Italia
Catalog Number: 2659
Elvira G. DiFabio and staff
Half course (fall term). Section I M., W., F., at 12; Section II M., W., F., at 1. EXAM GROUP: 5, 6
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 reading. Practice consists of discussions, oral presentations, and compositions.
Note: Conducted in Italian.
Prerequisite: Italian Cb, a placement score of 630 or above on the SAT II test or the Harvard Placement test, or permission of the instructor.
Italian 36. Upper-Level Italian II: Letteratura e cinema
Catalog Number: 5223
Elvira G. DiFabio and staff
Half course (spring term). M., W., F., at 12. EXAM GROUP: 5
Students read three novels and view films on which they are based. The course aims at achieving proficiency in speaking and writing through vocabulary development and extension of control of higher-level syntactical patterns. Audiotapes and videotapes are used to sharpen oral/aural skills. Practice through class presentations, compositions, and discussions.
Note: Conducted in Italian.
Prerequisite: Italian 35 or permission of instructor.
Italian 44. Advanced Italian: Effetto Commedia
Catalog Number: 5776
Elvira G. DiFabio
Half course (fall term). M., W., 1–2:30 and film screenings Th. at 4 pm. EXAM GROUP: 6, 7
Comedy Italian style in cinema (from Totò to Benigni) and theater (Machiavelli, Goldoni, DeFilippo). 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: Conducted in Italian. Open to graduate students with permission of the instructor.
Prerequisite: Italian 36 or permission of instructor.
[Italian 45. L’Italia e la cultura del commercio]
Catalog Number: 3330
Elvira G. DiFabio
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged. EXAM GROUP: 5
The study of the language and culture of Italian business with particular emphasis on historical, social, and political “portraits.” For students at an advanced level of Italian. Weekly writing assignments will help reinforce and refine grammatical structures.
Note: Expected to be given in 2000–01. Conducted in Italian. Open to students who have passed Italian 35 or with permission of the instructor.
Italian 48. Voices from Italy: Issues of Identity
Catalog Number: 0178
Elvira G. DiFabio
Half course (spring term). Tu., Th., 1:30–3. EXAM GROUP: 15, 16
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 popular music and films, news reports, and literary, historical and sociological texts. Frequent oral and written assignments. Grammar reviewed in context.
Note: Conducted in Italian.
Prerequisite: Italian Ca and 35 or permission of instructor.
Italian 50. Literary Translation
Catalog Number: 5676
Elvira G. DiFabio
Half course (spring term). M., W., 1–2:30. EXAM GROUP: 6, 7
Practice in translation from English to Italian, and occasionally from Italian to English, using sample texts from literature, history, and philosophy. Introduction to a variety of styles, literary devices, semantic and cultural distinctions, and structural differences between Italian and English.
Note: Conducted in Italian. Open to students who have passed Italian 44 or by permission of the instructor. Open to graduate students with permission of the instructor.
[Italian 51. The Structure and Sounds of Italian]
Catalog Number: 1306
Elvira G. DiFabio
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Advanced grammar course introducing notions of phonology, morphology and syntax, including the analysis of frequently occurring linguistic phenomena especially within the verb paradigm. Includes modules on the history of the language, the dialectics and comparative Romance linguistics.
Note: Expected to be given in 2000–01. Conducted in Italian or English. Open to qualified undergraduates and to graduate students.
Prerequisite: Open to students who have passed at least Italian 36, or by permission of the instructor.
*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 97 (formerly *Italian 98r). The Italian Tutorial
Catalog Number: 1795
Laura Benedetti and staff
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Note: Conducted in Italian. Required of concentrators in their sophomore or junior year.
*Italian 99. Tutorial — Senior Year
Catalog Number: 7840
Elvira G. DiFabio and staff
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 consent of the Undergraduate Advisor. 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 Professor Benedetti.
[Italian 120a. Dante’s Inferno]
Catalog Number: 1186
Lino Pertile
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Introduces students to Dante’s Divine Comedy, an Italian poem that for centuries has occupied a special position in the cultural life of the West, continues today to be a source of inspiration for artists, and is an object of intense interest for scholars all over the world. While concentrating on the close study of the Inferno against the background of medieval Italy, the course attempts to account for the poem’s enduring presence in our time.
Note: Expected to be given in 2000–01. Conducted in English.
[Italian 120b. Dante’s Purgatorio]
Catalog Number: 2558
Lino Pertile
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Dante’s Divina Commedia. A continuation of Italian 120a.
Note: Expected to be given in 2000–01. Conducted in English.
[Italian 120c. Dante’s Paradiso]
Catalog Number: 1084
Lino Pertile
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Dante’s Divina Commedia. A continuation of 120b.
Note: Expected to be given in 2001–02. Conducted in English.
