Humanities Undergraduate Courses
Note: Not all courses listed are offered every semester Students should check the current class schedule for current offerings
HMN 100 Introduction to the Arts (3)
Examines basic principles of various art forms presented by the artists and professors of the College of Arts and Sciences; lectures, discussions, presentations on architecture, music, poetry, drama, fiction, painting, and sculpture. LEC
HMN 101 Introduction to the Languages of Europe (3)
Introduces our rich linguistic heritages; Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, French, Russian, Polish, German, Dutch, Yiddish, Scandinavian languages, and English discussed with regard to principal features of dialects and lexical contributions. LEC
HMN 110 Rome: City as Text (3)
Studies the city of Rome as an urban phenomenon and as a literary, political, and artistic image. An examination of certain locales in the city to discover how these sites have come to be associated with certain cultural and historical meanings. LEC
HMN 111-112 Latin American Culture and History (3-3)
Two semesters. Fundamental ways in which Latin Americans differ from us; how history, geography, and the ethnic and cultural contributions of three continents have shaped their cultures. LEC
HMN 120 Language Awareness (3)
Examines the main biological and social aspects of human language for the purpose of creating an awareness of the central role that language has in our being human and in our life as members of society. SEM
HMN 125 The Italian Tradition (1-3)
Rich heritage of Italian culture presented in lectures by experts on Italian sculpture, painting, music, film, literature, history, and other aspects of classical and modern Italy. LEC
HMN 130 Fairy Tales and Fantasy (3)
Fairy tales' significance as literature; readings and discussions of a variety of European and Russian fairy tales; selected criticism, such as The Uses of Enchantment. LEC
HMN 160 Film Study (3)
Analysis of cinematographic masterpieces by directors, such as Renoir, Bresson, Renais, Godard. LEC/LAB
HMN 170 Modern European Theatre (3)
Introduction to some major works by early modern dramatists who have shaped contemporary drama, and later dramatists of the absurd. LEC
HMN 174 Science in Art and Literature (3)
Impact of the scientific revolution on literature and the visual arts during the past 400 years. LEC
HMN 175 Modern Fiction (3)
Narrative structures in key works of Dostoevsky, Conrad, Kafka, Proust, Gide, Faulkner, Malraux, Sartre, Robbe-Grillet, O'Connor, Hawks, Grass. LEC
HMN 180 Medical and Literary Interpretations (3)
Surveys the border shared by scientific investigation and literary interpretations; the close parallel between the "reading" of symptoms in medical diagnoses and the interpretation of messages in languages. LEC
HMN 196 Introduction to Puerto Rican Studies (3)
People and events in the news as reported by newspapers, newsreels, documentaries, and films; cross-cultural perspectives on Puerto Rican history and consciousness. LEC
HMN 200 Black Roots in Spanish-American Literature (3)
Studies literature of the Spanish-American Black experience by writers of African and European ancestry. LEC
HMN 210-211 Conceptual Systems (3-3)
Tutorial sections; basic concepts and structures of diverse topics in political science, art, literature, law, etc. SEM
HMN 215 Women's Language (3)
Examines characteristics of language used by women and by men as uncovered by research in sociolinguistics and communication. Relevant psychosocial factors that shape typical conversational behaviors, emphasis on family and classroom interactions, and the media. LEC
HMN 217 Puerto Rican Lives (3)
Lives and thoughts of leading Puerto Rican figures: their individual visions of Puerto Rico and the Puerto Rican. LEC
HMN 222 Don Quixote (3)
Relationship between art and life as a central consideration of Renaissance thought as illustrated in Cervantes' Don Quixote. LEC
HMN 224 Young Puerto Rican Poets (3)
From Hugo Margenat to present island and U.S. Puerto Rican poets: their language; political ideologies; poetic vision of the world; their impact on Puerto Rican culture. LEC
HMN 242 Hermann Hesse's World (3)
Intensive reading and discussion of some nine novels and other works of Hermann Hesse; historical humane values of the West as expressed in Hesse's life and works. LEC
