Fall 2025 Courses in English
For all language courses, please see the listings at My BU Student
For information about particular language programs, please contact the language program coordinator listed under “Faculty.”
List of Fall 2025 Courses with no language prerequisite
Comparative Literature
CAS XL 100: Leaving Home: Explorations in World Literature TR 12:30 – 1:45 PM Schwartz Growing up. Moving to the big city. Wisdom quest. Immigration. Tourism. How have the world’s great literatures portrayed and shaped these experiences? How have literary works themselves found new worlds through translation and adaptation? (AEX, HCO, GCL)
CAS XL 222: Introduction to Western Literatures TR 11:00AM – 12:15 PM Corrigan Introduces basic methods of comparative literary study through close readings of influential texts of the Western tradition from antiquity to present. Topics include genre, translation, appropriation, interpretation, theories of literary production and effect. (AEX, GCL, WIN)
CAS XL 244: Greek Drama in Translation TR 2:00 PM – 3:15 PM Klein The history and development of ancient Greek theater; study of important plays in the genres of tragedy, comedy, and satyr drama by Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Aristophanes, and Menander. (AEX, ETR, TWC)
CAS XL 260: Gateway to Asian Cultures (also LC/LJ/LK/LN 260) TR 12:30PM – 1:45 PM Yeh. Panoramic introduction to the cultures of East and South Asia in comparative perspective (China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, India). Examines shared foundations, transformative inflection points, sites, peoples, and ideologies over the past two millennia through primary texts and media. (AEX, GCI)
CAS XL 284 (also LY 284): War in Arab Literature and Film TR 9:30 – 10:45 AM Litvin How do Arab writers and filmmakers depict the region’s defining wars? Comparison to nonfiction and to artworks by Israeli and American artists from the “other side.” (AEX, PLM, CRI)
CAS XL 335 Around the World in 40 Fairy Tales: Originals, Translations, Reimaginings (also LG 235) TR 9:30 – 10:45 AM Hoecherl-Alden Starting with European fairy tale collectors, this course will trace how stories influence each other across cultures, world regions, and time periods. Various interdisciplinary interpretive approaches will demonstrate how these tales adapt to changing historical and cultural contexts. Throughout, we will ask: What is the relevance of each tale and its re-telling for a particular society and historical period? How do these tales transcend the specific time and place in which they were created? How have they been (ab)used for artistic, educational, and political purposes? What do they reveal about our common humanity? (SO1, WIN)
CAS XL 342: Modern Travel Writing and the Muslim World TR 11:00 AM – 12:15 PM Micallef How have Muslim travelers, past and present, written about places and people they saw abroad, and how have Western travelers in the Muslim lands described their travels in “the East”? Readings include Zeyneb Hanoum, Tahtawi, Mark Twain, Malcolm X, Nawal Saadawi. (HCO, OSC, TWC)
CAS XL 343: Alexander the Great in the East TR 12:30 – 1:45 PM Sharma Study of the various narratives about Alexander the Great, also known as Sikandar or Iskandar, as conqueror, philosopher-king, and hero, in medieval Middle Eastern and Asian literatures. Modern filmic representations of the historical figure are also compared. (AE, CRI, GCI).
CAS XL 344: Global Shakespeares (also EN 348) TR 12:30 – 1:45 PM Litvin Why do contemporary writers parrot and parody “Shakespeare,” and how much of this activity is about Shakespeare at all? This seminar provides an introduction to reading and writing about Shakespeare’s plays, but it also takes a step back to consider Shakespeare as a phenomenon, inspiring adapters around the world. Beyond learning about particular offshoots and adaptations, the deeper point is to explore how playwrights think about their sources, their audiences, and their art. (GCI, AE, Creativity)
CAS XL 387: The Holocaust Through Film (also CI 387 and JS 367). TR 11:00 AM – 12:15 PM Harrowitz An examination of film using the Holocaust as its central topic. What are the political and cultural effects when genocide is represented through film? Can feature films portray history, and if so, what are the consequences for an informed society? (HCO, GCL, WIN)
CAS XL 397: World Cities: Istanbul (also LT 388 and CI 389). TR 2:00 – 3:15 PM Micallef An examination of Istanbul in the global imaginary as it transformed from the Capital of the Ottoman Empire to the cultural capital of the Republic of Turkey through critical analysis of visual and literary texts. (DME, HCO, RIL)
CAS XL 398: World Cities: Tokyo (also LJ 388) TR 11:00 AM – 12:15 PM Frederick Explores the past and present of the vibrant city of Tokyo through literature and visual culture. Includes hand-on experiences mapping literary spaces. Reading and discussion in English. (DME, HCO, RIL)