Italian 123. Semantics of Desire: The Erotic Theme in Dante’s Poetry
Catalog Number: 4168
Lino Pertile
Half course (fall term). Tu., Th., 2–3:30. EXAM GROUP: 16, 17
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 Todis Laude.
Note: Conducted in Italian. Reading knowledge of Italian essential.
[Italian 135. Boccaccio]
Catalog Number: 4833
Franco Fido
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Boccaccio’s writings from the early Neapolitan works to the Decameron, with special attention to Boccaccio’s narrative poetics and techniques.
Note: Expected to be given in 2000–01. Conducted in Italian.
Italian 155 (formerly Italian 255). Machiavelli and Guicciardini
Catalog Number: 2717
Franco Fido
Half course (fall term). Tu., Th., 11:30–1. EXAM GROUP: 13, 14
Niccolò Machiavelli and Francesco Guicciardini - the greatest political thinker and the greatest historian of the sixteenth century in Europe - were among the sharpest witnesses of the climax and decline of Renaissance civilization. Their works and ideas will be studied and discussed in the context of Italian history and culture of early Cinquecento. Readings will include Il Principe, I discorsi, I ricordi, and excerpts from the Storia d’Italia.
Note: Expected to be omitted in 2000–01. Conducted in English.
Italian 157 (formerly Italian 126). Love, Friendship, and War: The Portrayal of Women in the Renaissance Epic
Catalog Number: 5090
Laura Benedetti
Half course (fall term). M., 1–3:30. EXAM GROUP: 6, 7, 8
Examines the treatment of female characters in Italian Renaissance epic poems such as Boiardo’s Orlando Innamorato, Ariosto’s Orlando Furioso and Tasso’s Gerusalemme Liberata. The discussion will focus on related issues of gender, representation and the role of women in Renaissance society.
Note: Expected to be omitted in 2000–01. Conducted in English.
[Italian 180. Pirandello’s Masks]
Catalog Number: 9053
Laura Benedetti
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Luigi Pirandello was a versatile and highly innovative author, whose revolutionary notions of time, space and character development would have a long-lasting influence on the 20th century European stage. His novels and short stories, traditionally less familiar to the international public, present equally challenging and original features. The course explores both aspects of Pirandello’s production, with special emphasis on the relationship between the different genres in their specific historical and cultural contexts.
Note: Expected to be given in 2001–02. Conducted in Italian.
[Italian 189. Passion and Resistance: 20th-Century Italian Women]
Catalog Number: 2652
Laura Benedetti
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
This course will examine how forces at play in Italian history and culture shaped the image of women throughout the century, and how women writers participated in and reacted to these representations. Texts from Aleramo, Banti, Fallaci, Morante and others; films by Scola and Pasolini.
Note: Expected to be given in 2001–02. Readings and discussions in English.
Italian 193. Literature and Fascism
Catalog Number: 0981
Lino Pertile
Half course (spring term). Tu., Th., 10–11:30. EXAM GROUP: 12, 13
To what extent did Italian culture contribute to, and how was it affected by, the rise and consolidation of Fascism? How did Italian writers, artists, and intellectuals react and adapt to the Fascist regime? This course aims at providing an understanding of the culture of the 1920’s and 1930’s while focusing on some major literary works of the period.
Note: Conducted in English.
Prerequisite: Reading knowledge of Italian.
[Italian 195. The Post War Novel]
Catalog Number: 1502
Lino Pertile
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Aims at providing a critical understanding of some major novels published in Italy since 1945. Authors considered will include Cesare Pavese, Italo Calvino, Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, Leonardo Sciascia, Dacia Maraini. The focus of the course will be on the changing relationship between writer and society in the past fifty years of Italian history.
Note: Expected to be given in 2000–01. Conducted in English.
Prerequisite: Reading knowledge of Italian required.
Italian 198. Italo Calvino: The Poetics of Lightness
Catalog Number: 0358
Laura Benedetti
Half course (spring term). M., W., 2:30–4. EXAM GROUP: 7, 8
Nonexistent knights, cloven viscounts, cosmicomics, the geography of the city and the universe: the production of the most experimental Italian writer of the 20th century engages in a dialogue with literary tradition, investigates the links between literature and science, and reflects on the mechanisms of textual creation and consumption. In the first of the Norton lectures that he was going to deliver at Harvard in 1985, Calvino described his working method as one involving “the subtraction of weight.” The course explores the author’s “poetics of lightness” through a thorough analysis of his work, from the war novel The Path to the Spider’s Nest (1947) to the textual adventures of If in a Winter Night a Traveler (1979).
Note: Expected to be omitted in 2000–01. Conducted in English. Readings available both in the original and in translation.
