Modern Language and Literature (MDFL)

Prerequisite: Completion of UMW language requirement through intermediate (201) level or its equivalent. Explores various careers in which proficiency in more than one language enhances job opportunities and improves job performance. Open to any student at UMW who has completed the UMW language requirement.

An introduction to literature from Western and non-Western perspectives. Themes and literary techniques from a variety of authors. In English. Other Modern Foreign Language courses are listed separately under a heading for each language. See: Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, and Spanish.

Antisemitism is a resilient form of hatred that has survived throughout the centuries. In this course, we will explore antisemitism across a range of different time periods and countries / regions with attention to varying political, social, economic, religious, and cultural contexts.

This course is taught entirely in English. Students will explore the complexities of this relationship in the Islamic Middle East, defined as the Arab world. Students will discover not only what Muslim women have been able to say about their own lives and beliefs but also how Western people have talked about Muslim women in the past as well as in the modern world. Arab women are frequently portrayed as oppressed, voiceless, and impoverished, with “Islam” often cited as the most significant source of such oppression. Western media contribute to this perception by continuing to depict Middle Eastern women as silenced by men and society. While there are various practices and beliefs related to Islam that see a difference in the roles that women and men should ideally play in society, the relationship between religion and gender is complex.

This course explores Holocaust memorialization via art, literature, film, museums, and memorials in both the U.S. and abroad (including Germany, Israel, Austria, and Poland). Taught in English.