Cultures, Societies, and Global Studies

AFRS 1990. Elective. (1-4 Hours)

Offers elective credit for courses taken at other academic institutions. May be repeated without limit.

AFRS 2392. African Diaspora. (4 Hours)

Explores the creation and transformation of the African Diaspora—connections among communities of African descent in either Africa, the Americas, Europe, and/or Asia—from 1500 to the present. Emphasizes connections among themes of migration, identity, and popular culture with a special focus on 20th- and 21st-century contributions.

Attribute(s): NUpath Difference/Diversity, NUpath Interpreting Culture

AFRS 2990. Elective. (1-4 Hours)

Offers elective credit for courses taken at other academic institutions. May be repeated without limit.

AFRS 3990. Elective. (1-4 Hours)

Offers elective credit for courses taken at other academic institutions. May be repeated without limit.

AFRS 4990. Elective. (1-4 Hours)

Offers elective credit for courses taken at other academic institutions. May be repeated without limit.

AFCS 1101. Introduction to African American and Africana Studies. (4 Hours)

Explores the broad interdisciplinary spectrum of African American and Africana studies. Provides an introductory overview of the field and offers an opportunity to identify areas for more specific focus.

Attribute(s): NUpath Difference/Diversity

AFCS 1113. Black Popular Culture. (4 Hours)

Surveys U.S. and international Black popular culture from the mid-1950s to the present through music, movies, music videos, and other forms of multimedia, paying close attention to social commentary, political critique, economic inference, cultural formation, explications of religious and spiritual beliefs, and the like. Discusses and ponders issues of representation, identity, values, and aesthetics. Offers students an opportunity to rethink and reexamine the intent, impact, and circulation of Black popular culture as a method and means of expression and communication.

Attribute(s): NUpath Difference/Diversity, NUpath Interpreting Culture

AFCS 1140. Introduction to African-American History. (4 Hours)

Surveys the development of African Americans in the United States from their African background to the present. Covers medieval and early modern societies in West and Central Africa; the transatlantic slave trade; the evolution of slavery from the colonial period through the Civil War; free blacks; Reconstruction; migration; civil rights; and black nationalism. Considers gender relations throughout the entire period and emphasizes how an historical perspective helps to inform discussions of contemporary issues.

AFCS 1225. Gender, Race, and Medicine. (4 Hours)

Examines the basic tenets of “scientific objectivity” and foundational scientific ideas about race, sex, and gender and what these have meant for marginalized groups in society, particularly when they seek medical care. Introduces feminist science theories and contemporary as well as historical examples to trace the evolution of “scientific truth” and its impact on the U.S. cultural landscape. Offers students the opportunity to question assumptions about science and view the scientific process as a site for critical analysis.

Attribute(s): NUpath Difference/Diversity

AFCS 1261. Global Caribbean. (4 Hours)

Focuses on the culture and history of Caribbean societies in global perspective. Explores Caribbean creativity and resilience across English, French, and Spanish linguistic and political spheres with examples from literature, art, music, food, technology, and performance. Considers the global reach of Caribbean diasporas, highlighting the long local histories of Caribbean communities in Boston. Follows four key themes—indigeneity, blackness, diaspora, and creolization—to understand this unique point of entry for the study of race, gender, and sexuality in the Americas.

AFCS 1270. Introduction to Global Health. (4 Hours)

Introduces global health in the context of an interdependent and globalized world focusing on four main areas of analysis: infrastructure of global health; diseases; populations; and terms, concepts, and theories. While the focus is on lower-income countries, the course examines issues in a broader global context, underscoring the interconnections between global health disparities and global health policy response. Applies case studies describing interventions to improve healthcare in resource-poor settings in sub-Saharan Africa and elsewhere to help illuminate the actors, diseases, populations, and principles and frameworks for the design of effective global health interventions.

Attribute(s): NUpath Societies/Institutions

AFCS 1990. Elective. (1-4 Hours)

Offers elective credit for courses taken at other academic institutions.

AFCS 2270. Race, Ethnicity, and Inequality. (4 Hours)

Focuses on the social construction of race and ethnicity and the nature of dominant/minority relations in the United States. Emphasizes the peculiar evolution of race relations in U.S. history, the political and economic conditions that have transformed race relations, and the nature of contemporary racial and ethnic relations in the United States. Topics include immigration, ethnic and racial identity, discrimination, and race-based policies (e.g., residential restrictive codes, Jim Crow segregation). Offers students an opportunity to develop a critical lens from which to observe and interpret contemporary debates over structural racism.

Attribute(s): NUpath Difference/Diversity, NUpath Societies/Institutions

AFCS 2296. Early African-American Literature. (4 Hours)

Surveys the development and range of black American writers, emphasizing poetry and prose from early colonial times to the Civil War. ENGL 2296 and AFM 2296 are cross-listed.

Prerequisite(s): ENGL 1111 with a minimum grade of C or ENGL 1102 with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1111 with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1102 with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1113 with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1114 with a minimum grade of C

Attribute(s): NUpath Difference/Diversity, NUpath Interpreting Culture

AFCS 2318. New England Stories: Storytelling and the African American Experience. (4 Hours)

Delves into the fascinating stories of African Americans who have called New England home, from the seventeenth century up to the present. Discusses themes such as freedom and slavery, migration, and civil rights. Introduces an interdisciplinary framework for understanding Black identity formation, activism, and cultural as well as intellectual traditions amid the long struggle for justice.

Prerequisite(s): ENGW 1102 (may be taken concurrently) with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1111 (may be taken concurrently) with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1113 (may be taken concurrently) with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1114 (may be taken concurrently) with a minimum grade of C

Attribute(s): NUpath Difference/Diversity, NUpath Interpreting Culture

AFCS 2325. Black Feminist Studies. (4 Hours)

Invites students to study the history and contemporary landscape of Black feminist scholarship. Covers a range of disciplines and historical periods to introduce students to important texts and theoretical developments in this vast and interdisciplinary field.

