Academics Languages

Grant Li (Chinese & Linguistics)

China is one of the world’s oldest and richest continuous cultures, over 5,000 years old. It is the most populous nation in the world, with over one billion people. The study of the Chinese language opens the way to different important fields such as Chinese politics, economy, history, archaeology, etc. Knowing Chinese language greatly facilitates our understanding of Chinese culture and people. Courses in Chinese are designed to help students acquire proficiency in the Chinese language. All Chinese classes aim to develop students’ communicative skills in speaking, listening, reading and writing. First-year and second-year Chinese are offered regularly every year. Higher-level Chinese courses are offered as tutorials as needed.

Language is one of the most fundamental human instincts. It is an extraordinarily intricate system that all of us master as young children without special teaching, and that gives us the ability to communicate, tell stories and express our deepest feelings. Linguistics is the scientific study of this human language ability. It is concerned with describing languages and with understanding our knowledge of language as speakers and how we come to have that knowledge. It is connected to many other fields of study, including psychology, anthropology, sociology, biology, physics, mathematics, computer science, philosophy and literature. Courses in linguistics aim to develop analytical skills, focusing on core areas of phonology, syntax and semantics from theoretical and formal perspectives. All classes help students to read scholarly literature critically and work on problems of English and other languages. My research is primarily in the area of syntax and semantics.

Areas of Interest for Plan-level Work:

Chinese

Chinese language
Chinese linguistics
Interdisciplinary study involving Chinese

Theoretical Linguistics

Syntax
Phonology
Morphology
Semantics
Chinese linguistics
Comparative linguistics
Interdisciplinary study related to language structure

Starting Points (Basic and Introductory Courses)

ELEMENTARY CHINESE I (HUM1357) & ELEMENTARY CHINESE II (HUM1362)
This course is for beginners. It is designed to help students develop communicative competence in the basic skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing. Students will learn basic vocabulary and sentence structures used in everyday situations through various forms of oral practice. Pinyin (the most widely used Chinese phonetic system) will be taught as a tool to learn the spoken language. Students will also learn Chinese characters in order to be able to communicate effectively in real situations. While linguistic aspects of the Chinese language are the primary focus, introduction to the social and cultural background of the language will also form an important part of the course. Elementary Chinese I is offered every fall semester, Elementary Chinese II every spring semester. Prerequisite: None Introductory | 4 credits each

SYNTAX (HUM1479)
This course provides a comprehensive introduction to the major issues in syntactic theory, including phrase structure, the lexicon, case theory, binding theory, movement and locality conditions. The course is intended to prepare students with fundamentals for further study in theoretical linguistics, emphasizing scientific reasoning skills. Prerequisite: None Introductory | Credits: 4

SEMANTICS (HUM1463)
Semantics is the study of the literal meaning of words and the meaning of the way words are combined. This course is a practical introduction to topics in formal semantics. It aims to provide a good understanding of a range of semantic phenomena and issues in semantics, using a truth-conditional account of meaning. The topics include modality and possible worlds, counterfactuals, generalized quantifiers, aktionsarten and event semantics, opacity and specificity, tense and aspect. Introductory | Credits: 4

PHONOLOGY (Offered as group or individual tutorial as needed)
Phonology deals with the grammar of speech sounds. It concerns discovering the abstract mental principles that govern the sound pattern of language. This course equips students with the essential analytical skills needed for further study in the field, such as how to think critically and discover generalizations about data, how to formulate hypotheses and how to test them. Students who wish to study linguistics will benefit from this course both the theory and practice of phonology. Prerequisite: None
Introductory | Credits: 4

Pursuing Interests (Intermediate and Thematic Courses)

INTERMEDIATE CHINESE I (HUM1358) & INTERMEDIATE CHINESE II (HUM1363)
This course is the continuation of Elementary Chinese II. Students will continue to learn more skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing for daily communication. A broad variety of expressions and complicated sentence structures will be taught so that students can participate in conversations on various topics related to modern Chinese society. While equal emphasis will still be given to both characters and structures, students will be guided to write more Chinese essays. Intermediate Chinese I is offered every fall semester; Intermediate Chinese II every spring semester. Prerequisite: Elementary Chinese I & II. Intermediate | Credits: 4 each

ADVANCED CHINESE
Advanced Chinese is offered as group or individual tutorial as needed. May be repeated with different content.This group tutorial or individual tutorial gives you a jump start toward a final Plan. Plan work should demonstrate adequate proficiency in the Chinese language. Advanced | Credits: Variable

Intermediate-level courses in linguistics are offered as group tutorials or individual tutorials as needed with topics varying with students’ interests.

