Department of Languages and Cultures

FRE 501. French Business Culture. 3 Credits.

The course offers advanced French language skills in an international Francophone business context. It covers intercultural management, work ethics, business etiquette, communication guidelines and cross-cultural self awareness. Activities include case studies, market simulations, international correspondence, mock interviews and preparation for internships in French owned or French related companies. Regularly scheduled online group discussions and individual research presentations are required components of the course. No prior knowledge of business or economics is necessary.
Distance education offering may be available.
Typically offered in Spring.

FRE 503. Oral Proficiency. 3 Credits.

Advanced oral discussion of prepared topics in Francophone culture to aid graduate students in achieving or maintaining ACTFL Advanced Low capabilities in open dialogical exchange.
Typically offered in Fall.

FRE 504. Francophone Literature & Culture. 3 Credits.

This course offers francophone literature texts in context with art, music, political history and cultural traditions through presentations involving images, audio and video.
Distance education offering may be available.
Typically offered in Fall.

FRE 505. Writing Proficiency. 3 Credits.

Writing Proficiency course emphasizing expression on a variety of topics to aid students in achieving the performance level of Advanced Low as outlined by ACTFL.
Typically offered in Spring.

FRE 510. French Theater. 3 Credits.

Principal French dramatists analyzed against the social, political, literary, and critical backgrounds of their age.
Typically offered in Spring.

FRE 515. French Civilization. 3 Credits.

A study of France since 1789, with emphasis on social, political, economic, and educational institutions.
Distance education offering may be available.
Typically offered in Spring.

FRE 520. Topics in French Literature and Language. 3 Credits.

Course topics courses will vary by semester and instructor, and may include titles such as genre studies, film study, women writers, francophone writers, the study of literary periods or movements, and structural and applied linguistics.
Typically offered in Fall & Summer.
Repeatable for Credit.

FRE 522. Topics in French Literature. 3 Credits.

Course topics courses will vary by semester and instructor, and may include titles such as genre studies, film study, women writers, francophone writers, the study of literary periods or movements, and structural and applied linguistics.
Typically offered in Fall & Spring.
Repeatable for Credit.

FRE 550. French Film Studies. 3 Credits.

Viewing and reviewing 75 years of French cinema, to develop critical analytical skills regarding 20th and 21st century French culture.
Distance education offering may be available.
Typically offered in Fall.

GER 500. 20th Century German Culture. 3 Credits.

This course offers a cultural history of 20th century Germany including artistic, philosophical, cinematic and literary contributions to Western culture. Emphasis will be given to representative literary works of each era and to themes such as the contribution of women, Jews and minorities to German culture, and questions of political vs. cultural identity.

GER 501. Post-Wall German Literature and Film. 3 Credits.

This course will offer students a cultural history of postwar Germany primarily through the lens of post-wall German literature and film. The class will consist of lectures, screenings of excerpts from German films and discussions of literary texts, articles, assigned films and current events in Germany and Europe.

GER 504. Postwar German Literature and Film. 3 Credits.

Focus on the history culture of the GDR FRG including: the aftermath of WWII, the Holocaust, the Cold War, the Berlin Wall, the Economic Miracle, New German Cinema, terrorism and German reunification.

GER 505. Survey of German Film. 3 Credits.

This course provides an analysis of German culture through 20th and 21st c. German films. Lecture and discussion topics include Expressionism, "New Objectivity," the Weimar Republic, the First and Second World Wars, Nazism, such postwar issues as collective guilt and terrorism, and reunification and Ostalgie; and Austrian Film. Discussions will integrate German history, culture, and literature and cinematic techniques into an analysis of the films. This course is taught in German.
Pre / Co requisites: GER 505 requires a prerequisite of acceptance into the M.A. in Languages and Cultures.
Distance education offering may be available.
Typically offered in Fall & Spring.

GER 508. German Society: Dramatic texts: Wilhelmine era to the Present. 3 Credits.