CAS XL 420: Queer Theory W 3:30 – 6:15 PM Cariani Surveys major texts and arguments in queer theory from Butler’s Gender Trouble to contemporary discussions of cisnormativity, homonationalism, affect, pinkwashing, crip theory, and queer-of-color critique. Explores different uses of queer theory in legal debates, literary analysis, and cultural criticism. (IC, PLM, CT)
CAS XL 479: Senior Seminar (For senior WLL majors only) T 3:30 – 6:15 PM Liu Through discussions of intercultural reading and translation, bibliographic assignments, student presentations, workshops, and work with a faculty language mentor, seniors majoring in WLL use this course to develop their final project: a substantial scholarly paper, translation, or creative work in a foreign language. (WIN/OC/RIL)
CAS XL 525: Judith Butler (also WS 525 /PH 525) R 3:30 – 6:15 PM Liu Undergraduate prerequisites: two previous XL, WS, or PH courses; or consent of instructor. Graduate prerequisites: graduate standing. – An intensive study of Judith Butler’s philosophical thought and social theory from the 1990s to the present, with an emphasis on the continuities and discontinuities between Butler’s early work on gender performativity and more recent writings on racial justice, war, and violence. (PLM, IIC, CRT)
Chinese
CAS LC 250: Masterpieces of Classical Chinese Literature TR 9:30 – 10:45 AM Yao A panoramic overview of three thousand years of Chinese literature from its beginnings to the threshold of modernity. Discusses masterpieces of one of the world’s oldest continuous traditions in their cultural context and in the context of literatures around the world. (AEX, GCL)
CAS LC 260: Gateway to Asian Cultures (see XL 260 above)
CAS LC 281: Chinese Theater TR 3:30 – 4:45 PM Yeh. Introduction to the theatrical performance of Chinese opera and the canonical works of Chinese drama. Close reading of well-known dramatic works in their social and historical contexts, with special attention to themes such as illusion, identity, and gender. (AE/GCI)
German
CAS LG 235: Around the World in 40 Fairy Tales (see XL 335 above) TR 9:30 – 10:45 AM Hoecherl-Alden
CAS LG 250: Masterpieces of German Literature MWF 2:30 – 3:20 PM Schwartz Introduction to the major works of German literature, emphasizing methods of close reading and the art of critical writing. Texts by Johannes von Saaz, J.W. Goethe, Heinrich von Kleist, Georg Buchner, Robert Musil, Ingeborg Bachmann and others. (AE/GCIL)
Hebrew
CAS LH 250: Masterpieces of Modern Hebrew Literature. TR 11:00 AM – 12:15 PM Gillman Classic and contemporary writers in Hebrew such as Agnon, Dvora Baron, A.B. Yehoshua, Amos Oz, Meir Shalev, Etgar Keret, Sayyed Kashua, and Orli Castel-Bloom. Focuses on the struggle to forge modern Israeli (and Jewish) identity in the domains of family, nation, and religion, and in the broader Middle East. (AE, GCIL, CI)
CAS LH 284: Israel: History, Politics, Culture, Identity (also JS 285 and HI 392). Section AI MWF 12:20 – 1:10 PM Andersen Section B1 MWF 11:15 AM – 12:05 PM Neumark
Using a broad array of readings, popular music, documentaries, film and art, this course explores Israel’s political system, culture, and society, including the status of minorities in the Jewish state; post-1967 Israeli settlement projects; and the struggle for Israel’s identity. (WIN, IC, CT)
Japanese
CAS LJ 250: Masterpieces of Japanese Literature TR 9:30 – 10:45 AM Vincent. An introduction to Japanese literary history. Topics include mythic beginnings, conceptions of nature and death, flowering of a court aesthetic, the writer as hermit-sage, the Tokugawa stage and its love suicides. Use of literary and visual materials. (AEX, GCL)
CAS LJ 260: Gateway to Asian Cultures (see XL 260 above)
CAS LJ 283: Modern Japanese Culture in Cinema (also CI 360) TR 2:00 – 3:15 PM Frederick Japanese film from the silent era to contemporary animation, with attention to the intersection of cinematic and cultural analysis and genres such as yakuza movies. Directors studied may include Ozu, Kurosawa, Mizoguchi, and Miyazaki Hayao. (AEX, GCL)
CAS LJ 460: Haruki Murakami and His Sources (also EN 369/LJ 660). MWF 11:15 AM – 12:05 PM Zielinska-Elliott Students read works by Haruki Murakami and by writers who shaped him or were shaped by him, reflect on the nature of intertextuality, and gain a perspective on contemporary literature as operating within a global system of mutual influence. (AE/GCI/Creativity)
CAS LJ 451: Contemporary Japanese Fiction W 2:30 – 5:15 PM Zielinska-Elliott Explores the deep world of Japanese contemporary fiction as it wrestles with themes of alienation, dystopia, fantasy, and women’s empowerment. Includes short works by current writers, including intertextual references to works from Murakami to anime.
