This upper-division course is a three-part exploration of Germany’s perceptions of Japan from the late 19th century to the present. We will analyze the myriad ways Germany imagined, depicted, and represented Japan to German audiences in the media, film, literature and contemporary culture. In the first section, we begin the course comparing the development of both Germany and Japan into unified nation-states and their transformations into global powers and empires between 1884 and 1935. We then look at the military alliance between Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan and how the consequences of that alliance shaped postwar German identity and memory culture. In the final section of the course, we explore how representations of Japan today are still shaped by 19th century orientalist narratives and conclude by examining how that dynamic is reversed in contemporary Japanese culture.

(same as 25740 German 150, Lec A;   26124 GlblClt 103B, Lec A;   and 26707 History 114, Lec C)

Days: MO WE  02:00-03:20 PM

Before Indiana Jones and The Lord of the Rings, the Quest for the Holy Grail is still the ultimate treasure hunt.  A supernatural object, it suddenly appears in the middle of the King Arthur project, turning a simple adventure series into a profound spiritual, and epistemological, quest.  Arthurian literature is the original fan fiction.  Beginning as an obscure chieftain fighting against Saxon invaders after the Romans left, Arthur became a literary phenomenon with writers of all sorts adding and creating new episodes and stories.  This course will explore Arthurian literature from its beginnings as a small paragraph in a Latin history of Britain to the development of an entire imaginary world with glittering lovers like Lancelot and Tristan, adulterous queens, and of course, the infamous hunt for a supernatural grail.
Days: MO WE  01:00-01:50 PM

E102B The Age of Sensibility

Defying chronology, we return to the Age of Sensibility as "emotion studies" accelerate across the disciplines. Like David Hume, we see how emotion is a matter of status (not the status of matter); like William Collins, we find fear in our creepy world (not just in our brains), and like Mary Wollstonecraft, we discover how sensibility that appear naturally tied to gender in fact has a sinister history. Finally, with Belinda Royall Sutton on what we now call "the case for reparations," we confront the terrors and the aspirations of slavery that still shape our world today. In this course we survey key works of 18th-century fiction, poetry, psychology, law, and social thought, to address these issues and others, learning along the way how critical work in the present proceeds by way of literary history. The format for the class includes lecture, collaborative work, peer review, and discussion. There are 5 short writing assignments, and one longer project – either argumentative or creative – that goes through a careful drafting and revision process. All materials will be collected via midterm and final Canvas LMS portfolios, which are worth 30% and 60% of your final grade, respectively.
Days: MO WE  05:00-05:50 PM

GER 150: Germany & Japan: Fear and Fascination from Meiji to Manga

This upper-division course is a three-part exploration of Germany’s perceptions of Japan from the late 19th century to the present. We will analyze the myriad ways Germany imagined, depicted, and represented Japan to German audiences in the media, film, literature and contemporary culture. In the first section, we begin the course comparing the development of both Germany and Japan into unified nation-states and their transformations into global powers and empires between 1884 and 1935. We then look at the military alliance between Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan and how the consequences of that alliance shaped postwar German identity and memory culture. In the final section of the course, we explore how representations of Japan today are still shaped by 19th century orientalist narratives and conclude by examining how that dynamic is reversed in contemporary Japanese culture.

*Course readings for GER 150 are in English.
Days: MO WE  02:00-03:20 PM

The course is upper level and conducted like a seminar—a weekly conversation on topics arising from the reading of primary sources (from 600 BCE to now).  No tests.  But there is weekly reading and weekly writing. You’ll compose written summaries of the readings  (to prove you read it)  and you’ll compose short ‘thought’ essays about ideas in the readings that set in motion your further thinking on the matter.  Your short thought essays become topics we all can discuss in class. Note:  there is reading and writing due the first day of class  (see assignments on Canvas).  In addition to reading and writing, you must talk (and listen) in our class discussions, and obviously you must show up for that. An absence in a once-a-week class is a whole week of absences. You are graded 50% each on writing and speaking  (with an absence losing all speaking points for that week).  The primary sources you’ll read represent only a tiny portion of a vast literature of religious skepticism, a literature that no one gets exposed to in their educational career, from kindergarten through the Ph.D.  (Why do you think that is?)  There is one textbook available via PDF and possibly in the UCI bookstore:  “Varieties of Unbelief from Epicurus to Sartre,” edited by J.C.A. Gaskin.
Same as Rel Std 103
Days: WE  03:00-05:50 PM

This course explores the global implications of one of the most significant conflicts of the twentieth century—the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939). Often characterized as a prelude to World War II, the Spanish Civil War’s impact expanded far beyond the reaches of Europe, with volunteers traveling from the United States, Latin America, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia to join the ranks of republican, revolutionary, and fascist forces throughout Spain. This course examines the origins of the conflict while also tracing the reasons why it affected such diverse groups of people throughout the world.
Days: TU TH  11:00-12:20 PM

The Russian Revolution of 1917 was a defining moment of the twentieth century that marked the birth of the world's first socialist state and inaugurated the ideological conflict of the Cold War. In fact, several separate revolutions occurred that year, from the overthrow of the tsar in February through the Bolshevik Party’s seizure of power in October. This course delves deeply into the revolutionary year of 1917, exploring the impact of World War I, the collapse of the monarchy, the dynamics of mass social movements, the evolving tactics and platforms of political parties, and especially the dreams, aspirations, and fears that motivated ordinary people. We will immerse ourselves in the ephemera of revolution - songs, manifestos, letters, proclamations, photographs, news reports – in order to explore revolution as lived experience. At the end of the quarter, we will watch one of the classic revolutionary films about 1917 in order to consider how the revolution was subsequently remembered and commemorated.