Prerequisite(s): ENGW 1102 (may be taken concurrently) with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1111 (may be taken concurrently) with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1113 (may be taken concurrently) with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1114 (may be taken concurrently) with a minimum grade of C

Attribute(s): NUpath Difference/Diversity, NUpath Societies/Institutions

AFCS 2330. Afro-Latin American Studies. (4 Hours)

Introduces the history of Afro-Latin America and of Black identities particular to this region. Frameworks such as transnational migration and diaspora provide an entry to the specific histories of African-descended people in the countries in the region known as Latin America and contemporary interpretations and revisions of that history. Covers topics including the history of slavery in the Americas; the Haitian Revolution; debates about "racial democracy"; and the relationship between gender, race, and empire. Explores the relationship between scholarship and struggle, social analysis, and social transformation.

Attribute(s): NUpath Difference/Diversity, NUpath Societies/Institutions

AFCS 2337. African American History Before 1900. (4 Hours)

Traces the presence of African-descended people in North America. Emphasizes the historical and cultural links between Africa and North America that have shaped the Black experience in the United States. Explores and analyzes the institution of slavery, the role of free Black communities, the Civil War and emancipation, and Black leadership and protest during the Reconstruction era. Introduces students to the historian’s craft, theoretical debates concerning race and gender, and the persistence of the past in the present.

Prerequisite(s): ENGW 1102 (may be taken concurrently) with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1111 (may be taken concurrently) with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1113 (may be taken concurrently) with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1114 (may be taken concurrently) with a minimum grade of C

Attribute(s): NUpath Difference/Diversity, NUpath Interpreting Culture

AFCS 2355. Race, Identity, Social Change, and Empowerment. (4 Hours)

Examines racism, racial identity, and theories of social change and racial empowerment primarily within the U.S. context. Highlights different ways in which racism and racial privilege have been experienced by different racial communities, more specifically at the micro-, meso-, and macro-levels. Offers students an opportunity to learn ways to promote racial empowerment and equity. Using theory from primarily psychology and sociology, the course investigates the impact of social systems and institutions on individual-level and group experiences of racism. Investigates students’ own racial identities, a deeper understanding of institutional inequalities and intersectionality, and practical skills in leadership and community building that can promote positive social change and racial equality.

Prerequisite(s): ENGW 1102 (may be taken concurrently) with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1111 (may be taken concurrently) with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1113 (may be taken concurrently) with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1114 (may be taken concurrently) with a minimum grade of C

Attribute(s): NUpath Difference/Diversity

AFCS 2380. Black Families and Incarceration. (4 Hours)

Focuses on how the Black family functions, both interpersonally and as a social unit within a carceral state. Introduces the diverse institutional, cultural, and historical issues relating to past and present circumstances from the effects of slavery and colonization on the Black family structure. Explores policies and practices within carceral institutions dealing with childhood, motherhood, and fatherhood. Assesses the social and psychological harms of incarceration on Black children and their families.

Prerequisite(s): ENGW 1102 with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1111 with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1113 with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1114 with a minimum grade of C

Attribute(s): NUpath Difference/Diversity

AFCS 2390. Africa and the World in Early Times. (4 Hours)

Addresses the place of Africa in the world, from human evolution to the establishment of large-scale iron-making societies. Examines debates on the evolution of man in Africa and migrations to other regions. Traces the formation and spread of language groups, the rise of agriculture, formation of family and political structures, and patterns of trade up to 1000 C.E.

AFCS 2410. Possession, Sacrifice, and Divination in African Diasporic Religions. (4 Hours)

Examines religious thought and rituals and the Diaspora in a comparative context. Topics include traditional religions, Islam, Christianity, and Judaism in Africa, and the Diaspora. Emphasizes the transformation of religions practiced in Africa when African captives were forced into the three slave trades affecting the continent of Africa: trans-Saharan, Indian Ocean, and transatlantic.

Attribute(s): NUpath Difference/Diversity, NUpath Societies/Institutions

AFCS 2455. American Women Writers. (4 Hours)

Surveys the diversity of American women’s writing to ask what it means to describe writers as disparate as Phillis Wheatley, Edith Wharton, Toni Morrison, and Alison Bechdel as part of the same 'tradition.' With attention to all genres of American women’s writing, introduces issues of race, genre and gender; literary identification; canons; the politics of recuperation; silence and masquerade; gender and sexuality; intersectionality; sexual and literary politics, compulsory heterosexuality, and more.

Prerequisite(s): ENGL 1102 with a minimum grade of C or ENGL 1111 with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1102 with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1111 with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1113 with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1114 with a minimum grade of C

Attribute(s): NUpath Difference/Diversity, NUpath Interpreting Culture

AFCS 2600. Issues in Race, Science, and Technology. (4 Hours)

Examines the social impact of diverse forms of technological development and application that will have sweeping effects on the everyday lives of individuals, groups, governments, and societies in the twenty-first century. The global, transforming effects of technology as it affects communities of color in the United States and internationally are explored in three main areas: the computer, DNA, and quantum revolutions. Topics include the digital divide, minority media ownership, human cloning, the “dot.com” phenomenon, race and cultural representations in cyberspace, and biopiracy. Lectures, class discussions, fieldwork, and interaction with leaders in these various fields are integral elements of the course.

AFCS 2618. Community Psychology. (4 Hours)

Seeks to familiarize students with some of the topics, theories, and research methods employed by psychologists and other social scientists working in the area of community psychology. Community psychologists study people in their social contexts, emphasizing the mutual influences that individuals and communities have upon each other. Rather than attempt to understand and treat problems at the individual level, research in community psychology aims to offer practical solutions to social problems. Focuses on race, gender, and class. Offers students an opportunity to focus on a particular community, which they may utilize for data collection, and to develop survey instruments/interview schedules; collect data; and analyze and interpret the findings with a qualitative design, if necessary.