Analysis of the political and social concerns of German society through the lens of dramatic texts.

GER 516. The Novelle. 3 Credits.

Contact department for more information about this course.

GER 518. Contemporary German Literature. 3 Credits.

Contact department for more information about this course.

GER 522. Austrian Literature and Culture. 3 Credits.

This course will introduce students to the many facets of Austrian literature and culture from 1900 to the present. The texts read in class convey both literary themes as well as contextual insights into Austrian society, culture, and history. Course topics include: an overview over the turbulent history of the country from Fin-de-Siècle Vienna, World War I and the collapse of the Habsburg Monarchy, the First Republic, Austro-Fascism, the Anschluss to Hitler¿s Germany, the Holocaust, World War II, to the Second Republic. These important historical contexts are all reflected in a wide range of literary and cultural readings from Austria.
Repeatable for Credit.

GER 525. German Linguistics. 3 Credits.

This course will introduce students to the many facets of the German language from the times of the Germanic tribes to contemporary dialects. Course topics include: a brief overview of the historical development of Germanic languages, including Dutch, English and the Scandinavian languages (Swedish, Norwegian, Icelandic, Danish) and distinct dialects such as Swiss German, Austrian dialects, Bavarian, and Yiddish; use of the German language in an international context, in literature, the youth culture, and in contemporary media; an introduction to German phonetics and to recent developments in German such as the decline in the use of the genitive case and variations in vocabulary and grammar between East and West Germans. It will include spoken and written German in countries within and beyond Europe, including the Federal Republic of Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Eastern Europe and New York City (Yiddish), and Pennsylvania German of the Mennonites and Amish.
Pre / Co requisites: GER 525 requires a prerequisite of admission to the graduate program.
Repeatable for Credit.

GER 526. Communicating the Unspeakable: Holocaust Survivor Narratives. 3 Credits.

This course will introduce students to the challenges of communicating the Unspeakable in primarily German-language Holocaust Survivor Narratives. Students will learn about the different ways in which Holocaust survivors managed to recount the unspeakable horrors they endured, and students will be able to compare the experiences based on gender as well as on where survivors lived after the Holocaust. Students will also learn that some survivors were not able to give as full a picture as others, as writing was ultimately a coping mechanism for survivors to work through their experiences and educate future generations. What relationship did Holocaust survivors have to their native language, German? Students will also read Holocaust Survivor accounts written in Yiddish in German translation. What are the limits of language? What are the limits of a language like German that is associated with the perpetrator? What are the limits of Yiddish, which as a language has been perpetually threatened by extinction since the end of the Holocaust. These important questions will be underscored by an overview of the historical context of the Holocaust.
Pre / Co requisites: GER 526 requires admission to the M.A. in Languages and Cultures - German Concentration.
Typically offered in Spring.

GER 550. German Literary Genres from the Middle Ages to the Fin-de-Siecle. 3 Credits.

This course examines literary genres of German-speaking Europe from the Middle Ages to the Fin-de-Siecle with an emphasis on the development of literary genres over seven centuries. Representative literary works of each era will be read in their entirety, paying close attention to the development of the German language and its literature, while continuing to be mindful of the contributions of women, Jews, and minorities to German culture, and the question of political vs. cultural identity. (This course is taught in German.)
Pre / Co requisites: GER 550 requires a prerequisite of majors only or department consent.
Distance education offering may be available.
Typically offered in Fall.

LAN 500. Methods and Materials of Research in Second Language Education. 3 Credits.

Techniques of research in foreign language education, including sources, design, interpretation, evaluation, and reporting of data.
Typically offered in Fall.

LAN 503. Techniques of Second Language Teaching. 3 Credits.

Advanced course in recent theoretical bases, methods for teaching beginning and advanced levels, curriculum design, and evaluation.
Typically offered in Fall & Spring.

LAN 504. Techniques of Teaching English as a Second Language. 3 Credits.

