Course listings are taken from the 2006-2008 Wagner College Undergraduate Bulletin. Courses added since this bulletin are partially listed in the Registrar's section of this website.
SPANISH
SP 103(I), 104(I) Spanish for Teachers. Designed for those students going into elementary or secondary education. This course blends the skills and culture within the context of a teacher's needs. Conducted in Spanish. For those with 0 to 3 years of previous study of Spanish. A student must be an Education major to take these classes or have the permission of the instructor. Courses must be taken consecutively. Prerequisite for 104: Spanish 103 or permission of the instructor. Offered summer semester only.
SP 105(I), 106(I) Basic Intensive Spanish. An introduction to Spanish for students with 0-2 years of previous experience with the language. Proficiency methods improve listening, reading, speaking, writing, and cultural skills. SP 105 offered fall semester; SP 106 offered spring semester.
SP 107(I) Accelerated Elementary Spanish. This is an intensive and fast-paced class for students who wish to acquire basic speaking, reading, writing, and listening skills before entering the Intermediate level. This course will also expose students to the culture of Latin America and Spain. Conducted in Spanish. Three hours of class, one hour of outside viewing, and other interactive projects. Prerequisites: 0-2 years of high school instruction. Not designed for native speakers of Spanish. Offered spring semester.
SP 111(I), 112(I) Intermediate Spanish I, II. This course is a review of basic grammar, practice in conversation, and writing and reading of selected short stories. Materials inlude newspaper/magazine articles, films, slides and CD Rom programs. Class sessions are conducted entirely in Spanish and include individual short presentations, role-playing and group debates. Prerequisite for 111: 2-3 years of high school instruction or 2-3 semesters of college Spanish. Prerequisite for 112: Spanish 111 or permission of instructor. Spanish 111 offered fall semester; 112 offered spring semester.
SP 213(I) Hispanic Literature in English Translation. This is a course in English designed to introduce several masterworks of the Spanish and Latin American literary traditions to students who may or may not be ready to read the texts in the original language. Readings include selections from early peninsular works, such as El Cid and the Quixote, pre-Columbian texts such as the Popul-Vul, poetry from colonial Mexico's Sor Juana and, finally, contemporary works from both Latin America (Borges, Cortazar, Allende) and Spain (Matute, Garcia Lorca, Arrabal). (Cross-listed as English 213). Offered as required.
SP 231(I) Artistic Adventures: Spanish Composition and Conversation. This course is designed for students who wish to master advanced grammatical structures and broaden their vocabulary as a solid preparation for upper-division classes in Spanish. Special emphasis will be placed on writing, speaking, and pronunciation. Written and oral exercises will focus on the art of Latin American and Spanish painters such as Frida Kahlo, Salvador Dali, Diego de Rivera, Pablo Picasso, Diego de Velazquez, Jose Clemente Orozco, Antonio Tapies, and Remedios Vara. Students will work with CD-ROM programs and engage in virtual tours of museums throughout the world, or students will deal with the cultures of Spain and Latin America through visual texts by such directors as Julio Medem, Maria Luisa Bemberg, Fernando Trueba, Alfonso Arau, and Jose Luis Garci. This class is open to native speakers of Spanish. Prerequisites: Spanish 112 or equivalent. Spanish 231 offered fall semester, Spanish 232 offered spring semester.
SP 232(I) People and Politics in the Hispanic World: Advanced Spanish Composition and Conversation. Students will work on writing and speaking skills at the advanced level. Various forms of written expression such as letter, essays, summaries, textual analyses, and film criticism will be addressed. Students will acquire theoretical vocabulary through weekly newspaper and magazine readings. Class conversations and debates will focus on social, cultural and political topics pertaining to Latin America and/or Spain. This class is open to native speakers of Spanish. Prerequisite: SP 231 or equivalent. Offered spring semester.
SP 234 (I) Introduction to Spanish Translation. This course uses translation to help students consolidate complex grammatical structures and further develop their awareness of the particular subtleties of Spanish. Students will be introduced to the history and theory of translation from Spanish to English and English to Spanish through a variety of texts: newspapers and journal articles, legal and medical documents, letters, advertisments, film subtitles, and literary works. The course includes a final service-learning translation project. Prerequisite: Spanish 232 or equivalent. Offered as required.
