The Department of Modern Languages and Literatures regularly offers instruction in Chinese, French, German, Russian, and Spanish. Details about the study of each of these languages at Rhodes are found under the subject heading for that specific language. In addition to literature and culture courses in the modern languages, the department also offers some courses in literature and culture in English translation. Classes in Portuguese, Italian, Japanese, and Arabic are available through consortial agreement with the University of Memphis.

The F10 Degree Requirement. The degree requirement in languages may be met by the successful completion of any appropriate four-credit course numbered 201 or higher or by demonstrating proficiency through placement into a language course at a level above 201 and approval by the appropriate language faculty. Students who take 201 (or higher) or the equivalent at another institution can earn transfer credit, but must still demonstrate proficiency (see above) in the specific language before the degree requirement is satisfied. This pertains to languages that are taught at Rhodes. Multilingual students may petition to fulfill the requirement with a language not taught at Rhodes via alternative testing. Students must submit their petition for alternative fulfillment of the F10 before the end of their second year.

All students who plan to fulfill Rhodes’ foreign language degree requirement in a language they have previously studied for two years or more in high school must take a placement test in that language. For French, German, Russian, and Spanish, scores on that test will be used to place students in the course most appropriate for them at Rhodes. Students with fewer than two years in a language may enter that language at the 101 level. A student may not take a course numbered 101 in any language for academic credit if two or more years of that language were completed in high school. Any student who scores at the 202 level or higher on the placement test will need to consult with the department to see if he or she fulfills Rhodes’ foreign language requirement. Students wishing to fulfill the F10 requirement in a language not previously studied should sign up for a course numbered 101 in that language.

In the modern languages, placement tests typically cover reading comprehension and grammar. Literature or culture courses taken in translation do not satisfy the foreign language degree requirement.

The mission of the current Chinese Studies Program is to educate students in Chinese language, literature, culture, history, politics and religion, and to provide students with academic knowledge and experiences to understand China as both an ancient civilization and an emerging global power.  In this spirit, Chinese Studies majors will also learn to appreciate their own positions vis-à-vis the challenges inherent in China's rise to global prominence, confronting difficult questions of nationalism and ethnocentrism.  As an interdisciplinary program, Chinese Studies draws on faculty expertise from various departments and prepares students for post-graduate studies, China related employment opportunities and future engagement of China.

A total of 36 credits as follows:

1. Chinese 202, 301 and 302

2. Three of the following: 

Chinese 305: Modern Chinese Literature in Translation

Chinese 306: Introduction to East Asian Cultures

Chinese 307: Orientalism and Global China on Screen

Chinese 314: Introduction to Chinese Culture

Chinese 315: Gender in Chinese Literature

Chinese 316: Asian Urbanization through Cinema

Chinese 318: Taste, Culture and Power: Asia and Global Foodways

Chinese 320: Contemporary Chinese Cinema

Chinese 409: Special Topics

3. Two of the following:

History 282: Traditional China

History 283: Modern China

History 481: Cold War in East Asia

Religious Studies 258 Topics: History of Religions (Buddhism)

INTS 261: Government and Politics of China

INTS 262: China’s Foreign Policy

INTS 263: Comparative Political Economy of East Asia

INTS 264: China-Taiwan-US Relations

4. Chinese 485: Senior Seminar

A total of twenty (20) credits in Chinese language, literature and culture. The credits are spread across the following courses:

1. Chinese 202, 301 and 302

2. Two of the Chinese Literature and Culture courses:

Chinese 205: Modern Chinese Literature in Translation

Chinese 206: Introduction to East Asian Cultures

Chinese 207: Orientalism and Global China on Screen

Chinese 210: Chinese Literary Heritage

Chinese 214: Introduction to Chinese Culture

Chinese 215: Gender in Chinese Literature

Chinese 216: Asian Urbanization through Cinema

Chinese 218: Taste, Culture and Power: Asia and Global Foodways

Chinese 220: Contemporary Chinese Cinema

Chinese 409: Special Topics

*Content courses focused on China, offered by the Department of History, International Studies and Religious Studies, can be used as substations for Category 2

A minimum of 40 hours above 201 in French; a research paper on a specific cultural or literary topic; demonstrated proficiency in spoken and written French. A study abroad experience in a French-speaking country is recommended but not required. Approval by the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures is required.

A total of forty (40) credits as follows:

1. French 201 and 202*.
2. French 301, 486.
3. French 320, 321 or 322.
4. French 323, 324 or 335.
5. Sixteen (16) additional credits in French (4 four-credit courses) four of which must be at the 300-400 level, depending on initial language placement.