Advanced course in recent theoretical bases, methods for teaching beginning and advanced levels, curriculum design, and evaluation.
Distance education offering may be available.
Typically offered in Spring.

LAN 525. Internship in Foreign Languages. 3-12 Credits.

A structured and supervised experience for students wishing to enhance their foreign language study directly in the workplace. Credits earned are based on time spent on the job.
Consent: Permission of the Department required to add.

LAN 527. Intro Applied Linguistics-For Lang Major. 3 Credits.

Contact department for more information about this course.

LAN 550. Classroom Discourse. 3 Credits.

This course will offer a general introduction to the study of classroom discourse. Through critical reading analyses of a body of classic and current work, students will become familiar with how systematic analyses of classroom interaction are conducted in a variety of classroom contexts that include but are not limited to ESL (English as a Second Language) settings. Students in this course will cultivate an appreciation for the major findings in the study of classroom discourse, develop an ability to perform disciplined analyses of classroom interaction, and utilize such analyses as a tool for reflective practice particularly as it relates to instructing English learners.
Distance education offering may be available.
Typically offered in Fall.

LAN 555. Computer Applications for Language Learning. 3 Credits.

This course introduces students to theory and practice in using and designing computer-based learning content for language learning. Drawing on scholarship in the field of computer assisted language learning, students will be introduced to best practices in designing, publishing, creating, testing, and assessing the quality of computer based learning. This course provides theoretical and practical training for second language educators and is a balance between scholarship and practice in this field of applied linguistics that focuses on the use of computer technology in second language education. Students will be introduced to recent theories in the study of CALL research in second language education, and will be trained in the use of many tools available for teacher education that employ various technological tools.
Distance education offering may be available.
Typically offered in Fall, Spring & Summer.

LAN 557. Online Language Teacher Education. 3 Credits.

This course introduces students to theory and practice in online language teacher education. Drawing on scholarship in the fields of distance education and second language education, students will be introduced to best practices in designing, implementing, and assessing online language teaching. This course provides theoretical and practical training for second language educators and is a balance between scholarship and practice in this field of applied linguistics that focuses on the use of distance education in second language education. Students will be introduced to recent theories in the study of distance education research in second language education.
Distance education offering may be available.
Typically offered in Fall, Spring & Summer.

LAN 569. Teaching English Language Learners (ELLs) PK-12. 3 Credits.

Graduate-level study of issues and the application of techniques, strategies, materials for meeting the needs of English Language learners (ELLs) in inclusive classrooms. Emphases include: sociocultural issues in educational contexts, TESOL through the content areas, linguistics, second language acquisition, the integration applications of the PA English Language Proficiency Standards PK-12 (ELPs) and current trends in second language teaching, learning and assessment. Includes a field component.
Distance education offering may be available.
Typically offered in Fall, Spring & Summer.

LAN 575. Structure of Modern English. 3 Credits.

This class is primarily a descriptive overview of the form and function of English grammatical structure with guidance in standard usage. The class also addresses teaching grammatical structures in a classroom (with ESL students). Successful completion of this course requires that students demonstrate competence in applying such insights to the analysis of native and non-native English production samples supplied by the instructor as part of course assignments.
Pre / Co requisites: LAN 575 requires a prerequisite of LIN 501.
Distance education offering may be available.
Typically offered in Spring.

LAN 576. Curriculum and Materials for TESL. 3 Credits.

This course is designed to give students a practical understanding of the issues related to effective curriculum development. They will begin with a brief overview of curriculum development in the field of TESOL. This brief discussion will be followed by readings about and applications of effective curriculum design. These readings will include such topics as needs analysis, planning goals and objectives, and designing assessments as well as creating and modifying materials. Students will be exposed to many resources in the field and will learn how to evaluate, adapt, and integrate those materials into their lesson planning. Students will work both individually and collaboratively with a group.
Pre / Co requisites: LAN 576 requires a prerequisite of LIN 501.
Distance education offering may be available.
Typically offered in Fall.

