Online courses directory (174)

21G.031 examines the terms "avant garde" and "Kulturindustrie" in French and German culture of the early twentieth century. Considering the origins of these concepts in surrealist and dadaist literature, art, and cinema, the course then expands to engage parallel formations across Europe, particularly in the former Soviet Union. Emphasis on the specific historical conditions that enabled these interventions. Guiding questions are these: What was original about the historical avant-garde? What connections between art and revolution did avant-garde writers and artists imagine? What strategies did they deploy to meet their modernist imperatives? To what extent did their projects maintain a critical stance towards the culture industry?

Surveying key interventions in the fields of poetry, painting, sculpture, photography, film, and music, the readings also include signal moments in critical thought of the last century. Figures to be considered are: Adorno, Aragon, Bataille, Beckett, Brecht, Breton, Bürger, Duchamp, Eisenstein, Ernst, Jünger, Greenberg, Kandinsky, Malevich, Mayakovsky, and Tzara. Taught in English, but students are encouraged to consult original sources when possible.

This course explores artistic achievement in a culture that over the past century has engaged in constant and intense imaginative self-renewal. The class studies film, narrative (e.g., Márquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude), and poetry. Conducted in Spanish.

This course is an invitation to German film-making since the end of the Second World War. We investigate how German cinema captured the atmosphere of the immediate post-war years and discuss extensively major works of the "New German Cinema" of the Sixties and Seventies. We also look at examples of East Germany's film production and finally observe the very different roads German cinema has been taking from the 1990's into the present.

Asia in the Modern World: Images and Representations examines visual representations of Asia, interpreting them from both historical and modern contexts. This course is based around using the Visualizing Cultures website. Case studies focus on Japan and China from the mid-19^th to the mid-20^th centuries.

SPANISH 103 is an introductory course to the Spanish language and culture. This course uses a task and content-based approach to learning which integrates grammar in a functional use through listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Language use is encouraged through communicative activities rather than a sequence of linguistic units. Learning strategies and cultural awareness are also important objectives of the course. Course Level: Undergraduate This Work, Spanish 103 - Review of Elementary Spanish, by Tatiana Calixto is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license.

Elementary French I is a carefully sequenced and highly interactive presentation of French language and culture in a media-rich course environment including new video shot in France and Québec with young professional actors. It is designed to be used as a full course of study. To successfully use this course, you should be a motivated student with a sincere desire to learn about French language and francophone cultures, and be comfortable with computer technologies. The time commitment will typically average 6-8 hours per week. For information on studying French online vs. in person, see Who should study French Online? [1] in the course introduction. You will be prompted to create an account to access the course introduction, but you may click the “Look Inside” button to view the course without creating an account. [1] https://oli.cmu.edu/jcourse/webui/guest/activity.do?context=66b0f47680020ca600d89b07ced3c385

German is spoken by nearly one hundred million people in central European countries such as Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg and Liechtenstein, and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union. Germany is internationally recognised as the industrial and economic powerhouse of Europe, so a working knowledge of German is essential for professionals in areas such as business, finance, economics and politics. In this free online German language course you will be introduced to basic German vocabulary and grammar. You will learn about times of the day, colours, numbers, the alphabet, and important verbs. This free online German language course will be of great interest to all professionals who would like to begin learning German, and to all learners who would like to be introduced to this very important European language.<br />

Spanish I can be adapted for a hybrid delivery system or solely distance delivery. The course is media-rich and interactive, driven by video that was shot on-site in Guadalajara, Mexico. Versions are available for low-cost use by instructor-led classes of enrolled students. To successfully use this course, you should be a motivated student with a sincere desire to learn the Spanish language and about cultures in the Spanish-speaking world, and be comfortable with computer technologies. The time commitment will typically average 8 hours per week.

