Cultural Studies and Languages

Traditional Chinese calligraphy is an ancient art form that uses brush and ink to write Chinese characters in a refined and expressive style. It embodies visual beauty and emotion, reflecting the writer’s personality, philosophy, and cultural sensibility.

This course is designed not only as an introduction to calligraphy, but also as a space for relaxation and stress

In this course, films are used as textbooks to learn the French language and explore the French-speaking world. In order to hone their language skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing), students will listen to selected film dialogues to improve their listening comprehension, read and analyze excerpts from scenarios and reviews to strengthen their understanding of

In this one-credit film course, students will watch 5 out of the 10 international films screened in Kinoteca and Tishman on Saturday September 12, between 6pm and 6am. The films, all selected for their thought-provoking nature, cover a variety of cinematographic genres. The event is designed to enhance filmic appreciation in a collective

This course is designed for anyone interested in interdisciplinary artistic practices with a focus on dance creation, and improving the French language. Through the study and practical exploration of works by African choreographers and dancers, students will engage in both the analysis and creation of movement, developing skills in composition, improvisation, and

In this low-intermediate course, students will examine Japan’s significant social transformations during the Edo and Meiji periods to understand the concepts of equality and equity as perceived by the Japanese people. During the Edo period (1603-1868), Japan maintained a policy of national isolation for approximately 250 years, which contributed to the

This course engages students with authentic texts, audio, and visual materials drawn from traditional and contemporary literature, film, and other art forms. Through these sources, students will critically explore issues of gender, gender inequality, and sexuality, including LGBTQ perspectives, in Chinese and Taiwanese cultural contexts.

This course offers students a hands-on experience with Taiwanese cuisine while learning practical Mandarin Chinese. Students will actively prepare and cook popular Taiwanese dishes, such as dumplings, scallion pancakes, egg rolls, and bubble milk tea, as well as other famous Taiwanese cuisine.

Some sessions will take place in a fully equipped kitchen for hands-on

Viewed from the outside, the French-speaking world offers enticing images of beauty, pleasure, and freedom. From the inside, however, it is a complicated, often contradictory world where implicit codes and values shape the most basic aspects of daily life. This course will give you an insider’s perspective on a cultural and communicative system whose ideas, customs, and

This high-intermediate Japanese course explores the vibrant world of J-pop as a powerful reflection of Japanese society, identity, and cultural transformation. Far beyond catchy melodies, J-pop serves as a living archive of Japan’s evolving values, youth culture, gender roles, technological advancements, and international influence.

In this course, students will examine the building blocks which make up the interlocking systems of language and observe how those systems are enacted and granted layers of meaning through social practice. Beyond developing an understanding of the basic mechanics of sound systems, word-meaning relations, and the expression of grammatical values in languages of the world, we

Students with little or no Spanish will learn the language through an immersion in Latin American painting. While there will be some discussion of standard tactics such as stylistic nuances and artists’ biographies, it is expected that we will rapidly develop sufficient linguistic ability to focus on movements, ranging from the republican art of nation

This course will focus on reading and analyzing a variety of autobiographical writing forms as well as perfecting your written French through creative autobiographical writing. Literary readings will offer both a critical perspective on a wide variety of autobiographical genres as well as models for

Vive l’Afrance! This film title (Gomis, 2001) summarizes the goal of this course: an exploration of the rich variety of shared and conflicting francophone identities. Constructed within or outside of France, the texts studied in this course will encompass West African, French, and/or Caribbean spaces. The discussion of notions such as « créolisation » will allow students to

Start your day with a cup of tea and a journey into Japan’s vibrant cultural world. This introductory-level Japanese course offers a relaxed, immersive introduction to the Japanese language and culture, paired with an exploration of the visual art, history, and traditions that shape contemporary Japan

In this course, we will examine French culture’s engagement with questions of sexuality and gender, with a focus on authors, artists, theorists, and others who have questioned ideas of normative sexuality from the Middle Ages through the 21st century. Authors and texts to be studied may include Marie de France, Gabrielle d’Estrées et l'une de ses soeurs, Montaigne, l’Abbé de

Rakugo is one of Japan's traditional art forms and a storytelling entertainment that became extremely popular during the Edo period (1603-1868). Rakugo is a unique storytelling performance because a storyteller sits on a seat called “kooza" on stage and tells humorous stories without standing up. Additionally, the storytellers narrate and

This course will provide insight into the music of Spanish speakers in Latin America and the United States, within its cultural and geographical contexts, through analysis of song lyrics, audio recordings, videos and feature films. We will familiarize ourselves with the styles and social functions of bolero, tango, milonga, ranchero, rumba, salsa, pop, merengue, bachata,

In lieu of more conventional advanced Spanish classes, paralleling a series of often disparate tutorials, with tutees working in relative isolation, the proposal is to allow students free reign over an idea for a final, term-long project, while concurrently offering them an educated, exoteric audience to assist in fleshing out their work. Faculty will provide key

Are islands only geographic, or can they be social?  Can a community be an island, the way an island can be a community?  For almost two centuries, linguists have used the metaphor of “speech islands” to describe groups of people speaking one language who live surrounded by speakers of another.  These communities may be

Tai Chi (太极拳) is a Chinese martial art and meditative system. Its symbol is the well-known Yin–Yang (太极) diagram, representing balance and harmony.

This course is designed not only as a way to relax the body, reduce anxiety, and improve overall physical health, but also as an opportunity to learn the

In this course, students will explore contemporary Taiwanese society, one of Asia’s safest, happiest, and most progressive, through audio, video, and print media. They will examine everyday life, social trends, and Taiwan’s political landscape, including women’s 42% representation in the legislature, the rise of single women keeping pets, and Taiwan as the first Asian

In this course we will practice translating from French into English. We will work on developing a mindfulness about language use as well as a comparative eye focused on English and French’s stylistic and structural preferences. Grammar and lexical development will also be on offer and will highlight

The Semitic language family has the longest documented legacy of any in the world, spanning nearly 5,000 years.  Its dozens of distinct but connected languages – among them Arabic, Ethiopic, Hebrew and Syriac – have animated metropolises from Babylon to Carthage to Dubai; over centuries, they have voiced revelation to billions of Jews