LAN 578. Teaching Listening and Speaking to ESL/SL learners. 3 Credits.

This course provides a survey of theory and practice in the teaching of listening and speaking to second/foreign language learners. In particular, this course addresses skills critical to academic success for English language learners. Components of these skills include the clarity of pronunciation, skills for effective participation in conversations, and properties that contribute to fluency. The rules of spoken discourse will also be considered. Throughout the course, students will apply their learning as they consider how to improve second/foreign language learners' listening and speaking proficiency.
Distance education offering may be available.
Typically offered in Fall & Spring.

LAN 579. Teaching Pronunciation to English Language Learners. 3 Credits.

A course designed to give students an overview of the phonetic features of North American English (NAE), which relate to teaching of English as a second/foreign language. Students will study the segmental and suprasegmental elements of NAE; understand how the English sound system contrasts with the sound system of another language; learn and design a repertoire of activities for teaching pronunciation; examine and discuss current materials for teaching pronunciation.
Pre / Co requisites: LAN 579 requires a prerequisite of LIN 501.
Distance education offering may be available.

LAN 580. Seminar In Second Language Education. 1-4 Credits.

Specialized workshop seminar devoted to a particular area of foreign language education.
Repeatable for Credit.

LAN 581. Implicit / Explicit Instruction and Corrective Feedback. 3 Credits.

This course emphasizes knowledge of implicit and explicit learning systems which are used in second and foreign language learning. Specifically, the students will learn how to promote learning processes in language classrooms and will gain hands-on experiences assessing language learners' implicit and explicit knowledge. Corrective feedback (which may be either implicit or explicit) constitutes one of the most widely researched areas within the field of Second Language Acquisition. In the class, corrective feedback will be discussed as it pertains to the main linguistic domains of syntax, semantics, morphology, phonology, and pragmatics.
Pre / Co requisites: LAN 581 requires a prerequisite of LIN 501.
Typically offered in Spring.

LAN 583. Second Language Acquisition. 3 Credits.

Introduction to key issues in SLA research and theory. Analysis of SLA studies in connection to second language teaching. Design of original mini-study of second language learning.
Typically offered in Spring.

LAN 584. Teaching Reading and Writing to ESL Students. 3 Credits.

In this course, participants will read and discuss various issues related to the teaching of reading and writing to second language learners. Students will examine what it means to read and write in a second/foreign language. This includes reviewing major theories of L2 reading and writing as well as reading and writing strategies more commonly employed by L2 readers and writers and the problems they most frequently encounter. The primary aim of the course is to gain a deeper understanding of the processes and variables at work in L2 reading and writing. The main focus of the course is traditional, or print-based, reading and writing, but some attention will be given to the new domain of online, or onscreen, reading and writing.
Distance education offering may be available.
Typically offered in Fall.

LAN 586. Teaching ELLs PK-12. 3 Credits.

Graduate level study of issues and the application of techniques, strategies, and materials for meeting the needs of English Language Learners (ELLs) in inclusive classrooms. Emphases include: sociocultural issues in educational contexts, linguistics, second language acquisition, the integration and applications of the PA English Language proficiency Standards PK-12 (ELPS) and current trends in second language teaching, learning and assessment. Includes a field component.
Cross listed courses ENG 586, LAN 586.

LAN 587. ESL Practicum I. 3 Credits.

This course is designed to assist students in developing ESL teaching skills. It focuses on planning and delivery of lessons and classroom activities appropriate for ESL learners. The course encourages observation of ESL classes, reflection on practice, and examination of personal beliefs on practice.
Distance education offering may be available.
Typically offered in Spring.

LAN 588. Second Language (L2) Vocabulary Learning and Teaching. 3 Credits.