SP 241(I), 242(I) Hispanic Civilization. A study of Spanish culture and civilization (fall semester) and Latin American culture and civilization (spring semester) including visual arts, history, music and literature. Prerequisites: Spanish 231. Offered as required.
SP 310 (I) Introduction to Literary Criticism. This course aims to increase students' ability to think, read, discuss, and write critically about literature from the Spanish speaking world. Latin American, latino and peninsular works will be approached from different analytical perspectives by also taking into account the particular cultural, historical, and philosophical background inherent to each text. Critical models to be covered include reader-response, marxism, feminism, Queer theory, and post-colonialism. Offered fall semester Prerequisites: Spanish 232 or equivalent.
SP 314 (I) Topics in Hispanic Cinema. This course presents issues of history and culture from the Spanish-speaking world through close analysis and discussion of films of major directors. Topics will vary by semester and will cover such themes as the Spanish Civil War, visions of rural and urban life, artistic production, poverty and its consequences, fantasy in film, gender representations on screen, etc. The class is writing intensive in Spanish. Prerequisites: Spanish 251 or permission of the instructor. Offered as required.
SP 320 (I) Topics in Modern Peninsular Prose: In this course, contemporary peninsular prose will be examined in the context of Spain's post-Transition era. Topics will include ideological trends in contemporary Spanish society, class and gender politics, national identity, the representation of urban life, and authorial self-fashioning. The works of Javier Marias, Felix de Azua, Juan Jose Millas, Enrique Vila-Matas, Belen Gopegui, Antonio Munoz Molina, Arturo Perez Reverte, and Almudena Grandes will be discussed. Prerequisite: Spanish 310 or equivalent. Offered as required.
SP 323 (I) Contemporary Hispanic Women Writers. This course addresses the cultural, social, and political currents that have changed the works of contemporary Hispanic women writers. Feminist concepts are examined in the works of such authors as Carmen Laforet, Ana Maria Matute, Carmen Martin Gaite, Soledad Puertolas, Maria Luisa Bombal, Luisa Valenzuela, and Cristina Peri Rossi. Historical, socialogical, and artistic documents will also be examined for what they reveal of tehechanging consciousness of women in Spain and Latin America. This course may be counted toward the Gender Studies minor. Prerequisite: SP 251 or permission of the instructor. Offered spring semester of even-numbered years.
SP 346(I) A Window on Spain: Peninsular Survey. This course offers a chronological survey of Spanish literature and its cultural history from the Middle Ages to present times focusing on movements such as Romanticism, Realism, Naturalism, Surrealism, and Post-modernism. Topics to be explored include the role of women in the Middle Ages, courtly love, food and fashion in the Golden Age, underground theater and literary censorship under the Franco regime, and the latest trends in contemporary Spanish narrative. Authors to be studied include Maria de Zayas, Miguel de Cervantes, Emilia Pardo Bazan, Benito Perez Galdos, Antonio Machado , Jose Ortega y Gasset, Antonio Buero Vallejo, Carmen Laforet, Almudena Grandes, and Javier Marias. Prerequisite: Spanish 251 or equivalent. Offered as required.
SP 347(I) Love, Madness and Death in Latin American Literature (Latin American Survey). At the beginning of the century, one of the best known Latin American writers, Horacio Quiroga, published a collection of short stories entitled: Cuentos de amor, de locura y muerte. This text prefigures many trends of Latin American literature during this century: magical realism, fantastic literature, and the redefinition of nature, among others. This class considers love, madness, and death as main topics in contemporary Latin American literature. Prerequisite: Spanish 251 or equivalent. Offered as required.
SP 351(I) Argentine Literature: Foreigners at Home. This course looks at the major contributions that Argentine poets, novelists, short story writers, and dramatists have made to world literature. Argentina was not only the first country in Latin America with urban culture but also the place where European modernity erupted in Latin America. Writers like Jorge Luis Borges and Julio Cortazar echoed and continued the experiments of modern European literature but gave to that tradition a particularly American perspective. The class includes, but is not limited to, works by Borges, Cortazar, Ocampo, Storni, Gambaro, Sabato, Puig, and Timerman among others. It also addresses such issues as politics and censorship; the fantastic in literature, urban and rural conflicts, and gender representations. Prerequisite: Spanish 251 or permission of the instructor. Offered as required.
