Culture (CLTR)

CLTR 1000. Cultures, Societies, and Global Studies at Northeastern. (1 Hour)

Introduces first-year students in the College of Social Sciences and Humanities to the liberal arts in general. Seeks to familiarize them with their major, to help them develop the academic skills necessary to succeed (analytical ability and critical thinking), to provide grounding in the culture and values of the university community, to help them develop interpersonal skills, and to familiarize them with all skills needed to become a successful university student.

CLTR 1120. Introduction to Languages, Literature, and Culture. (4 Hours)

Examines the rich interconnections between literature and language and the culture that supports them. Discusses the relationship of language to literature and investigates how language and literatures are embedded in culture. Addresses several very broad and important questions, such as the relationship between language and culture; the relationship between language and thought; the definition of cultural relativism; and how ethical dilemmas are expressed in different cultures. Explores the relationship of esthetic and rhetorical traditions in given languages to the culture from which they sprang. In this context, examines the extremely interesting case of American Sign Language and how a gestural language sheds light on these issues.

Attribute(s): NUpath Interpreting Culture

CLTR 1240. Latin American Film. (4 Hours)

Examines contemporary works of cinematography in Latin America, focusing on the culture and imagery of the Spanish-, French-, and Portuguese-speaking peoples of the Western hemisphere, including the United States. Critically engages—from a technical (cinematographic), genre, and sociohistorical perspective—topics of history, memory, and cultural resiliency; colonialism, racism, and patriarchy; dictatorship, revolution, and democratization; and nationalism, dependency, and globalization. Conducted in English; most films are in French, Portuguese, or Spanish with English subtitles.

Attribute(s): NUpath Interpreting Culture

CLTR 1251. Dante’s "Inferno" and Medieval Italian Culture. (4 Hours)

Presents an overview of Dante’s "Commedia," focusing on the first section, “Inferno,” read in English translation. Examines the descending stages of hell; their meanings; and their social, political, and historical relevance for Dante’s society. Dante’s "Divina Commedia" created a powerful world, one that had a deep meaning for both the author and the reader of that time. But can one so easily understand it as constructed by the "Commedia" in the Middle Ages? Does Dante’s world have relevance today as well? Some scholars may say it does more so than ever. If so, how? Analyzes selected chapters (canti) to offer students an opportunity to attempt to establish the poem's possible relevance to the modern human condition and perhaps even to themselves.

Attribute(s): NUpath Ethical Reasoning, NUpath Interpreting Culture

CLTR 1260. Japanese Film. (4 Hours)

Provides an introduction to Japanese film through works by such great masters as Kurosawa, Mizoguchi, and Ozu, as well as works by new directors from the 1980s and 1990s such as Tami, Morita, and Suo. Studies both form and content; relates major works to Japanese culture. Conducted in English.

Attribute(s): NUpath Difference/Diversity, NUpath Interpreting Culture

CLTR 1280. French Film and Culture. (4 Hours)

Provides an introduction to some of the qualities that have made French film one of the great national cinemas. Focuses on both form and content; relates outstanding directors’ major works to the French culture and society of their period. Conducted in English.

Attribute(s): NUpath Interpreting Culture

CLTR 1500. Modern Chinese History and Culture. (4 Hours)

Introduces modern Chinese history and culture through literary works, films, and historical texts. Examines political, social, and cultural changes in China since 1800: the decline of empire; the New Culture Movement of the 1920s; the rise of nationalism and rural revolution; the changing roles of women; the Cultural Revolution of the 1960s; and China’s cinematic, literary, and economic engagement with the world since 1978. Taught in English and open to all undergraduates. CLTR 1500 and HIST 1500 are cross-listed.

Attribute(s): NUpath Interpreting Culture, NUpath Societies/Institutions

CLTR 1501. Introduction to French Culture. (4 Hours)

Explores contemporary France and French mentality through lectures, screenings, readings, and discussions. Topics covered include the modern vs. the traditional family, social reproduction, gender norms, culture and social distinction, the concept of “grandeur,” identity, and immigration. Offers students an opportunity to evaluate historical and sociological readings, films, documentaries, and TV commercials; to compare French and American systems; and to consider contemporary human and social behaviors in the face of globalization.