TOPICS IN LINGUISTIC THEORY
This advanced course is offered as group or individual tutorial as needed. May be repeated with different content. A research-oriented tutorial, the course topics will vary with individual students’ interests. Advanced | Credits: Variable

Good Foundation for Plan

Students preparing for a Plan in Chinese will need to take Elementary and Intermediate Chinese, as well as Advanced Chinese. To embark on a Plan in linguistics, students need to take introductory and intermediate courses and Topics in Linguistic Theory.

Sample Tutorial Topics

Modern Chinese Grammar
Theory of Language
Conversational Chinese
Morphology of European Language
A Linguistic Introduction to Writing Systems
Advanced Morphology Theory
American Sign Language and Universal Grammar
Chinese and Culture
Reading and Writing Chinese

Rosario M. de Swanson (Spanish Language & Literature)

Aside from being a very beautiful language with many registers and nuances, a large body of the best literary work has been, and continues to be, written in Spanish; meanwhile Spanish-language films continue to receive praise from the film critics and viewers. Spanish is the second-most widely spoken language in the United States today and one of the three most spoken languages in the world. As such, Spanish has become an integral part of civic engagement and of global citizenship. Spanish is an important component of one’s career whether one’s interests include government, law, business, international affairs, education, journalism, medicine or the performing arts.

At Marlboro College we offer a course of study intended both to facilitate language proficiency and to contextualize and analyze issues relevant to Spanish speakers abroad and in the U.S.—such as migration, cultural differences and imperialism. Learning Spanish at Marlboro is fun because it is supplemented by study abroad and by many local trips and engagement with nearby Latino communities. Engagement of the larger college community in the interests of our students and faculty through lectures, films, Spanish conversation and other extracurricular activities is also central to our program. In addition to providing opportunities for learning on campus, we strongly recommend that students study off campus in a Spanish-speaking context in order to enhance their language skills and to forge their own connections to place through language. Intermediate and advanced-level courses adopt a variety of disciplinary and interdisciplinary approaches, including literary studies, film and media studies, social history, political analysis and gender perspective.

Courses in the elementary and intermediate levels aim to develop proficiency and accuracy in the five core skill areas: speaking, reading, writing, grammar and awareness of cultural and linguistic diversity within the Spanish speaking world. The overarching aim of courses in the upper levels is to develop engagement with writing as a process for intellectual inquiry where students learn to read critically and write clearly while incorporating and testing theoretical perspectives and methodological tools.

Areas of Interest for Plan-level Work:

Afro-Hispanic and Caribbean literature, culture and music
Mexican, Indigenista and contemporary indigenous literature
Feminist and post-colonial theory
Latino/a and Chicano/a literature

Starting Points (Basic and Introductory Courses)

INTENSIVE ELEMENTARY SPANISH I (HUM1233)
This intensive, rapid introduction to Spanish grammar is designed for the novice student of Spanish or for students having completed up to three years of basic Spanish language in high school. This rigorous course is part of a year-long program that will enable you to reach the same proficiency level as students completing the first two semesters of elementary Spanish language. Equal emphasis will be placed on the development of the four language skills—listening, reading, writing, speaking—plus culture. The course will integrate regular lab activities requiring internet access. Conducted in Spanish. Prerequisite: None Introductory | Credits: 6

ELEMENTARY SPANISH I (HUM1346)
This is a language course for first-year students of Spanish and is designed to aid development of listening, speaking, reading and writing skills. It covers basic grammar along with a variety of vocabulary and cultural topics, and it prepares students for the second-semester Spanish course. Prerequisite: none Introductory | Credits: 4

INTENSIVE ELEMENTARY SPANISH II (HUM1304)
A fast-paced continuation of first semester Intensive Elementary Spanish. An intensive grammar study, with particular attention to speaking, reading, writing, and culture. Prerequisite: Spanish I with a passing grade of C+ or better, or the equivalent (two semesters of college-level Spanish and/or four years of high school Spanish) Introductory | Credits: 6

ELEMENTARY SPANISH II (HUM1439)
Offers a dynamic and interactive introduction to Spanish and Spanish American cultures. The course covers the basic grammar structures of the Spanish language through extensive use of video, classroom practice and weekly conversation sessions with a native-speaking language assistant. It is a continuation of Spanish I. Prerequisite: Prior semester Spanish or some Spanish Intermediate | Credits: 4

INTERMEDIATE SPANISH I (HUM1390)
Strives for mastery of complex grammatical structures and continues work on writing and reading skills. Frequent compositions, selected literary readings, class discussions and debates on films and current events. It meets two or three times a week as a class and an extra 50 minute section with a language assistant, to be arranged. Prerequisite: At least two consecutive semesters of college Spanish or equivalent Intermediate | Credits: 4

