Languages and Cultures   

This course is designed to provide an opportunity to speak and listen to Spanish in a comfortable non-judgmental atmosphere. It is meant for those who already speak Spanish with some fluency but who don’t have all the opportunities to converse that they would like. The six weeks of the course will center on readings from the short novel “Lazarillo de Tormes,” from 16th century Spain. Lazarillo is considered world literature’s first pícaro, a direct ancestor of Becky Sharp and Huck Finn, and his story has been in print since 1554. During each class, we’ll talk in a whole group about the novel, see and discuss a bit of the movie of the same name, read a poem, and use provided questions in breakout rooms, where you can take the conversation in any direction. Materials, except the novel itself, will be posted on LearnerNotes. A bilingual edition or copies in both English and Spanish are recommended for the novel. Translations are provided for readings and song lyrics.

This course aims at broadening a student’s vocabulary and understanding of the day-to-day German spoken today. The etymology of certain words will be discussed, and the rules of grammar will be explained on request. This term we will read the author’s diary describing his travels in six European countries in 2005, reading and discussing a short section at a time. The German text is emailed to students before the term starts.

NOTE: Students should have a basic knowledge of German. Because there is no clear definition of “basic knowledge,” the instructor invites students to attend the first class to find out if their knowledge is sufficient to profit from the course.

Want to go vicariously to places you may never visit? In this lecture course, speakers will take you to Africa. On February 8, Maria Geigel will talk about her tour of Morocco; on February 19, Marianne Werner will show us Madagascar; on February 22, Art and Carolee Buck will share their experiences in Senegal; on February 29, Natalie Mettler will introduce us to Mali; and on March 9, Joan Lamont and Kris Davis will show us Egypt, including a seven-day cruise on the Nile. All presenters have personally visited the areas discussed and prepared pictures for viewing. There will be opportunities for questions and discussion.

Anyone who knows the Cyrillic alphabet used in printed Russian can read Russian poetry. Join us in reading aloud from great poets such as Aleksander Pushkin, Daniil Xarms, and Anna Akhmatova. Those who have taken our classes before will encounter old friends as well as new poetry. Poems will be emailed before class, with stress (accents) marked. In our Zoom classes, instructors or native speakers will read the poems aloud, the instructors will translate them (touching on the grammar necessary to understand how they mean what they mean), students will read them aloud, and we will all discuss them. We even sing some of the poems that have been set to music. This is not a deep literature class. The point is to enjoy making the sounds of Russian poetry and appreciate how they interact with its meaning. 

Note: There will be no class meeting on Friday, February 16.

In Wines of the World, we will learn about six wine regions of the world, visiting areas not covered in Dawson’s Winter 2023 course. The instructor will lecture, using PowerPoint and multimedia, about the geography, climate, soils, history, varietals, labeling, and regulatory structure of the region. We will taste four quality wines from the region and discuss our perceptions. No special background knowledge is required, but a passion for wine is recommended.

NOTE: A class fee of up to $100 per student will be charged to cover the costs of the quality wines. The exact fee will depend on the cost of the wines. Students will be required to pay the full fee, even if they expect to miss some classes. Please note that the six classes are not continuous. There are four classes in January and two classes in March. This course will meet in January and March. There will be no class meetings in February.