Italian 230. Petrarca and the Divided Self
Catalog Number: 5548
Lino Pertile
Half course (spring term). Th., 1:30–4. EXAM GROUP: 15, 16, 17
Studies Petrarch’s vernacular poetry in the cultural context of Trecento Italy with particular reference to Dante and the dolce stil nuovo. The stylistic and linguistic features of Petrarch’s Rime are analyzed in depth while their philosophical aspects are related to some of Petrarch’s Latin works, especially the Secretum.
Note: Expected to be omitted in 2000–01. Competence in the Italian language is required.
[Italian 235 (formerly 135). Boccaccio]
Catalog Number: 6488
Franco Fido
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Boccaccio’s writings from the early Neapolitan works to the Decameron, with special atention to Boccaccio’s narrative poetics and techniques.
Note: Expected to be given in 2000–01. Conducted in Italian.
[Italian 256. Themes and Dreams of the Italian Renaissance]
Catalog Number: 2749
Laura Benedetti
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
The course will examine topics which were the subject of intense debate during the Renaissance: the rediscovery of Aristotle’s Poetics, the role of the intellectual, the questione della lingua, and the notion of woman. Texts from Castiglione, Bembo, Tasso, Fonte, Marinelli and others.
Note: Expected to be given in 2001–02. Discussion in either Italian or English.
Prerequisite: Reading knowledge of Italian necessary.
Italian 259. Torquato Tasso and the Age of Crisis
Catalog Number: 1549
Laura Benedetti
Half course (spring term). Tu., 1:30–4. EXAM GROUP: 15, 16, 17
The last great author of the Italian Renaissance lived in a time of cultural and spiritual turmoil, when religious concerns and critical considerations were seeking to impose strict limitations on artistic freedom. While focusing on Tasso’s masterpiece Gerusalemme liberata, the course also explores Tasso’s theory of the epic and his late, desperate attempt to provide with the Gerusalemme conquistata a new kind of poem, in line with Catholic orthodoxy, Aristotelian principles and, ultimately, with the poet’s own conscience.
Note: Expected to be omitted in 2000–01. Conducted in Italian.
Italian 270r. Italian Literature Seminar: Manzoni e il romanzo italiano moderno
Catalog Number: 0694
Franco Fido
Half course (fall term). W., 2:30–5. EXAM GROUP: 7, 8, 9
Topic for 2000-01: Alessandro Manzoni’s works from his early poetry and theater to his novel Promessi Sposi in the context of 19th-century literary discussions on Romanticism, the novel, and the question of Italian language.
Note: Expected to be omitted in 2000–01. Conducted in Italian.
[Italian 281r. Italian Literature: Seminar]
Catalog Number: 1140
Franco Fido
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Topic for 2000–01: The Decadentismo. the literary movements and figures between the late 19th century and the advent of Fascism, from D’Annunzio, Fogazzaro and Pascoli to Tozzi, the Crepuscolari and the Futuristi, from the “Liberty” reviews of the late 19th century to La Voce and La Ronda. Critical focus on the irrational bent common to most of these authors, and on their waving between provincialism and cosmopolitanism.
Note: Expected to be given in 2000–01.
[Italian 287r. Italian Literature: Seminar]
Catalog Number: 3288
Lino Pertile
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Topic for 2000-2001: Poets of Postwar Italy. Seminar will focus on the theme of commitment versus withdrawal in the poetry of the 1950’s and 1960’s. Major poets considered will include Montale, Pasolini, and Zanzotto.
Note: Expected to be given in 2000–01. Conducted in Italian.
*Italian 330. Direction of Doctoral Dissertations
Catalog Number: 3679
Laura Benedetti 1327, Dante Della Terza 1461, Franco Fido 2446 (on leave spring term), and Lino Pertile 3416
Portuguese Ac. Elementary Portuguese for Spanish Speakers
Catalog Number: 0430
Patricia Sobral and staff
Half course (fall term). Session I: M., W., F., at 12; Session II: M., W., F., at 1. EXAM GROUP: 5
An introductory language course designed for students with native or near-native fluency in Spanish. 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.
Prerequisite: Native or near-native fluency in Spanish.
Portuguese Ad. Elementary Portuguese for Spanish Speakers
Catalog Number: 1315
Patricia Sobral and staff
Half course (spring term). Session I: M., W., F. at 12; Session II: M., W., F., at 1. EXAM GROUP: 5
A continuation of Portuguese Ac. By the end of the second semester, students should be able to communicate easily with native speakers and be acquainted with basic elements of Luso-Brazilian culture.
Prerequisite: Portuguese Ac or permission of instructor.
Portuguese Ba. Introduction to Portuguese
Catalog Number: 0514
Patricia Sobral and staff
Half course (spring term). Section I: M., W., 3–5; Section II: M., W., 5–7. EXAM GROUP: 7, 8
A basic introductory course for students who can devote only one semester to the study of Portuguese. Teaches fundamental communication skills—understanding, speaking, reading and writing—but does not offer a complete study of grammar.
