A course in advanced composition for students who wish to improve their mastery of some of the more difficult points of French grammar, syntax and usage, as they reflect on the role of language in shaping individual and national identity, from the 16th century to the present day. Readings and discussions on topics such as linguistic policy and cultural politics, the feminization of the French language, and defending against the invasion of English by legislating the use of French within France and Quebec.

An introduction to the main cultural and literary currents that shaped Medieval France, a period whose values and concept of "literature" were dramatically different from our own. We focus on the rise of courtliness and the invention of romantic love, the legend of King Arthur and the transmission of Celtic themes, adultery and madness, magic and the chivalric quest, and the ribald humour of the fabliaux.

What role do central banks play in the management of short-run economic fluctuations? What has driven the recent global trend towards more powerful and independent central-banking institutions? This course explores the theoretical foundations that link central bank policy to real economic activity. Building on this theoretical background, the monetary policy frameworks and operating procedures of key central banks are then examined. Much of the analysis focuses on the current practices of the U.S.

Topics course. Since postcolonial times, Africa has seen both hope and despair for its development. This seminar explores the roles of many factors in the development of African states and the uplifting from poverty of individual Africans. In particular, we look at infrastructure and investment; health and education; trade; finance and markets; the choice of policy; and the effects of institutions, governance and politics. We also try to make sense of the differences and the similarities among the various paths to development in Africa.

An analysis of selected microeconomic and macroeconomic issues about which our two political parties disagree. Specific issues include health care; Social Security and other entitlement programs; taxes, government spending and budget deficits; immigration; and the role of government in the economy. Prerequisites: ECO 150, ECO 153 and ECO 220 or its equivalent.

An introduction to capitalism. Markets have made the average American richer than any medieval king. Take this course to find out why. Other topics covered include innovation, discrimination, prostitution, environmental economics, international trade, affirmative action, business competition, price gouging, illegal drugs, Internet piracy, baby auctions, inequality and IQ, the stock market, the minimum wage, an economic love story, the economics of government, and why Africa is poor. This course is less mathematical than Economics 150.

Topics course. How have the experiences of black subjects in urban locations shaped our understandings of both blackness and the city? What does it mean to think about the dialectic of American blackness as moving between southerness and urbanity? And how do Caribbean and African (im)migrations to the metropole imagine the city in terms of colonial relations and postcolonial dreams? This course focuses primarily on literary, visual and musical productions of and about the transnational black city, situating these texts within their historical and cultural contexts.

A study of the history of free blacks from the 17th century to the abolition of slavery in 1865. A major problem created by the establishment of slavery based on race by the 1660s was what was to be the status of free blacks. Each local and state government addressed the political, economic, and even religious questions raised by having free blacks in a slave society. This course addresses a neglected theme in the history of the Afro-American experience-that is, the history of free blacks before the passage of the 13th amendment. Recommended background: AAS 117.

Topics course. Same as ENG 209. In this class, we study the ways that black essayists negotiate ideas about race through notions of love: what does it mean to figure one's humanity through the miasma of race; and how is love as a concept and the form of the essay relevant to this figuring? Here, we think about race intersectionally, as a term that is only meaningful if one notices its invocation of gender, class, sexuality.

An examination of the broad contours of the history of the Afro-American people in the United States from ca. 1600 to 1960. Particular emphasis is given to how Africans influenced virtually every aspect of U.S. society; slavery and Constitutional changes after 1865; the philosophies of W.E.B. DuBois, Booker T. Washington, Marcus Garvey; and the rise and fall of racial segregation in the United States.