INTERMEDIATE SPANISH II (HUM1403)
Intermediate Spanish II is a course for students who have completed Intermediate Spanish I or have been deemed proficient enough for this class after taking an introductory Spanish placement test and talking to the professor about prior course work. If you are taking Spanish for the first time at Marlboro College, you need to talk to the professor. Intermediate Spanish II builds on and expands the language skills acquired in Intermediate Spanish I. It combines an extensive grammar review while focusing on all relevant language skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing. Culture is integrated in all aspects of the program; therefore, we will have critical discussions about the culture of different countries of the Spanish speaking world. Frequent compositions, selected literary readings, class discussions and debates on films and current events. It meets two or three times a week as a class and an extra 50 minutes sections with a language assistant, to be arranged. Prerequisite: Two semesters of college Spanish or equivalent Intermediate | Credits: 4

Pursuing Interests (Intermediate and Thematic Courses)

SPANISH AMERICAN CIVILIZATION & CULTURE (HUM1486)
This course presents an overview of the cultural heritage of the Spanish American peoples from the pre-Columbian period to the present. We will begin the course by studying the indigenous cultures and the Spanish conquest of the Americas. We will then examine the wars of independence and the process of nation building. The course ends by revisiting the Spanish American nations in the age of globalization and provides information about the Hispanic population living in the United States. Readings from the textbook Latinoamérica: Su civilización y su cultura will provide an overview of Spanish American histories. Videos, films, art and music will supplement the readings and enable us to more closely examine important concepts that have shaped Spanish America through the centuries: cultural and religious syncretism, the artist’s role in society, social class and ethnicity, civilization vs. barbarism and the resistance of cultural minorities. Intermediate | Credits: 4

SPANISH COMPOSITION, CONVERSATION & CULTURE (HUM1419)
Although this course is centered on written expression in Spanish, conversation and discussion of short stories from selected Latin American and Spanish writers will serve as models for writing styles. The course briefly reviews difficult grammatical structures or idiomatic usages, sentence and paragraph structure and making smooth transitions through writing. Using the selected literary texts, we will write short descriptions and narratives, learn how to incorporate dialogue in a short story as well as styles for personal or business correspondence. We will analyze literary texts, do library research and draft and complete full literary research papers. Students will comment on each other’s work in the classroom to practice techniques of self-editing and self-criticism. This course serves as one of the foundations for advanced literary studies in Spanish. Writing and speaking intensive. Prerequisite: at least three semesters of college Spanish/equivalent, or permission of instructor Intermediate | Credits: 4

THEORETICAL FOUNDATIONS & PREPARATION FOR ADVANCED STUDIES IN SPANISH (HUM1485)
This course will equip students of Spanish with a variety of skills that prepare them for upper-division courses. The course centers on the use of literary theory in literary analysis. It will include: practice in critical reading and writing; study of figures of speech, rhetoric and style; presentation of oral reports; and use of library resources. In addition, students will acquire basic knowledge of the geography, history and culture of the Hispanic world. Prerequisite: Four semesters of college-level Spanish, or the equivalent, or permission of instructor Advanced | Credits: 4

INTRODUCTION TO LITERARY GENRES (HUM1440)
&Culture and a course in Hispanic culture. Advanced (Spanish) literature students should not enroll in this course. Prerequisite: Four semesters of college-level Spanish, or the equivalent, or permission of instructor Introductory | Credits: 4

INTRODUCTION TO LATIN AMERICAN LITERATURE I (HUM1462)
&literature of the Nahua, Maya and Inca peoples on the territory that after the conquest came to be known as Spanish America; we will then move on to examine accounts of the discovery, conquest and colonization; we will conclude the course with the writings produced in the age of Spanish American emancipation. In class, we will read letters, chronicals, stories, poems, novels and essays that in one way or another helped define an entire continent. It is hoped that through these readings the students learn to place the text within its literary, historical and cultural context, we will also learn to identify the common themes, the voices and the complex historical conditions under which these texts emerge. Given the scope of the course and the period studied, attendance and punctual and careful reading of the assigned material is of utmost importance. Frequent absences or late arrivals to class will reflect negatively in the grade. Prerequisite: Upper language or literature courses in Spanish Advanced | Credits: 4

SURVEY OF 20TH-CENTURY LATIN AMERICAN LITERATURE II (HUM1420)
An introduction to Latin American texts from modernismo to the present. Different cultural movements and their sociopolitical contexts are examined through representative works. Class discussions and assigned papers are based on literary analysis and research. Advanced | Credits: 4