Note: Intended primarily for seniors and graduate students.
Portuguese Ca. Intermediate Portuguese I
Catalog Number: 7692
Patricia Sobral and staff
Half course (fall term). Tu., Th., 11:30–1, plus an additional hour to be arranged. EXAM GROUP: 13, 14
Develops facility in oral expression, writing, and reading. Compositions, class discussions, and oral reports based on modern short stories and newspaper and magazine articles. Grammar review, exercises in vocabulary building.
Note: Conducted in Portuguese. Especially recommended for those students who wish to improve their ability to speak and write Portuguese. May not be taken Pass/Fail.
Prerequisite: Portuguese A or permission of instructor.
Portuguese Cb. Intermediate Portuguese II
Catalog Number: 2799
Patricia Sobral and staff
Half course (spring term). Tu., Th., 11:30–1, plus an additional hour to be arranged. EXAM GROUP: 13, 14
A continuation of Portuguese Ca.
Note: Conducted in Portuguese. May not be taken Pass/Fail.
Prerequisite: Portuguese Ca or permission of instructor.
Portuguese 37. Brasil hoje: Contemporary Brazilian Culture through Media
Catalog Number: 5024
Patricia Sobral
Half course (fall term). Tu., Th., 2:30–4. EXAM GROUP: 16, 17
An exploration of contemporary Brazil as presented in the Portuguese-language press, television, literature, and film. Students will read current issues of newspapers and magazines and see videotapes of Brazilian television and films, covering a broad spectrum of viewpoints and interests. The study of various aspects of life in Brazil today, such as education, family structures, and politics. A systematic grammar review is included.
Note: Conducted in Portuguese. May not be taken Pass/Fail, but may be taken SAT/UNS by GSAS students.
Prerequisite: Portuguese Ca/Cb or permission of the instructor.
Portuguese 38. Images of Brazil: Contemporary Brazilian Cinema
Catalog Number: 8893
Patricia Sobral
Half course (spring term). Tu., Th., 2:30–4. EXAM GROUP: 16, 17
An exploration of the various images of Brazilian culture and society as seen and created within Brazil as well as abroad. This course will enable students to investigate current trends in contemporary Brazil through the eye of the camera. Students will watch and read the latest film and written materials produced in Brazil. Topics discussed include ethnic and national identity, race relations, and gender representation. A systematic grammar review is included.
Note: Conducted in Portuguese. May not be taken Pass/Fail, but may be taken Sat/Uns by GSAS students.
Prerequisite: Portuguese Ca/Cb or permission of the instructor.
Portuguese 51. Journey Through Brazil: Advanced Writing and Reading in Portuguese
Catalog Number: 0863
Patricia Sobral and Nelida Pinon
Half course (spring term). Tu., Th., 2:30–4. EXAM GROUP: 16, 17
An advanced course in Portuguese that takes the student on a journey through Brazil as seen through the eyes of several contemporary Brazilian writers and thinkers. The course will also look at views of Brazil from the outside, i.e., Brazilians writing about their country and experiences from abroad. The Brazilian writer-in-residence, Nelida Pinon, will visit the class during her stay at Harvard and engage students in a dialogue about Brazilian society and culture. Class materials will include novels, short stories, essays, interviews and other texts drawn from journalism and anthropology. Special emphasis will be paid to stylistic variations, lexical nuances, and complex grammatical structures. Frequent written and oral assignments.
*Portuguese 91r. Supervised Reading and Research
Catalog Number: 5589
Joaquim-Francisco Coelho and staff
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
Joaquim-Francisco Coelho and staff
Half course (fall term; repeated spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Tutorial for sophomore concentrators.
*Portuguese 98r. Tutorial — Junior Year
Catalog Number: 8667
Joaquim-Francisco Coelho and staff
Half course (fall term; repeated spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Note: Optional tutorial for one term of junior year, for concentrators who wish to pursue individual interests. To enroll see Professor Coelho.
*Portuguese 99. Tutorial — Senior Year
Catalog Number: 8753
Joaquim-Francisco Coelho and staff
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 consent of Professor Coelho. 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 Professor Coelho.
[Portuguese 121b. Introduction to the Literature of Brazil II]
Catalog Number: 4363
Joaquim-Francisco Coelho
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
A continuation of Portuguese 121a.
Note: Expected to be given in 2000–01.
[Portuguese 122a. Introduction to the Literature of Portugal I]
Catalog Number: 2943
Joaquim-Francisco Coelho
Half course (fall term). W., 2–4. EXAM GROUP: 7, 8
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 2000–01.
Prerequisite: Reading knowledge of Portuguese.
Portuguese 122b. Introduction to the Literature of Portugal II
Catalog Number: 3654
Joaquim-Francisco Coelho
Half course (spring term). Th., 2–4. EXAM GROUP: 16, 17
A continuation of Portuguese 122a.