Attribute(s): NUpath Difference/Diversity, NUpath Societies/Institutions

AFCS 2619. Race and Religion in Film. (4 Hours)

Explores how relationships between historical and contemporary representations of African Americans, other persons of the African Diaspora, and the continent of Africa have been presented in film in relation to religious themes. An interdisciplinary study in how race and religion are represented in ways that reflect and actively contribute to “real world” faith beliefs, experiences, and actions. Critically examines how representations of “the Other” compared to “the chosen” relate to the intersectionality of race, religion, class, national origin, gender, sex, and sexuality. Provides a framework for ethical analysis of how societal institutionalized systems of power influence beliefs about racialized identities and religion.

Attribute(s): NUpath Difference/Diversity, NUpath Interpreting Culture

AFCS 2690. Boston in Literature. (4 Hours)

Explores the various ways in which the city of Boston and its environs are represented in literature and other media. Each semester, the course focuses on a different aspect of Boston in literature, such as representations of Boston’s different communities, different historical eras, particular genres or concepts associated with the city, and so forth. Offers students an opportunity to build upon their readings about the city by experiencing independent site visits, class field trips, guest speakers, and other activities. In addition to a culminating group or individual research project about Boston, students may also have the opportunity to participate in a community-based reading project. AFAM 2690 and ENGL 2690 are cross-listed.

Prerequisite(s): ENGL 1102 with a minimum grade of C or ENGL 1111 with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1102 with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1111 with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1113 with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1114 with a minimum grade of C

Attribute(s): NUpath Integration Experience, NUpath Interpreting Culture

AFCS 2900. Swahili, Culture, and Politics in Kenya. (4 Hours)

Introduces and immerses students in Kenyan African culture, the Swahili language and politics, and studies their impact on the everyday life of the local population. Offers students an opportunity to learn Swahili, which is the national language of Kenya; its use in a context of varied indigenous languages; and cultural dynamics. Exposes students to the major issues that characterize everyday life in rural and urban settings through visits to and stays in the rural areas and transect walks in villages and urban communities. Students visit projects run by community-based organizations, observing the everyday life of ordinary Kenyans and attending formal and informal classes and settings on Swahili language, culture, and the local politics.

Attribute(s): NUpath Integration Experience

AFCS 2973. Topics in Africana Studies. (4 Hours)

Introduces specific topics in Africana studies as selected by the instructor. Topics will vary. May be taken once for a maximum of 8 semester hours.

AFCS 2990. Elective. (1-4 Hours)

Offers elective credit for courses taken at other academic institutions.

AFCS 2991. Research Practicum. (2-4 Hours)

Involves students in collaborative research under the supervision of a faculty member. Offers students an opportunity to learn basic research methods in the discipline. Requires permission of instructor. May be repeated once for up to 4 total credits.

AFCS 3120. Race, Crime, and Justice. (4 Hours)

Provides students with an overview of the role and treatment of racial/ethnic minorities in the criminal justice system. Covers historical and theoretical frameworks for understanding the relationship between race, crime, and criminal justice. In so doing, students become familiar with trends and patterns in criminal offending by racial/ethnic minorities, as well as system response to such behavior.

Attribute(s): NUpath Difference/Diversity

AFCS 3210. Black Abolition Studies: Carcerality, Liberation, and Resistance. (4 Hours)

Analyzes how Black people have resisted carcerality in social and political organizing from the 16th century to the present. Explores historical understandings of abolition as the end of slavery and the current abolition project of ending prisons, policing, and other institutions that are shaped by the legacy of slavery. Offers students an opportunity to critically analyze and engage contemporary social movements and political discourse in their everyday lives. Topics include the Haitian Revolution, maroon communities, 19th-century slavery abolitionists, anti-lynching organizing, chain gangs, Black political prisoners, contemporary carceral abolition, and abolitionist texts and films.

Attribute(s): NUpath Difference/Diversity

AFCS 3305. Beyond the Binary: Race, Sex, and Science. (4 Hours)

Considers how gender, race, and sexuality have been treated in science, focusing primarily on the 19th and 20th centuries. Examines the history of ideas about gender, race, and sexuality as reflected in fields such as biology, psychology, endocrinology, and neuroscience. Discusses contraceptive and reproductive technologies, pharmaceutical trials, the gendering of scientific professions, and recent studies that use algorithmic predictions of sex or sexual orientation. Uses close reading techniques and discussions to advance student expertise.

Attribute(s): NUpath Difference/Diversity, NUpath Societies/Institutions

AFCS 3323. Race, Inequality, and the Law. (4 Hours)

Examines the relationship between and material impact of race, public policies, and the administration of justice in the United States. Explores the ways the American legal system and political institutions have constructed and reinvented racial categories and their legal and social implications over time. Emphasizes the legacy of this legal history by examining how race and racial inequities intersect with contemporary public policy and social justice issues, including educational equity, employment discrimination, policing, and technology.

Attribute(s): NUpath Difference/Diversity, NUpath Societies/Institutions

AFCS 3404. African American Rhetorical Traditions. (4 Hours)

Examines and organizes the ways that African Americans have historically maintained their humanity and negotiated freedom through discourse. Explores various discursive practices of African American discourse communities—such as the enslaved, abolitionists, feminists, nationalist/revolutionaries, and entertainers—to engage discussions about freedom, access to democracy, racial uplift, gender equity, and the discursive and recursive nature of racial identity. Studies historical contexts and current sociopolitical dynamics emphasizing the Black Jeremiad, civil rights rhetoric, the Black Power Movement, Black Feminist Thought, and Hip-Hop.