SP 352 (I) Cities in the Hispanic World. This course examines the literary representations of city life in the Spanish speaking world from the nineteenth century to the present. Using an interdisciplinary approach, topics will include the city as a physical and utopian construction, urban and non-urban landscapes, post-war reconstruction, poverty, alienation, immigration, and the ways in which cities occupy and challenge the literary imagination. Cities to be examined include Barcelona, Madrid, Granada, Buenos Aires, Havana, Mexico City, Santiago de Chile, and New York. Prerequisites: Spanish 310 or equivalent. Offered as required.
SP 400 (I) Senior Reflective Tutorial: Spanish Expository Writing. A detailed study of an author, a period, or theme relevant to the understanding of Spanish or Latin American literature and culture. This course also aims to build upon previous language learning, to review, refine, develop and practice language skills to achieve correct and effective expression in Spanish with emphasis on writing. An extended research project is required for all majors who wish to be considered for departmental honors. Prerequisite: major in Spanish or permission of instructor. Offered as required.
SP 411(I) Hispanic Drama. A study of the development of Spanish and Latin American theater from the seventeenth century to the present. Readings will include authors such as Tirso de Molina, Calderon de la Barca, Lope de Vega, Garcia Lorca, Buero Vallejo, Vargas Llosa, and Garro. Prerequisite: Spanish 251 or permission of the instructor. Offered as required.
SP 412(I) Cloak and Dagger: Cervantes vs. Lope de Vega. The works of literary rivals Miguel de Cervantes and Lope de Vega are examined in the light of the social and intellectual currents of seventeenth century Spain. Particular attention is given to the problems of textual reception and the question of canon formation. Just what determines the popularity of certain works, who reads them and what are the questions that are considered. Prerequisite: Spanish 251 or permission of the instructor. Offered as required.
SP 511(I) Spanish for Health Care Professionals. This is a course in basic Spanish designed for those already working in or planning to enter the health care professions. Students will learn a specialized vocabulary and study cultural situations directly related to caring for Spanish-speaking patients. The course is taught in Spanish. Both undergraduate and graduate students may take this course with permission of their advisors. This course is appropriate for those with 0-3 years of previous experience with the language. It is not appropriate for native speakers. Offered as required.
SP 593(I) Independent Study. Supervised independent research projects developed by the student, with faculty advisement. Restricted to advanced majors. Offered fall and spring semesters.
Foreign Language - General
FL 291 (I)Speical Topics. A course dealing with the literature of either Germany, France, Italy, or Spain, given in the origianl. The language and contenct will vary and be determined by the instructor. Prerequisite: completion of the intermediate level. Offered as required.
FRENCH
FR 105(I), 106(I) Basic Intensive French. A two-semester introduction to French for students with 0-2 years of previous experience with the language. Proficiency methods improve listening, reading, speaking, writing, and cultural skills. Offered as required.
FR 107(I) Accelerated Elementary French. An intensive and fast-paced class for students who wish to acquire the basic speaking, reading, writing and listening skills before entering the Intermediate level. The course will also expose students to the cultures of France and other Francophone countries through film, art, and music. Conducted in French. Three hours of class, one hour of outside film viewing or other interacive projects. 0-2 years of high school instruction in French. Not designed for native speakers of French. Offered fall semester and spring semesters.
FR 117(I) Accelerated Intermediate French. An intensive fast-paced class for students who wish to review previously learned grammar and acquire greater fluency in French. Activities will include extensive practice in conversation and writing as well as an introduction to literature and continued exposure to French and Francophone cultures. Class discussion will also revolve around films by directors such as Francois Truffaut, Claude Berri, Regis Wargnier, Claude Chabrol, and Eric Rohmer. Conducted in French. Three hours of class, one hour of outside film viewing or other interactive projects. Prerequisites: French 107 or 2-3 years of high school instruction or 2-3 semesters of college-level French. Offered fall and spring semesters.
