Romance Languages and Literatures Courses

Note: Not all courses listed are offered every semester Students should check the current class schedule for current offerings

RLL 501 Introduction to Romance Languages and Literatures (3)

This course is designed to introduce students to literary theory, research methodology, and issues in literary and cultural studies in higher education. The first portion of each class will focus on literary or linguistic theory. During the first part of the semester, the second portion of class will deal with research methodology. During the latter part of the semester, the second half of class will focus on professional topics. LEC

RLL 501B  Introduction to Romance Languages and Literatures (3)

This course is designed to introduce students to linguistic theory, research methodology, and current issues concerning the study of the Romance languages. During most of the course, the format is that of a seminar: graduate students take turns in leading discussions based on assigned readings. A second part of the course focuses on the development of professional and skills and the search for specific research resources. The main purpose of the course is to provide entering Romance Linguistics students with the theoretical and professional tools necessary to start their graduate career, but it can also be of interest to other graduate students interested in having an overview of the different approaches and methodologies within the field of contemporary Linguistics and the current state of Romance philology.  LEC

RLL 525 Second Languages Acquisition Theory for Teachers (3)

An introduction to the systematic study of second language acquisition (SLA). We will focus on some fundamental issues of adult SLA and look closely at research on those issues. We will also examine the implications of research findings for classroom teaching. The class will be a flexible combination of lecture and class discussion. We will frequently break into small groups for discussing points suggested by the readings or the instructor. Course requirements include (3) three take-home tests emphasizing critical thinking and a written 4-5 page critical review of an article published in a standard research journal after 1999. The course is not about any language in particular. It will be taught in English and all readings are in English. LEC

RLL 526 Syntax of Language (3)

This class is an introduction to the syntactic structure of Romance languages, what makes them similar (and distinct from other Indo-European language families, e.g. Germanic languages like English) and how they differ from each other. Languages covered will include Catalan, French, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, and Spanish.  LEC