Prerequisite(s): ENGW 1102 (may be taken concurrently) with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1111 (may be taken concurrently) with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1113 (may be taken concurrently) with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1114 (may be taken concurrently) with a minimum grade of C

Attribute(s): NUpath Difference/Diversity, NUpath Interpreting Culture

AFCS 3424. Epidemiology of Pandemic Diseases and Health Disparities in the African Diaspora. (4 Hours)

Examines the epidemiology and determinants of diseases and the public health practice among continental African peoples and African-derived populations in the Americas and elsewhere in the African Diaspora. Emphasizes such epidemic diseases as malaria, yellow fever, tuberculosis, smallpox, the current AIDS pandemic, obesity, and cancer. The course also aims to critically address the breadth of factors behind these pandemics, such as socioeconomic, political, health system, behavioral, and genetic. A cross-cutting theme throughout the course is the entrenched health disparities in society.

Attribute(s): NUpath Difference/Diversity, NUpath Societies/Institutions

AFCS 3512. Religion, Race, and Politics. (4 Hours)

Engages the intersections of religion, race, and political power through cultural history, ethnography, and lived religions. Explores the social and cultural categories of our historical and contemporary worlds. Examines how some peoples’ histories have been centered, while others' histories have been marginalized. Explores religion as a social category that reproduces existing relations of power while alternatively supporting social revolution and change. Class engagements are centered on theories of power, understandings of difference, and changes in social structures over time, from the colonial period to the present (1500s–2000s).

Attribute(s): NUpath Difference/Diversity, NUpath Interpreting Culture

AFCS 3664. Black Poetry and the Spoken Word. (4 Hours)

Focuses on the black poet’s place in the history of American poetry. Considers black poetry as both written words and spoken words.

Prerequisite(s): ENGL 1102 with a minimum grade of C or ENGL 1111 with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1102 with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1111 with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1113 with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1114 with a minimum grade of C

AFCS 3900. Gender and Black World Literatures. (4 Hours)

Explores different aspects of the literary and cultural productions of black women throughout history. Examines writing by women in the United States—like Octavia Butler, Zora Neale Hurston, and Toni Morrison—in addition to writing by women across the global African diaspora—like Chimamanda Adichie and Jamaica Kincaid. Students may also engage with theories such as Black feminism, womanism, or intersectionality; consider issues of genre such as the novel, poetry, or science fiction; and explore key themes such as class, sexuality, and disability. AFRS 3900, WMNS 3900, and ENGL 3900 are cross-listed.

Attribute(s): NUpath Difference/Diversity, NUpath Interpreting Culture

AFCS 3990. Elective. (1-4 Hours)

Offers elective credit for course taken at other academic institutions.

AFCS 4526. Afro-Asian Relations in the Americas. (4 Hours)

Examines the comparative racialization of Blacks and Asians in the Americas and relations between these communities. Introduces sociological theories of race/ethnicity, a chronology of Afro-Asian relations in the United States, and the impact of 1970s deindustrialization and post–1965 Asian immigration. Covers the internationalism of Black and Asian leaders (e.g., W.E.B. du Bois and Mao Tse-Tung) in the developing nations and the overlapping Civil Rights, Black Power, and Asian American movements.

Prerequisite(s): SOCL 1101 with a minimum grade of D- or ANTH 1101 with a minimum grade of D- or CRIM 1100 with a minimum grade of D- or HUSV 1101 with a minimum grade of D- or WMNS 1103 with a minimum grade of D- or POLS 1140 with a minimum grade of D- or POLS 1160 with a minimum grade of D-

Attribute(s): NUpath Difference/Diversity, NUpath Societies/Institutions

AFCS 4588. Literature in Context. (4 Hours)

Places writers in the context of a special theme or specific geographic location; for example, students might discuss a group of writers influenced by their commitment to revolution or radical thinking, or in the context of a geographical national or regional setting (i.e., Black France, Haiti and the Dominican Republic, Francophone West Africa).

Prerequisite(s): ENGL 1102 with a minimum grade of C or ENGL 1111 with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1102 with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1111 with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1113 with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1114 with a minimum grade of C

Attribute(s): NUpath Difference/Diversity, NUpath Interpreting Culture

AFCS 4700. Capstone. (4 Hours)

Offers students the opportunity to prepare a professional research project under the close supervision of a scholar interested in students’ particular research areas.

Attribute(s): NUpath Capstone Experience, NUpath Writing Intensive

AFCS 4939. Community Health, Culture, and Development in Kenya. (4 Hours)

Introduces the community health and development arena in Kenya. Community development has been presented as the panacea to many of Africa’s problems, including leadership, democracy, conflict, disease, and poverty. Through teaching, research, and action, the course seeks to expose and sensitize students to the global and local debate on poverty, primary healthcare, and community development. Offers students an opportunity to gain hands-on experiences in some of the major determinants and solutions to poverty and disease by interacting with community stakeholders and organizations in a variety of cultural, rural, and urban settings and through visits to, and participating in, projects run by community-based organizations.

Attribute(s): NUpath Integration Experience

AFCS 4973. Topics in African American Studies. (4 Hours)

Offers focused analysis of a special topic in African American studies. Course content may vary from term to term. May be repeated up to three times.

AFCS 4990. Elective. (1-4 Hours)

Offers elective credit for courses taken at other academic institutions.

AFCS 4991. Research. (4 Hours)

Offers an opportunity to conduct research under faculty supervision.

Attribute(s): NUpath Integration Experience

AFCS 4992. Directed Study. (1-4 Hours)

Offers independent work under the direction of members of the department on a chosen topic. Course content depends on instructor. May be repeated without limit.

AFCS 5001. Special Topics in Race and the Law. (4 Hours)

Explores the various questions, relationships, and connections between the law and racial issues and concepts. Each offering focuses on a special topic such as reparations, civil rights, gender, or the environment and energy policies. May be repeated up to three times for a maximum of 16 credits.