This course provides an introduction to general semantics—the study of how we transform our life experiences into language and thought. Students will learn how their language habits and behaviors, as well as how they think about and share experiences, are what make them uniquely human. In other words, students will discover the critical, but sometimes subtle distinctions between what happens in their lives and how they talk about what happens. The course will include readings from a wide array of disciplines, such as communication studies, neuroscience, and cultural anthropology. It will also include visual and auditory demonstrations through music and social media, and collaborative interactions with fellow learners. These types of learning experiences allow students to not only learn about more effective language behaviors, but also practice those new behaviors in order to communicate more effectively and appropriately in interpersonal and organizational contexts.

Do you want to sound like a native Spanish speaker? Get started by improving your accent. This course provides a practical introduction to Spanish pronunciation for students at all levels. It is taught in English and designed to provide an auditory and visual approach to learning pronunciation. Students will listen to audio files recorded by native speakers and then record themselves pronouncing the same words or phrases. In addition to playing back both recordings to compare the auditory differences, students will have an opportunity to view and compare visual sound waves of both audio recordings. These techniques will help learners assess and improve their pronunciation. Although it will be necessary to some extent, discussion of theoretical issues will be kept to a minimum with the emphasis being on accent reduction.

This is a 3 credit course for students with no background in Spanish to become competent in communicating through listening, speaking, reading, and writing. This open course will create and provide resources reusable under creative commons standards. Registration for the course is available immediately. Although the course cannot provide college credit from an accredited university, capable students will learn the material of a first-year college class, and will receive a letter grade.

Elementary French II is a carefully sequenced and highly interactive presentation of French language and culture in a media-rich course environment including new video shot in France and Québec with young professional actors. It is designed to be used as a full course of study. To successfully use this course, you should be a motivated student with a sincere desire to learn about French language and francophone cultures, and be comfortable with computer technologies. The time commitment will typically average 6-8 hours per week. For information on studying French online vs. in person, see Who should study French Online? [1] in the course introduction. You will be prompted to create an account to access the course introduction, but you may click the “Look Inside” button to view the course without creating an account. [1] https://oli.cmu.edu/jcourse/webui/guest/activity.do?context=66b1239a80020ca600b009b100c1fc79

Basic Chinese – Introduction to Social and Leisure Activities is a free online Chinese language course that will take you through the basics of talking about your social and leisure time, from your hobbies and sports interests to making plans to meet with friends or go to the movies as well as talking about your planned vacation. You will also learn about the Chinese festivals and how they are celebrated. You will be able to go the mall and buy something to wear or a gift for a friend. Words and phrases are presented via audio, Chinese script, Pinyin and English to facilitate learning. The content is broken down into key terms and vocabulary. There are also video clips accompanied by a transcript and translation with additional key cultural and grammatical points being highlighted and explained. This free online Chinese language course will be of great interest to anybody wanting to travel to China, either as a tourist or for business, business people who have regular contact with Chinese colleagues and for any learner who has an interest in speaking or reading Chinese. <br />

When traveling in a foreign country everybody needs to know how to book a hotel room, check in and check out as well as the basics of ordering something to eat and drink in a restaurant or cafe. This free online Chinese language course will take you through the basics of reserving a room and enquiring about facilities to checking out and paying the bill. You will also learn how to order tea and coffee in a café and also how to order core dishes and a drink in a restaurant. Words and phrases are presented via audio, Chinese script, Pinyin and English to facilitate learning. The content is broken down into key terms and vocabulary. There are also video clips accompanied by a transcript and translation with additional key cultural and grammatical points being highlighted and explained. This free online Chinese language course will be of great interest to anybody wanting to travel to China, either as a tourist or for business, business people who have regular contract with Chinese colleagues and for any learner who had an interest in speaking or reading Chinese. <br />

While China has increasingly adopted Western influences, the traditional family structure is still highly valued and holds a prominent position in Chinese culture. This free online Chinese language course will help you converse confidently about your family. You will learn how to tell people more about your family, from how many brothers and sisters or children you have, what age they are, what they are studying, and what your parents work at. You will get an overview of the Chinese family and its role in Chinese life and well as a detailed list of how family members are referred to. Words and phrases are presented via audio, Chinese script, Pinyin and English to facilitate learning. The content is broken down into key terms and vocabulary. There are also video clips accompanied by a transcript and translation with key cultural and grammatical points being highlighted and explained. This free online Chinese language course will be of great interest to anybody wanting to travel to China, either as a tourist or for business, business people who have regular contact with Chinese colleagues and for any learner who has an interest in speaking or reading Chinese. <br />