Note: Expected to be omitted in 2000–01.
Portuguese 140. Machado de Assis and the Excellent Writings of a Young Girl
Catalog Number: 3449
Roberto Schwarz
Half course (fall term). Th., 4–6. EXAM GROUP: 18
Dom Casmurro is probably the most elaborate novel in Brazilian literature. It is also the enactment of the specific historical difficulties of the Brazilian elite. On a simpler level, though still powerfully, The Diary of “Helena Morley”--a girl in her teens-- deals with the same set of social relations. A parallel between the two books leads into decisive questions in Brazilian society and in literary criticism.
Note: Conducted in Portugese.
Portuguese 219br. Major Poems of the Portuguese Language II
Catalog Number: 3242
Joaquim-Francisco Coelho
Half course (spring term). W., 3–5. EXAM GROUP: 8, 9
A study of major lyrical texts of the Portuguese language, from medieval times to the present, with emphasis on poetry written in Portugal and Brazil after 1900. The approach is comparative.
Note: Expected to be omitted in 2000–01. Taught in Portuguese.
[Portuguese 222. Introduction to Camões]
Catalog Number: 2995
Joaquim-Francisco Coelho
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Study of the epic and lyric poetry of Camões in the context of the European Renaissance. Special attention given to the love sonnets and to the lyrical passages of The Lusiads.
Note: Expected to be given in 2000–01. Taught in Portuguese.
[Portuguese 227. Fernando Pessoa]
Catalog Number: 7375
Joaquim-Francisco Coelho
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Study of the works of Portugal’s most distinguished literary figure of the 20th century as poet, critic, and prose writer, as well as his relation to the corpus of Portuguese literature.
Note: Expected to be given in 2001–02. Conducted in Portuguese and English.
Portuguese 242. Brazil Reaches Out and Looks In: Machado de Assis.
Catalog Number: 1748
Roberto Schwarz
Half course (fall term). Tu., 4–6. EXAM GROUP: 18
Brazil’s 19th century appropriations of European liberalism, scientific ideas; liberalism, and literary forms.
Note: Conducted in English.
*Portuguese 321. Literature of Brazil: Supervised Reading and Research
Catalog Number: 5933
Joaquim-Francisco Coelho 7715
*Portuguese 330. Direction of Doctoral Dissertations
Catalog Number: 4072
Joaquim-Francisco Coelho 7715, Luis Fernández-Cifuentes 2091, Mary Gaylord 2632 (on leave 1999-00), Francisco Márquez 5064, and Doris Sommer 2744
Romance Studies 99. Tutorial–Senior Year
Catalog Number: 1067
Bradley S. Epps and members of the Department
Full course. Hours to be arranged.
For honors seniors writing a thesis.
Note: The first term may be counted as a half course only with the consent of the Undergraduate Advisor in Romance Studies. 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 the Undergraduate Advisor in Romance Studies.
Romance Studies 152. Life Writing: Models of Subjectivity
Catalog Number: 9942
Christie McDonald and Bruno G. Bosteels
Half course (fall term). W., 12–2. EXAM GROUP: 6, 7
How is subjectivity at work in the writing of the self? How and why do questions of the subject return today? How to think of the representation of the self in the wake of the crisis of subjectivity? Which models, both theoretical and practical, are available? We will discuss influences of religion, philosophy, psychoanalysis, linguistics, literature. Issues of humanism, universalism, and particularism; autobiography and family romance; the emergence and self–destitution of the subject. Texts range from late antiquity to modernity, in Europe and Latin America.
Note: Undergraduate concentrators in French, Spanish, or Romance Studies wishing to obtain credit are required to read the texts in the original language(s). Texts available in both the original version and in translation.
Prerequisite: Good reading knowledge of either French or Spanish.
[Romance Studies 165. Mapping Modernity]
Catalog Number: 6870
Tom Conley 1908 and Doris Sommer 2744
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Studies how literature and mapping in Latin America and France (1830–1930) create subjectivity and nationhood. Treats novels, theory, cinema.
Note: Expected to be given in 2001–02.
Spanish Ax. Reading Spanish
Catalog Number: 5318
Johanna Damgaard Liander and staff
Half course (fall term). M., W., F., at 11. EXAM GROUP: 4
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.
*Spanish Bab. Intensive Elementary Spanish: Special Course
Catalog Number: 5577 Enrollment: Limited to 15 students per section.
Johanna Damgaard Liander and staff
Full course (spring term). Section I: M. through F., at 9; Tu., Th., at 10; Section II: M. through F., at 11; Tu., Th., at 12. EXAM GROUP: 2, 4, 12
For students who have had no previous formal or informal training in Spanish. Emphasis on communication skills. Language instruction supplemented by cultural and literary readings, film, computer, and video materials.