AFCS 5544. Seminar in Black Leadership. (4 Hours)

Offers students an opportunity to conduct in-depth studies of significant black leaders—male and female—in a wide range of fields. Focuses on black leadership in the political arena as elected officials; leaders of pressure groups; leaders of protest organizations, black nationalist organizations, and feminist/womanist groups; and as advisers to political parties and presidential administrations.

AFCS 6962. Elective. (1-4 Hours)

Offers elective credit for courses taken at other academic institutions.

AMSL 1101. Elementary ASL 1. (4 Hours)

Introduces students to American Sign Language (ASL). Students develop expressive and receptive competence in using ASL to fulfill various social functions (such as introductions, explanations of personal history, and descriptions of simple narratives). Additional topics include the use of signing space and further use of nonmanual components including facial expression and body postures.

AMSL 1102. Elementary ASL 2. (4 Hours)

Continues AMSL 1101. Continues development of expressive and receptive competence in using American Sign Language to fulfill various social functions (such as introductions, explanations of personal history, and descriptions of simple narratives). Emphasizes further development of receptive and expressive skills, finger spelling, vocabulary building, grammatical structures; encourages more extensive use of nonmanual behaviors, classifiers, body postures, and signing space. Students are also introduced to regional and ethnic sign variations and political and educational institutions of the Deaf community.

Prerequisite(s): AMSL 1101 with a minimum grade of D-

AMSL 1511. ASL Classifiers. (4 Hours)

Seeks to improve understanding of and use of ASL classifiers, including appropriate nonmanual grammatical features and other nonmanual markers. Discusses classifier hand shapes and how movement, location, and orientation of classifiers affect meaning in ASL. Covers eight types of ASL classifiers: semantic, instrumental, descriptive, locative, plural, body part, sport, and elemental. Offers students an opportunity to build on existing classifier vocabulary and eventually use an expanded range of classifiers to express narratives.

Prerequisite(s): AMSL 1101 with a minimum grade of D-

AMSL 1512. ASL Numbers and Fingerspelling. (4 Hours)

Offers students an opportunity to improve receptive and expressive skills in the specific areas of ASL fingerspelling and ASL numbers. Includes a brief history of fingerspelling. Focuses on strategies for understanding fingerspelling/word phrases and number recognition; recognizing number patterns (e.g., ordinal and cardinal numbers, height, age, time); and additional strategies for understanding and using numbers and fingerspelling in context. Uses drills to improve speed, clarity, and fluency skills.

Prerequisite(s): AMSL 1102 with a minimum grade of C-

AMSL 1990. Elective. (1-4 Hours)

Offers elective credit for courses taken at other academic institutions. May be repeated without limit.

AMSL 2101. Intermediate ASL 1. (4 Hours)

Continues the student’s development of expressive and receptive competence in using American Sign Language to fulfill various communicative functions, such as making and responding to inquiries, constructing and comprehending narratives, and engaging in debates. Students also continue to expand their ASL lexicon.

Prerequisite(s): AMSL 1102 with a minimum grade of C ; DEAF 1500 (may be taken concurrently) with a minimum grade of C

AMSL 2102. Intermediate ASL 2. (4 Hours)

Continues AMSL 2101. Emphasizes further development of receptive and expressive skills, finger spelling, vocabulary building, grammatical structures; encourages more extensive use of nonmanual behaviors, classifiers, body postures, and signing space. Continues exposure to regional and ethnic sign variations and political and educational institutions of Deaf people. Offers intensive practice involving expressive and receptive skills in storytelling and dialogue. Introduces language forms used in American Sign Language poetry and the features of culture as they are displayed in art.

Prerequisite(s): AMSL 2101 with a minimum grade of D-

AMSL 2900. Specialized Instruction in ASL. (1-4 Hours)

Designed for individuals whose language skills are at the intermediate level and who seek specially focused language instruction. Such instruction might be the use of the language in specific settings (e.g., media, medical, legal, mental health), or it might be focused on specific conversational nuances of the language. May be repeated without limit.

AMSL 2990. Elective. (1-4 Hours)

Offers elective credit for courses taken at other academic institutions. May be repeated without limit.

AMSL 3101. Advanced ASL 1. (4 Hours)

Focuses on continued development of syntactic competence in American Sign Language with particular attention to the use of ASL in formal discourse. Also focuses on lexical semantics and semantic equivalents for multiple meaning English lexical items.

Prerequisite(s): AMSL 2102 with a minimum grade of D-

AMSL 3102. Advanced ASL 2. (4 Hours)

Continues AMSL 3101. Focuses on further development and refinement of American Sign Language competence in various discourse settings, predominantly formal and consultative. Continues development of lexical semantics and uses individual diagnostic assessment of ASL competence to determine individual competency goals.

Prerequisite(s): AMSL 3101 with a minimum grade of D-

AMSL 3990. Elective. (1-4 Hours)

Offers elective credit for courses taken at other academic institutions. May be repeated without limit.

AMSL 4990. Elective. (1-4 Hours)

Offers elective credit for courses taken at other academic institutions. May be repeated without limit.

AMSL 4992. Directed Study. (1-4 Hours)

Offers students a way of going beyond work given in the regular curriculum; may also enable students to complete major requirements in certain situations. Priority is given to American Sign Language majors and to juniors and seniors. May be repeated without limit.

AMSL 5901. Gallaudet University Program. (20 Hours)

Offers students an opportunity to study at an officially bilingual university, with American Sign Language and English used for instruction and by the university.