Building on the ‘First Contact’ course you will learn how to say more about yourself, from stating where you are from and what languages you speak to telling others what you are studying and describing your family. When talking about age you are introduced to numbers. You will also learn about the formation of the written Chinese characters, the types of strokes and the order in which the strokes are placed, the formation of words and the different styles of writing. The difference between Simplified and Traditional Chinese is briefly explained as well as how to use a Chinese dictionary. Words and phrases are presented via audio, Chinese script, Pinyin and English to facilitate learning. The content is broken down in key terms, vocabulary. There are also video clips accompanied by a transcript and translation with key cultural and grammatical points being highlighted and explained. This free online Chinese language course will be of great interest to anybody wanting to travel to China, either as a tourist or for business, business people who have regular contact with Chinese colleagues and for any learner who has an interest in speaking or reading Chinese.<br />

China is a large country with many large cities so at some stage the traveller to China will need to use transport to travel around the country or a city. This free online Chinese language course will take you through the basics of getting a taxi, giving the driver directions, and paying the fare. You will also learn how to ask for directions to local places of interest and use the bus to get there. For travelling longer distances you will learn how to enquire about train departure and arrival times, and book and pay for the ticket. Words and phrases are presented via audio, Chinese script, Pinyin and English to facilitate learning. The content is broken down into key terms and vocabulary and there are also video clips accompanied by a transcript and translation, with additional key cultural and grammatical points being highlighted and explained. This free online Chinese language course will be of great interest to anybody wanting to travel to China, either as a tourist or for business, business people who have regular contract with Chinese colleagues and for any learner who had an interest in speaking or reading Chinese. <br />

Proper grammar is essential to communicating well in English. ALISON's free online English diploma course introduces the fundamental aspects of English grammar and explains how they should be applied in written and spoken English.<br /><br />The first section of this course explains the role of grammar in English. Following this, the importance of punctuation is described. The online English grammar course also explains the different parts of speech and the role they play in English sentences. Finally, the course introduces all of the tenses used in the English language through well-produced videos.<br /><br />This free online English grammar course is ideal for English language students who wish to complement their vocabulary and phrases with a greater understanding of grammar. It is also suitable for native English speakers who want to revise their grammar or learn to communicate more effectively.<br />

International tourism is a vital part of the economy of many countries and with its continued growth the tourist industry will provide many employment opportunities for individuals with the appropriate skills and qualifications. This course allows you combine the study of many aspects of international tourism and tourism-focused English language skills. The course describes the formation of the tourist industry as well as outlining its sectors and employment opportunities. It then explains the needs of both business and pleasure travelers and the ways that tourism businesses/destinations can market themselves effectively. The final section explains how the tourist industry packages and sells tourism products through retail and online channels. English is the main language of international communication and is essential for people working in the tourist industry. This course introduces the English vocabulary necessary for working at a hotel reception or front desk. It explains how to communicate with potential customers during enquiries as well as how to reserve rooms for hotel guests. It then describes the steps involved in check-in and check-out and how to resolve customer complaints with helpful and non-offensive phrases. This course details the English necessary for working in restaurants in tourist areas or hotels. It explains how to take customer orders and provides key English expressions for every stage of restaurant service. This course details the English necessary for working in tourist information offices including how to provide directions, understand guidebooks and write press releases. The English needed for conducting guided tours is also defined. This free online course will be of great interest to all learners who would like to develop a career path in the tourist industry and who would like a qualification that combines study of international tourism with the practical application of tourism-focused English language skills.<br />

Accelerated Introductory Portuguese for Spanish Speakers covers the basics of Portuguese grammar and presents selected cultural aspects of the Lusophone world, with special emphasis on Brazil. Designed as an intensive introductory course equivalent to Portuguese I and II, it is a Portuguese course for native speakers of Spanish or speakers of other languages who have a native-like command of Spanish.