Note: Conducted in Spanish. May not be used to fulfill the language requirement and may not be taken Pass/Fail. Interested students must see Dr. Liander for an interview before or during fall reading period.
Prerequisite: A knowledge of at least one foreign language, preferably a modern Romance language. Not open to freshmen.
Spanish Ca. Intermediate Spanish I
Catalog Number: 5914
Nina C. de W. Ingrao and staff
Half course (fall term). M., W., F., Section I at 9; Section II at 10; Section III at 11; Section IV at 1. EXAM GROUP: 10
For students with an elementary knowledge of Spanish who wish to improve their mastery of the language. Emphasis is placed on developing oral skills, as well as reading and writing. Carefully selected readings and related activities respond to a wide variety of interests: current events and issues as well as short stories by Cervantes, Borges, Cortázar, Rulfo, Matute, Isabel Allende. At the end of the Ca-Cb sequence the student should be able to understand lectures in Spanish, converse on everyday topics with a native speaker, read material of average difficulty and mature content, and write with acceptable style and correctness.
Note: Conducted in Spanish. May not be taken Pass/Fail.
Prerequisite: Open to students who have passed Spanish A, or who have a placement score of 500 on the SAT II test or on the Harvard Placement Test or 3 years of Spanish in high school, or by permission of the instructor.
Spanish Cb. Intermediate Spanish II
Catalog Number: 6874
Nina C. de W. Ingrao and staff
Half course (spring term). M., W., F., Section I at 9; Section II at 10; Section III at 11; Section IV at 1. EXAM GROUP: 10
Emphasis on oral communication, with continued practice in reading and writing. Class discussions focus on the Hispanic culture, art, and literature. Authors include Ana María Matute, Borges, García Márquez, Don Juan Manuel, Unamuno. Special listening materials used for insight into the daily life in Spanish-speaking areas. After the Ca-Cb sequence, students should be able to understand lectures in Spanish, converse on everyday topics with a native speaker, read material of average difficulty and mature content, and write with acceptable style and correctness.
Note: Conducted in Spanish. May not be taken Pass/Fail.
Prerequisite: Spanish Ca or permission of the instructor.
Spanish 27. Spanish Oral Survival Course
Catalog Number: 5358
Nina C. de W. Ingrao and staff
Half course (fall term; repeated spring term). M. through F., Section I at 9; Section II at 12; Section III at 1. EXAM GROUP: 10
To develop individual oral fluency in Spanish, while introducing students to attitudes, values, and cultural patterns of contemporary life in Spain and Latin America. Students are provided with continual opportunities to act out typical situations they would encounter in a Spanish-speaking environment. Although oral proficiency is not a prerequisite, course is best suited to students who already have a good grounding in the grammar of the language.
Note: Conducted in Spanish. May not be taken Pass/Fail.
Prerequisite: A placement score of 600-659 on the SAT II test or the Harvard Placement test, or permission of the instructor.
Spanish 30. Oral Expression: Temas de actualidad
Catalog Number: 0479
Nina C. de W. Ingrao (fall term) and staff
Half course (fall term; repeated spring term). M., W., F., Section I at 12; Section II at 1. EXAM GROUP: Fall: 5, 6
Intended for students who want to learn to communicate in Spanish at a more sophisticated level. Discussions on topics of current interest are based on Spanish and Latin American films, literary selections, and the press.
Note: Conducted in Spanish. May not be taken Pass/Fail.
Prerequisite: Open to students who have taken Spanish 27, or by permission of the instructor.
Spanish 35. Upper-Level Spanish I: Cuatro países latinoamericanos
Catalog Number: 7127
Johanna Damgaard Liander and staff
Half course (fall term). M., W., F., Section I at 10; Section II at 11; Section III at 1. EXAM GROUP: 10
Designed to develop fluency and accuracy in speaking, writing, and reading through a focus on contemporary Argentina, Columbia, Peru and Guatemala. Cultural, literary and historical readings, as well as films, will be studied and discussed. A review of selected grammar is also included.
Note: Conducted entirely in Spanish. May not be taken Pass/Fail.
Prerequisite: Spanish Cb, Spanish 27, or a placement score of 660 on the SAT II test or the Harvard Placement test, or permission of the instructor.
Spanish 36. Upper-Level Spanish II: Cultura urbana actual
Catalog Number: 7095
Johanna Damgaard Liander and staff
Half course (spring term). M., W., F., Section I at 10; Section II at 11; Section III at 1. EXAM GROUP: 10
A language/culture course which will focus on contemporary life in the large cities of Spain, Cuba, Puerto Rico and Mexico. Through newspaper articles, music, literature and film we will examine the cultural and historical aspects particular to each of these areas as well as the elements of the modern Hispanic world that they share, with the ultimate goal of consolidating students’ fluency and accuracy in speaking, writing and reading Spanish, while providing contact with the varied cultures and accents of Madrid, Barcelona, Havana, San Juan and Mexico City. Selective review of Spanish grammar, as well.