FR 230(I) The Art of the Flaneur: Paris in Literature, Art And Film. In this course, we will study how Paris has been represented in art, literature and film. Paris is a mythic space in the French imagination: a place of creation, of intellectual engagement, of artistic expression, of romance, of dreams, of elegance and of style. We will go in search of this mythic Paris in books, in art galleries, in cinemas, in museums and in the streets themselves. We will firstly trace the history of the city through its Roman origins to its place as the head of a highly-centralized state, pausing to reflect upon major historical, social and cultural developments. We will then read a selection of literary representations of the city through visits to art galleries and museums. Prerequisite: FR 117 or permission of instructor. Offered as required.
FR 231(I) Artistic Adventures: Advanced French Conversation and Composition. A concentration on intensive grammar review by means of directed topical conversations, open conversations, journals and composition writing. Students read and analyze different kinds of texts (novels, plays, short stories, films, poems) which provide perspectives on French and Francophone thought and expression. Conducted in French. Prerequisite: French 117 or equivalent or permission of instructor. Offered fall semester.
FR 232(I) People and Politics in the French speaking World: Advanced French Conversation and Composition. As a continuation of FR 231, this course broadens and deepens students' understanding of French grammar and composition. Students read and analyze different kinds of texts (newspapers, magazines, internet websites, essays and advertisements) which provide perspectives on French and Francophone thought and expression. Conducted in French. Prerequisite: French 231 or equivalent or permission of the instructor. Offered spring semester.
FR 234 (I) Introduction to French Translation. This course uses translation to help students consolidate complex grammatical structures and further develop their awareness of the particular subtleties of French. Students will be introduced to the history and theory of translation from French to English and English to French through a variety of texts: newspaper and journal articles, legal and medical documents, letters, advertisements, film subtitles, and literary works. The course includes a final service-learning translation project. Prerequisite: French 232 or equivalent. Offered as required.
FR 241(I), 242(I) French and Francophone Civilization. A study of French cultures and civilization (fall semester) and Francophone cultures and civilization (spring semester) including visual arts, history, music and literature. Prerequisites: French 231. Offered as required.
FR 251(I) Introduction to Literature in French. This course introduces students to reading literary texts in French. The course aims to develop students' literary analysis through studying examples of poetry, theatre and prose. Material is arranged thematically, e.g. the theme of love, death or identity, and includes texts from both France and the Francophone world. The course also introduces students to major research sources as well as to the nature and methodology of writing scholarly papers. Prerequisite: FR232 or permission of instructor. Offered as required.
FR 310 (W)(I)Art and Literature in Turn-of-the-Century Paris, Vienna, Berlin, and Barcelona. A detailed reading of some of the major literary works written in fin-de-siecle Paris, Vienna, Berlin, and Barcelona. Along with readings by authors such as Marcel Proust, Colette, Thomas Mann, Rainer-Maria Rilke, and Arthur Rimbaud, this class also addresses the rise of psychoanalysis, the exploration of sexuality, and cafe culture. Students will visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art and a concert at Carnegie Hall. Cross-listed w/EN310. Prerequisite: EN 212 or permission of instructor. Offered spring semeter of odd-numbered years.
FR 320(I) French Masterworks in Translation. A survey of the great tradition in French literature from the 16th century Pleiade group through the 17th century dramatists, such as Voltaire and Rousseau and the 19th and 20th century writers, such as Balzac, Hugo, Zola, Sartre, Beauvoir and Camus. In order to receive French credit students must read the works and write their papers and exam answers in French. Offered as required.
FR 333(I) Nineteenth Century French Literature. Benjamin Constant's Adolphe, Hugo's poetry, Balzac's Sarrasine, Baudelaire's Les Fleurs du Mal, Zola's Therese Raquin, a text by Flaubert, short stories by Guy de Maupassant and the poems of Arthur Rimbaud are read and discussed. All work is in French. Prerequisite: French 232 permission of instructor. Offered as required.
FR 334(I) Twentieth Century French Literature. This companion course to French 333 focuses on a selection of novels, short stories, plays and essays which characterize the volatile world of 20th Century French letters. Typical of the authors read are Valery, Gide, Beauvoir, Camus, Genet, Beckett, Barthes, Robbe-Grillet, Claude Simon and Le Clezio. All work is in French. Prerequisite: FR 232 or permission of instructor. Offered as required.
