Course Descriptions
GERMAN 267 Yiddish Song and the Jewish Experience
Online June 17 – August 11, 2019 Matthew Greene (3 credits)
Explores Yiddish song as an expression of the modern Jewish experience from Eastern Europe to the US. Covers folk song, popular and art music. Music and readings together provide an analytical framework to examine cultural and historical issues.
SCAND ST 101/404-001 First Semester Norwegian
Online June 17 – July 14, 2019 Peggy Hager (4 credits)
(404 for graduate students only)
Norwegian 101 is a first semester language course that presumes no knowledge of the Norwegian language. It is open to freshman. The course develops basic skills in speaking, listening, reading and writing Norwegian. We offer a thematic, communicative approach to language teaching that strives to put language in the context of culture. Classroom time focuses on communication and listening, as well as introducing basic grammatical concepts. Homework centers on reinforcing vocabulary, reading, grammar exercises and writing. Thematic units covered in Norwegian 101 include social introductions, education, food, daily-life, leisure activities, weather and seasons.
SCAND ST 102/404-002 Second Semester Norwegian
Online July 15 – August 11, 2019 Peggy Hager (4 credits)
(404 for graduate students only)
This course continues to build basic skills in speaking, listening, reading and writing Norwegian. We offer a thematic, communicative approach to language teaching that strives to put language in the context of culture. Class time focuses on communication and listening, as well as introducing basic grammatical concepts. Homework centers on reinforcing vocabulary, reading, grammar exercises and writing. Thematic units covered in Norwegian 102 include clothing, family and relationships, appearance and personality, celebrations, hometowns and housing, work and economy.
SCAND ST 430 The Vikings
Online June 17 – July 14, 2019 Instructor: TBD (4 credits)
This course approaches the Vikings along historical lines, and its backbone is texts from medieval sources. The legendary history of early Scandinavia, the consolidation of the Scandinavian kingdoms, developments both at home and abroad during the great period of Viking expansion, finally the conversion of Scandinavia to Christianity (which wrote finis to the Viking adventure) –these are the historical subjects discussed. Within this historical framework, a good deal of attention is devoted to the pre-Christian religion of early medieval Scandinavia, to its system of writing (the celebrated runes) and its literature (including the mythological and heroic poetry of the Edda, the court poems of the skalds, and the Icelandic sagas), to Viking art and archaeology. As we learn about the medieval Scandinavians we gain a greater understanding of ourselves and the human condition.
SLAVIC 101 and 102 Intensive First Year Russian
June 17 – August 11, 2019 499 Van Hise Hall Cecil Wilson/Brian Kilgour
- Slavic 101: MTWRF 8:50-10:45 am (4 credits)
- Slavic 102: MTWRF 12:05-2:10 pm (4 credits)
Welcome to First Year Russian! In this course you will learn how to: read, write and pronounce the letters and sounds of the Russian alphabet; become acquainted with speakers of Russian in informal and formal settings; request and receive information; make simple statements, ask and answer yes/no questions; say goodbye; say where someone lives; exchange telephone numbers; ask to whom something belongs; link topics of conversation; express dismay and delight; express judgment and emotion, including strong feelings and opinions; express indirect questions; talk about sports, professions and music; express possession, location, and permission; give commands; talk about academic matters (university life and studies); express that you can or want to do something; talk about likes and dislikes, liking and loving someone or something; talk about past and future events; use some time expressions; recount what someone else has said; make inquiries and requests; express location; express going places; say when something happened; say that someone is glad or ready; express arrival or departure; describe prices and quantities; express possession; explain where someone is from; express needs and obligations; discuss theater, film, the weather, travel; make comparisons; express frequency; discuss learning and teaching; discuss what you want to be or become; single out a person or thing from a group; express absence; express need, permission, possibility, prohibition, shame, boredom and other states; describe people and things; talk about eating (always important!); make indirect requests; tell time; emphasize things; describe temporary states; ask for suggestions and advice; describe your interests; talk about summer plans; talk about dining out; AND MORE
SLAVIC 117 and 118 Intensive Second Year Russian
June 17 – August 11, 2019 391 Van Hise Hall Darya Ivashniova/Megan Kennedy
- Slavic 117: MTWRF 8:50-10:45 am (4 credits)
- Slavic 118: MTWRF 12:05-2:10 pm (4 credits)
Welcome to Intensive Second Year Russian! After completing this course, you will be able to: talk about yourself, your interests, and people you know; discuss university life, dining, theater, music and ballet; express opinions and preferences, convey surprise, regret, doubt and consolation; format letters and emails, find useful information on the Internet, use proper phone etiquette; make plans for travel and tourism; ask for, give and receive directions; recall important Russian cultural figures and read excerpts from famous works of literature; write and edit short written compositions on a variety of topics; deliver 3-5 minute presentations on topics of interest; and much more!
LIT-TRANS 329 The Vampire in Literature and Film
Online July 15 – August 11, 2019 Dijana Mitrovic (3 credits)
This course examines the fantastic, marvelous and uncanny literary works from a comparative perspective, especially by connecting them to Slavic mythological and religious beliefs. Students will read texts from Russian (Puškin, Gogol, Bulgakov, Zamyatin), Polish (Potocki, Schultz, Lem), Czech (Čapek) and South Slavic literatures (Pavić, Kiš, Živković). Theoretical readings will include works by the naturalized Bulgarian theoretician of the fantastic, Tzvetan Todorov, as well as his critics. We will discuss the development of the fantastic genre through the epochs of Romanticism, Modernism and Postmodernism, placing emphasis on the close reading of literary texts and their relationship to the broader cultural heritage of diverse Slavic cultures.