Attribute(s): NUpath Interpreting Culture, NUpath Societies/Institutions

CLTR 1502. Introduction to Arabic Culture. (4 Hours)

Designed to provide students with an in-depth survey of Arabic culture. Familiarizes students with the roots of one of the richest and oldest cultures but also seeks to satisfy their curiosity concerning certain social norms, patterns, and cultural traits in contemporary Arabic societies. Examines cultural manifestations ranging from the hijab (head covering), Jihad (holy struggle), human rights, polygamy, gender relations, public behavior, and many others by providing the historical backgrounds for these customs and traditions as well as exploring how they are now perceived in various Arab societies as well as in the West. Seeks to provide students with an appreciation for this multifaceted culture but most importantly a broad perspective on Arabic culture within the context of the universal human experience.

Attribute(s): NUpath Interpreting Culture, NUpath Societies/Institutions

CLTR 1503. Introduction to Italian Culture. (4 Hours)

Explores the construction of an Italian national cultural identity through a historical and cross-disciplinary perspective from the Middle Ages; the Renaissance; and the modern, post–WWII period. Organized into modules that focus on the major issues related to the idea of unity and division such as north and south divide, regionalism, language pluralism, fascism and dissent, criminal organizations, and migration. Conducted in English.

Attribute(s): NUpath Interpreting Culture

CLTR 1504. Cultural History of Spain. (4 Hours)

Examines chronologically the forces that have forged Spanish culture and have made Spain the pluralistic society and multinational country it is today. Traces the development of the peoples of the Iberian Peninsula from prehistoric times to the present. Based primarily on the history of ideas, the arts, and architecture, incorporates history, sociology, anthropology, geography, economics, and politics. Conducted in English.

Attribute(s): NUpath Interpreting Culture, NUpath Societies/Institutions

CLTR 1505. Latin American Culture, History, and Politics. (4 Hours)

Offers students an opportunity to learn about Latin American culture through the study of historical episodes such as colonization, independence, and dictatorships. Explores current issues including migration, globalization, and digital media. Examines writings by Latin American authors and selected films from Latin America. Conducted in English.

Attribute(s): NUpath Interpreting Culture, NUpath Societies/Institutions

CLTR 1506. Introduction to Chinese Popular Culture. (4 Hours)

Provides a comprehensive examination of modern Chinese popular culture in the People’s Republic of China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. From film to literature, from music to theatre, this course probes popular culture as it has manifested itself and traces its sociopolitical, aesthetic, and affective impact on modern China, with special attention to negotiations between the elite and the popular discourses.

CLTR 1700. Introduction to Japanese Pop Culture. (4 Hours)

Provides an introduction to Japanese popular culture through critical analysis of mass media such as film, television, comics, and animation. Investigates various social and cultural issues, such as gender, family, and education. Films and videos supplement readings. Conducted in English.

Attribute(s): NUpath Difference/Diversity, NUpath Interpreting Culture

CLTR 1800. Introduction to Korean Pop Culture. (4 Hours)

Introduces students to Korean popular culture with texts ranging from comics, films, K-drama, pop music, and popular novellas in translation. Explores how "Hallyu" (the Korean wave) reverberated through different Asian regions and the rest of the globe in the 1990s and 2000s and continues into the present through global fandoms and streaming platforms. Critically examines the rising popularity of Korean popular cultural genres and influences in various global contexts in relation to race, class, gender, ethnicity, social media, and youth culture.

Attribute(s): NUpath Difference/Diversity, NUpath Interpreting Culture

CLTR 1990. Elective. (1-4 Hours)

Offers elective credit for courses taken at other academic institutions. May be repeated without limit.

CLTR 2001. World Cultures through Film. (4 Hours)

Introduces the study of world cinema from the past several decades as a form of artistic and cultural expression. Emphasizes the way that different ethnicities and cultures mix and even clash within national boundaries. Readings cover such topics as the postcolonial inheritance, immigration, the boundaries of class, the pressures of modernization, ethnic identities, and historical memory. Examines storytelling in its multicultural aspects and deals with the diverse influences of entertainment cinema and art cinema, as well as measures taken by countries to limit the influx of foreign films in order to protect their own cultural productivity. One overall concern of the course is the place of film in contemporary global culture.

Attribute(s): NUpath Interpreting Culture, NUpath Societies/Institutions

CLTR 2990. Elective. (1-4 Hours)

Offers elective credit for courses taken at other academic institutions. May be repeated without limit.

