Professors: Karen Daggett, A.B. Southwestern Louisiana, A.M. Autonoma (Mexico), Boston College; James F. Flagg, A.B. Mass(Amherst), A.M. Brown, Ph.D. Boston University; Brian O’Connor, A.B. Northern Illinois, A.M., Ph.D. Boston College; Christopher Wood, A.B. Columbia, A.M., Ph.D. Yale.

RL 03501  Beginning Conversational Spanish
A practical course for those working in or visiting a Spanish-speaking environment who have had no Spanish. Introduction to Spanish pronunciation and grammar necessary for beginning oral communication. Development of the four language skills–listening, speaking, reading and writing–with emphasis on speaking. Short readings and dialogues chosen according to student interests.
Fall, Tues 6:30–9, Sept 3–Dec 10, Professor Daggett

RL 03601  Intermediate Conversational Spanish
This semester provides further development of skills necessary for Spanish oral communication. Practice in small conversation groups, interviews and role-playing.
Spring, Tues 6:30–9, Jan 14–May 6, Professor Daggett


French, Italian, Spanish Literature in English

RL 16101 Literature of the French-Speaking World: Exile and Kingdom
(All in English)
The pain of exile and the desire to belong are concerns poignantly expressed by writers of the French-speaking world. Themes of place and displacement, solidarity and solitude, kingdom and exile are examined in the fictional works of Gustave Flaubert (France), Marcel Proust (France), Albert Camus (Algeria/France), Mariama Ba (Senegal), and Assia Djebar (Algeria). All in English.
Fall, Tues 6:30–9, Sept 3–Dec 10, Professor Flagg

RL 16201  Literature of the French-Speaking World: Literary Testimonies
(All in English)
From the Second World War to the struggle for independence of France's colonies to present-day attempts to come to grips with issues of post-colonialism and racism, writers of France and the French-speaking world beyond France's borders have borne witness to the historical events of their time. We will study these literary testimonies in the writings of Albert Camus (Algeria/France), Jean-Paul Sartre (France), Simone de Beauvoir (France), Frantz Fanon (Martinique), Tahar Ben Jelloun (Morocco) and Marguerite Duras (Vietnam/France). All in English.
Spring, Tues 6:30–9, Jan 14–May 6, Professor Flagg

RL 16601  Violence in 20th and 21st Century
Latin American Literature and Film (All in English)
Short stories, novellas and film will be used to investigate how Spanish and Latin American writers and directors have understood, represented, and responded to the violence of civil war and dictatorship. All writing assignments, class discussions and readings are in English.
Fall, Thurs 6:30–9, Sept 5–Dec 12, Professor Wood

RL 17501  Inventing Modern Literature: Dante, Boccaccio, Petrarch and Medieval Florence (All in English)
During the period from 1265, Dante’s date of birth, to 1375, when Boccaccio died, one civilization ended and another began. Dante is the last great voice of Medieval Italy. Boccaccio links the medieval way of life to the age of humanism, and Petrarch, torn by unresolved inner conflicts, stands as the first “modern man”. Excerpts from Dante’s Inferno, Boccaccio’s Decameron, and Petrarch’s Canzoniere will be read. All writing assignments, class
discussions and readings are in English.
Spring, Thurs 6:30–9, Jan 16–May 8, Professor O’Connor