FR 335(I) French Beyond France: An Introduction to la Francophonie. French is an official language in 33 countries, and a lingua franca in many more. In this course, we will broaden our study of French to other areas of the world in which French is spoken: North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, the Caribbean, Quebec and Indochina. In the first part of the course, students will learn about the history of the imperial project that resulted in the preponderance of French in the the world. We will then study each area of la Francophonie in turn, examining representative works of art, literature and film that present the major themes of the colonization and post-colonization eras. Prerequisite: FR 232 or permission of instructor. Offered as required.
FR 346(I) A Window on France: French Survey. This course offers a chronological survey of French literature and its cultural heritage from the Middle Ages to the present times, focusing on movements such as Romanticism, Realism, Naturalism, Surrealism, and Postmodernism. Authors to be studied include Christine de Pizan, Rabelais, La Fontaine, Molière, Rousseau, Sand, Balzac, Proust, Colette, Camus, Sartre and Duras. Prerequisite: FR251 or permission of instructor.
FR 351(I) Francophone Women Writers in Translation. This course explores women's writing from the unique literary and cultural perspectives of French speaking society. Readings include such authors as Madame de Sevigne, George Sand, Simone de Beauvoir, Colette, Marie-Claire Blais, Nathalie Sarraute, and Marguerite Duras. The course also includes writings by francophone West African, Caribbean and Canadian authors. Offered spring semester of odd-numbered years.
FR 352 (I) Cities in the Francophone World. This course examines the literary representations of city life in the French speaking world from the nineteenth century to the present. Using an interdisciplinary approach, topics will include the city as a physical and utopian construction, urban and non-urban landscapes, post-war reconstruction, poverty, alienation, immigration, and the ways in which cities occupy and challenge the literary imagination. Prerequisites: French 251 or equivalent. Offered as required.
FR 355 (W) (I) Sex and Gender in Medieval French Literature Medieval France saw a new flowering of interest in romantic love, but also a new impostition of control over sexual behavior by the Church. As a result there was an explosion of literature both celebrating and condemning a wide variety erotic attitudes and practices, composed by churchmen, noblemen, and the few women who achieved the education and authority to write. We will read troubadour love lyrics, Arthurian romances, poems debating the merits of same-sex love, and selections from Christine de Pizan, widely considered to be Europe's first feminist. All texts, whether written in French or Latin, will be read in English translation. Cross-listed w/FR 355. Prerequisite EN 212 or permission of instructor. Offered as required.
FR/EN 356 French Cinema: Retrogrades, Rebels and Realists. This course introduces students to the major developments in the history of French cinema. The course aims to develop students' skills of analysis and interpretation in order to enable them to read and appreciate film as an art form. The course is divided into three parts which present the three principal moments of French cinematic history; the films of Poetic Realism from the 1920s and 1930s; the films of the New Wave from the 1950s and 1960s and fin-de-siècle films of the 1980s and 1990s. Film-viewings are supplemented by the study of film theory. The class is writing-intensive and fulfills the International Perspectives requirement. Taught in English. Prerequisite: none. Ofered as required.
FR 400 (I) Senior Reflective Tutorial: French Expository Writing. A detailed study of an author, a period, or theme relevant to the understanding of French or Francophone literature and culture. This course also aims to build upon previous language learning, to review, refine, develop, and practice langauge skills to achieve correct and effective expression in French with emphasis on writing. An extended research project is required for all majors who wish to be considered for departmental honors. Prerequisite: Major in French Studies or permission of teh instructor. Offered as required.
GERMAN
GE 101 (I), 102(I) Elementary German I, II. Three hours of lecture and one hour of laboratory weekly each semester. Basic oral comprehension and conversation. Study of introductory texts. Prerequisite: For students with NO previous experience with the language. German 101 is a prerequisite for 102. German 101 offered fall semester as required.;GE 102 offered spring semester as required.
GE 111(I), 112(I) Intermediate German I, II. Three hours of lecture and one hour of laboratory weekly. Review of grammar and intensive training in comprehension and linguistic practice. Study of modern prose. Prerequisites: German 101, 102 or equivalent. German 111 is a prerequisite for 112. German 111 offered fall semester; 112 offered spring semester.
