Undergraduate Seminars
All Undergraduate Seminars are taught in English. No prerequisites are required.
Browse and search our fall 2025 Undergraduate Seminars.
For more information on sections and schedules, view the Schedule of Classes.
82-179 Multicultural Japan
This course is taught in English and fulfills the Intercultural & Global Inquiry Gen Ed requirement!
Students will examine multicultural situations in Japan, where foreign migrants, indigenous peoples, and hafu live and work with Japanese people, from historical,…
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82-181 Classical Latin: Rome's Cultural and Linguistic Legacy
Why are so many scientific, medical, and legal terms Latinate in origin? How can studying a dead language help us learn about living ones? How can studying this ancient language help us understand our modern world? In this course, we will explore these questions through…
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82-182 Local Advocacy for Global Change
When countries committed to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, they specifically recognized the critical role of local authorities. But how can these local actors engage in global policy discussions, taking into account different cultures and contexts? In…
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82-183 AI for Humanities
FALL 2025: The Multi-dimensions of World Languages, Arts & Cultures
In this dynamic course, you will see how cutting-edge AI intertwines with the vibrant threads of global languages, arts, and cultures. Through engaging lectures, hands-on activities, and innovative…
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82-184 Linguistic and Cultural Equity: Theories and Practice
Fulfills the 'Perspectives on Justice and Injustice' GenEd requirement!
Globally, people speak different languages. There are mainstream languages that are well accepted and used in business, in media, in religion, in politics, and in other spaces of social interaction.…
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82-185 Global Food Cultures
This innovative, team-taught course introduces students to Food Studies as an interdisciplinary field that intersects with the Humanities to examine how food serves as a powerful tool for understanding broader cultural, social, economic, and political structures.
Through…
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82-186 Sex and Romance in Study Abroad
Fulfills 'Contextual Thinking' GenEd requirement! Description coming soon! Contact the instructor with questions. VIEW the Schedule of Classes for more details
82-198 Undergrad Research Training
These courses are designed to give eligible and interested students some hands-on research experience working on a faculty project or in a lab in ways that might stimulate and nurture the students' interest in doing more research. They are open to students who are Dietrich…
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82-200 Careers, Cultures, & Languages
But what are you going to do with it? is a question you may have heard from family members and friends when you declared your intention to major or minor in Modern Languages. Many people assume there are no good jobs out there for people with a passion for learning…
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82-250 Digital Realities: Introducing Immersive Technologies for Arts and Culture
Fulfills the 'Humanities' GenEd requirement!
As immersive and spatial media increasingly feature in our cultural life, innovators are needed who can blend technological skills with creative imagination and critical humanistic practice. This introductory course aims to…
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82-265 Third Cinema: People, Language & Culture in Documentary Storytelling
Could you create compelling narratives with cultural resonance? Could you use film as a tool for understanding and cross-cultural dialogue? In a world looking for connection, this course brings you into the world of documentary filmmaking, exploring languages, cultures,…
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82-280 Bilingual & Bicultural Experiences in the US
Fulfills Intercultural and Global Inquiry Gen Ed requirement!
What does it mean to be bilingual in the USA, when approximately 80 of Americans are monolingual English-speakers? In this course, we will learn about the nature and experience of bilingualism and biculturalism…
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82-281 Contextual Thinking
Taught in English. Fulfills Contextual Thinking Gen Ed requirement
Section A: Gender and Sexuality in the Spanish-speaking world
In recent years, issues of gender and sexuality in the Spanish-speaking world have garnered much international attention - for…
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82-281 Pandemic Pop Cultures
Fulfills "Contextual Thinking" Gen Ed requirement.
Living through a global pandemic is new, challenging, and downright difficult. And yet, pandemics have existed for centuries. What might we gain from viewing our current reality through cultural and historical lenses that…
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82-282 Disciplinary Perspectives: Humanities
Literature, film, music, art, theater, and other forms of humanistic artistic expressions, play an important role in society. Few moments in life are as moving as listening to the right song at the right time, and many of us can list films and/or books that have shaped who…
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82-282 Interpreting Global Texts & Cultures
Fulfills 'Humanities' Gen Ed requirement!
Literature, film, music, art, theater, and other forms of humanistic artistic expressions, play an important role in society. Few moments in life are as moving as listening to the right song at the right time, and many of us can…
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82-283 Language Diversity & Cultural Identity
Fulfills 'Intercultural and Global Inquiry' Gen Ed requirement!
Culture, language, and identity are intimately tied together. Individuals, families, communities, and nations identify themselves in relation to the language or languages they speak. Local, national, and…
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82-284 Multicultural Pittsburgh: VR Storytelling
Pittsburgh is known for its multicultural landscape and communities. Through this course, students will explore the cultures, identities, languages, and groups that have historically shaped, and are still shaping Pittsburgh. Students will develop digital documentation of…
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82-285 The Arts in Modern Languages
Taught in English. Fulfills Intercultural and Global Inquiry Gen Ed requirement
This course will explore the interrelations between society, classical and popular music, and art in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries in Europe and the United States. We…
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82-285 Podcasting: Language and Culture Through Storytelling
Fulfills 'The Arts' Gen Ed requirement
Do you love stories? Stories told on the radio have always had significant power. For example, the 1938 War of the Worlds broadcast by Orson Welles was so effective that it panicked the entire United States. Today, podcasts such as…
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82-286 Intercultural and Global Inquiry: Of Minorities and Migrants: Exploring Germany from the Margins
Taught in English. Fulfills Intercultural and Global Inquiry Gen Ed requirement
Germany today is home to a multi-cultural and ethnically diverse population, largely the result of accelerated migratory flows in the wake of the country's postwar era. In this course,…
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82-286 Of Minorities & Migrants: Exploring Germany from the Margins
Germany today is home to a multi-cultural and ethnically diverse population, largely the result of accelerated migratory flows in the wake of the country's postwar era. In this course, we will explore the impact and cultural dimensions of migrations through the lens of…
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82-286E Perceptions of Culture and Identity
Section E of 82-286
Fulfills "Intercultural & Global Inquiry" Gen Ed requirement.
In the days when threats were constant, human beings needed to assess possible danger quickly. Today, before even speaking, our brain assesses and categorizes others. Needless to say,…
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82-288 Everyday Learning: Designing Learning Experiences in Times of Unrest & Uncertainty
Could you make complex ideas accessible and engaging to learners everywhere? Could you use what you know to make society better, teach as an agent of social change? In these times of Covid-19 many people have used learning to stay connected with friends and communities,…
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82-289 Modern Languages in the World: Summer Study Abroad
This course is specifically designed for students who are participating in Modern Languages summer study abroad programs and is a required component of the experience. This course will discuss some of the necessary logistics for the trip, and moreover will get students…
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