German, Nordic, and Slavic Courses – Spring 2026

(4 credits)

• Lecture 001: MTWR 8:50 – 9:40 am

Instructor: Matt Johnson

Course Description: Introduction to the Yiddish language through speaking, listening, reading, and writing. Emphasis on communication with attention to cultural and historical context.

GNS 406 is for students of graduate standing.

GNS 106 is crosslisted with JEWIST ST 106.  GNS 406 is crosslisted with JEWISH ST 406.

Prerequisites: GNS/​JEWISH 105

(3 credits)

• Lecture 001: MWF 12:05 – 12:55 pm

Instructor: Sunny Yudkoff

Course Description: This course introduces students to the space of the hotel as a site of cross-cultural exchange and medical recuperation. The literature and films under examination focus on central European sites of rest and healing between the World Wars. Driving the syllabus are the hotels, health resorts, and sanatoria that came to serve as locations in which Jewish identity was negotiated against a complex backdrop of increasing integration and exclusion. The pinnacle of the course will be a reading and analysis of Thomas Mann’s classic 1924 novel, The Magic Mountain. We will survey material originally produced in Yiddish, Hebrew, German, French, and English, including creative and critical work by: Aharon Appelfeld, Wes Anderson, Michel Foucault, Siegfried Kracauer, Mani Leib, Thomas Mann, Kadya Molodowsky, Arthur Schnitzler, Adam Sachs, and Susan Sontag.

Cross listed with JS 240 and GERMAN 240.

Level: Elementary

Breadth: Literature

(3 credits)

• Lecture 001: MWF 9:55 – 10:45 am

Instructor: Oksana Stoychuk

Course Description: Appropriate for students with a basic background in Ukrainian or another Slavic language who can read Cyrillic and are familiar with basic grammar. Through a mix of activities and assignments, you will explore Ukrainian language skills in the four main areas: reading, writing, listening, and speaking. By learning the language in the larger context of Ukrainian culture, you will also acquire valuable cultural competence.

(4 credits)

• Lecture 001: MTWR 8:50 – 9:40 am

Instructor: Gulnara Glowacki

Course Description: Second Semester Kazakh is a Pre-intermediate level Kazakh language course. It is designed for students who already have an elementary level of knowledge in it. The language of instruction is mostly going to be Kazakh. The course enhances speaking, listening, writing and reading skills. It is aimed at further development of language skills and building of the confidence of students in speaking about issues related to daily life, such as shopping, health, weather, etc., which will be called communication in standard situations. However, it also includes teaching some cultural aspects of Kazakh people which are helpful to learn language.

(4 credits)

• Lecture 001: MTWR 12:05 – 12:55 pm
• Discussion 301: T 2:25 – 3:15 pm

Instructor: Nâlân Erbil

Course Description: Second semester Turkish is designed for students who are interested in learning the modern Turkish language (“Istanbul dialect”) and cultures, and who have taken first semester Turkish (GNS 339) or have already a basic command of modern Turkish. Students will have the opportunity to practice the materials to increase their elementary level listening, speaking, reading and writing skills in line with the ACTFL proficiency guidelines for Turkish and based on the World-Readiness Standards.

Prerequisites: GNS 339.

(3 credits)

• Lecture 002: TR 9:30 – 10:45 am

Instructor: Leonie Schulte

Course Description: The course explores central issues and debates within anthropological approaches to key social, economic and political processes that are (re)shaping European cultures and societies. European identity and citizenship, gender, ethnicity, and class, colonialism, migration and borders, languages and linguistic practices in Europe, the EU and European integration, and the shifting cultural politics of nationhood and nation-building. The course pays close and critical attention to the ways in which approaches to and methodologies within the Anthropology of Europe have evolved, as well as the new directions the field is taking.

The course is open to undergraduate and graduate students. Majors and non-majors are welcome, regardless of prior knowledge or coursework (cap of 30 students). It is a 3 credit, face-to-face course that meets for two 1-hour 15-minute class periods each week and carries the expectation that students will work on course learning activities (viewing lectures, reading, writing, studying, etc.) for at least 4 hours out of classroom for every class period, for a total of 135 hours. Each course session generally involves two to three core readings [often a chapter of an ethnography + a research article], some days there will be more than three readings [this only happens when at least one of the texts is short]. The semester’s readings build on each other, with topics and concepts cross-cutting across sections, meaning we often return to core themes in different weeks.

Meets with ANTHRO 330.

(3 credits)

• Seminar 001: MW 4:00 – 5:15 pm

Instructor: Nâlân Erbil 

Course Description: Did you know that Islam has been present in Europe since its advent in the 7th century? This course explores the long history of Islam in Europe and the current diversity of Muslim populations and their lived experiences. To this end, we will engage with materials ranging from literature, TV shows, music, podcasts, news articles to social media through scholarship in Humanities and Social Sciences.

Prerequisites: Sophomore standing

(3 credits)

• Lecture 001: T 4:35 pm

Instructor: Karen Evans-Romaine

Students enroll by consent.

(4 credits)

• Lecture 001: MTWR 12:05 – 12:55 pm

Instructor: Gulnara Glowacki

Course Description: This is an advanced mid-level Kazakh language course.

This course has two goals: firstly, it focuses on reviewing some of the topics of the prerequisite course and introducing more challenging vocabulary, improving usage, and comprehension in Kazakh. Lessons will be focused on reading texts, analyzing multimedia, and discussing special topics. Secondly, it introduces new topics which are focused on learning to communicate about abstract topics such as what is published in the news media, work etiquette, and politics among other topics as warranted.

The class activity is conducted primarily in Kazakh. The course will enhance your ability to read complex Kazakh texts more easily and to express yourself with greater confidence, clarity and precision both in writing and everyday conversation.

Prerequisites: GNS+ 531: Fifth Semester Kazakh