Washington College

Department of Modern Languages

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International Literature & Culture Major

This interdisciplinary major emphasizes the acquisition of an advanced level of proficiency in a foreign language and its application to the study of the literary and non-literary cultural manifestations of a nation or region.

The student will acquire a broad background in cultural theory, which s/he will apply to the study of the literature and culture of a particular nation or region of the world, such as France and the francophone countries of Africa, Asia and the Americas; Spain and Latin America (including Brazil); Germany and other German-speaking countries; Italy; Japan; and China. Students who follow this major are also encouraged to have a thematic, period, and/or genre focus, which will culminate in a research thesis written during the senior year. Such a focus may include but is not limited to: gender, ethnicity, the environment, the arts, literature, history, or film. Recent and current majors have combined Hispanic Studies with a tourism and hospitality industry focus; French Studies with film studies; and Latin American culture studies with a focus on Brazil.

The Senior Thesis may be written either in the foreign language or in English, but in either case, it is expected that a major portion of the research will involve texts in the foreign language.

Prerequisites for an ILC Major

  1. A foreign language through the 202 level or its equivalent
  2. Anthropology 105, Introduction to Anthropology

Requirements for the Major

All students majoring in ILC will take courses from the following categories:

  1. Linguistics - FLS /ANT 200 Introduction to Language
    Course Description: This course will introduce the student to the study of linguistics. Concepts of both historical and descriptive linguistics are included. Some of the areas of study are: linguistic history and methodology, language origin, language and society, language structure, dialects and language families. The course is open to all students.
  2. Anthropology - At least ONE of the following courses
    • ANT 215 Sex, Gender, & Culture
    • ANT 235 Cultures of Latin America
    • ANT 236 Race & Ethnicity
    • ANT 305 Myth, Ritual, & Symbolism
  3. Foreign Language, Literature, & Culture
    At least FOUR courses in literature and/or culture in a foreign language, of which at least TWO must be 400-level seminars. (For students who choose to focus on Japanese or Chinese Studies, adjustments may be made in this requirement, allowing more courses to be taken in English.)
  4. THREE other courses chosen in consultation with the adviser from the ILC course listings and/or the course offerings of other departments as appropriate to the focus of the student's program.
  5. Senior Thesis
    The capstone experience of the major is a senior research project which successfully brings together the language and thematic focus of the major. While the thesis may be written in English, a substantial portion of the research must be drawn from texts in the foreign language.

International Literature & Culture Courses

(Taught in English)

ILC 305 Introduction to the Film
The study of film as an art form. Special attention will be given to the various dimensions of film structure and criticism, with emphasis upon foreign language films (with English subtitles). Selected films will be viewed and analyzed.

ILC 306 French Literature in Translation
Study of a selected author, movement, genre, or theme. Open to all students.

ILC 307 German Literature in Translation
Devoted to selected themes in German literature. Recent topics have included the study of the myth of Dr. Faustus; a reading of texts by Marx, Nietzsche and Freud; literature of the holocaust; and treatment of German literature in the medium of German film. Open to all students.

ILC 308 Spanish & Latin American Literature in Translation
A study of a selected author, movement, genre, or theme from the literature of Spain, the Spanish-speaking republics of Latin America, and Brazil. Topics taught in this course have included the works of Miguel Cervantes de Saavedra, Hispanic Women Writers, The Quest for Identity in Latin American Literature, and War and Revolution in the Literatures of Spain and Latin America.

ILC 311 Contemporary France
Taught in English, this course provides an introductory historical and cultural study of contemporary France. Students will be provided tools for cultural interpretation via critical texts and the analysis of French films and their American remakes; they will then apply them to the cultural history of France. We will explore the impact of World War II, of the student protests of May '68, and of women's emancipation movements. We will examine France's position in the world-its past as a colonizing nation, its present post-colonial actions, and its multicultural identity enriched by different waves of immigration. We will study the political and economic roles of women, their place in the family, health concerns, and struggles for autonomy through works by women. This course counts toward the French major and minor if the journal entries, mid-term exam, and final paper are written in French.

ILC 312 The Contemporary Francophone World
Taught in English, this course provides an introductory historical and cultural study of the contemporary Francophone world. Designed as a survey of the non-European Francophone world, the course will offer for study both literary and cultural documents from the Caribbean, North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Canada. Initially they will be provided tools for cultural interpretation via critical texts, media analysis (including print and internet sources) and the analysis of Francophone films; they will then apply them to the cultural history of the Francophone world. We will explore French colonization, the process of decolonization, and subsequent independence movements. We will examine social, political, and economic roles of both women and men, changing gender roles, and contemporary divisions of labor. Finally, we will reflect on the political, historical, and socio-cultural situations of post-colonial Francophone nations.

ILC 317 Mexico, Ancient & Modern
A study of the historical, political, and literary evolution of Mexico from the Pre-Colombian period to the present. In addition to historical texts, the course will include readings from Pre-Colombian poetry (Maya and Aztec), The True History of the Conquest of New Spain by Bernal Díaz del Castillo, the poetic and autobiographical writings of Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, The Itching Parrot by Fernández de Lizardi, The Underdogs by Mariano Azuela, and works by such contemporary writers as Rosario Castellanos, Juan Rulfo, Carlos Fuentes, and Laura Esquivel. Also included is Octavio Paz's classic analysis of Mexican national character and culture, The Labyrinth of Solitude.

ILC 391,392 Topics in International Literature & Culture & the Environment
A study of literary and other cultural reflections on the interaction between human beings and their environment. Topics will vary and may focus on a single national culture or a cross-cultural comparison. A recent offering dealt with Literature, Culture & the Environment in Latin America.

ILC 413 The Film in Spain & Latin America
A study of the film as art form and as social and cultural document in Spain, Spanish America, and Brazil. The thematic focus of this course and the films included will vary. Important topics include gender issues, the quest for identity, and freedom vs. repression. Prerequisite: ILC 305 or permission of the instructor.

ILC 491,492 Special Topics in International Literature & Culture
Study of a selected topic within a single national literature or culutre, or a comparative study across cultures. Recent and planned offerings include: Perspectives on International Film, Shakespeare and Cervantes (Honors); Love and the Ideal in European Literature and Film; The Reception of the Middle Ages; Chinese Literature, Chinese Culture & Life; and Modern Brazil.

Course Offerings Outside the Department Which May Be Applied to the ILC Major

Senior Project

Each student will complete a Senior Project or thesis related closely to the focus of the major. The project or thesis may be presented in English or in the foreign language; however, the research on which it is based will involve use of the foreign language.

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