CLTR 1000. Cultures, Societies, and Global Studies at Northeastern. (1 Hour)

Introduces first-year students in the College of Social Sciences and Humanities to the liberal arts in general. Seeks to familiarize them with their major, to help them develop the academic skills necessary to succeed (analytical ability and critical thinking), to provide grounding in the culture and values of the university community, to help them develop interpersonal skills, and to familiarize them with all skills needed to become a successful university student.

CLTR 1120. Introduction to Languages, Literature, and Culture. (4 Hours)

Examines the rich interconnections between literature and language and the culture that supports them. Discusses the relationship of language to literature and investigates how language and literatures are embedded in culture. Addresses several very broad and important questions, such as the relationship between language and culture; the relationship between language and thought; the definition of cultural relativism; and how ethical dilemmas are expressed in different cultures. Explores the relationship of esthetic and rhetorical traditions in given languages to the culture from which they sprang. In this context, examines the extremely interesting case of American Sign Language and how a gestural language sheds light on these issues.

Attribute(s): NUpath Interpreting Culture

CLTR 1500. Modern Chinese History and Culture. (4 Hours)

Introduces modern Chinese history and culture through literary works, films, and historical texts. Examines political, social, and cultural changes in China since 1800: the decline of empire; the New Culture Movement of the 1920s; the rise of nationalism and rural revolution; the changing roles of women; the Cultural Revolution of the 1960s; and China’s cinematic, literary, and economic engagement with the world since 1978. Taught in English and open to all undergraduates. CLTR 1500 and HIST 1500 are cross-listed.

Attribute(s): NUpath Interpreting Culture, NUpath Societies/Institutions

CLTR 1504. Cultural History of Spain. (4 Hours)

Examines chronologically the forces that have forged Spanish culture and have made Spain the pluralistic society and multinational country it is today. Traces the development of the peoples of the Iberian Peninsula from prehistoric times to the present. Based primarily on the history of ideas, the arts, and architecture, incorporates history, sociology, anthropology, geography, economics, and politics. Conducted in English.

Attribute(s): NUpath Interpreting Culture, NUpath Societies/Institutions

CLTR 1990. Elective. (1-4 Hours)

Offers elective credit for courses taken at other academic institutions. May be repeated without limit.

CLTR 2001. World Cultures through Film. (4 Hours)

Introduces the study of world cinema from the past several decades as a form of artistic and cultural expression. Emphasizes the way that different ethnicities and cultures mix and even clash within national boundaries. Readings cover such topics as the postcolonial inheritance, immigration, the boundaries of class, the pressures of modernization, ethnic identities, and historical memory. Examines storytelling in its multicultural aspects and deals with the diverse influences of entertainment cinema and art cinema, as well as measures taken by countries to limit the influx of foreign films in order to protect their own cultural productivity. One overall concern of the course is the place of film in contemporary global culture.

Attribute(s): NUpath Interpreting Culture, NUpath Societies/Institutions

CLTR 2973. Special Topics. (4 Hours)

Offers intermediate-level study on a selected topic related to the interaction of a particular language with its literary or other cultural contexts. May be repeated twice for a maximum of 12 semester hours.

CLTR 2990. Elective. (1-4 Hours)

Offers elective credit for courses taken at other academic institutions. May be repeated without limit.

CLTR 3418. Nationalism. (4 Hours)

Explores contending theories of identity and nationalism—a powerful force in international and domestic politics. Examines topics such as the process of identity creation, the choice of national symbols, how group boundaries are established, the role of identity in conflict and state building, and the debate over nationalism’s constructed or primordial nature. POLS 3418 and CLTR 3418 are cross-listed.

Prerequisite(s): POLS 1155 with a minimum grade of D- or POLS 1160 with a minimum grade of D-

Attribute(s): NUpath Interpreting Culture, NUpath Societies/Institutions

CLTR 3805. Culture, Politics, and Media in Spain. (4 Hours)

Offers an in-depth critical inquiry into the current debates in the public sphere in Spain focusing on the politics of culture and identity as they both inform and challenge the very foundations of a modern nation-state. Arguably the first political entity in modern times to have been constructed as a state unified under one religion, one people, and one monarch, Spain is today an early example of a growing tendency toward national fragmentation and disintegration. Examines the ways in which current events in Spain may be the presage to an ever more unstable world order. Considers the possibility of a higher state of global governance beyond the nation-state and empire. Taught in English.

Attribute(s): NUpath Difference/Diversity, NUpath Interpreting Culture

CLTR 3990. Elective. (1-4 Hours)

Offers elective credit for courses taken at other academic institutions. May be repeated without limit.

CLTR 4655. Latin American Literature. (4 Hours)

Offers an overview of the major trends in Latin American narrative, poetry, drama, and essays, from Bernal Diaz through Borges and Bolaño. Studies broad cultural and political contexts, especially the Cold War period and the impact of neoliberalism. Conducted in Spanish.

Prerequisite(s): SPNS 2101 with a minimum grade of D- or SPNS 2102 with a minimum grade of D- or SPNS 3101 with a minimum grade of D- or SPNS 3102 with a minimum grade of D-

Attribute(s): NUpath Interpreting Culture, NUpath Writing Intensive

CLTR 4944. Cultural Engagement Abroad. (4 Hours)

Designed for a language-based Dialogue of Civilizations. Complements the intensive language course that students take while on a language-based Dialogue. Offers students an opportunity to obtain an in-depth knowledge of the contemporary culture(s) of the country of the Dialogue and how that culture differs from or is similar to contemporary American cultural values and practices. In addition to regular in-class lectures and activities, offers structured opportunities to engage in dialogue with businesspeople, scholars, educators, artists, government officials, journalists, students, senior citizens, and/or local residents about their perspectives on various topics and issues. May be repeated up to three times.

CLTR 4990. Elective. (1-4 Hours)

Offers elective credit for courses taken at other academic institutions. May be repeated without limit.

