Spring 2023 Lithuanian Course Descriptions
Introduction
This is an unofficial list of courses that will be offered in Lithuanian Studies in Spring 2023. It is strictly for the use of expanded course descriptions. For the complete official course offerings, please consult the My.UIC portal.
For a list of all courses and general course descriptions, please see the UIC Academic Catalog.
Spring 2023 Courses in Lithuanian Language
LITH 102 – Elementary Lithuanian II
On Campus, MW 8:00-9:15
Instructor: Karilė Vaitkutė
LITH 104 – Intermediate Lithuanian II
On Campus, TR 8:00-9:15
Instructor: Karilė Vaitkutė
Spring 2023 Lithuanian & Central and Eastern European Studies Courses in English
LITH 115 – Lithuanian Culture
On Campus, TR 9:30-10:45
Instructor: Dr. Giedrius Subačius
In this course we will explore Lithuanian stories, films, myths, immigration to America, independence and culture of today.
No prerequisites or knowledge of Lithuanian required.
World Cultures
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CEES 225 – Introduction to Central and Eastern European Cultures
On Campus, TR 9:30-10:45
Instructor: Dr. Michał Markowski
CEES/LING/LCSL 406 – History of European Standard Languages
On Campus, T 3:30-6:00
Instructor: Dr. Giedrius Subačius
If “a language is a dialect with an army and a navy,” then among the many dialects that make up a language, the standard variety has the largest military. This course is all about the phenomenon of “standard languages.” The standard variety is primarily written with the goal of providing linguistic uniformity in the face of social diversity. Standard languages are often thought of as prestigious, “most beautiful,” and may serve as a symbol of national identity while also being the official language of a country. We will analyze and discuss the “birth” and development of language standards, the development of individual standard languages, and we will see emerging historical–theoretical patterns. Some standards were initiated by kings, others—by intellectuals of peasant origin. Of over 50 present standard languages in Europe a number will be investigated, compared, and classified: English, Russian, German, Greek, Yiddish, Italian, French, Spanish, Lithuanian, Polish, Ukrainian, Norwegian, Croatian, Serbian, Luxembourgish, Albanian, Estonian, etc.
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CEES 550 – Critical and Theoretical Approaches to Cultural Production in Central and Eastern Europe: “Theological Origins of the Contemporary Critical Discourse”
On Campus, W 6:00-8:30
Instructor: Dr. Michał Markowski
The central thesis of Carl Schmitt’s political theology maintains that the main concepts in the political discourse of modernity are just secularized theological notions. This approach, as valid as it is, needs a radical expansion beyond the issue of sovereignty, to which it usually is reduced.
The seminar will propose that most of the contemporary critical vocabulary was designed either as a continuation or, most often, a negation of the basic theological concepts based on Christian theology established by Saint Paul. A derivative thesis of the seminar states that without a clear understanding of that basis, not only does the Christian-based culture and literature remain incomprehensible, but also its secular counterpart keeps obscuring its origins. To come to terms with those imbrications and to enlarge the critical vocabulary of the students, the seminar will offer a close and critical reading of Paul’s texts in vernacular languages (English, Russian, German, Spanish, French, and, if necessary, Polish) with the constant reference to the classical versions adopted by different churches (Greek and Latin). The differences between Catholicism, Protestantism, and Orthodoxy will also be discussed.
The seminar aims to create a multicultural, multilingual critical milieu to acknowledge and discuss this part of the modern tradition that has been largely ignored or insufficiently reflected upon among modern scholars.