2007 First Year Interest Groups (FIGS) with a world language component
An African Cultural Expedition (Yoruba)
In the main course of this FIG, you will be introduced to the life and culture of the Yoruba-speaking people of West Africa, Cuba, Brazil, and Haiti, and you will see the influence and importance of Yoruba culture in the Americas. Your cultural exploration will be enhanced through your study of the Yoruba language. Introduction to Global Cultures is an introduction to the comparative study of world cultures from an interdisciplinary perspective. As you study the literary and artistic expressions and religious beliefs of various cultures, you will gain a wider perspective that will enhance your understanding of the culture of Yoruba-speaking people.
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Classical Myth and Modern American Culture (Latin)
This FIG will investigate how modern American culture interprets, adopts, adapts, and appropriates classical myth, primarily from ancient Greece and Rome, in order to address contemporary social, aesthetic, and political concerns. The three courses in the FIG deal primarily with the classical worlds of Greece and Rome, but you will also study other ancient civilizations from the Middle East, Africa, and Native America. You will investigate the continuing presence of these civilizations in modern American through contemporary artistic and literary adaptations of their myths and histories. The FIG will present a complex view of "the ancient world" and interpretations of ancient civilizations in the modern world. The combination of historical, archaeological, and literary approaches to the legacy of the classical world will provide you with the tools to analyze the cultural complexities of contemporary America.
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Japanese Cinema (Japanese)
If film was the quintessential modernist medium, then perhaps anime could be associated with postmodernism. The main course of this FIG will explore this possibility by reading major theoretical texts on post-modernity and postmodernism alongside screenings and analysis of a selection of Japanese animation such as Evangelion, Aakira, and Miyzakai Hayao feature films. By linking an introductory Japanese history course and Japanese language classes, the FIG will expand discussion to compare the experiences of pre-modern and modern Japan. Having some knowledge of Japanese will add nuance to linguistic understanding of the subtitled films. This cluster of courses will attempt to make sense of the notion that Japan was somehow culturally predisposed to post-modernity. Learn more>
Twentieth Century French Gay and Lesbian Writers (French)
In this FIG, we will analyze novels, plays, and essays written by gay and lesbian authors in 20th-century France. Other media, such as film, will enhance our understanding of the development of gay and lesbian identity in its social and historical contexts. History 275, Making Sexuality in Europe and US, will provide a historical perspective on sexual relationships and behavior. The third component of this FIG is a French-language course (exact course to be determined by your Placement Test score); this class will help you understand cultural and linguistic aspects of the works we will study. Learn more>
Race and Ethnicity in the Americas (Portuguese)
This FIG will explore issues of race and ethnicity in the United States and Latin America in comparative perspective. Sociology 134, “Problems of American Ethnic and Racial Minorities,” will introduce students to the meaning and consequences of race and ethnicity in contemporary U.S. society. The main “synthesizing” course of this FIG, InterL&S 103, “Race and Ethnicity in the Americas,” will examine racial and ethnic dynamics of contemporary Latin America against the backdrop of U.S. experience. Portuguese 301 is designed as a beginning course in this language for students who have had prior exposure to at least one of the other Romance languages, e.g., Spanish, Italian, or French. Together, this cluster of courses will offer students the opportunity to explore how the historical development and contemporary circumstances of societies throughout the Americas are connected to the concepts of “race” and “ethnicity.” More generally, this FIG introduces students to the benefits of adopting a comparative perspective to improve understanding of any social issue or problem. Learn more>
Learn more about First Year Interest Groups (FIGS) at UW-Madison.
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