Restriction: Upper-division students only. History Majors have first consideration for enrollment.
Days: TU  12:00-02:50 PM

ITA150: LAUGHING IN MEDIEVAL AND EARLY MODERN EUROPE

Parody, satire, comedy, and burlesque are among the most prevalent forms of comedy in European literary production during the medieval and Renaissance periods. This upper-division course aims to provide an overview of the cultural and historical contexts in which these comedic texts were produced, and the reasons why parody of sacred texts, political satire, scatological burlesque, trivialism, and other forms of comedy were popular during these eras. The course covers material from the late Middle Ages (12th century) to the Early Modern period (end of the 16th century) across a variety of literary genres. The class provides a cultural and historical introduction to representative works originally composed in Western European languages, including Italian, Old French, Occitan, Castilian, and Medieval Latin, by authors such as Giovanni Boccaccio, Juan Ruiz, Niccolò Machiavelli, Erasmus of Rotterdam, and Rabelais, among others. Students will explore how changes in social, political, and economic contexts have shaped rhetorical and cultural structures in the perception of humor. They will analyze both the cultural and performative expectations of the audience for such productions and reflect on what has changed and what remains in the development of the sense of humor and laughter from the past to the present times.
Days: TU TH  02:00-03:20 PM

Emphasis/Category: World Religious Traditions (Category 1)

The course is upper level and conducted like a seminar—a weekly conversation on topics arising from the reading of primary sources (from 600 BCE to now).  No tests.  But there is weekly reading and weekly writing. You’ll compose written summaries of the readings  (to prove you read it)  and you’ll compose short ‘thought’ essays about ideas in the readings that set in motion your further thinking on the matter.  Your short thought essays become topics we all can discuss in class. Note:  there is reading and writing due the first day of class  (see assignments on Canvas).  In addition to reading and writing, you must talk (and listen) in our class discussions, and obviously you must show up for that. An absence in a once-a-week class is a whole week of absences. You are graded 50% each on writing and speaking  (with an absence losing all speaking points for that week).  The primary sources you’ll read represent only a tiny portion of a vast literature of religious skepticism, a literature that no one gets exposed to in their educational career, from kindergarten through the Ph.D.  (Why do you think that is?)  There is one textbook available via PDF and possibly in the UCI bookstore:  “Varieties of Unbelief from Epicurus to Sartre,” edited by J.C.A. Gaskin.

Same as History 114 Section A

Days: WE  03:00-05:50 PM

Introduction to the major authors and movements of Iberian literature and culture from the Middle Ages to the present.
Prerequisite: SPANISH 3 or SPANISH 3H or AP Spanish Literature Exam with a minimum score of 4. Placement into SPANISH 101A is also accepted.

Days: MO WE  10:00-10:50 AM

This course examines Spanish Romanticism as a key cultural movement for understanding the promises and contradictions of modernity. Rather than viewing Romanticism as a purely emotional reaction, the course approaches it as a critical response to Enlightenment rationalism, political centralization, industrial change, and emerging mass culture. Through works by Francisco de Goya, Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer, Rosalía de Castro, José de Espronceda, Mariano José de Larra, and José María Blanco White, students will explore how Spanish Romanticism interrogated modern subjectivity, history, and cultural identity. Special attention is given to Romantic genres such as lyric song, the legend, the literary chronicle, autobiography, and Gothic and horror-inflected narratives, as well as to figures like Don Juan, whose reinvention reveals Romanticism’s engagement with transgression, alienation, and the darker dimensions of modern life.


Days: MO WE  02:00-02:50 PM

Emphasis/Category: Locating Europes and European Colonies
Parody, satire, comedy, and burlesque are among the most prevalent forms of comedy in European literary production during the medieval and Renaissance periods. This upper-division course aims to provide an overview of the cultural and historical contexts in which these comedic texts were produced, and the reasons why parody of sacred texts, political satire, scatological burlesque, trivialism, and other forms of comedy were popular during these eras. The course covers material from the late Middle Ages (12th century) to the Early Modern period (end of the 16th century) across a variety of literary genres. The class provides a cultural and historical introduction to representative works originally composed in Western European languages, including Italian, Old French, Occitan, Castilian, and Medieval Latin, by authors such as Giovanni Boccaccio, Juan Ruiz, Niccolò Machiavelli, Erasmus of Rotterdam, and Rabelais, among others. Students will explore how changes in social, political, and economic contexts have shaped rhetorical and cultural structures in the perception of humor. They will analyze both the cultural and performative expectations of the audience for such productions and reflect on what has changed and what remains in the development of the sense of humor and laughter from the past to the present times.
Days: T TH  02:00-03:20 PM

Emphasis/Category: Locating Europes and European Colonies, Inter-Area Studies
The era of New Imperialism (1880–1914) was underpinned by racial and cultural hierarchies that cast Europe as superior and therefore morally justified in pursuing global dominance over “uncivilized” territories. Echoes of Empire examines both the ideological foundations of New Imperialism and the systems of governance it produced, before turning to the processes of decolonization that radically reshaped Europe in the decades after the Second World War. The course focuses on how late colonialism transformed Europe through demographic shifts, migration policies, and cultural and political debates about national identity. Readings and films reveal how Europe continues to negotiate its colonial past through nostalgia, silence, and avoidance. Case studies from Britain, Germany, France, and the Netherlands illustrate how colonial legacies remain central to contemporary debates over multiculturalism, populism, and memory. By the end of the course, students will gain both historical literacy and the tools to assess how late colonialism continues to influence European identity and politics.
Days: MO WE  02:00-03:20 PM