HMN 270 Nazi Culture (3)
Examines rise and fall of the myth of Hitler, the ideology and practice of Nazi totalitarianism; all aspects of Nazism and Nazis. LEC
HMN 303 Mainland Puerto Rican Experiences (3)
Lifestyle and emerging cultural personality of Puerto Ricans raised on the mainland; role of the Puerto Rican dynamics of social and cultural change in America. SEM
HMN 318 Black Presence in Latin American Culture (3)
Black presence and black heritage within the Latin American culture, viewed through literature, films, art, and the theatre; stereotypes in arts and the mass media. SEM
HMN 321 Youth Culture in Latin America (3)
The study of contemporary youth culture in Latin America. SEM
HMN 325 Contemporary Afro-Caribbean Religions (3)
The purpose of this course is to explore the rich cultural syncretisms of Afro-Caribbean religious experience and to challenge the Judeo/Christian hegemonic notions of spirituality within a Caribbean context. This course will primarily focus on an in-depth understanding of Vaudou in Haiti and Santeria in Cuba. Other religious experiences such as Rastafarian culture in Jamaica and Condomble will be explored as well. The Afro-Caribbean religious experience will provide the basis for analyzing current academic notions of the collective community, individualized and competitive societies as well as (de) constructing modernization and traditional societies. This course takes a multi-disciplinary approach including anthropology, sociology, history, and economics. Students will be provided with a unique opportunity to learn and conduct qualitative research and field work while focusing on Latin/Caribbean studies. SEM
HMN 429 Italian Cinema (3/1)
Importance of Italian movies and their connections with literature and social myths in contemporary culture. Artistic and social contributions of film to a changing society. LEC/LAB
HMN 430 Italian Cinema II: Directors (Lec/Lab) (3/1)
A study of Visconti's transition from neorealism to melodramatic (operatic) passion and to his interpretation of history through the dialectics of present reality and nostalgic past. Also, a study oh how Antonioni's work is "tied to truth rather than logic," and how through rythm rather than narration he presents an "attempt to adhere to a definite reality--spiritual, internal, and even moral"; which is his definition of "modern cinema".
Films will be shown on Thursdays and analyzed on Tuesdays. Attendance is required. Students are also required to keep a journal of their own reactions for each film. The final grade will be based on the journal, a midterm, and a last exam. Taught in English.
HMN 453 Mexican American Anthology (3) SEM
HMN 481 Works of Pirandello (3)
A reading of some of Pirandello's short stories, two of his novels, and some six plays: an analysis of their social and psychological questions, and their metaphysical and mythical quests; their artistic achievements; and Pirandello's contribution to the theater. Class is taught in Italian. LEC
HMN 485 20th Century Italian Theatre (3)
This course will examine the theatrical production of some of the playwrights of 20th century Italian theater. Our exploration will take as its point of departure Luiji Pirandello's meta-theater. Our analysis will continue by focusing upon the abstract experimentations of Avant-Garde theater, in order to arrive finally to the post-Artaud theater of cruelty. The readings will include relevant theater pieces by: Luigi Pirandello, Alberto Savinio, Dario Fo, Franca Rame and Dacia Maraini. Our methodological approach to the course readings will be interdisciplinary and theoretical. Indeed, we will read some theoretical-philosophical writings about theater, such as Antonin Artaud's The Theater and its Double, Bertold Brecht's Brecht On Theater (Excerpts) and Friedrich Nietzshe's The Birth of Tragedy which will guide and inform our interpretations of the required texts. The course and the readings will be in English.
HMN 490 Literature and the Law (3)
Examines relationship between literature and the law; rhetorical aspects as a system of human discourse; central role that textual interpretation plays with each. LEC
HMN 491 Directed Readings (3)
Development of individual group research techniques; reading interpretation; a paper and bibliography on a subject chosen relating to Puerto Rican and Latin American matters required. TUT