CLTR 4992. Directed Study. (1-4 Hours)

Offers students a way of going beyond work given in the regular curriculum; may also enable students to complete major or minor requirements in certain situations. Priority is given to language majors and to juniors and seniors. May be repeated without limit.

DEAF 1500. Deaf People in Society. (4 Hours)

Focuses on Deaf communities as linguistic and cultural minorities. Topics include perspectives on Deaf communities; attitudes toward Deaf people and sign languages, technology, and communication; the contributions of Deaf people to society; professional and social organizations of and for Deaf people; Deaf clubs as a locus of Deaf culture; communication issues; perspectives on legislation affecting the Deaf Community; legislative and political concerns of the Deaf Community; and the impact of educational options for Deaf children. Also covers the diverse intersectional identities comprising the American Deaf Community due to language use (multilingual), race, gender, class, and multicultural experiences. Discusses the impact of audism, racism, and many other -isms.

Attribute(s): NUpath Difference/Diversity, NUpath Interpreting Culture

DEAF 1550. Dynamics of the Deaf/Blind Community: Culture, History, and Communication. (4 Hours)

Explores the multidimensional aspects of the Deaf/Blind community, culture, communication, and history (dynamics of how society has handled individuals who are Deaf/Blind). Topics are studied from the Deaf/Blind perspective and include oppression and its power structures; empowerment vs. “rescue or fix it”; the loss of sight and its impact on communication; and learning about empathy and the courage of vulnerability. Explores Deaf/Blind culture and the grieving process as an ongoing component of life; different types of Deaf/Blindness and diverse styles of communication; and mobility issues and maintaining independence. A brief introduction to sighted guide techniques and technology available.

Prerequisite(s): AMSL 1102 (may be taken concurrently) with a minimum grade of C-

DEAF 1990. Elective. (1-4 Hours)

Offers elective credit for courses taken at other academic institutions. May be repeated without limit.

DEAF 2500. Deaf History and Culture. (4 Hours)

Surveys the history and culture of the American Deaf community and Deaf people in the Western world. Focuses on educational, political, and technological forces and events that have positively and negatively affected the American Deaf community. Focuses on the American Deaf community as a linguistic and cultural minority. Also examines contemporary values and factors that shape and define the diverse American Deaf community and compares and contrasts American Deaf cultural values with those of American society in general.

Prerequisite(s): DEAF 1500 with a minimum grade of D

Attribute(s): NUpath Difference/Diversity, NUpath Interpreting Culture

DEAF 2700. ASL Linguistics. (4 Hours)

Introduces the basic issues in linguistics by examining the structural properties of American Sign Language. Includes phonology (formational properties of signs); morphology (word formation, rules, derivation, inflection, complex verbs, classifiers, and verb modulations); semantics (the meaning structure of signs); and syntax (the structure of ASL utterances in terms of old vs. new information and the structure of ASL narratives). Examines sociolinguistic variation of ASL usage (such as region, age, and Black ASL), as well as language attitudes and change over time.

Prerequisite(s): (LING 1150 with a minimum grade of D- or ENGL 1150 with a minimum grade of D- ); (ENGL 1111 with a minimum grade of C or ENGL 1102 with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1111 with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1102 with a minimum grade of C ); AMSL 1102 with a minimum grade of C

Attribute(s): NUpath Writing Intensive

DEAF 2990. Elective. (1-4 Hours)

Offers elective credit for courses taken at other academic institutions. May be repeated without limit.

DEAF 3990. Elective. (1-4 Hours)

Offers elective credit for courses taken at other academic institutions. May be repeated without limit.

DEAF 4990. Elective. (1-4 Hours)

Offers elective credit for courses taken at other academic institutions. May be repeated without limit.

INTP 1000. American Sign Language at Northeastern. (1 Hour)

Intended for freshmen and transfer students in the College of Social Sciences and Humanities who have interest in the ASL-English interpreting major and combined majors. Introduces freshmen to the liberal arts in general, campus and program resources, and the diverse makeup of the American Deaf Community. Offers students an opportunity to develop the academic skills necessary to become a successful university student (analytical ability and critical thinking); obtain grounding in the culture and values of the university community; and develop interpersonal skills.

INTP 1990. Elective. (1-4 Hours)

Offers elective credit for courses taken at other academic institutions. May be repeated without limit.

INTP 2990. Elective. (1-4 Hours)

Offers elective credit for courses taken at other academic institutions. May be repeated without limit.

INTP 3500. The Interpreting Profession. (2 Hours)

Presents an overview of the ASL–English interpreting profession. Discusses the emergence of sign language interpretation and translation; the responsibilities, ethics, and aptitudes of interpreters; professional associations; the bilingual and bicultural context; basic translation and interpretation; environments where interpreters work; special populations; and professional interpreter certifications.

Prerequisite(s): AMSL 2101 (may be taken concurrently) with a minimum grade of C

INTP 3510. Interpreting Inquiry Texts. (4 Hours)

Focuses on the practical skills required for effective translation and interpretation in dialogue-type inquiry texts (job interviews, case histories, and applications). Presents an overview of linguistic and sociolinguistic features and situational aspects of inquiry texts. Introduces theoretical models of interpretation to students’ development of analytic and cognitive skills, in order that they may effectively identify message meaning and manage the cognitive processes of message transfer. Introduces intralingual translation and text analysis techniques. Offers students an opportunity to develop skills in translation, consecutive interpretation, and simultaneous interpretation and to gain decision-making skills and strategies to achieve cross-culturally effective and appropriate message mediation in contexts where interactive inquiry texts occur.

Prerequisite(s): AMSL 2102 with a minimum grade of D-

INTP 3515. Interpreting Narrative Texts. (4 Hours)

Focuses on the translation and interpretation of narrative texts (personal narratives, storytelling) and the development of strategic decision-making skills within the context of narrative texts. Presents an overview of linguistic and sociolinguistic features and situational aspects of narrative texts. Guides students in building cognitive processes and skills in translation, consecutive interpretation, simultaneous interpretation, and team interpretation. Offers students an opportunity to develop the decision-making skills needed for achieving cross-cultural, cross-linguistic message mediation in these settings.

