Spring 2023 Course Offerings

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The most up-to-date list of course offerings is always available via View Schedule of Classes on BuckeyeLink.

Advanced
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Note on New GE Program

The university will roll out a new General Education program for new students beginning in Autumn 2022. These GE requirements will be called "General Education - New" or GEN.

Requirements for current students will not change, and they will continue to complete the same GE program — now called the "General Education – Legacy" or GEL. 


Italian 2053 - Introduction to Italian Cinema

Doctor Giuliano Migliori, 7-week session 2, In Person, TR 2:20 pm – 5:00 pm, 3 credit hours

GEL Visual Performing Arts and Diversity Global Studies; GEN Literary, Visual & Performing Arts. Taught in English. 

Italian 2053 image

This course presents students with an overview of Italian cinema of the last seventy years and looks at films and serial television by important Italian directors. We touch upon major genres and movements in Italian screen history, including Neorealism, comedy Italian style, political cinema, the woman’s film, the spaghetti western, mafia movies, the film noir, coming-of-age film, the docudrama, and quality television.

This course can count as a course taught in English toward the Italian minor and the Italian or Italian Studies majors.


Italian 2055 - Mafia Movies

Doctor Giuliano Migliori, ONLINE, WF 12:45pm – 2:05pm, 3 credit hours

*This class is fully online. Distance synchronous WF 12:45-2:05 with asynchronous components.

GEL Visual Performing Arts, GEN Literary, Visual & Performing Arts. Taught in English. 

Italian 2055 image

The Mafia in Italy is referred to as an octopus as the organization pervades almost every facet of Italian cultural life. Tony Soprano, Don Vito and Michael Corleone, Lucky Luciano, Robert De Niro, Martin Scorsese, Ciro di Marzio, Peppino Impastato, Roberto Saviano, Christopher Moltisanti, and Donnie Brasco are some of the figures that contribute to the myth of the Italian and Italian-American Mafias. In this course we watch Italian and American mafia movie and television hits, and explore the myth of the Mafia that is so widespread in America, and trace its history as it passes across time and through multiple cultures. We will question whether there exists a unique American or Italian cinema and television treating the Mafia and explore how filmmakers from the two countries approach the subject in dissimilar fashions, especially in terms of stereotyping, gender, and representations of violence and alluring criminals.

This course can count as a course taught in English toward the Italian minor and the Italian or Italian Studies majors.


 

French 2501 - Rebels and Runaways 

Doctor Ryan Joyce, In-Person, WF 2:20pm-3:40pm, 3 credit hours 

Maroon Comix Comic Book Cover

GEL Literature. Taught in English. 

From the early modern period to today, the maroon, or “runaway” fugitive slave, has played a leading role in shaping U.S. and Caribbean history, literature, and culture. Historically defined as the temporary or sustained flight of enslaved subjects from plantation zones and colonial centers, marronage has since flourished as a site for the broader flights, fights, and community-building practices of Afro-diasporic peoples throughout the Americas. Building from historical sources, fugitive slave narratives, 19th and 20th-century art, film, and literature, and contemporary cultural and political movements, this course will introduce students to the enduring, path-breaking activities of maroons and their descendants in the U.S. and the Caribbean.


Italian 3051 – Italian Romances

Professor Jonathan Combs-Schilling, In Person, WF 11:10 am – 12:30 pm, 3 credit hours

GE Literature, GE Diversity: Global Studies. Taught in English.

Italian 3051 image

Knights of the Round Table, Amazon warriors, wild-west gunslingers, intergalactic Jedi—these heroic archetypes are linked by the narrative strategy and ideological structures of romance. In this course we examine the enduring influence of romance narrative on how stories are told and communities are represented today. We will begin with the classical and medieval origins of this kind of storytelling (like Homer’s Odyssey) and a few contemporary works (like Monty Python’s Holy Grail) that satirize the genre to become familiar with its conventions. We will then read medieval and renaissance “classics” of the genre, before turning to recent stories that bear the trace of romance, from an historical spy novel to Star Wars: Rogue One. Our focus will be the titanic impact of romance on representations of European cultural values and its frequently problematic depiction of foreign cultures (esp. those of the Middle East). Throughout, we will ask the question: has romance been a site for the “clash of civilizations,” a space for multicultural exchange, or both? 

