This course will provide a panoramic survey of the literature produced in New York by Hispanic writers as well as literary representations of New York in the Hispanic imaginary in a variety of genres (poetry, novel, memoir, and travel writing). From the late nineteenth century to the present, we will focus on key moments in this diverse corpus of literature and explore topics such as crisis, immigration, community, tourism, exile, language and translation, and artistic relations among several national groups.

In this course we will analyze fictional and non-fictional accounts of shipwreck and/or captivity, from the 16th century until the present. We will examine a range of narratives from the Spanish, English, German and American traditions and also discuss some recent films. The analytical focus will be on the ideological underpinnings of these accounts: What is the relationship between these texts and the political/social/economical context in which they were produced? How do they construct the "other"? What do they reveal about the narrator's sense of self?

Introduction to Russian cinema, focusing on selected contemporary themes (violence, youth culture, race and gender issues), and on Western film inspired by Russian literary works, comparing Russian and Western approaches. Prerequisites: none.

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)

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)

An overview of the state of each participant's research, to familiarize members with the problems and possibilities of a doctoral dissertation in Comparative Literature. The group's composition determines the nature of invitations to potential guests, or the decision to concentrate on its own members' discussions, with topics including: preparation for paper presentations at academic conferences, potential openings for positions at colleges and universities, and opportunities for funding for fellowships, grants, and post-doctoral research.

Translation, Cross-cultural Communication, and the Media is an introduction to translation theory and practice that is grounded in fundamental questions, ideas, and methods of analysis in the humanities, specifically language and culture. By examining different translation theories and methods, students are exposed to a plurality of perspectives, creatively analyzing the problems of translation and applying critical methods to solve those problems.

This course provides an introductory survey of Native American Indian artistic and pictorial traditions that were intimately bound to stories and histories of nations and families, religious and mythological traditions, autobiographical narratives or aesthetic and philosophical reflections. More than mnemonic devices, these visual traditions are inseparable from culture and performance, community and nation, human life and the physical world. The visual and tactile media that will be encompassed in the course include pictorial manuscripts, ceramics, bead and shell work, and textiles.

Exploration of the individual psyche, growth of self-consciousness; the dark night of the soul and the role of suffering in personal growth. Reading from a variety of spiritual diaries, autobiographies, from East and West, written by women and men, believers and heretics. Ancient and modern examples. (Gen.Ed. AL, G)