This is a three-credit course designed to provide graduate students with the foundational knowledge of how to facilitate second language learners' vocabulary growth in the context they teach or see themselves teaching. The course examines in depth the topic of vocabulary acquisition and use through published reports and corpus analysis. In addition, the course focuses on learning and practicing current methods of teaching vocabulary as well as assessing vocabulary knowledge.
Distance education offering may be available.
Typically offered in Fall, Spring & Summer.

LAN 610. Thesis. 6 Credits.

Thesis.
Typically offered in Fall.

LNC 501. Linguistic Studies. 3 Credits.

The study of the basics of linguistics as the scientific, principled analysis of human language and individual languages, and on the applications of linguistics to a variety of fields of human activity, including language teaching, translation and interpretation, or the study of communicative disorders. Online course. The course is taught in English, but frequent examples and some parts of the coursework will be dedicated to French, German and Spanish, the languages of the MALC program.
Distance education offering may be available.
Typically offered in Spring.

LNC 502. Interpretive Strategies. 3 Credits.

A graduate course for foreign language majors on the theoretical and practical approaches to literary studies in a cross-cultural context. Students will explore the various schools of modern literary criticism to interpret a wide array of texts and genres, and they will learn how to apply these methodologies to cultural texts in their target language of specialization.
Distance education offering may be available.
Typically offered in Fall.

LNC 503. Cultural Studies. 3 Credits.

A graduate course on the theoretical and practical approaches to the study of cultural context, practice and production. Students will explore the various threads of modern cultural criticism to interpret cultural production and practices in terms of local-global tensions. Students will also learn how to apply these methodologies to cultural contexts in their target language of specialization.
Distance education offering may be available.
Typically offered in Spring.

SPA 510. Spanish Phonetics and Applied Linguistics. 3 Credits.

A study of Spanish morphology, phonology, and syntax (sound, word, sentence formation). The structure of the language will be studied from a theoretical and practical perspective.
Typically offered in Spring.

SPA 511. Spanish Through Time and Space. 3 Credits.

A study of the history of the Spanish language and the factors leading to the dialectal diversity that Spanish exhibits in the present. The course allows students to familiarize themselves with the main internal processes that have shaped the evolution of the language and to expose them to the basics of research in the history of a language, by making use of primary sources and other objects of interest to diachronic linguistics.

SPA 512. Advanced Spanish Grammar and Stylistics. 3 Credits.

An informal, rapid review of Spanish grammar, with emphasis on problems fundamental to the American classroom. Exercises include idiomatic expression, various levels of style, and translation.
Distance education offering may be available.
Typically offered in Fall & Spring.

SPA 513. Living in Two Languages. 3 Credits.

This course examines the diversity of historical, social and cultural issues related to the use of Spanish in the United States alongside other languages, mainly English. The goals of the course are to allow students to familiarize themselves with the main sociolinguistic facts of Spanish language use in the United States, encourage students to establish connections between facts and social perceptions, and to expose students to the fundamentals of research in language sociology, by making use of primary sources and applying fundamental theoretical concepts to their analysis.

SPA 514. Contemporary Latin America. 3 Credits.

An interdisciplinary exploration of contemporary Latin America: geography, history, economy, politics, social institutions, religion, cultures, and the arts.

SPA 530. Spanish Comedia of the Golden Age. 3 Credits.

Survey of the comedia before Lope de Vega; the contributions of Lope de Vega; Tirso de Molina and Ruiz de Alarcon; the Baroque theatre of Calderon de la Barca.

SPA 542. Shaping National Identity in Latin America. 3 Credits.

An examination of the coming to maturity of Latin American nationalism from independence to 1950. The ways in which political and intellectual leadership were intertwined will be at the center of inquiry. Ideas, texts, and other cultural forms that contributed to this process will be studied. Representative authors include: Andrés Bello, José Martí, Eugenio Hostos, Rubén Darío, César Vallejo, and Clorinda Matto de Turner.

