LNC: Languages and Cultures

LNC 100. Discover the World on Film. 3 Credits.

Did you ever want to travel the world? In this course you will cross cultural and linguistic borders through film. We will engage diverse national films that represent varied cultural, historical, and philosophical traditions while asking what it means to be human in the contemporary world. Knowledge of languages other than English is not required.
Gen Ed Attribute: Humanities Distributive Requirement.
Distance education offering may be available.
Typically offered in Fall & Spring.

LNC 105. Global Science Fiction. 3 Credits.

How do people relate to one another in a constantly changing universe? Students will engage a broad range of global science fiction to reflect on some of the most pressing ethical questions of the modern world. Topics may include how individuals and communities confront mad scientists, alien races, surveillance technologies, and post-apocalyptic landscapes, while exploring what it means to be human. All materials in English translation.
Gen Ed Attribute: Humanities Distributive Requirement, Writing Emphasis.
Distance education offering may be available.
Typically offered in Fall, Spring & Summer.

LNC 106. Global Fantasy Fiction. 3 Credits.

In this introductory class, students engage with a broad range of global fantasy fiction and film. In a technology-saturated world, humans often crave a sense of wonder and seek out hope in the unexplainable. They imagine fantasy worlds to satisfy this need, stretch their imagination, and expand their range of expression. Topics may include epic struggles between right and wrong, schools for magic, and a wide range of fantastic creatures. At the same time, students will connect these stories back to reality to explore the role of fantasy in describing complex emotions, troublesome events, and the lived effects of oppression and injustice. All materials available in English.
Gen Ed Attribute: Humanities Distributive Requirement, Speaking Emphasis.
Distance education offering may be available.
Typically offered in Fall & Spring.

LNC 110. Global Human Rights in Cultural Production. 3 Credits.

This course will introduce students to the concept of Human Rights, familiarize students with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and examine case studies of Human Rights problems from around the world. In the first half of this course, students will learn about the development of the concept of human rights through an examination of its theoretical foundations, considering the tension between universality and relativity posed by the concept of universal human rights, and problematizing what this "universality" means for societies that perhaps have other, more pressing needs/priorities not included in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In the second half of this course, students will focus on examining a variety of human rights cases as represented in multiple cultural mediums (including films, a poem, a novel, a diary, and documentaries) and practice analyzing these cases to pinpoint the various stakeholders and their interests in the issue at hand. In class, students will learn tactical mapping and the case study method, which will be brought into class discussions throughout the second half of the course as they consider each human rights case study. Lastly, students will practice imagining themselves within these situations and think critically about the different choices of action they would have as an actor in the issue at hand. Students will practice ethical reasoning in examining how best to act as they imagine themselves navigating the complex field of these human rights questions.
Gen Ed Attribute: Ethics Requirement, Humanities Distributive Requirement.
Typically offered in Spring.

LNC 368. Comparative Cultural Studies. 3 Credits.

This course examines the dynamic processes by which our direct interaction with local and non-local cultural products (language modality, textual interpretation, performative modes and other representational systems) influences how we as participants see and understand diversity and our role in it. Taught in English.
Typically offered in Fall.