This course can count as a course taught in English toward the Italian minor and the Italian or Italian Studies majors.


FRIT (French and Italian) 3054 - The 21st-Century Skill: Intercultural Competence for Global Citizenship

Professor Janice Aski and Dr. Cindy Jiang (Office of International Affairs), In-Person, TR 12:45pm-2:05pm, 3 credit hours 

FRIT 3054

GE Diversity: Global Studies. Taught in English. 

Intercultural competence is among the top ten skills necessary for succeeding in the 21st century. Achieving the skills, knowledge, behaviors and attitudes of interculturally competent global citizens is a lifetime endeavor, so this course will help you acquire the foundations as you begin the journey. This course is divided into four modules: 1) Culture and intercultural competence, 2) Diversity and implicit bias; 3) How world language learning contributes to the development of Intercultural Competence, and 4) Experiencing diversity locally and globally. We will begin by exploring the complexities of the term ‘culture’ and how culture shapes our understanding of ourselves and others, our identity, and our worldview. You will explore your own cultural background through a cultural autobiography, then you will delve into how implicit biases and stereotypes impact interpersonal and intercultural interactions. You will carry out an investigative team project and learn to engage in effective and inclusive practices that make you better team players. In addition, the guided viewing of movies and readings that bring the issues and diverse perspectives discussed in class to the fore will serve as a source of reflection and stimulating class discussion. Finally, you will have the opportunity to participate in a full-immersion cultural experience in a virtual 360 lab and to interact and discuss interesting topics with peers from all over the world in the Global Circles program.  

This course fulfills 3-credit hours from the Global Studies General Education requirement and counts as a course in English toward the Italian/Italian Studies majors and minor and the French/French and Francophone Studies major and minor. 


FRIT 3301: DISCOVERING SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION

Professor Wynne Wong, In-Person, TR 9:35 am – 10:55 am, 3 credit hours

GE Social and Behavioral Sciences, GE Embedded Literacies for Qualitative Data Analysis. Taught in English. All language backgrounds welcome!

Languages Spoken Across the Globe

Course Video Intro

Do you like languages? Are you currently learning a language and wish to understand how to learn it better? Do you hope to teach languages one day? Second Language Acquisition (SLA) is a field that is devoted to understanding and explaining the processes that underlie the learning of another language after one has already acquired a first language. How does second language acquisition happen? How do we create a new linguistic system in our heads?

This course introduces undergraduate students to the exciting field of second language acquisition. This course is ideal for language learners who wish to reflect on and improve their own language learning experience, for those who desire to become language instructors, and for anyone who simply has an interest in languages. The questions we will explore include:

  • Is second language acquisition like first language acquisition?
  • Does the first language help or get in the way of SLA?
  • Why do children become universally native-like but second language learners seem not to?
  • Why do we make errors in a second language (or at least appear to)?
  • I took 4 years of Spanish and got all As so why am I not fluent?
  • What’s the difference between learning two languages from birth as opposed to learning a second language later in life?
  • What about individual differences like motivation and aptitude?
  • Why do I still have an accent?
  • What social variables (e.g., socioeconomic, sociopolitical, psychosocial) impact SLA?
  • How does access to SLA impact opportunities for education, employment, and other societal factors?
  • Is there a best way to teach languages?
  • What is plurilingual instruction?
  • How do I design pedagogical practice to facilitate second language acquisition?

You will have the opportunity to design and teach a brief mini online language lesson in the language of your choice.

You will conduct a mini research project related to an issue of SLA.

This course fulfills 3-credit hours from the Social and Behavioral Sciences and the Embedded Literacies for Qualitative Data Analysis areas of the General Education requirement and counts as a course in English toward the Italian/Italian Studies majors and minor and the French/French and Francophone Studies major and minor.

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Please refer to the Schedule of Classes via BuckeyeLink to view days and times of these offerrings. 

