Department of Communication and Language Studies

LS 202. Introduction to Intercultural and International Experiences. 3 Credit Hours.

This course serves as an introduction for students to begin exploring a selected topic involving social, historical, and/or cultural values of country(ies), region(s) and/or international city(ies). Students study written and oral communication (research articles, brochures, magazines, interviews, media, on-location recordings, shows, signs, street art, websites, menus, cookbooks, exhibit labels, plaques, etc.) and connect them to relevant cultural, political, historical, literary, and/or artistic references to develop an understanding of their significance to the studied topic and location(s). Students will engage in these studies based on immersive experiences while studying abroad. This course includes a basic language learning component to prepare students for the trip. Knowing a secondary language prior to class is not required. Expenses for the study abroad portion are in addition to the tuition for the course.
Prerequisites: Formal application approval and faculty permission
Session Cycle: May be offered in the spring (going abroad in January) or in Fall (going abroad in August). Course offering will be based on faculty availability and desired course offerings as determined by study abroad office.

LS 271. Understanding Contemporary Asia. 3 Credit Hours.

This course is taught in English and designed for students who have little or no background in East Asian cultures and languages will offer students an opportunity to explore East Asian societies with a main focus on China, Japan and South Korea by exploring various contemporary cultural and linguistic aspects of these East Asian countries. It aims to increase students’ knowledge of East Asian customs, foods, music, literature, popular art, people, societal norms and languages. By the end of the course, students will acquire a deeper understanding of East Asian cultures and improve their overall intercultural competence.
Session Cycle: Every Fall Semester.

LS 275. How Language Works. 3 Credit Hours.

In this course you will explore the intuitive knowledge that a native speaker of a language possesses and acquire greater insight into the intricacies of human language. Topics include the origins of language, units of meaning, computer processing of human language, sentence structure, speech production, language in context, language in society, language and culture, native and non-native language development, shades of meaning, conversational norms, language change over time, artificial language, and writing systems.

LS 302. Language, Thought, and Society. 3 Credit Hours.

Language is a tool for creative expression, cognition, and social interaction. Philosophy of language, neurolinguistics, psycholinguistics, and sociolinguistics are all examples of highly successful and productive consilience of language study with the humanities, biology, psychology, and the social sciences. People are sentient beings, capable of experiencing a broad range of psychological states. This course draws on the unity of knowledge in an effort to account for the richness of our mental lives and the flexibility of our behavior.

LS 303. French Studies. 3 Credit Hours.

Biocultural theory posits the co-evolution of genes and culture. Language, culture, and imagination confer survival advantages to humans as a social species and have preserved evolved human complexity. This course takes biocultural approach to the works of French philosophers such as Montaigne, Descartes, Rousseau, Diderot, Voltaire, Saussure, Derrida, Beauvoir, Foucault, and Lacan. Students may take the course more than once, as different iterations. Topics of a given iteration may include humanism, skepticism, dualism, primitivism, language, textualism, indeterminacy, relativism, feminism, constructivism, historicism, and psychoanalysis. Materials and instruction are in English. This course is cross-listed with HIS 303.
Prerequisites: 200-level history course.

LS 304. Italian Studies. 3 Credit Hours.

This course focuses on the history, society, politics, culture, and economics of modern Italy and its predecessors on the Italian Peninsula. Students may take the course more than once, as different iterations. Topics of a given iteration may include humanism, science, philosophy, the Inquisition, fascism, and the Vatican. Materials and instruction are in English. This course is cross-listed with HIS 304.
Prerequisites: 200-level history course.

LS 401. Intercomprehension: A pathway to plurilingualism. 3 Credit Hours.

This course introduces students to the concept and practice of intercomprehension among Romance languages. Based on their knowledge of English and one Romance language, students will develop the skills necessary to understand and read in various languages, including but not limited to French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, and Catalan. The course will explore the linguistic similarities and differences among these languages, focusing on the development of an understanding of lexical, grammatical, phonetic, and, also, intercultural bridges. Students will engage in interactive activities, such as reading texts and listening to audio recordings, to develop strategies for recognizing how words are derived from other words, identifying common grammatical structures, and inferring meaning from context. By the end of the course, students will better understand and appreciate linguistic diversity within the Romance language family and broaden their linguistic and cultural horizons.
Prerequisites: ML FR206 or ML IT206 or ML SP206 or, with instructor consent, an equivalent or superior level in any Romance language (language placement test and interview)
Session Cycle: Every Fall Session.

LS 402. Advanced Intercultural and International Experience. 3 Credit Hours.

This course studies a selected topic via the context of social, historical, and/or cultural values of country(ies), region(s) and/or international city(ies). Students study written and oral communication (research articles, brochures, magazines, interviews, media, on-location recordings, shows, signs, street art, websites, menus, cookbooks, exhibit labels, plaques, etc.) and connect them to intermediate notions of relevant cultural, historical, literary, and/or artistic references to develop an understanding of the significance the studied topic and location(s). Students will engage in these studies based on immersive experiences while studying abroad. This course includes a basic language learning component to prepare students for the trip. Knowing a secondary language prior to class is not required. Expenses for the study abroad portion are in addition to the tuition for the course. Prerequisites are formal application approval and faculty permission.
Prerequisites: Sophomore Standing
Session Cycle: This course may be offered in the spring (going abroad in January) or in Fall (going abroad in August). Course offering will be based on faculty availability and desired course offerings as determined by study abroad office.