Survey of Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. Students learn one of the languages and its culture through the lens of a traveler. Overview of the languages from a comparative perspective; learning basic language skills and intercultural competence to navigate in a country where one of the three languages is spoken; and collaboratively creating a digital travel guide.
Course Description
This course surveys three East Asian languages – Chinese, Japanese, and Korean – and students will learn one of the languages and its culture through the lens of a traveler. The course comprises three parts. Part 1 offers an overview of the three East Asian languages from a comparative perspective, focusing on their historical relationships and typological differences. Part 2 delves into one of the three languages (i.e., the instructor’s language area of specialization), allowing students to acquire basic language skills and intercultural competence to navigate in a country where the language is spoken. In Part 3, students will collaboratively create a digital travel guide. No previous knowledge of the language(s) or background in linguistics is required.
Learning Objectives
The learning objectives of this course align with all the area outcomes for the CLAS Core World Language and Cultural Exploration course. Specifically, students in this course will be able to:
- Understand the historical relationship between the three East Asian languages.
- Recognize the typological differences observed in these languages.
- Develop a basic understanding of the prominent linguistic and sociolinguistic features of these languages.
- Acquire basic language skills and intercultural competence in one of the three languages to navigate in a country where the language is spoken. Students will be able to 1) navigate in airports, train stations, and bus stops, 2) introduce themselves with basic information, 3) make reservations for hotels, bullet trains, and buses, 4) ask for directions, 5) order foods and beverages, and 6) go shopping.
- Deepen their understanding of its culture by exploring major tourist attractions or artifacts with cultural significanc
Exploring the Deaf World 3 s.h.
An imaginary trip across the French-speaking countries of Europe—Belgium, France, and Switzerland—focusing on the language, culture, and history of different cities and regions; taught in English.
This course provides a broad introduction to the history, cultures, and languages of the different regions of French-speaking European countries through an imaginary trip that students undergo with their instructor. The journey is divided into three units, each lasting approximately five weeks: Paris and its Surroundings, Regions of France, and Belgium and Switzerland. For the first unit on Paris, students will learn about the history of the city and its layout and study important landmarks such as the Notre Dame de Paris Cathedral, Louvre Museum, and Versailles Palace. For the second unit, students will learn about the cultural and linguistic diversity that exists within the Hexagon (mainland France), including its historical origins for places such as Burgundy, Brittany, Normandy and Alsace-Lorraine. Finally, students will cross the eastern borders of France into Belgium and Switzerland, in order to learn about the cultures and regions of these countries, especially internal divisions related to different languages spoken (French, Flemish, German, Italian and Romansh) in cities such as Brussels, Ghent, and Bruges for Belgium; and Zurich, Lucerne, Bern, Lausanne, and Geneva for Switzerland.
During our time in each place, we will discuss the history, language(s) and culture of the area. Class activities will involve lectures to introduce students to the material; discussions of readings and films; interactive, social activities such as bingo and identifying landmarks in videos; virtual reality tours of certain sites; and optional tastings. The class will meet Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays and usually consist of lectures for the first 30 minutes, followed by 45 minutes of discussion and interactive activities.
You will be expected to prepare for every class period by watching the videos, completing the readings, and occasionally browsing websites to learn about the cities or regions and their main attractions. There will also be a quiz due at class time that is meant to confirm that you have completed the assigned readings and/or viewing. Course requirements include active participation in class discussions and activities, assignment quizzes, journal entries, three non-cumulative exams, and a final project.
No prior knowledge of French is necessary or expected to complete this course.
Learning Objectives
- Acquire the ability to research, plan, and undertake international travel on their own.
- Understand the basic geography of Western Europe
- Analyze the linguistic and cultural diversity of French-speaking European countries.
- Compare the linguistic and cultural aspects of regions of Belgium, France and Switzerland.
- Improve the ability to relate and interact with inhabitants of the various regions of Western Europe.