French 3101 French Grammar Review

French 1101.01, 1102.01, 1103.01 - Beginning French I, II, and III Classroom (4 credit hours)

French 1101.21, 1102.21, 1103.21 - Beginning French I, II, and III Distance Learning (4 credit hours)

French 1101.61, 1102.61, 1103.61 - Beginning French I, II, and III Individualized Distance Learning (2-4 credit hours)

French 1155.01 - Beginning French Review Classroom (4 credit hours)

French 1155.21 - Beginning French Review Distance Learning (4 credit hours)

Italian 1101.03, 1102.03, 1103.03 - Beginning Italian I, II, and III Blended (4 credit hours)

Italian 1101.71, 1102.71, 1103.71 - Beginning Italian II and III Online (4 credit hours)


Italian 5101 – Intensive Italian

Instructor TBA, In-Person, MWF 11:10 am - 12:30 pm, 5 credit hours

GE Foreign Language

Covers the same material in Italian 1101, 1102, and 1103 in one semester course. The course is necessarily fast-paced and ideal for students who find learning foreign languages fun and interesting. Previous foreign language study ideal but not required. Not open to native speakers of Italian.

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French 2101.01 – Introduction to French and Francophone Studies

French 2101.01 Image

Section 19713: Thierno Diallo, TR 2:20 pm – 3:40 pm, 3 credit hours

Section 26147: Kelly Campbell, TR 9:35 am – 10:55 am, 3 credit hours

Welcome to the threshold to the French minor and major! In French 2101.01, you will have the opportunity to practice and improve your reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills in French, as well as to continue learning about French and Francophone literatures and cultures through reading, viewing, and interpreting authentic literary and visual texts from around the Francophone world.


French 3101 - French Grammar Review

French 3101 image

Section 19714: Doctor Gloria Torrini-Roblin, In-Person, MWF 12:40 pm-1:35 pm, 3 credit hours

Section 28078: Julie Parson, In-Person, TR 11:10am - 12:30 pm, 3 credit hours

In this course you will find all the information that you need to speak and write like the French. Review grammar you've seen, learn some you haven't, and practice translations in order to rid your French of those pesky anglicismes! We will look at usage examples in French popular songs, film clips, and short readings, and do plenty of conversation.


French 3102 - French Pronunciation and Performance

Kate Schlosser, In-Person, WF 11:10am - 12:30 pm, 3 credit hours

*This course in not open to native and near-native students.

Parlez-vous français ?  In this class you will!  Newly revamped, French 3102 aims to guide all students toward more accurate pronunciation of the French language in its many iterations throughout the francophone world.  We will learn a new alphabet, review rules of pronunciation and diction, then put this knowledge to use through the performance of songs, poetry and plays. We will use film, television and YouTube to explore who speaks French and how they do it. After this class, you will never look at or listen to French the same again! 


French 3103 - French Conversation

Professor Danielle Marx-Scouras, In-Person, WF 2:20 pm – 3:40 pm, 3 credit hours
 
French 3103 image

*This course in not open to native and near-native speakers.

Watch Monsieur Nobek Teach Français From Saturday Night Live

L'accent - Fabulous Trobadors

“Parlez-vous Français?

Oui!

Parlez-vous Français?

Oui!

Si tu peux le parler allez tombez la chemise” (Art vs. Science)

Several decades ago, a colleague asked me why I was teaching slang in my conversation course considering that the students had not mastered French. I replied: “What’s ‘French’?”.

What’s “French” anyway? What does it mean to “master” a language? When someone tells you, “Mais vous n’avez aucun accent,” what are they actually saying? Is slang French? Is Marseillais French? What about French spoken in Quebec and Africa? These are only a few of the questions we shall address in this course.

As we listen to and practice French in a variety of contexts, we shall reflect on what it means for us–as individuals–to speak “French”.  I hope that each one of you will find your own idiolect amidst the endless possibilities that this local, national and world language affords us: an idiolect in which you affirm your unique identity and fluency.

You are expected to attend and actively participate in every single class session. No perks for wallflowers!