GE 221(I), 222(I) Masterworks of German Literature. Reading and discussion of short stories, plays, poems and excerpts from novels (mostly 20th-century works). Prerequisites: German 111, 112 or equivalent. German 221 offered fall semester; 222 offered spring semester. Offered as required.
GE 231(I), 232(I) Advanced Conversation and Composition I, II. An intensive course in speaking and writing German, conducted entirely in that idiom. Discussion of current topics and informal conversations with the use of periodicals and texts. Prerequisites: German 111, 112 or equivalent. German 231 is a prerequisite for 232. GE 231 offered fall semester as required; GE 232 offered spring semester as required.
ITALIAN
IT 105(I), 106(I) Basic Intensive Italian. A two-semester introduction to Italian for students with 0-2 years of previous experience with the language. Proficiency methods improve listening, reading, speaking, writing, and cultural skills. Offered in summer only.
IT 107(I) Accelerated Elementary Italian. This is an intensive and fast-paced class for students 0-2 years of Italian who wish to acquire basic speaking, reading, writing, and listening skills before entering the intermediate level. This course will also expose students to many features of Italian culture; it consists of three hours of class and one hour of outside film viewing or other intensive projects. Conducted in Italian. Offered fall and spring semesters.
IT 117(I) Accelerated Intermediate Italian. An intensive and fast-paced class for students who wish to review previously learned grammar and acquire greater proficiency in Italian as well as developing and awareness and appreciation for Italian culture. Activities will include extensive practice in conversation and writing as well as analyzing different kinds of texts (newspaper, magazines, websites, short stories, poems) which provide prespectives on Italian culture. Prerequisite: IT 107 or 2-3 years of high school Italian or 2-3 semester of college Italian.
IT 220 (I) Italian Culture and Conversation. This course is designed to develop the listening, speaking and pronunciation skills of students wishing to move into advanced Italian courses. Class discussions will be centered on popular Italian culture and materials will include music, television shows, movies and websites. Prerequisite: IT 117 or equivalent. Offered spring semester.
IT 231 (I) Artistic Adventures: Italian Composition and Conversation. This course is designed for students who wish to master more complex grammatical structures and broaden their vocabulary by means of directed topical conversations, open conversations, journals, and composition writing. Special emphasis will be placed on writing, speaking, and pronunciation. Students will read and analyze different artistic texts (novels, plays, short stories, films, poems), as well as examine and discuss works of art by Italian painters such as Michelangelo, Da Vinci, Botticelli, Boccioni, Modigliani, De Chirico, and Morandi. Prerequisite: IT 117 or equivalent. Offered fall semester.
IT 232 (I) People and Politics in Italy: Advanced Italian Composition and Conversation. This course broadens and deepens students’ understanding of Italian grammar and composition as they work on writing and speaking skills at the advanced level. Various forms of written expression such as letters, essays, summaries, textual analyses, and film criticism will be addressed. Students will acquire theoretical vocabulary through weekly readings of online newspapers, magazines, websites, and blogs that focus on social, cultural and political issues in Italy. Prerequisite: IT 231 or equivalent. Offered spring semester.
IT 251 (I) Introduction to Italian Literature. This course introduces students to reading literary texts in Italian and aims to develop skills in literary analysis and critical writing using examples of poetry, theater and prose. The course also introduces students to major research sources as well as to the nature and methodology of writing scholarly papers. Prerequisite: IT 232 or permission of instructor. Offered as required.
IT 357(I) Italian Cinema. From neorealist drama to the spaghetti western, from screwball comedy to underground horror film, Italian cinematic imports have inspired American films. In addition, Italian films paint a fascinating portrait of Italian society as it has evolved over the dourse of the 20th century. This course will examine landmark works of Italian films as both works of narrative art and as products of a rich and ever-changing culture. Issues of gender, class, religion, and politics will be addressed. Cross-listed with EN 357. Offered as required.
GREEK
GR 101 (I), 102(I) Elementary Greek I, II. Introductory grammar and the reading of basic biblical writings in Greek. Prerequisite: Greek 101 is a prerequisite for GR 102. Offered as required.
LATIN
LA 101(I), 102(I) Elementary Latin I, II. Reading of basic texts and introductory grammar. Prerequisite: Latin 101 is a prerequisite for 102. Offered as required.