World Language and Cultural Exploration
This course provides a basic introduction to the language, history, and culture of German-speaking Europe through the study of food; topics include popular and well-known foods, regional dishes, food-focused celebrations, the history of food, and the importance of food in the history of German-speaking Europe; German food vocabulary, regional language and culture, the geography of German-speaking Europe, the influence of immigrant communities and diversity in the German-speaking countries, and the history of German-speaking immigrants in the Midwest will also be considered; taught in English, no knowledge of German is needed.
World Language and Cultural ExplorationExploring Italy 3 s.h.
Il bel paese (the beautiful country), la bella lingua (the beautiful language), la dolce vita (the sweet life). Narrative tropes have associated Italy and Italian culture with the idea of beauty. How has Italy become the quintessential of charm? How does this image affect a deep understanding of contemporary Italian society? This course will introduce students to diverse aspects of Italian culture and society. It will begin with a discussion of the notion of Italy and move to an analysis of the country’s government, institutions, and social norms. It will investigate the dynamics of national unity and regional diversity and the role of language in shaping national and regional identities. It will consider the intertwining of tradition and modernity by examining how the country’s centuries-long cultural heritage has influenced today’s education system, innovations, industrial production, lifestyle, etiquette, and protocol. As the image of Italy has been shaped by the country’s interactions with the world – from the tourists who have been visiting the peninsula for centuries to the international distributions of Italian products – this course will also reflect on Italy’s position in the global context.
World Language and Cultural ExplorationEncourages students to view successful communication as a shared responsibility. Students from a variety of backgrounds explore their attitudes toward linguistic differences, build awareness of phonology and language acquisition, gain familiarity with diverse Englishes, and practice intercultural communication strategies. Taught in English.
This course encourages students to view successful communication as a shared responsibility. In this course, students from a variety of backgrounds explore their attitudes toward linguistic difference, build awareness of phonology and language acquisition, gain familiarity with diverse Englishes, and practice intercultural communication strategies. Taught in English.
World Language and Cultural ExplorationIntroduction to representative fiction and non-fiction texts from Latin America. Exploration of historical and contemporary themes from multiple regions and cultures. Readings in English translation. Taught in English.
Read award-winning authors from Latin America in beautifully rendered English translations. In this class, you'll analyze the works of Latin American writers in their historical and cultural contexts. You'll deepen your understanding of the breadth and variety of Latin American cultures. And, you'll assess the significance of Spanish and/or Portuguese language features in English translation. Authors may include Gabriel García Márquez (Colombia, 1927-2014) and Clarice Lispector (Brazil, 1920-1977). No background in Spanish or Portuguese is required. All readings are in English, and the course is taught in English. Assignments include readings, short in-class and outside-of-class writing assignments, and an end-of-semester group presentation.
World Language and Cultural Exploration
Introduction to translation in several humanistic modes including anthropology, linguistics, film, philosophy, poetry, fiction, comics, memoir, history, religion, the digital humanities, sign languages (including ASL), and the retranslation of classic works. Students learn to view translation approaches as tools for their own life-long linguistic and cultural exploration. No language background or prior exposure to translation required.
How do translations work? Why do literary classics have so many retranslations? How are films subtitled? What’s new in the multibillion-dollar translation industry? What are the uses and limitations of computer translations? Do translators have an ethical code? How are adaptations different to translations? How does translation appear in Literary Studies, World Languages, Area Studies, Anthropology, History, Musicology, Philosophy, Film, English, or the Classics?
Explore these and related questions in TRNS:2578, our introductory course to translation in the humanities!
“Translation in the Humanities” is a core course in the Translation major and counts toward the Translation and Global Society minor.
Student progress will be evaluated throughout the semester, as opposed to a single term paper or exam. Along with mini-quizzes and short assignments (some creative, some analytical), there will be one 3-4-page essay, and a brief final assignment in which students can choose either to subtitle a YouTube video or to postedit a machine translation.
The course textbook is Jeremy Munday’s Introducing Translation Studies. All other readings will be made available on ICON, including essays by translators and theorists, as well as fictions by Homer, Ovid, the Beowulf author, Ted Chiang, Ivan Vladislavić, and Jorge Luis Borges.