A few voices to inspire you:

Recent OSU distinguished invited speaker Ta-Nehisi Coates (Middlebury French language program) (Vimeo) (YouTube)

“Acting French” https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2014/08/acting-french/375743/

Bradley Cooper (Studied in Aix-en-Provence for six months) https://youtu.be/lZ2BQZ4Wxvw

Angela Davis (French major at Brandeis University, junior year abroad in Paris)

Jodie Foster (attended the Lycée Français in LA)

Shan Sa (French writer)

Jack Kerouac (French-American writer of the Beat Generation)

 Kim Thúy (Quebec writer) https://youtu.be/0sfceWfgivU

David Sedaris (from Me Talk Pretty One Day


French 3202 – Literary and visual texts of the Francophone World

French 3202 image

Doctor Adela Lechintan-Siefer, WF 12:45pm - 2:05 pm, 3 credit hours

This course, taught in French, is multimedia in nature, thereby reflecting the rich literary, cinematographic, and musical diversity of the francophone world. One of our goals will be to understand the ways in which texts, films and music connect to give us an aesthetic, cultural, political and historical understanding and appreciation of France and several Francophone countries.


French 3502 – French for International Studies

Doctor Adela Lechintan-Siefer, TR 11:10 pm – 12:30 pm, 3 credit hours

French 3502 image

In this course, taught in French, we will learn about the relations between French-speaking countries and international organizations as well as current events in the French-speaking world by reading short articles, watching news reports and mini-documentaries, participating in debates, and writing short essays in French. Students will develop intercultural competence and language skills that they can use in international studies, diplomacy, human rights, journalism, and other professional contexts.


French 4100 - Advanced French Grammar through Current Events

Doctor Gloria Torrini-Roblin, In-Person, WF 9:35 am – 10:55 am, 3 credit hours

Les vieux messieurs que promènent les chiens sont très distingués !  Who is holding the leash?  If you think it’s the distinguished elderly gentlemen, look again!

The formal syntax of this sentence is not normally used in daily speech.  “So why learn this pretentious (or if you prefer, hifalutin) French?” you ask.

Here’s one answer:  the Francophone press is replete with stylistic twists and grammatical turns that the reader must recognize to make sense of not only what is happening in the French-speaking world, but also how their journalists view others.

 Climate change: what is being done in France?  Immigration:  What is the experience of west African migrants? Civil rights: who is Joyce Echaquan?  Adama Traore? Politics:  what does it mean that Canadian Prime Minister is labeled a “libéral”?   Health care: what is the Passport santé and how does it work?  Chocolate:  good or bad?  (which francophone countries “produce” the raw beans and which transform it?)

If you prefer, flip the perspective.  How did the Haitian press respond to vulgar insults from its northern neighbor?  What does the Quebecois media have to say about oil pipelines or firearms south of its border?  

The class will equip you to read multiple points of view from across the French-speaking world.  Students will study advanced French grammar even as they put it to the test in weekly online discussions.  The topics?  You choose!  Share articles of interest to you and respond to those of your peers.  By the end of the class, you will be able to engage accurately and meaningfully with Francophone perspectives on current events.


French 4401 – Funny Literature: Humor in 20th and 21st-century French Fiction 

French 4401

Professor Jennifer Willging, TR 2:20pm-3:40pm, 3 credit hours

How can the written word make us laugh when we cannot hear a tone of voice, a « funny » accent, or a grunt, or see a facial expression, a costume, a prat fall? How do ink strokes on a white page elicit laughter? For what purposes do authors try to make us laugh (to entertain, to impress, to comfort, to disabuse, to critique, to humiliate…?) Are there subjects that are inherently “not funny,” or can the right turn of phrase make anything amusing? Are there subjects that just “shouldn’t” be funny? In this course we will ask such questions while reading a selection of 20th- and 21st-century French fiction judged by at least most readers to be both humorous and profound. To aid our inquiry, we will also examine some theories about how humor is generated in written language, and in literary texts in particular.