Students who choose to take appropriate 300-400 level courses offered by the French section in English may count up to two such courses toward the major, as long as they have a French language component.

Majors are strongly encouraged to spend a semester or a year in a French or Francophone university. Departmentally pre-approved courses taken there will normally be accepted as courses in the major.

*French 201 may count towards the major. Students whose placement is above the 201 level are neither required nor allowed to take courses numbering below their placement level for credit towards the major. Students placing above 201 are still required to take a total of 40 credits for the major.

A total of twenty (20) credits as follows:

1. French 201 and 202*.
2. French 301.
3. French 320, 321, 322, 323, 324, or 335.
4. Additional elective four-credit courses at the 300-400 level.

Minors are strongly encouraged to study in a French or Francophone university. Courses taken abroad should be pre-approved by the section head to count towards the minor.

Students who choose to take appropriate 300-400 level courses offered by the French section in English may count only one such course toward the minor, as long as the course has a French component.

*French 201 may count towards the minor. Students whose placement is above the 201 level are neither required nor allowed to take courses numbering below their placement level for credit toward the minor. Students placing above 201 are still required to take 20 credits for the minor.

A minimum of 40 credits above German 201; a research paper on a specific literary, linguistic, or cultural topic; demonstrated proficiency in spoken and written German.

Requirements for a Major in German Studies

A total of nine courses (36 credits) as follows:

1. The German Studies major begins from the point of student’s German language course placement. No course below a student’s language course placement can be counted towards the German Studies major.
2. Students must complete German 301, 302, and 486 (Capstone Project).
3. German 305 taken abroad may be substituted for either 301 or 302, but not both.
4. Students choose from one of the following concentrations (below):

A: German Language, Literature, and Culture

Students may include one German Studies course taught in English or any relevant course with approval of major advisor.

Students must complete German 320 or 321.

The focus of the “German Language, Literature, and Culture” concentration is the development of advanced language and cultural proficiency and an in-depth critical understanding of the German-speaking world.

B: Interdisciplinary German

Students may include two German Studies courses taught in English or any relevant course with approval of major advisor.

 The focus of the “Interdisciplinary German” concentration is for students to develop upper-intermediate German language proficiency and a critical understanding of the German-speaking world from interdisciplinary perspectives.

Majors are strongly encouraged to participate in the exchange program with the University of Tübingen, the University of Landau, or with a departmentally approved ISEP program during their junior years; equivalent courses from there will be accepted as substitutes.

A total of six courses (24 credits) as follows:

1. The German Studies minor begins from the point of student’s German language course placement. No course below a student’s language course placement can be counted towards the German Studies minor.
2. Student must complete German 301 and 302.
3. Students initially placing into 102 or higher must complete German 320 or 321.
4. German 301 or 302 must be taken before any other 300-level course is attempted but may be taken concurrently with other 300-level courses.
5. German 305 taken abroad may be substituted for either 301 or 302, but not both.
6. Students may include one German Studies course taught in English or any relevant course with approval of minor advisor.

Minors are strongly encouraged to participate in an approved summer German immersion or study abroad program. See minor adviser for details.

Professors

Han Li. 2008. Chair. B.A. Nanjing University; Ph.D. University of California, Irvine (Culture in Later Imperial China, Contemporary Chinese Cinema and Media.)

Associate Professors
 

Kathleen Anne Doyle. 1999. B.A., Saint Xavier College, Chicago; M.A. and Ph.D., University of Chicago (Spanish language, Modernism in Spain, Contemporary Peninsular Spanish literature, Gender and Sexuality Studies)

Eric Henager. 1995. B.A., Rhodes College; M.A. and Ph.D., University of Illinois (Spanish language, Contemporary Latin American literatures and cultures, popular culture and literature, Latin American Studies)

Alexandra Kostina. 1996. M.A. Novgorod State University; Ph.D. Gornyi University/Russian State Pedagogical University (Russian language, linguistics, and culture)

Laura Loth. 2009. B.A. College of William and Mary; M.A. and Ph.D., University of Minnesota (French and Francophone literature and film, Environmental Studies, Film Studies)

Elizabeth Marcela Pettinaroli. 2007. B.A. Franklin and Marshall College; M.A. and Ph.D., University of Virginia (Latin American literature, Ecocritical Studies, Urban and Environmental Studies, Bibliodiversity, Spanish language in socio-cultural contexts)
 

Abou-Bakar Mamah. 2018. B.A. and M.A. University of Lomé, Togo; Ph.D. University of Minnesota (French critical theory, Structuralism, French and Francophone Studies.)