Prerequisite(s): INTP 3510 with a minimum grade of D-

INTP 3550. Interpreting Scripted Texts. (4 Hours)

Guides students through the process of analyzing and interpreting frozen texts (plays, poems, and ceremonial scripts), from first read-through to final interpreted rendering of the performed text. Interpreting for theatrical or otherwise scripted communication is markedly different from other forms of interpreting. The availability of a script, ample time to rehearse, and the possibility of feedback makes this a hybrid practice—part interpreting, part translation, and part performance. Offers students an opportunity to learn how to analyze scripts for both content and interpreting issues; how to solve production problems of logistics, placement, and lighting; and how to interpret a series of performances for the Deaf Community. This course is offered in conjunction with or in advance of a theatre department production or other performed text.

Prerequisite(s): AMSL 2102 with a minimum grade of D- ; (ENGL 1111 with a minimum grade of C or ENGL 1102 with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1111 with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1102 with a minimum grade of C )

Attribute(s): NUpath Writing Intensive

INTP 3970. Research Methods. (4 Hours)

Offers an overview of research methodologies for ASL or interpreting majors preparing for their research capstone projects. Focuses on foundational theoretical knowledge and skills in research design, hypothesis testing, sampling and measurement, research ethics with deaf populations, as well as basic data analysis and interpretation. Offers students an opportunity to evaluate current literature in the discipline, write a project proposal to plan a research study or community-based project, and link social science research methods to sign language, deaf studies or interpreting and translation practice.

Prerequisite(s): INTP 3500 with a minimum grade of C

Attribute(s): NUpath Analyzing/Using Data, NUpath Writing Intensive

INTP 3990. Elective. (1-4 Hours)

Offers elective credit for courses taken at other academic institutions. May be repeated without limit.

INTP 4510. Interpreting Expository Texts. (4 Hours)

Focuses on the interpretation of expository texts (lectures, procedural texts) and the development of strategic decision-making skills within the context of expository texts. Presents an overview of linguistic and sociolinguistic features and situational aspects of expository texts. Reinforces models of interpretation in students’ practical development of analytic and cognitive skills, in order that they may effectively identify and transfer message meaning. Offers students an opportunity to further develop the cognitive processes and team interpretation skills to manage temporal constraints of simultaneous interpretation and to develop and apply the decision-making skills needed for achieving cross-cultural, cross-linguistic message mediation in these settings.

Prerequisite(s): INTP 3515 with a minimum grade of D-

INTP 4515. Interpreting Persuasive Texts. (4 Hours)

Focuses on the interpretation of persuasive texts (solicitation, political speeches) and the development of strategic decision-making skills within the context of persuasive texts. Presents an overview of linguistic and sociolinguistic features and situational aspects of persuasive texts. Offers students an opportunity to advance their analytic and cognitive skills for effectively identifying persuasive intent and meaning, in order to render accurate message transfer. Students practice and apply the cognitive processes and skills involved in translation, consecutive interpretation, and simultaneous interpretation with a goal of achieving effective cross-cultural, cross-linguistic message mediation in these settings.

Prerequisite(s): INTP 4510 with a minimum grade of D-

INTP 4650. Ethical Decision Making. (4 Hours)

Explores ethical standards and dilemmas in American Sign Language-English interpreting and other professions through discussions, hypothetical situations, and role-playing. Topics include culturally objective standards, ethics and professional principles, power relations within groups, and the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID) code of ethics. Compares various alternatives (i.e., consequence-based ethics) to a duty-based approach to the RID code and draws upon ethical fieldwork experience to analyze the principles that guide ethical decision making among professional interpreters.

Prerequisite(s): INTP 3515 with a minimum grade of C

Corequisite(s): INTP 4651

Attribute(s): NUpath Ethical Reasoning

INTP 4651. Ethical Fieldwork. (2 Hours)

Comprises the fieldwork component of INTP 4650. Places students in practical interpreting experiences in educational settings, agencies serving Deaf people, and with freelance interpreters. Focuses on ethical questions and dilemmas and decision making in a bi-weekly seminar format. Requires students to maintain a log and participate in online discussions. Fulfills the experiential education requirement for ASL majors.

Prerequisite(s): INTP 3515 with a minimum grade of D-

Corequisite(s): INTP 4650

INTP 4940. Interpreting Research Capstone. (4 Hours)

Requires students to undertake a research project focused on some aspect of American Sign Language-English interpretation. Students work individually or in research teams (with approval). In consultation with a faculty advisor, students select a research question, design and implement the data collection component of the project, analyze results, and write up their research findings. In addition to a written report, students also present their research results to ASL majors and community stakeholders at an annual ASL research symposium.

Prerequisite(s): INTP 3970 (may be taken concurrently) with a minimum grade of B-

Attribute(s): NUpath Capstone Experience, NUpath Writing Intensive

INTP 4990. Elective. (1-4 Hours)

Offers elective credit for courses taken at other academic institutions. May be repeated without limit.

INTP 4995. Interpreting Practicum. (4 Hours)

Places students in practical interpreting experiences in educational settings, agencies serving Deaf people, and with freelance interpreters. Requires students to record a set number of hours interpreting with supervision and analyze their work with the supervising interpreter. Students maintain a log, participate in discussions, present case studies drawn from their supervised work experience in seminars, and create a professional development plan for postgraduation. Fulfills the experiential education requirement for ASL majors.

Prerequisite(s): INTP 4651 with a minimum grade of S or INTP 4651 with a minimum grade of D-

Attribute(s): NUpath Integration Experience