Tentative reading list:

Alphonse Allais, Les Pensées (excerpts) (~1900)
Marcel Proust, À la recherche du temps perdu (1913-27) (excerpts)
Louis-Ferdinand Céline Voyage au bout de la nuit (1932) (excerpts)
Paule Constant, La Fille du Gobernator (1994)
Michel Houellebecq, Extension du domaine de la lutte (1996)
Amélie Nothomb Métaphysique des tubes (2000)
Antoine Bello, Roman américain (2015)
Jean-Marc Moura, Le sens littéraire de l’humour (2015) (excerpts)

Prerequisites: FR 3101 and one of the following: 3201, 3202, 3401, 3403, 3501, 3502.


French 5104 - Medieval French 

Professor Sarah-Grace Heller, In Person, TR 12:45pm-2:05pm, 3 credit hours 

Medieval French Excerpt

Journey in time through the history of the French language. Don’t think “damsels in distress”—medieval French was full of intelligent women characters and we will read some of their stories. Don’t think dusty and irrelevant-- surveying changes in the evolution from Latin to modern forms will deepen your understanding of pronunciation (AKA phonology), grammar (morphology), how French spelling got to be so peculiar, and give you transferable translation skills.

Accommodations made for students from other disciplines.

Prerequisites: French 3101, and at least two 3000-level French courses or above; or graduate student standing in French; or permission of instructor.


French 5206 - North Africa: Texts and Contexts

Professor Danielle Marx-Scouras, In-Person, WF 12:45pm-2:05pm, 3 credit hours

Baya

“Maghreb Pluriel” (A. Khatibi)

We shall examine representative works taken from literature, film, and music that reflect the cultural diversity of the Maghreb and its peoples, whether they reside in the Maghreb or France. Our objective will be to examine these artistic, historical, and theoretical works with respect to such questions as colonialism and post-colonialism, national identity, linguistic pluralism, education, sexuality, racism, and terrorism. Texts by authors such as Albert Camus, Mohammed Dib, Driss Chraïbi, Assia Djebar, Jean Sénac, Mehdi Charef, Djamila Amrane, Abdelkébir Khatibi, Frantz Fanon, and Zohra Drif.

Invited speakers (via Zoom) and a video-discussion with university students in Morocco are envisioned. This course satisfies the francophone requirement for graduate students.

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French 5104 - Medieval French 

Professor Sarah-Grace Heller, In Person, TR 12:45pm-2:05pm, 3 credit hours 

Journey in time through the history of the French language. Don’t think

Medieval French Excerpt

“damsels in distress”—medieval French was full of intelligent women characters and we will read some of their stories. Don’t think dusty and irrelevant-- surveying changes in the evolution from Latin to modern forms will deepen your understanding of pronunciation (AKA phonology), grammar (morphology), how French spelling got to be so peculiar, and give you transferable translation skills.

Accommodations made for students from other disciplines.

Prerequisites: French 3101, and at least two 3000-level French courses or above; or graduate student standing in French; or permission of instructor.


French 5206 - North Africa: Texts and Contexts

Professor Danielle Marx-Scouras, In-Person, WF 12:45pm-2:05pm, 3 credit hours

Baya

“Maghreb Pluriel” (A. Khatibi)

We shall examine representative works taken from literature, film, and music that reflect the cultural diversity of the Maghreb and its peoples, whether they reside in the Maghreb or France. Our objective will be to examine these artistic, historical, and theoretical works with respect to such questions as colonialism and post-colonialism, national identity, linguistic pluralism, education, sexuality, racism, and terrorism. Texts by authors such as Albert Camus, Mohammed Dib, Driss Chraïbi, Assia Djebar, Jean Sénac, Mehdi Charef, Djamila Amrane, Abdelkébir Khatibi, Frantz Fanon, and Zohra Drif.

Invited speakers (via Zoom) and a video-discussion with university students in Morocco are envisioned. This course satisfies the francophone requirement for graduate students.


FRIT (French and Italian) 8302 – Lexical Input Processing and Vocabulary Acquisition

Professor Wynne Wong, Asynchronous ONLINE, 3 credit hours

Hand holding the letters w o r d s

Taught in English

Watch Course Video Intro

Course Delivery: This 3-credit course, offered by the Department of French & Italian at OSU, is taught in English, and delivered completely online in an asynchronous format. The course may be taken from anywhere at any time as long as assignments are completed by established due dates. Regular optional synchronous meetings are also available via Carmen Zoom.