CREATIVE WRITING WORKSHOP IN SPANISH (HUM1483)
Do you like to write poetry or short fiction in Spanish? Then this workshop is for you. This workshop will offer students an opportunity to write short fiction and poetry, as well as dramatic scripts for the stage. Examining the student’s own writing alongside sample published works, the workshop will present instruction in the essential elements of literary forms, while providing each participant a community of readers to respond to his or her work. Each student will develop a project for the final portfolio and for presenting or performing their final piece in a recital. Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor Advanced | Credits: 4

MODERN SPANISH AMERICAN NARRATIVE & CINEMA (HUM1484)
Explores the response of several modern Spanish-American writers to the following questions: What is fiction? What are the roles of the author, the narrator and the reader? Special attention is given to such outstanding novelists of the “boom” as Rulfo, Cortázar, Cabrera Infante and García Márquez, and to the development of their works within the context of the modern novel. Conducted in Spanish. Prerequisite: Advanced courses in Spanish American literature and a semester of survey or Introduction to Latin American Literature I Advanced | Credits: 4

GENDER TROUBLE: WOMEN WRITERS OF LATIN AMERICA & THE AFRO-HISPANIC DIASPORA (HUM1389)
Ever since feminists called attention to women’s lives, the question of what it means to be a woman has been the subject of much academic debate. However, despite improvement in women’s lives and shared similarities, the experience of being a woman differs markedly. Issues such as gender, race, ethnicity, class, nationality and sexual orientation seem to account for these differences. We will examine these issues in the work of selected writers, considering the ways in which gender, race and historical and cultural specificity shape and complicate these categories of inquiry. We will also read poetry, short stories and essays by women writers. Prerequisite: Prior survey course and ability to read and write well in Spanish Advanced | Credits: 4

TOPICS IN SPANISH-AMERICAN CULTURE & HISTORY (HUM1404)
Latin America is a vast region, diverse in geography and culture, tied together by a shared historical experience and a language. The Spanish-speaking countries are as rich and varied in their culture and historical development as they are in their geography and in the mix of peoples that inhabit them. May be repeated for credit if different content. Prerequisite: Courses in Latin American literature or culture Advanced | Credits: 4

U.S. LATINO/A LITERATURE: CARTOGRAPHIES OF THE SELF, BORDERS, EXILES (HUM1467)
After centuries of invisibility and marginalization, Latino culture and literature exploded on the American scene in the ’60s. Chicanos, Cubans, Nuyoricans and lately Dominicans and Central Americans have all contributed to create a diversified body of literature characterized by its bilingualism, biculturalism and hybridity. This course will center on how U.S. Latino/a literature bears witness to identity formation, self-representation and celebration of Latino culture and its people. It will explore a series of critical issues that define “latinidad” in the U.S., including language (bilingualism, Spanglish, code-switching and “dialect”), race/ethnicity/color, gender migration, racism and difference. The texts in the course are representative of a great body of oral and written literature that articulates the experience of being Latino/a in the U.S. Although the course is taught in English, familiarity with Spanish is useful. This course requires the careful reading of the assigned materials, therefore, class participation, attendance and preparation is of utmost importance; continued absences and lack of preparation will reflect negatively in the grade. Prerequisite: None Introductory | Credits: 4

Sample Tutorial Topics

Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands
Contemporary Issues in Spanish-Language Policy
English to Spanish Translation
Experiments in Translation to Spanish
History of Illegal Immigration
Language and Identity in Latino Literature
Language and Nationalism in Contemporary Spain
Rhetoric of Illegal Immigration

Arabic

Marlboro College supports Arabic through its participation in the Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant program. Every year through this program a fellow from an Arabic-speaking country comes to Marlboro to offer introductory and intermediate courses in Arabic. Advanced work in tutorial can be done; see Amer Latif if you are interested in this. For Greek and Latin, see classics.

BEGINNING MODERN ARABIC IA (HUM1119) & BEGINNING MODERN ARABIC IB (HUM1142)
Introduces students to the phonology and script of classical/modern standard Arabic and covers the basic morphology and syntax of the written language. Emphasis on the development of the four skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing) at the earliest stages. Samples of modern (contemporary) and classical styles of writing introduced, and audio-visual material from the contemporary Arabic media. Prerequisite: None Introductory | Credits: 4

INTERMEDIATE MODERN ARABIC IIA (HUM1120)
A continuation of elementary Arabic with equal emphasis on aural and oral skills, reading and writing. Selections from contemporary Arabic media are introduced and serve as a basis for reading and conversation. Prerequisite: Beginning Modern Arabic I Introductory | Credits: 4