Korean
CAS LK 250: Introduction to Korean Literature TR 11:00 AM – 12:15 PM TBA What is Korean literature? How has it evolved through interaction with Chinese, Japanese, European and American literatures and cultures? What roles have regional and global changes played in shaping Korean imaginative writing? (AE/GCIL)
CAS LK 260 (see XL 260 above): Gateway to Asian Cultures
CAS LK 375: Growing Up in Korea (also WS375) TR 12:30 – 1:45 PM Yang Examining memoirs, prose fiction, film, television dramas, and graphic narratives to ask: how have the conventions of Korean coming-of-age narratives evolved? What does this say about changes in Korean identity? What roles have gender and sexuality played in Korean stories of growing up? (AE/GCI)
CAS LK 383: Korean Cinema (also CI 365) TR 9:30 – 10:45 AM Yang Introduction to Korean Cinema from the early 20th century to the present. Discussion and essays on ethics of representation, colonialism, wars, state violence against citizens, psychological violence, sexual violence. (AEX, ETR, CRI)
Hindi
CAS LN 260: Gateway to Asia (see XL 260 above)
CAS LN 380: Modern India through Bollywood (also CI 381) MW 2:30 – 4:15 PM Parnami Explores the social history and culture of modern India through the lens of popular Hindi cinema, commonly called Bollywood. We analyze Bollywood films both as forms of art and as cultural texts and examine how they reflect and interpret modern Indian society. Course readings focus on theoretical approaches to Hindi cinema and also shed light on the larger historical and social context that surrounds it. (AE/CI/GCI)
Russian
CAS LR 250: Classics of Russian Prose TR 12:30 – 1:45 PM Garcia de la Puente Prose works that define the Russian literary tradition, including Pushkin’s Queen of Spades, Gogol’s Overcoat, Turgenev’s Fathers and Children, Dostoevsky’s Notes from Underground, Tolstoy’s Family Happiness. (AEX, GCL)
CAS LR 280: Dostoevsky TR 3:30 – 4:45PM Corrigan Dostoevsky’s evolution as novelist and philosopher. Explore major novels, including Crime and Punishment, The Idiot, and Demons, within cultural and political contexts; consider the significance of literary innovations and meditations on questions of morality, personality, freedom, health, justice, and evil. (PLM, AE)
CAS LR 289: Russian Literature, Film, and Arts TR 2:00 – 3:15 PM Garcia de la Puente Introduction to the history of Russian culture from its beginnings to the 21st century. This course surveys main works of literature, painting, architecture, and film chronologically. It keeps relevant historical developments in sight and investigates cause-effect links between history and culture. (AEX, HCO, CRI)
Arabic
CAS LY 283: Arab Cultures Through Film (also CI 283)
TR 2:00 – 3:15 PM Khoury Explores Arab cultures with a focus on key historical and social issues through the lens of Arabic films, both as historical artifacts and artworks. Diverse cinematic works from Syria, Palestine, Egypt, and beyond are discussed and analyzed. No prior knowledge of the Arab world or Arabic is required. (GCL, HCO, TWC)
CAS LY 284: War in Arab Literature and Film (See XL 284 above) TR 9:30 – 10:45 AM Litvin
Turkish
CAS LT 388: Istanbul (See XL 388 above) TR 2:00 – 3:15 PM Micallef
Persian
CAS LZ 315: Tradition and Modernity in Iranian Film and Literature (also CI 325) W 2:30 – 5:15 PM Tabatabai This course examines how competing notions of tradition and modernity are presented in Iranian cinema. Drawing on both classical and modern Persian literary works to draw out underlying connections between the readings and the films. (WIN, AE, GCI)
CAS LZ 381: Rumi and Sufi Poetry TR 3:30 – 4:45 PM Sharma Introduction to the Persian Sufi poet Rumi’s narrative and lyric writings. Focus on Islamic mysticism, the innovative aspects of Rumi’s poetry, and the problem of profane vs. sacred love. (AEX, GCI)
Translation
CAS TL 500: History and Theory of Translation W 2:30 – 5:15 PM Vincent The goal of this course is to familiarize students with the history of translation and the main trends in Translation Studies. Students learn to apply concepts acquired in class to analyze and critique translations and develop their own strategies. (AEX, HCO, CRT)
CAS TL 505: Literary Style Workshop M 2:30 – 5:15 PM Tyler Workshop cultivating awareness of and sensitivity to style, cohesiveness, and patterning in literary English. Topics range from text-type to subtle effects of rhythm and sound. Imitation practice. Emphasis on translators’ process, from strategic decisions to editing. Workshop format. (WIN, CRT, CRI)