Who Is This Course For?

This course is for anyone interested in second language studies/language teaching and will count toward the Graduate Interdisciplinary Specialization (GIS) in Second Language Studies. Secondary education teachers are also welcome. FR 8301 is *not* a prerequisite for this course.

Course Description:

The acquisition of vocabulary may be the most important component of learning a new language. When language learners have a robust mental lexicon, they can get their meaning across in most communicative situations even with limited grammatical knowledge. There is also no dispute that while input is critical, only input that has been processed can affect second language acquisition (SLA). Therefore, the study of input processing is integral to SLA research and for the development of effective pedagogical activities for classroom learning.

This seminar explores vocabulary learning with an emphasis on lexical input processing. The course examines theoretical and pedagogical implications of research on vocabulary acquisition, including the development of materials and activities for the classroom. Topics in the course include (but are not limited to):

  • theoretical underpinnings that underlie research on vocabulary acquisition;
  • specificity in type of processing and learning;
  • incidental and intentional vocabulary learning;
  • lexical input processing and implications for instruction;
  • what constitutes lexical input and lexical intake;
  • principles of effective vocabulary instruction;
  • evaluating vocabulary instructional techniques;
  • creating effective vocabulary activities for the classroom;
  • designing a research proposal to investigate an issue in lexical acquisition.

A variety of activities have been incorporated into this distance learning course to encourage student engagement and interaction, and to create an enjoyable online learning experience.

Different options for the final project are available to meet the needs and interests of different students taking the course.


FRIT (French and Italian) 8601 – Theory and Practice – Thinking Through Medical Humanities in Times of COVID-19

Men bowing down in a ritual way

Professor Lucille Toth, W 2:20 pm - 5:00 pm, 3 credit hours

In this course, we will explore how Western medicine and culture conceptualize bodies, pathology, and health, and the ways in which categories such as race, class and gender complicate political, social, and esthetic implications of the arts and letters in both global and domestic health crisis. AIDS, cancer, hysteria, are among medical conditions that inspired artists and authors throughout History. Using the framework of Medical Humanities, we will explore 20th and 21st-century representations of medicine and illness in literature, dance, cinema, and pop culture by analyzing specific pieces of art in both the Francophone world and Italy.

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Italian 1198.71 - Italian on the Ground: A Pre-departure Course for Study and Travel in Italy 

Bologna, Italy, photo by Jonathan Combs-Schilling

Professor April Weintritt, 1 credit hour, Online, Asynchronous Distance Learning with weekly synchronous partner meetings 

This distance learning 1-credit hour course seeks to prepare you for an ‘on the ground’ experience in Italy through an introduction to language, culture, and intercultural reflections. This opportunity will enhance your experience and open your eyes to the many diverse aspects of Italian life that you will encounter while abroad.

Throughout these seven weeks we will learn phrases, expressions, vocabulary, and cultural insights that will help you succeed in a variety of communicative – verbal and nonverbal – situations. This knowledge is integrated with reflective tasks that will help prepare you for enhanced interactions and understanding with Italy, its peoples and cultures.


Italian 2102 - Contemporary Italian Society

Instructor TBA, In-Person, TR 9:35am-10:55am, 3 credit hours

GE Embedded Literacies for Qualitative Data Analysis

Italian 2102 image

In this course you will learn about a variety of aspects of Italian contemporary society and culture, while at the same time focusing on the four language skills: listening, reading, writing, and speaking. Since you are transitioning from the elementary to the intermediate level, at this point more emphasis will be placed on developing your reading skills, so you will be exposed to a lot of authentic Italian in different genres. (However, your listening, writing, and speaking skills will not be ignored!) You will learn techniques to improve your reading in Italian and you will progress from reading relatively short texts to reading a short novel. Grammar will be reviewed and tested throughout the course. The targeted structures are: irregular plurals of nouns and adjectives, the forms and functions of the regular and some irregular present indicative verbs, direct and indirect object pronouns; the passato prossimo, the imperfect, and the past perfect (trapassato prossimo), and the remote past.