CLTR 3418. Nationalism. (4 Hours)

Explores contending theories of identity and nationalism—a powerful force in international and domestic politics. Examines topics such as the process of identity creation, the choice of national symbols, how group boundaries are established, the role of identity in conflict and state building, and the debate over nationalism’s constructed or primordial nature. POLS 3418 and CLTR 3418 are cross-listed.

Prerequisite(s): POLS 1155 with a minimum grade of D- or POLS 1160 with a minimum grade of D-

Attribute(s): NUpath Interpreting Culture, NUpath Societies/Institutions

CLTR 3715. New Narratives: Latin America after 1989. (4 Hours)

Focuses on film, literature, and new media. This course offers a panoramic view of the Latin American cultural production after 1989, attempting to characterize the variety of styles and trends. Relates the texts and movies to the socio, political, and economic issues of the moment, i.e., implementation of neoliberal democracies, globalization, neocolonialism, resistance, new social movements, etc. Also studies links between Latin America and the United States and between Latin America and Spain. Focuses on texts written by relatively young authors. Taught in Spanish.

Prerequisite(s): SPNS 2102 with a minimum grade of D- or SPNS 3101 with a minimum grade of D- or SPNS 3102 with a minimum grade of D-

CLTR 3720. Literature, Arts, and Poverty in Latin America. (4 Hours)

Focuses on the construction, characteristics, and representation of poverty/the poor in Latin American texts from the thirties and sixties and in the works of contemporary Latin American writers and film directors. Discusses the relation of these works to a “realist tradition” by studying social, political, and cultural aspects of Latin America from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Considers whether we are facing a new kind of realism. Also engages the problem of representation, the “role of literature” (ethics and literature), and its relation with politics and the global economy (literature and the market) in the Latin American context. Taught in Spanish.

Prerequisite(s): SPNS 2102 with a minimum grade of D- or SPNS 3101 with a minimum grade of D- or SPNS 3102 with a minimum grade of D-

Attribute(s): NUpath Interpreting Culture

CLTR 3805. Culture, Politics, and Media in Spain. (4 Hours)

Offers an in-depth critical inquiry into the current debates in the public sphere in Spain focusing on the politics of culture and identity as they both inform and challenge the very foundations of a modern nation-state. Arguably the first political entity in modern times to have been constructed as a state unified under one religion, one people, and one monarch, Spain is today an early example of a growing tendency toward national fragmentation and disintegration. Examines the ways in which current events in Spain may be the presage to an ever more unstable world order. Considers the possibility of a higher state of global governance beyond the nation-state and empire. Taught in English.

Attribute(s): NUpath Difference/Diversity, NUpath Interpreting Culture

CLTR 3990. Elective. (1-4 Hours)

Offers elective credit for courses taken at other academic institutions. May be repeated without limit.

CLTR 4655. Latin American Literature. (4 Hours)

Offers an overview of the major trends in Latin American narrative, poetry, drama, and essays, from Bernal Diaz through Borges and Bolaño. Studies broad cultural and political contexts, especially the Cold War period and the impact of neoliberalism. Conducted in Spanish.

Prerequisite(s): SPNS 2101 with a minimum grade of D- or SPNS 2102 with a minimum grade of D- or SPNS 3101 with a minimum grade of D- or SPNS 3102 with a minimum grade of D-

Attribute(s): NUpath Interpreting Culture, NUpath Writing Intensive

CLTR 4944. Cultural Engagement Abroad. (4 Hours)

Designed for a language-based Dialogue of Civilizations. Complements the intensive language course that students take while on a language-based Dialogue. Offers students an opportunity to obtain an in-depth knowledge of the contemporary culture(s) of the country of the Dialogue and how that culture differs from or is similar to contemporary American cultural values and practices. In addition to regular in-class lectures and activities, offers structured opportunities to engage in dialogue with businesspeople, scholars, educators, artists, government officials, journalists, students, senior citizens, and/or local residents about their perspectives on various topics and issues. May be repeated up to three times.

CLTR 4990. Elective. (1-4 Hours)

Offers elective credit for courses taken at other academic institutions. May be repeated without limit.

CLTR 4992. Directed Study. (1-4 Hours)

Offers students a way of going beyond work given in the regular curriculum; may also enable students to complete major or minor requirements in certain situations. Priority is given to language majors and to juniors and seniors. May be repeated without limit.