Humanities*

Department of Modern Languages and Literatures
College of Arts and Sciences
910 Clemens Hall
North Campus
Buffalo, NY 14260-4620
(716) 645-2191
Fax: (716) 645-5981
Web: Modern Languages and Literatures
Rosemary G. Feal, Chair
(716) 645-6000, ext. 1181
E-mail: rfeal@acsu.buffalo.edu

*Not a baccalaureate degree program

The College of Arts and Sciences has developed a number of humanities courses designed to introduce students to literature and the arts, and to illustrate the interrelationship of the humanities and various other disciplines and professions, such as the natural and social sciences, and law, medicine, and engineering. Some of the courses are team taught by faculty in the College of Arts and Sciences. These courses have been designed to be of interest to majors in a wide variety of disciplines.

Humanities (HMN)

Note: Since not all courses listed below are offered every semester, students should check each semester's class schedule for humanities listings. Course descriptions are available in the department office.

100 Introduction to the Arts (3)
Examines basic principles of various art forms presented by the artists and professors of the College of Arts and Sciences; lectures, discussions, presentations on architecture, music, poetry, drama, fiction, painting, and sculpture. LEC

101 Introduction to the Languages of Europe (3)
Introduces our rich linguistic heritages; Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, French, Russian, Polish, German, Dutch, Yiddish, Scandinavian languages, and English discussed with regard to principal features of dialects and lexical contributions. LEC

110 Rome: City as Text (3)
Studies the city of Rome as an urban phenomenon and as a literary, political, and artistic image. Examines certain locales in the city to discover how these sites have come to be associated with certain cultural and historical meanings. LEC

111-112 Latin American Culture and History (3-3)
Two semesters. Fundamental ways in which Latin Americans differ from other groups; how history, geography, and the ethnic and cultural contributions of three continents have shaped their cultures. LEC

120 Language Awareness (3)
Examines the main biological and social aspects of human language for the purpose of creating an awareness of the central role that language has in our being human and in our life as members of society. SEM

125 The Italian Tradition (1-3)
Rich heritage of Italian culture presented in lectures by experts on Italian sculpture, painting, music, film, literature, history, and other aspects of classical and modern Italy. LEC

130 Fairy Tales and Fantasy (3)
Fairy tales' significance as literature; readings and discussions of a variety of European and Russian fairy tales; selected criticism, such as The Uses of Enchantment. LEC

160 Film Study (3)
Analysis of cinematographic masterpieces by directors, such as Renoir, Bresson, Renais, Godard. LEC/LAB

170 Modern European Theatre (3)
Introduces some major works by early modern dramatists who have shaped contemporary drama, and later dramatists of the absurd. LEC

174 Science in Art and Literature (3)
Impact of the scientific revolution on literature and the visual arts during the past 400 years. LEC

175 Modern Fiction (3)
Narrative structures in key works of Dostoevsky, Conrad, Kafka, Proust, Gide, Faulkner, Malraux, Sartre, Robbe-Grillet, O'Connor, Hawks, Grass. LEC

180 Medical and Literary Interpretations (3)
Surveys the border shared by scientific investigation and literary interpretations; the close parallel between the "reading" of symptoms in medical diagnoses and the interpretation of messages in languages. LEC

196 Introduction to Puerto Rican Studies (3)
People and events in the news as reported by newspapers, newsreels, documentaries, and films; cross-cultural perspectives on Puerto Rican history and consciousness. LEC

200 Black Roots in Spanish-American Literature (3)
Studies literature of the Spanish-American Black experience by writers of African and European ancestry. LEC

210-211 Conceptual Systems (3-3)
Tutorial sections; basic concepts and structures of diverse topics in political science, art, literature, law, etc. SEM

215 Women's Language (3)
Examines characteristics of language used by women and by men as uncovered by research in sociolinguistics and communication. Relevant psychosocial factors that shape typical conversational behaviors, emphasis on family and classroom interactions, and the media. LEC

217 Puerto Rican Lives (3)
Lives and thoughts of leading Puerto Rican figures: their individual visions of Puerto Rico and the Puerto Rican. LEC

222 Don Quixote (3)
Relationship between art and life as a central consideration of Renaissance thought as illustrated in Cervantes' Don Quixote. LEC

224 Young Puerto Rican Poets (3)
From Hugo Margenat to present island and U.S. Puerto Rican poets: their language; political ideologies; poetic vision of the world; their impact on Puerto Rican culture. LEC

242 Hermann Hesse's World (3)
Intensive reading and discussion of some nine novels and other works of Hermann Hesse; historical humane values of the West as expressed in Hesse's life and works. LEC

270 Nazi Culture (3)
Examines rise and fall of the myth of Hitler, the ideology and practice of Nazi totalitarianism; all aspects of Nazism and Nazis. LEC

311 Three Worlds of Chinese Literature (3)
Theme-oriented; the world of the supernatural, nature, and humans, and their relationship to one another as expressed in the literary works of China. LEC

321 Youth Culture in Latin America (3)
The study of contemporary youth culture in Latin America. SEM

429 Italian Cinema (3/1)
Importance of Italian movies and their connections with literature and social myths in contemporary culture. Artistic and social contributions of film to a changing society. LEC/LAB

453 Mexican American Anthology (3)
Selected readings that offer an overview of the development of Mexican American literature and culture. SEM

490 Literature and the Law (3)
Examines relationship between literature and the law; rhetorical aspects as a system of human discourse; central role that textual interpretation plays with each. LEC

491 Directed Readings (3)
Development of individual group research techniques; reading interpretation; requires a paper and bibliography on a subject chosen relating to Puerto Rican and Latin American matters. TUT

499 Independent Study (3)
Open only to students who have taken at least two courses at the 300/400 level and have a minimum grade of "B" in their major or minor. Students must design a course of study they want to undertake in one semester. They choose a professor whose area of expertise most closely approximates their topic and must consult with the professor prior to registering for the course. The topic must not duplicate the content of a regular course. TUT

Academic Affairs

Phone: (716) 645-6003

Fax: (716) 645-2549

Last updated: Thursday, 09-Dec-2004 15:21:18 EST