21L.640[J] The New Spain: 1977-Present
(Same subject as 21G.740[J])
Prereq: One intermediate subject in Spanish or permission of instructor
3-0-9 HASS-H

Deals with the vast changes in Spanish social, political and cultural life that have taken place since the death of Franco. Topics include new freedom from censorship, the re-emergence of strong movements for regional autonomy (the Basque region and Catalonia), the new cinema including Almodovar and Saura, educational reforms instituted by the socialist government, and the fiction of Carme Riera and Terenci Moix. Special emphasis on the emergence of mass media as a vehicle for expression in Spain. Considers the changes wrought by Spain's acceptance into the European Community. Materials include magazines, newspapers, films, fiction, and Amando de Miguel's Los Españoles. Taught in Spanish.

21L.701 Literary Methods
Prereq: Two subjects in Literature
3-0-9 HASS-H, CI-M; Can be repeated for credit

Introduces practice and theory of literary criticism. Seminar focuses on topics such as the history of critical methods and techniques, and the continuity of certain subjects in literary history. Instruction and practice in oral and written communication. Previously taught topics include Virginia Woolf's Shakespeare, Theory and Use of Figurative Language, and Text, Context, Subtext, Pretext. Approved for credit in the Women's and Gender Studies when content meets requirements for subjects in that program. Limited to 12.

21L.702 Studies in Fiction
Prereq: Two subjects in Literature
3-0-9 HASS-H, CI-M; Can be repeated for credit

Intensive study of a range of texts by a single author or by a limited group of authors whose achievements are mutually illuminating. Some attention to narrative theory and biographical and cultural backgrounds. Instruction and practice in oral and written communication. Previously taught topics include Stowe, Twain, and the Transformation of 19th-century America, and Joyce and the Legacy of Modernism. Approved for credit in Women's and Gender Studies when content meets the requirements for subjects in that program. Limited to 12.

21L.703 Studies in Drama
Prereq: Two subjects in Literature
3-0-9 HASS-H, CI-M; Can be repeated for credit

Intensive study of an important topic or period in drama. Close analysis of major plays, enriched by critical readings and attention to historical and theatrical contexts. Instruction and practice in oral and written communication through student presentations and research essays. Previously taught topics include: Renaissance Drama; Shakespeare with his Contemporaries; Oscar Wilde; and Stoppard and Company. Limited to 12.

21L.704 Studies in Poetry
Prereq: Two subjects in Literature
3-0-9 HASS-H, CI-M; Can be repeated for credit

Intensive study of a body of poetry, raising questions of form, authorship, poetic influence, social context, and literary tradition. Instruction and practice in oral and written communication. Previously taught topics include: Does poetry Matter?, Poetry and the Science of Mind; Songs, Sonnets and the Story of English; Virgil, Spenser, Milton; and The Image: Poetry, Photography, and Technologies of Vision. Approved for credit in Women's and Gender Studies when content meets the requirements for subjects in that program. Limited to 12.

21L.705 Major Authors
Prereq: Two subjects in Literature
3-0-9 HASS-H, CI-M; Can be repeated for credit

Close study of a limited group of writers. Instruction and practice in oral and written communication. Previously taught topics include John Milton and his Age, Chaucer, Herman Melville, Toni Morrison, and Oscar Wilde and the '90s. Approved for credit in Women's and Gender Studies when content meets the requirements for subjects in that program. Limited to 12.

21L.706 Studies in Film
(Same subject as CMS.830)
Prereq: 21L.011, one subject in Literature or Comparative Media Studies; or permission of instructor
3-3-6 HASS-H, CI-M; Can be repeated for credit

Intensive study of films from particular periods, genres, or directors. Instruction and practice in oral and written communication provided. Previous topics include Film Analysis, Remixes, Film Narrative, and Heroic Cinema. Students taking graduate version complete different assignments. Limited to 12.

21L.707 Problems in Cultural Interpretation
Prereq: Two subjects in Literature or permission of instructor
3-0-9 HASS-H, CI-M; Can be repeated for credit

Studies the relation between imaginative texts and the culture surrounding them. Emphasizes ways in which imaginative works absorb, reflect, and conflict with reigning attitudes and world views. Instruction and practice in oral and written communication. Previously taught topics include Women Reading/Women Writing; Poetry, Passion, and the Self; and Race, Religion and Identity in Early Modern America. Approved for credit in Women's and Gender Studies when content meets the requirements for subjects in that program. Limited to 12.

21L.709 Studies in Literary History
Prereq: Two subjects in Literature or History
3-0-9 HASS-H, CI-M; Can be repeated for credit

Close examination of the literature of a particular historical period. Instruction and practice in oral and written communication. Syllabi vary. Previous topics include Britons Abroad in the 18th Century; Modernism: From Nietzsche to Fellini; and Make it New: Manifestos and the Invention of the Modern. Limited to 12.

21L.715 Media in Cultural Context
(Same subject as CMS.871)
Prereq: Two subjects in Literature or Comparative Media Studies; or permission of instructor
3-0-9 HASS-H, CI-M; Can be repeated for credit

Seminar uses case studies to examine specific media or media configurations and the larger social, cultural, economic, political, or technological contexts within which they operate. Organized around recurring themes in media history, as well as specific genres, movements, media, or historical moments. Previously taught topics include Gendered Genres: Horror and Maternal Melodramas; Comics, Cartoons, and Graphic Storytelling; and Exploring Children's Culture. Students taking graduate version complete additional assignments. Approved for credit in Women's and Gender Studies when content meets the requirements for subjects in that program. Limited to 12.

21L.720 Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales
Prereq: Two subjects in Literature
3-0-9 H, CI-M

In this course we will read Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, a narrative and poetic collection that is variously bawdy, pious, moving, disturbing, and hilarious. We will read about drunken millers, man-hungry serial monogamists, glad-handing social climbers, bitter provincial bureaucrats, hypocritical members of the ecclesiastical vice squad, and cooks with disturbingly lax standards of personal hygiene (among others). These pilgrims will in turn tell stories of star-crossed love in ancient Athens; why crows are black and can no longer speak; the best way for nerdy students to find love and sex; what one thing all mortal women most desire; and whether you can kill Death without dying yourself (among others). No background in medieval literature or Middle English is expected; enthusiasm for challenging but rewarding material is, and will be repaid with interest.