Italian 3220 - Italian Culture Through the Ages

Professor Jonathan Combs-Schilling, In-Person, MW 9:35am-10:55am, 3 credit hours

Italian 3220

This course will take you on a voyage through the major events, issues and figures in Italian cultural history (Ancient Rome, Middle Ages, Renaissance, Baroque, Enlightenment, Italian Unification, Fascism, the Mafia, Immigration, etc.) through readings, music, art, films and other visual media. We will investigate both “high” and “popular” culture, ranging from the refined sonnets and saucy short stories of medieval Italian literature to the heartbreaking operas and bass-thumping hip hop of modern Italian music. Alongside our cultural odyssey, your Italian language skills will be refined through class discussion, and oral and web based presentations, and essays

Taught in Italian


FRIT (French and Italian) 3301 – Discovering Second Language Acquisition

Professor Wynne Wong, In-Person, TR 9:35 am – 10:55 am, 3 credit hours

French 3301

Taught in English. Students of all language backgrounds welcome.

Course Video Intro

Do you like languages? Are you currently learning a language and wish to understand how to learn it better? Do you hope to teach languages one day? Second Language Acquisition (SLA) is a field that is devoted to understanding and explaining the processes that underlie the learning of another language after one has already acquired a first language. How does second language acquisition happen? How do we create a new linguistic system in our heads?

This course introduces undergraduate students to the exciting field of second language acquisition. This course is ideal for language learners who wish to reflect on and improve their own language learning experience, for those who desire to become language instructors, and for anyone who simply has an interest in languages. The questions we will explore include:

  • Is second language acquisition like first language acquisition?
  • Does the first language help or get in the way of SLA?
  • Why do children become universally native-like but second language learners seem not to?
  • Why do we make errors in a second language (or at least appear to)?
  • I took 4 years of Spanish and got all As so why am I not fluent?
  • What’s the difference between learning two languages from birth as opposed to learning a second language later in life?
  • What about individual differences like motivation and aptitude?
  • Why do I still have an accent?
  • Is there a best way to teach languages?
  • How do I design pedagogical practice to facilitate second language acquisition?

You will have the opportunity to design and teach a brief mini online language lesson in the language of your choice.


Italian 5101 – Intensive Italian

Instructor TBA, In-Person, MWF 11:10 am - 12:30 pm, 5 credit hours

GE Foreign Language

Covers the same material in Italian 1101, 1102, and 1103 in one semester course. The course is necessarily fast-paced and ideal for students who find learning foreign languages fun and interesting. Previous foreign language study ideal but not required. Not open to native speakers of Italian.


Italian 5194 - Group Studies in Italian

Professor Jonathan Mullins, In-Person, TR 11:10pm-12:30pm, 3 credit hours

This course takes a deep dive into the historical moments figured in Marco Tullio Giordana’s 2003 film The Best of Youth from the early 1960s to the early 2000s. Through the lens of this six hour-long family melodrama, students will gain an understanding how Italians navigated the political movements of the 1960s, reform to the country’s psychiatric and educational systems, organized crime and political violence. Students will thus leave the course with an in-depth understanding of the last 60 years of Italian history while enriching their command of their Italian both in writing and speaking. 

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Italian 5101 – Intensive Italian

Instructor TBA, MWF 11:10 am - 12:30 pm, 5 credit hours

GE Foreign Language

Covers the same material in Italian 1101, 1102, and 1103 in one semester course. The course is necessarily fast-paced and ideal for students who find learning foreign languages fun and interesting. Previous foreign language study ideal but not required. Not open to native speakers of Italian.


Italian 5194 - Group Studies in Italian 

Professor Jonathan Mullins, In-Person, TR 11:10pm-12:30pm, 3 credit hours

This course takes a deep dive into the historical moments figured in Marco Tullio Giordana’s 2003 film The Best of Youth from the early 1960s to the early 2000s. Through the lens of this six hour-long family melodrama, students will gain an understanding how Italians navigated the political movements of the 1960s, reform to the country’s psychiatric and educational systems, organized crime and political violence. Students will thus leave the course with an in-depth understanding of the last 60 years of Italian history while enriching their command of their Italian both in writing and speaking. 