Alberto del Pozo Martínez. 2008. Licenciado en Filología, Universidad de Zaragoza. M.A. and Ph.D. Vanderbilt University (Modern Spanish American literature and Literary Theory.)
 

Assistant Professors
 

Stacey E. Battis. 2022. B.A. Smith College; M.A. and Ph.D. University of California, Berkeley (Early modern French literature, French and Francophone Studies, Gender and Sexuality Studies)

Rachel Noël Bauer. 2008. B.A. Duquesne University; M.A. Purdue University; Ph.D. Vanderbilt University (Early Modern Spanish literature, Golden Age narrative, Don Quixote de la Mancha.)

Juanita Bernal Benavides. 2022. B.A. and M.A. Universidad de los Andes; Ph.D. University of Michigan 

Kathryn Holihan. 2021. B.A. Oberlin College;  Ph.D, University of Michigan (Late-19th through 20th-century German Studies, Science Studies, Museum Studies)

Bruce M. Jackson, Jr. 2021. B.A. and M.A. Middle Tennessee State University; Ph.D. University of Tennessee, Knoxville (Mid-19th to Mid-20th century Spanish Peninsular literature and culture, minority cultures in contemporary Spain)

Ricardo Martins. 2023. B.A. Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais; M.A. and Ph.D. Indiana University (Mid-20th century - contemporary Transnational and Latin American literature and cinema, Brazilian Favelas, Videogames, Media Studies)

Nina Morais. 2023. B.A. Federal University of Minas Gerais; M.A. Indiana University. (Transcultural, Transnational and Migration Studies; Germany-Africa and Germany-South America Relations; Contemporary German Theater and Film)

Catherine Sundt. 2012. B.A. Grand Valley State University; M.A. and Ph.D. The Ohio State University (Modern Spanish literature and Urban literature.)

Yinyin Xue. 2020. B.A. Sichuan International Studies University; M.A. Peking University; M.A. and Ph.D. University of Wisconsin-Madison (Twentieth-century Chinese literature and culture)

Instructors

Sarah Finley. 2020. B.A. and M.Ed. Vanderbilt University (French language and Francophone cultures). 

Staff
 

Christy Waldkirch. 2005. Departmental Assistant.

Modern Languages 150. Selected Foreign Languages.

Credits: Variable.

Certain foreign languages not listed above as regular course offerings are taught on occasion. Information concerning languages not regularly taught may be obtained from the Registrar or the department chair.

Modern Languages 240. Language Acquisition and Pedagogy.

Spring. Credits: 4

This course is a survey of a range of issues related to language acquisition and teaching. Among the areas covered are instructional methodologies and approaches, second language acquisition theories, language skill development, language teaching and learning technology, communicative and cultural competency, and assessment.

Rhodes offers a secondary licensure program within the Teaching and Learning track of the Educational Studies major. This program prepares students to teach middle and/or high school in one of eleven endorsement areas, including the following languages: Chinese, English, French, German, Latin, Russian, and Spanish. The course of study for secondary licensure students is designed with guidance from faculty members in the discipline in which the student is being certified as well as members of the Educational Studies Program. All secondary licensure candidates are required to double major in Educational Studies and their endorsement discipline.

Modern Languages 260. International Science Fiction and Utopia: Shaping of Ideological Landscapes

Summer. Credits: 4

Degree requirements: F4 and F9

We are living through a time of great socio-political transformations, and history shows us that many cultural products labeled “science fiction” have become perfect metaphors of our fears and hopes (eg: Brave New World and 1984). Up to a point, science fiction allows us to objectively see the aspirations and taboos of our intellectual and ideological landscape. But what is then the relation between science fiction and utopia? In this course, we will widely question the limits of these two concepts by bringing together novels and films belonging to different cultural traditions. We will go far beyond the limits of Anglo-Saxon cultural production (More, Huxley, Orwell, or Kubrick, among others) and engage a body of international cultural texts and films (Zamyatin, Borges, Lem, Godard) which could help us understand the limits and points of contact of each tradition/culture; that is to say, the narrative nature of our "worlds."

Modern Languages 280. Introduction to General Linguistics.

Fall or Spring. Credits: 4

Degree Requirements: F9

The Introduction to General Linguistics course presents language as a specific object of knowledge, thought, science, and philosophy. Students will be introduced to the major linguistic theories and examine language as a system and structure at its various levels, as well as a tool to guide, plan, and monitor human activity. Offered in alternate years.