Note: Conducted entirely in Spanish. May not be taken Pass/Fail.
Prerequisite: Spanish 35, a placement score of 660 on the SAT II test or the Harvard Placement test, or permission of the instructor.
*Spanish 41. Spanish for the Bilingual
Catalog Number: 7690
Nina C. de W. Ingrao
Half course (fall term). M., W., F., at 12 and an additional hour to be arranged. EXAM GROUP: 5
For bilingual students needing practice in reading, writing, and grammar. Class discussions explore the common thread of the Hispanic culture among the people from all the Spanish speaking countries, including the Hispanics in the United States. Readings and discussions include Hispanic art and literature: Picasso, El Greco, Velázquez, Goya, Rivera, Siqueiros, Don Juan Manuel, Borges, García Márquez, Rulfo, Matute.
Note: Conducted in Spanish. May not be taken Pass/Fail.
Spanish 42. Advanced Spanish for the Bilingual
Catalog Number: 1880
Nina C. de W. Ingrao
Half course (spring term). M., W., F., at 12 and an additional hour to be arranged. EXAM GROUP: 5
Designed for bilingual students with some formal training in Spanish grammar and writing. Aims at further developing and refining reading, writing, and oral skills in standard Spanish, including review of grammar as needed. Class discussions and written assignments are based on short stories, (Cervantes, Cortázar, Anderson Imbert, Vargas Llosa, Martí, García Márquez, Sábato, Carlos Fuentes), two short novels by Unamuno, as well as other writings covering relevant cultural issues, and films.
Note: Conducted in Spanish. May not be taken Pass/Fail.
Prerequisite: Spanish 41 or permission of the instructor.
Spanish 44. Contemporary Spanish Film
Catalog Number: 5058 Enrollment: Limited to 20.
Johanna Damgaard Liander
Half course (spring term). M., W., F., at 11. EXAM GROUP: 4
An advanced language/culture class that develops proficiency in all skills. Examines major films of Luis Buñuel, Carlos Saura, Luis García-Berlanga, and Pedro Almodóvar in historical, political, and social context. Class discussion also focuses on interviews, reviews, screenplays, and critical articles. Frequent written assignments and a thorough review of advanced grammar when necessary.
Note: Expected to be omitted in 2000–01. Conducted in Spanish. May not be taken Pass/Fail.
Prerequisite: Spanish 35 or 36, or a placement score of 710 on the SAT II test or the Harvard Placement test.
*Spanish 45. El español de los negocios
Catalog Number: 3731
Nina C. de W. Ingrao (fall term) and staff
Half course (fall term; repeated spring term). M., W., 1–2:30, or M., W., 2:30–4. EXAM GROUP: Fall: 6, 7
An advanced language course that aims to refine linguistic skills and develop a sophisticated style for the business, legal, and professional setting, with emphasis on vocabulary, syntax, and idiomatic usage. Attention to writing style in business letters, reports, and other documents. Participation in forming and operating a mock corporation. Discussion of articles and cultural patterns relating to business and society in Hispanic countries and in the United States. The textbook covers fundamental business concepts, but no technical background is required.
Note: Conducted in Spanish. May not be taken Pass/Fail.
Prerequisite: Spanish 36, 42, or 44, or permission of the instructor.
Spanish 47. Latin American Cultures
Catalog Number: 9591
José Antonio Mazzotti
Half course (fall term). Tu., Th., 2:30–4. EXAM GROUP: 16, 17
An advanced language and culture course focusing on readings, films and music from different Latin American regions. Concentrates on the diversity and coexistence of ethnic traditions within national spaces, while emphasizing oral and written expressions in Spanish.
Note: Conducted in Spanish. May not be taken pass/fail.
Prerequisite: Spanish 35 or 36, or a placement score of 710 on the SAT II test or the Harvard Placement test; or with permission of the instructor.
[Spanish 48. Perspectives on Mexico]
Catalog Number: 5426 Enrollment: Limited to 20.
Johanna Damgaard Liander
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged. EXAM GROUP: 4
An advanced language/culture class focusing on 20th-century Mexico as seen through the works of several Mexican women (Antonieta Rivas Mercado, Frida Kahlo, Elena Garro, Rosario Castellanos, Elena Poniatowska and María Novaro). Class materials will include interviews and other selections from the press, films, paintings, as well as literary and historical readings. Frequent written and oral assignments, and a thorough review of grammar, when necessary.
Note: Expected to be given in 2000–01. This course is not open to native speakers of Spanish. May not be taken pass/fail. Offered in alternate years.
