The imaginative representation of good and evil in Western and Eastern classics, folktales, children's stories, and 20th-century literature. Cross-cultural comparison of ethical approaches to moral problems such as the suffering of the innocent, the existence of evil, the development of a moral consciousness and social responsibility, and the role of faith in a broken world. Contemporary issues of nuclear war, holocaust, AIDS, abortion, marginal persons, anawim, unwanted children. (Gen.Ed. AL, G)

This course is an introduction to classics of Polish cinema. We will watch films by Poland's best-known film directors to explore their poetic, thematic and philosophical concerns. Among directors whose works we will view are Roman Polanski, Andrzej Wajda, Jerzy Stuhr, Barbara Sass, Krzysztof Kieslowski, Krzysztof Zanussi, Agnieszka Holland, Dorota Kedzierzawska and Lech Majewski.

This graduate course explores topics in Comparative Literature and the cultural politics of the Global South, taking as a point of departure the history of decolonization and theoretical writings on the postcolonial condition. We will begin by considering the relationship between anticolonial nationalisms and literary culture, the impact of print-colonialism on the grounds of comparison, and debates on the "third world" and the "postcolonial" as both political and literary designations.

In this class, we read and discuss classic Irish short stories, contemporary drama, and the experimental modern and contemporary novel. We screen award-winning films and listen to and discuss poetry. Topics represented in these works include: theology, myth, nationalism, sexual politics, music and art. Students may choose their area of concentration. Course content originates in Irish culture and provides the opportunity comparative, global inquiry.
Gen Ed (AL)

This course provides an introduction to science fiction cinema from the end of the nineteenth century to today. Beginning with the experiments of the Melies Brothers and the importance of German Expressionist films like Fritz Lang's Metropolis, the course considers technological prognostication from Destination Moon to 2001: A Space Odyssey, adventure and science fiction in films like Forbidden Planet and Star Wars, and the dystopian imagination from Invasion of the Body Snatchers to District 9.

Building upon basic questions related to translation theory and practice, this seminar will investigate in depth the ethics of translation as it has been explored in relation to language, culture, literary form, and ideology. How is the translator's position to be conceptualized in terms of ethics and ideology? What is meant by the metaphor "between" in translation studies? What is the intersection of translation and power? What are the ethical implications of translating difference? How can translation impact on and shift culture and values?

Studying canonic works (Shakespeare, A Thousand and One Nights, or Journey to the West) as well as readings in contemporary fantasy fiction, this course offers an exploration of fantasies as escape into strange realms where time and space are not our own. Explorations of fantastic voyages to learn about human desires and dreams, and the history they are grounded in. Interdisciplinary approach; historical, psychological, and formal study of fantasy literature. (Gen.Ed. AL)

Introduction to simultaneous interpreting, with a focus on legal and conference settings. Intensive practice on specialized equipment, including an interpreting booth. Readings include articles on theory and practice. Core component of Interpreter Studies Certificate.

Prerequisites: FRENCHST or INTERPRT 481 or permission of instructor, and very strong command of English and at least one other language.

Russian, Czech, German, French, Italian, Spanish, English, American, and Latin-American stories from Romanticism to the present. Fantastic tales, character sketches, surprise endings; main types of the short story. (Gen.Ed. AL)