Modern Languages 460. Internship.

Fall, Spring. Credits: 1-4

Degree Requirements: F11

Internships in the departmental languages are occasionally available for language majors and permit a qualified student to receive academic credit for an internship experience on or off campus, for example by working with a business, a non-profit organization, or within the department itself. The internship, which requires of the student an advanced competence in a foreign language, must entail a significant encounter with a foreign language. Working with a faculty mentor, students must submit a project proposal for the internship prior to the beginning of the internship itself. The completed project will be graded by the faculty mentor. Intradepartmental internships will be reserved for students planning to continue their studies in a foreign language and culture beyond the undergraduate level. Such internal internships will involve working with a faculty mentor on projects of a diverse nature that seek to enhance the program offerings of the language section. Placements must be approved by the faculty mentor who teaches the language in question and the chair of the department. Internship credit will not be awarded retroactively and does not count toward the total number of credits required for the major or minor.
Pass/Fail only.

Students can spend a summer, semester, or academic year in Russia through such nationally-recognized programs as the Council for International and Educational Exchange (CIEE), the American Council on the Teaching of Russian (ACTR),School of Russian and Asian Studies (SRAS), and American Institue for Foreign Study (AIFS). Summer Internships in Russia are available through Crossroads Eurasia.

A total of thirty-six (36) credits above Russian 201 as follows:

1. Russian 202. Intermediate Russian
2. Russian 205: The Russian Religious Mind; and either Russian 212: Prophets, Princesses, and Revolutionaries or Russian 300: Dostoevsky
3. Two courses from Russian 301, 302, 309 (All advanced Russian)
4. Russian 410: Analytical Reading, Russian 486: Senior seminar
5. Russian 285: Putin’s Russia and the Media and ML280: Introduction into General Linguistics

Majors are encouraged to spend at least one semester studying in Russia.

A total of twenty (20) credits as follows:

1.  Russian 202 (Intermediate Russian), 301 (Advanced Russian), 302 (Advanced Russian)
2. Two of the following: Russian 205: Russian Religious Mind, 212: Prophets, Princesses, and Revolutionaries, 285: Putin’s Russian and the Media, 300: Dostoevsky, 410: Analytical Reading

Substitutions are possible (say, you took a relevant course in IS or History, they can be applied toward your major or minor), which may make it easier to major or minor in Russian Studies.

101-102. Elementary Russian.

Fall, Spring. Credits: 4-4.

Elementary grammar, reading, and conversation, supplemented by materials on Russian culture.

201-202. Intermediate Russian.

Fall, Spring. Credits: 4-4.

Degree Requirement: F10 for 201.

Intermediate grammar and continued training in conversation and composition, supplemented by materials on contemporary developments in Russian society. Reading of Russian texts of graded difficulty, intermediate writing.

Prerequisites: Russian 101-102 or equivalent.

205. The Russian Religious Mind.

Fall. Credits: 4.

Degree Requirements: F1, F4

The course examines the distinct world-consciousness of Russian religious tradition and thought, with emphasis on the themes of God, good and evil, love, the search for divine justice on Earth, the material world as sanctified, and the moral content of spiritualized beauty. Reading materials are on wisdom of Orthodox monastics, form Russian religious philosophers, as well as contemporary writers.

209. Russian in Russia.

Summer. Credits: 4.

Degree Requirements: F10 for 209, F11.

A 3-4 week guided encounter with the language and culture aimed at solidifying vocabulary and grammar previously acquired. A significant cultural component is part of the course. Takes place in May-June.

212. Prophets, Princesses, and Revolutionaries: 19th-century Russian Voices.

Fall or Spring. Credits: 4.

Degree Requirements: F2i, F4. Elective for GSS minor.

Reading of representative works by major Russian writers of the nineteenth century (including Pushkin, Pavlova, Gogol, Goncharov, Soboleva, Turgenev, Tolstoy, and Dostoevsky). The literary works include Eugene Onegin, supernatural tales by Gogol, short stories by women writers, and novels by Turgenev and Dostoevsky. These works will be studied for their individual merit, what they illuminate about nineteenth-century Russian society, and their contribution to the rise of the Russian novel. All works are read in translation.

215. Giants of Russia’s Silver Age: Soloviev, Blok, and Rachmaninoff.

Spring. Credits: 4.

Degree Requirements: F5, F9.