[Spanish 51 (formerly Spanish 50). Theory and Practice of Translation]
Catalog Number: 2331
Francisco Márquez and staff
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged. EXAM GROUP: 2
Focus on translation from English to Spanish. Analyzes the dynamic constituents of the activity of translation and tries to define the concept of “transatology.” Some of the issues to be discussed are basic operating principles of translation, types of translation, technical procedures, and the theory of segmentation. Students are required to analyze existing translations as well as to translate other texts. Special attention given to literary texts.
Note: Expected to be given in 2000–01.
[Spanish 52. Problems in Spanish Composition, Syntax, and Phonetics]
Catalog Number: 4750
Francisco Márquez and staff
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
A study of certain difficulties and peculiarities of the Spanish language, through the examination and discussion of literary texts in terms of usage and style. Students write free compositions, in Spanish, about the texts selected or about subjects related thereto.
Note: Expected to be given in 2000–01. Conducted in Spanish.
*Spanish 53. Taller de escritura
Catalog Number: 2439
Luis Fernández-Cifuentes and staff
Half course (fall term). M., W., 4–5:30. EXAM GROUP: 9
Aims to strengthen and develop the student’s competence in written expression. Using short novels, short stories, essays and sample texts drawn from history, philosophy, and journalism, students learn to practice different styles in creative, argumentative, and analytical writings. Special emphasis will be placed on stylistic variations, lexical nuances, and complex grammatical structures. Students’ work will be discussed in class and in private conferences.
Note: Conducted in Spanish.
Prerequisite: Open to students with a Harvard Placement score of 750, or by permission of the instructor. Recommended for concentrators and joint concentrators.
Spanish 54. Advanced Oral Expression
Catalog Number: 3964
Johanna Damgaard Liander and staff
Half course (spring term). M., W., 4–5:30. EXAM GROUP: 9
Designed for students interested in perfecting their oral Spanish in order to improve their comprehension, fluency, syntactic accuracy and pronunciation. The course’s aims are the following: to fine-tune listening comprehension; to develop linguistic skills in presenting oneself, expressing emotion, debating, negotiating, counseling, persuading, etc.; and to improve pronunciation (practice of sounds, intonation and rhythm). Authentic materials in print or on audio or video cassettes will be used as models. In addition to practical, corrective work, students will participate in a theatrical production as a final class project.
Note: Conducted in Spanish.
Prerequisite: Open to students with a score of 750 on the Harvard Placement test or who have successfully completed a 40- or 50- level course in Spanish, or with the permission of the instructor. Recommended for concentrators and joint concentrators.
Spanish 70a (formerly Spanish 100a). Hispanic Literature: The Middle Ages
Catalog Number: 1587
Luis M. Girón Negrón
Half course (fall term). M., W., F., at 9. EXAM GROUP: 2
Major texts and authors of Hispanic literature from the Poem of the Cid to the Celestina.
Note: Expected to be omitted in 2000–01. Conducted in Spanish. Required of concentrators in Spanish in their sophomore year.
[Spanish 70b (formerly Spanish 100b). Golden Age Literature]
Catalog Number: 1229
Francisco Márquez
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Introduction to the genres of poetry, drama and narrative prose (fiction and non-fiction) of Spain in the 16th and 17th centuries. Close reading of representative texts with attention to the emerging literary languages of this period of national consolidation, global expansion, religious ferment, and tensions of a multicultural society. Explores themes of love, honor, identity, war, death, spirituality in works by Garcilaso, San Juan de la Cruz, Cervantes, Quevedo, Calderón, and others.
Note: Expected to be given in 2000–01. Conducted in Spanish.
Spanish 71a (formerly Spanish 101a). Spanish American Literature from the Colony to Independence
Catalog Number: 4319
José Antonio Mazzotti
Half course (fall term). Tu., Th., 10–11:30. EXAM GROUP: 12, 13
Survey of readings from the chronicles of discovery and conquest, through several colonial classics, to the poetry and prose of Independence.
Note: Expected to be omitted in 2000–01. Required of concentrators in Hispanic literature and studies.
Spanish 71b. Spanish American Literature of the 19th and 20th Centuries
Catalog Number: 6700
Ana María Amar Sánchez
Half course (spring term). M., W., 2:30–4. EXAM GROUP: 7, 8
Survey of positivist and aestheticist responses to modernization, populist fiction, poetic vanguards, and the “Boom” in contemporary narrative.
Spanish 90f. Latin American Cultural Studies: Critical Perspectives
Catalog Number: 2001 Enrollment: Limited to 15.
Bruno G. Bosteels
Half course (fall term). Tu., Th., 11:30–1. EXAM GROUP: 13, 14
From concepts of dependency to cultural studies, a pivotal question persists: How to approach the cultural production of Latin America? How to relate symbolical goods to their historical environment? With case-studies in literature, film, and visual arts, this introductory seminar reviews the models available in Latin America to answer such questions. Relations of center and periphery, dominant and subaltern; progress, ci