SPA 545. Mapping Latin America: From Jungle to City. 3 Credits.

Historically, the geography and climate of Latin America have exerted a strong influence on its cultures. This course discusses how this phenomenon affects its literary development. We will read short stories by Horacio Quiroga and the work of Alejo Carpentier, among other authors who have written of the jungle -- the biggest expression of "nature" in the Latin American literary tradition -- with the objective of thinking about the opposition between "civilization" and "barbarism," a recurrent topic. Also, we will read the work of Domingo Faustino Sarmiento, José Eustasio Rivera, and Rómulo Gallegos. Finally, we will discuss the city, as one of the central foci of Latin American narrative throughout the greater part of the 20th century, and which it is explained by migration movements from the countryside to the city because of industrialization. This last part of the course will be presented in novels by Nicomedes Guzmán, Isabel Allende, and Diamela Eltit.

SPA 547. Hispanic Women Writers. 3 Credits.

Contact department for more information about this course.

SPA 549. Art and Culture of Spain. 3 Credits.

This course provides a critical analysis of 20th and 21st century Spanish visual and literary arts in relationship to global debates. Lecture and discussion topics integrate national and social history, culture, literature, theory and visual techniques into an analysis of the cultural texts. This course is taught in Spanish.
Pre / Co requisites: SPA 549 requires a prerequisite of majors only or department consent.
Distance education offering may be available.
Typically offered in Spring.

SPA 556. Graduate Seminar in Hispanic Literary, Film, and Cultural Studies. 3 Credits.

Graduate seminars provide in-depth study of current topics in literary, film, and cultural studies related to the Spanish-speaking world. Topics will be drawn from the professor's area of specialization. See departmental website for a listing of recent and upcoming topics.
Distance education offering may be available.
Typically offered in Fall, Spring & Summer.
Repeatable for Credit.

SPA 558. Violence in Latin American Cinema. 3 Credits.

This seminar explores contemporary Latin American film production in order to understand how Latin American cinema portrays and responds to violence. We explore how Latin American peoples have experienced violence historically and in modern times. Students examine how violence is perpetrated through words, images, physical harm, and exclusion. The course provides a theoretical framework, grounded in violence studies and critical discourse studies, as well as media literacy skills to analyze how films construct meaning in the wake of direct and indirect acts of violence. In films chosen from across the Americas, we focus on the ways in which invisible structures of violence can produce visible acts of violence.
Distance education offering may be available.
Typically offered in Fall, Spring & Summer.

SPA 559. Adaptation: Literature to Film in Latin America. 3 Credits.

This seminar explores the mechanisms and discourses of film adaptations of Latin American literary texts. We examine the intertextual relationship between writing and filmmaking by focusing on Latin American film adaptations of different literary genres such as the colonial chronicle, novel, travelogue, nonfiction narrative, short story, and poetry. We consider the contentious issue of whether films must remain "faithful" to a printed original and ask what it takes for a filmmaker to preserve the aesthetic value of an admired literary text when adapting it to the screen. The seminar also explores the role and particularities of adaptation in Latin American cinema to understand what makes Latin American adaptations unique. We investigate different theoretical approaches to adaptation in order to analyze the mechanisms of adaptation of literature to film. Students will acquire the critical discourse analysis and media literacy skills to evaluate narrative elements and discursive strategies used in both literary and filmic texts in Spanish. We also study the mutual influence of Latin American literature and film and examine the technical, artistic, and ethical problems that arise when adapting literary texts to film. Conducted in Spanish.
Distance education offering may be available.
Typically offered in Fall, Spring & Summer.

SPA 560. Nobel Laureates in Hispanic Letters. 3 Credits.

A course devoted to study those Spanish-language writers from Spain and Spanish America who won the Nobel Prize in Literature during the 20th and 21st centuries for their literary achievements; to analyze their works and the sociopolitical context of their writings; and to examine the politics of literary awards and the significance of their recognition.