RMST374
Mapping Gendered Spaces in Hispanic Literature and Culture This course will explore ways in which gendered spaces are constructed, negotiated, and contested in Latin American women’s literature and cultural production. From Indigenous cosmologies and colonial encounters to struggles for independence, rise of modernisms, and contemporary feminist, queer, and decolonial voices, we will trace how women […]
RMST250
Italian Mafia Movies The image of the Godfather as embodied by actors Marlon Brando and Al Pacino from the 1972 American movie is iconic in contemporary popular culture. An enduring association of the mafia with Italy permeates Western culture. Both Italians and non-Italians have impassioned responses to this prevailing cultural stereotype. Individual opinions and feelings […]
RMST140
Italian Fashion Cultures In 2022, Italy’s newly-elected, right-wing prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, re-named a previous trade ministry as the “Ministry for Business and Made in Italy,” thereby invoking a key marker of Italian commercial, group, and cultural identity. Since the end of the WWII, the garment and accessories sector has been traditionally recognized as a […]
RMST347
Gender and Sexuality in Italian Cinema The connection between Italy and romantic love has been immortalized in American movies such as the wildly popular romantic comedies Roman Holiday (William Wyler 1953) and Summertime (David Lean 1955). The coupling of North American women and Italian Latin Lovers is a recurring narrative pattern in contemporary popular culture. […]
RMST340
Italian Food Cultures Italy is world-renowned for its food cultures and Italians put great care into food preparation, consumption, and appreciation. It is no wonder that Italian food-related themes permeate the country’s cultural life and beyond. Operating in the field of interpretive humanities, this course examines cultural representations of Italian or Italian-derived foods. We interpret […]
RMST455
Tending the Renaissance of the World Soul: Byzantium in Italy and the Humanist Dream Early in the fifteenth century it became painfully obvious that the scattered remains of what had once been glorious Byzantium were sitting on the edge of a historical abyss: it was simply a matter of time before the Ottoman Turks would […]
FREN407A
Rebels, Scoundrels and Swindlers: The Criminal Underworld in Medieval French Literature The Middle Ages are commonly perceived as a rigorous, oppressive and moralizing period. In fact, medieval literature and culture were fascinated by criminals, thieves, cheats and swindlers, in a dual phenomenon of celebrating and condemning the lawless life. This FREN 407 course focuses on […]
RMST420
La Vibe: Francophone Soundscapes from Afrobeats to V-Pop In this dynamic and immersive course, we’ll explore the rich musical soundscapes of the Francophone world, from the infectious rhythms of Afrobeats, Konpa and Rumba to the stars of la chanson française, Franco-Rap, V-Pop, and more. Through a mix of listening sessions, readings, historical deep dives, and […]
FREN443
Le postcolonial français et l’écocritique La critique et la théorie postcoloniales ont évolué dans diverses directions depuis les années 1980. L’écocritique, elle, n’existe en soi comme un discours interdisciplinaire où l’on cherche à analyser par exemple les relations entre culture, nature, histoire, économie, et littérature. Dans le cadre de notre séminaire de premier cycle, un […]
RMST495
Research Intensive Seminar in Romance Studies Introduction to Cultural Mobility Studies Crosslisted with RMST520, a graduate course taught in English. Cultural mobility can be defined as mobilities relayed in and about cultural products, events, and phenomena. The concept can be viewed as part of a recent, influential critical movement to foreground mobility in social sciences […]