Featured Classical & Modern Languages Courses
ML 330.01 / GER 313.01: The Power of Language(s): Social, Political, & Cultural Dimensions
Explore social, political, and cultural dimensions of language use in the context of German-speaking societies. Learn about multilingual groups in Germany and Switzerland, analyze stereotypes about speakers of German, investigate the influence of English on the German language, examine the Nazis' abuses of language, and much more.
SPAN 667 - Computers in Translation Tools
This graduate-level Distance Ed course is designed to provide a theoretical and hands-on introduction to computer-assisted translation (CAT) tools. CAT tools are commonly used in the language industry to support multiple tasks in the translation process such as project management, technical writing, translating, localizing, editing, reviewing, proofreading, terminology management, and desktop publishing.
ITP 115 - Heritage & Culture of the Deaf SBD1 (3 credit hours)
This course provides students with an overview of the psychological, sociological, and cultural impacts of deafness upon children and adults. Learners will explore how deafness can affect an individual's linguistic and cognitive development, psychological-emotional growth, access to communication, and life opportunities. The course also examines historical relations between Deaf and hearing people and compares Deaf culture to that of the hearing community.
ML 354: Russian Literature of the 20th Century
The course is a survey of Russian and Soviet authors from the collapse of Imperial Russia to the fall of the Soviet Union. Readings will include poetry, short stories and novel excerpts from greater and lesser known writers spanning the period. Students will write briefly on each reading assignment to facilitate class discussion, with brief papers plus presentation on both an author and larger work to round out the semester.
ML 271-01: Chinese Pop Culture
This course is an introduction to modern and contemporary Chinese pop culture. It encourages students to critically examine the diverse Chinese pop culture from the mid-twentieth century through the present day and its global significance. Focusing on variability, historical development and cross-cultural encounters, this course offers (1) an introduction to the variety and development of Chinese pop culture; (2) an examination of interactions between traditional value and modern pop culture, cross-cultural exchange and ethnic diversity in shaping Chinese pop culture within the global context and (3) analysis of the roles that pop culture plays in social transformation and Chinese people’s ways of thinking, seeing and connecting with the world.
GERM / ML 280: Culture of the German-Speaking World
Join us for this crash course of the major ideas, figures and conflicts that shaped German, Austrian and Swiss culture(s) from the Middle Ages to the present! No prior German language experience is required, but this course makes a great companion to UofL's Beginning German sequence (GERM 121, 122, 123). This course is taught in English and all course materials are freely available online!
ML 313-50 Yokai: Japanese Ghosts and Monsters
This course will survey one of the more unusual aspects of Japanese culture, the role of the supernatural in Japan. Through a historical and cultural examination of the works published in ancient Japan to contemporary Japan, students will read interdisciplinary scholarly articles and research, as well as engaging in various methods for studying and writing about the relationship between the supernatural and spiritual elements of culture and everyday life. In addition, students will apply theoretical models to their research and observations in addition to critically analyzing some of the functions that literature and art can provide from the perspectives of gender, historical context, as well as via symbolic meanings that have risen from representations and practices.
ML 350-50: The Literary Fairy Tale
The Literary Fairy Tale is an investigation of the literary fairy tale from the Renaissance to the contemporary period. This course surveys the role of the fairy tale in a globalized world by considering the origins of the fairy tale, its role in society and culture, and the cultural and historical contexts that still resonate today. This course will provide an interdisciplinary lens with which to examine fairy tales, taking careful consideration to the approaches of psychology, influences of religion, critique of politics, and the role of history in the tales studied. Additionally, the fairy tales studied this semester are not limited to just Western fairy tales, but will also consider other cultures such as Asia and Africa.
ML 312-50: Japanese Pop Culture
This course will survey Japanese popular culture in contemporary Japan, with consideration to Japanese history dating back to the Edo period. Many facets of Japanese popular culture will be reviewed; specifically, anime, film, manga, theatre, literature, pop art, television, food, fashion, and music. The globalization of popular culture and its role in Asia will also be examined.