Study of the aesthetic, thematic, and personal connections among three of Russia’s towering figures: Vladimir Soloviev, Alexander Blok, and Sergei Rachmaninoff. The course will examine in depth the creative works of the philosopher-poet Soloviev, the poet-dramatist Blok, and the composer-pianist Rachmaninoff (for whom poetry was second only to music). Master themes and global concepts linking the three creative artists include the yearning for harmony; exploration of Russian Orthodox religiosity; elevation of the –eternal feminineî of Sophia (the body of God); and connection between beauty and goodness. Representative philosophical, poetic, and musical works, respectively, of the three artists will be examined. Offered in alternate years. 

Prerequisite: At least one course from the following departments or programs: Music, Philosophy, Religious Studies, or Russian Studies.

285. Putin's Russia and the Media

Spring. Credits: 4.

Degree Requirements: F9. Elective for Media Studies major/minor.

This course explores a wide array of important media, print, and filmic sources that are underrepresented in Western narratives about contemporary Russia. Students utilize the study of these materials in order to better understand Russia today, and especially to gain awareness of how the media can shape public opinion. While calling attention to media bias, the course serves as an entry to contemporary Russian society, providing observers of Russia with a fuller understanding of her geopolitical perspectives and vision for the twenty first century. (Cross-listed with I.S. 285).

300. Dostoevsky.

Fall or Spring. Credits: 4.

Degree Requirements: F4, F9.

This course explores selected works by Dostoevsky in the context of the rise of the Russian novel. The course will examine in depth several short works by the writer, as well as the novels The Idiot and The Brothers Karamazov. Concentration is on the major literary, philosophical, and religious issues Dostoevsky raises in his prose, as well as how these issues better enable us to understand the Russian mind. All works are read in translation.

301-302. Advanced Russian.

Fall, Spring. Credits: 4-4.

Advanced grammar, with greater emphasis on the refinement of conversation and composition skills. Discussion of topics related to contemporary life in Russia.

Prerequisites: Russian 201-202 or equivalent.

309. Russian in Russia.

Summer. Credits: 4.

Degree Requirements: F11.

A 3-4 week guided encounter with the language and culture aimed at solidifying vocabulary and grammar previously acquired. A significant cultural component is part of the course. Takes place in May-June.

400. Russian Film: Film Theory.

Spring. Credits: 4.

Degree Requirements: F5.

Introduction to the ideological and aesthetic forces that have shaped the development of Soviet/Russian film, with particular attention to various film theories. Films of major directors, such as Eisenstein, Pudovkin, Tarkovsky, Kulidzhanov, and Sokurov will be studied. All films are subtitled; course is taught in English. Offered in alternate years.

410. Analytical Reading.

Fall. Credits: 4.

This course aims to teach students the strategies of understanding texts of high literary quality by analyzing elements of given texts in their complexity. While focusing mainly on psycho-poetic aspects of reading activity, the course also introduces formal approaches to text analysis, such as identifying the stylistic devices and expressive means employed by the authors.

486. Senior Seminar.

Spring. Credits: 4.

Students will be assigned individual research topics associated with the essential concept of the Russian Idea, give weekly progress reports, which will involve analytical discussion, and present their results orally and in writing at the end of the course. Special attention will be given to assigned readings from the Russian press and from Russian literature.

495-496. Honors Tutorial.

Fall, Spring. Credits: 4-8, 4-8.

A minimum of 40 credits above Spanish 202, reading in a field of specialization and preparation of a paper in that field; examinations covering Spanish literature, Spanish American literature and civilization, Spanish grammar and Spanish civilization, and the field of specialization. Approval by the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures is required.

A total of thirty-six (36) credits above Spanish 202. At least five courses must be completed at or above the 310 level. Required courses are the following:

1. Spanish 301 or 302. (the other may be taken as an elective)
2. Spanish 303, 306, and 486.
3. Five elective courses, at least four of which must be numbered 310 or above.

A total of twenty (20) credits above Spanish 202. At least one course must be completed at or above the 310 level. Required courses are the following:

1. Spanish 301 or 302. (the other may be taken as an elective)
2. Spanish 303 or 306. (the other may be taken as an elective)
3. Three elective courses, at least one of which must be numbered 310 or above.

The Language Learning and Resource Center is a dynamic resource space for all language students and faculty. The Center offers a variety of technology, digital media, and non-digital resources, as well as free language tutoring. It offers professional development opportunities and curricular support for Rhodes language faculty and functions as space for student-centered language and culture club events, departmental events, and academic symposia. The Language Learning and Resource Center is supervised by the Language Center director and a student RSA and has numerous employment opportunities for interested language students.