FRIT (French and Italian) 8302 – Issues in Second Language Acquisition: Input Processing, Structured Input, & Grammar Instruction: Theory, Research & Classroom Application

Professor Wynne Wong, Asynchronous ONLINE, 3 credit hours

FRIT 8302

Taught in English

Watch Course Video Intro

Course Delivery: This 3-credit course, offered by the Department of French & Italian at OSU, is taught in English, and delivered completely online in an asynchronous format. The course may be taken from anywhere at any time as long as assignments are completed by established due dates. Regular optional synchronous meetings are also available via Carmen Zoom.

Who Is This Course For?

This course is for anyone interested in second language studies/language teaching and will count toward the Graduate Interdisciplinary Specialization (GIS) in Second Language Studies. Secondary education teachers are also welcome. FR 8301 is *not* a prerequisite for this course.

Course Description

Only input that has been processed can impact second language acquisition (SLA). Therefore, the study of input processing is integral to SLA research and for the development of effective pedagogical activities for classroom learning. While Corder (1967) was the first to make the distinction between input and intake, it was VanPatten’s (1996) model of input processing that provided the most elaborate account of how L2 learners derive intake from input by focusing on these critical questions: What input data do L2 learners attend to (and not attend to)? Why do they process certain data and not others? How does what they attend to (and not attend to) affect acquisition?

This course examines theoretical and instructional implications of research on input processing for the acquisition of grammar. You will be able to read research on input processing with a critical eye and understand the instructional implications of this research. You will learn how to create pedagogical interventions including structured input activities to help language learners process input better to support their acquisition of grammar.

Topics include (but are not limited to):

  • the nature of input processing (what gets and does not get processed and why);
  • current research trends in input processing;
  • the role of explicit explanation in input processing;
  • how processing instruction is different from other pedagogical interventions;
  • how to create structured input activities for the classroom;
  • how to create other input-based grammar activities to support the acquisition of grammar.

A variety of activities have been incorporated into this distance learning course to encourage student engagement and interaction, and to create an enjoyable online learning experience.

Different options for the final project are available to meet the needs and interests of different students taking the course.


FRIT (French and Italian) 8601 – Theory and Practice – Thinking Through Medical Humanities in Times of COVID-19

Professor Lucille Toth, W 2:20 pm - 5:00 pm, 3 credit hours

In this course, we will explore how Western medicine and culture conceptualize bodies, pathology, and health, and the ways in which categories such as race, class and gender complicate political, social, and esthetic implications of the arts and letters in both global and domestic health crisis. AIDS, cancer, hysteria, are among medical conditions that inspired artists and authors throughout History. Using the framework of Medical Humanities, we will explore 20th and 21st-century representations of medicine and illness in literature, dance, cinema, and pop culture by analyzing specific pieces of art in both the Francophone world and Italy.

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History of Art 3611 - Impressionism

Professor Andrew Shelton, In-Person, TR 3:55pm-5:15pm, 3 credit hours, Class #35347

French Impressionism Artwork

GE VPA course, GE foundation lit, vis and performing arts course. Taught in English. 

This course offers a historical and critical exploration of one of the most beloved movements in the entire history of Western art: French Impressionism.  In addition to considering the major artists of this movement and the social, political, and cultural contexts in which they lived and worked, the course will also examine the enduring fascination with Impressionism throughout the past 140 years. Among the questions we will ask: Is the current popularity of Impressionism based on a misunderstanding of the radical nature of what was in reality a revolutionary art form; or, alternatively, is its current stature based on a legitimate appreciation of what is quintessentially an “easy,” escapist, “viewer-friendly” art form?  How is it, in short, that the precedent of French Impressionism continues to inform so powerfully our ideas and values about art today?  To what extent has the general popularity and commercial success of Impressionism produced a backlash among academic art historians, professional artists, and other art-world elites or “insiders”?

Can count toward the French and French and Francophone Studies majors.