Courses
2008-2009
Fall
2008 Courses Taught In Russian
110f
Elementary Russian
First semester
of a yearlong introduction to Russian language and culture. Classroom
focus on speaking and reading is supplemented by a video series
set in Moscow, frequent written assignments, and weekly conversation
with native speakers. Completion of the course will provide students
with a strong speaking base and the skills to undertake independent
reading.
Satisfies language requirement when taken together with RES 111s.
6 credits; Enrollment limited to 15.
MWF 9:00 am- 9:50am and 1 lab
E. Cruise
201
Intermediate Russian
Emphasis on
command of grammar with attention to conversational topics. Readings
include poetry, short stories, and magazine and newspaper articles.
Classes are conducted mostly in Russian.
Satisfies Language requirement; does not satisfy a distribution
requirement.
Prereq. Russian and Eurasian Studies 111 or permission of department;
4 credits; enrollment limited to 15
MWF 8:35am- 9:50am + lab
P. Scotto
221
Texts & Contexts: Introduction to Nineteenth Century Russian
Literarure
Through focus
on a specific theme or idea, we will study a variety of texts
and set them into the cultural context that marks them as distinctly
Russian. Texts will be selected from a broad range of genres
and sources. Topics will be designed to accommodate student interests.
Readings, discussions, short oral and written reports. Taught
in Russian.
From "Lady into Lassie" to "Lady with the Dog": A study
of the nineteenth-century prose and poetry of Pushkin, Lermontov, Gogol, Dostoevsky,
Tolstoy, and Chekhov.
Satisfies Humanities I-A requirement. 4 credits; TBA
TuTh 11:00 AM- 12:15 PM
295fs, 395fs Independent Study 1 to 8 credits
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Fall
2008 Courses Taught in English
First
Year Seminars
151f(01)Crown
Jewels of Russian Culture
(Speaking-intensive
course; taught in English) We will study masterworks of Russian
civilization from a broad range of periods and types. These works
of art, architecture, and literature define the essential moments
in the formation of the idea of Russian culture. Topics will
include: medieval churches and icons; Saint Petersburg: The Venice
of the North; Tolstoy, and Dostoyevsky; the Romanov court jeweler
Faberge; a film by Eisenstein; Tchaikovsky's ballet; and last,
but not least, modern Russian dancers suchas Nureyev and Baryshnikov.
Satisfies Humanities I-A requirement. 4 credits; 2 meetings (75
minutes); enrollment limited to 15.
MW11:00am-12:15pm
C. Pleshakov
151f(02)
Anton Chekhov: The Major Plays
(Writing-intensive
course; taught in English) A study of Chekhov's major plays (Seagull,
Uncle Vanya, Three Sisters, and The Cherry Orchard) in the context
of his short stories, farces and letters. Focus on the singular
traits of a Chekhov play: the dependence of character on ensemble;
the startling effects of grotesque and absurdist humor; and the
pervasive deflation of dramatic climax in favor of destabilizing
trivia and laconicism. Analysis of notable productions of Chekhov's
plays, including Stanislavsky's Seagull (1896), the Chichester
Festival's Uncle Vanya (1963), and Louis Malle's Vanya on 42
Street (1994). Students will keep journals and participate in
short staged readings.
Satisfies Humanities I-A requirement. 4 credits; 2 meetings (75
minutes); enrollment limited to 15.
MWF 10 am-10:50 am
E. Cruise
200
and 300 Level Courses
210
Great Books: The Literature of 19th-Century Russia
In no other
culture has literature occupied the central role it enjoyed in
nineteenth-century Russia. Political, social, and historical
constraints propelled Russian writers into the roles of witness,
prophet, and sage. We will focus on the Russian novel
as a reaction to western European forms of narrative and consider
the recurring pattern of the strong heroine and the weak hero.
Authors will include: Pushkin, Lermontov, Gogol, Turgenev, Tolstoy,
Dostoevsky, and Chekhov.
Satisfies Humanities I-A requirement. 4 credits; enrollment limited
to 25.
Taught in English
P. Scotto
TuTh 11:00 AM-12:15 PM
240
Russian Politics
(Same as Politics
209f) Russia was transformed by communist revolution into a global
superpower that challenged the dominant ideologies of liberalism
and nationalism. It became a powerful alternative to capitalism.
In 1991, this imperial state collapsed and underwent an economic,
political, and cultural revolution. What explains the Soviet
Union's success for 70 years and its demise in 1991? What sort
of country is Russia as it enters the twenty-first century? Is
it a democracy? How has Russia's transformation affected ordinary
people and Russia's relationship to the West?
Satisfies Humanities I-A requirement. 4 credits; TBA
TuTh 11:00 AM- 12:15 PM
295fs, 395fs Independent Study 1 to 8 credits
350
Revolutions
(Taught in English, Same as Politics 264s) Since its creation
at the beginning of the twentieth century, the Soviet Union dominated
the minds of Western foreign policymakers. None of the West’s
policies in the Middle East, the Third World, Europe, or China
after World War II can be understood without an understanding of
Soviet foreign policy. We will examine the development of Soviet
foreign policy since 1917 and the role played by Russia and the
former Soviet republics in the far more complex “New World
Order” we live in today. How have the expansion of the European
Union, the tragedy of 9/11, and the war against terrorism influenced
Russia’s relations with the West?
Satisfies Humanities III-A requirement. 4 credits; 2 meetings
(75 minutes).
Tu 1:15 -4:05 PM
S. Jones
295,
395 Independent Study
The
department
1 to 8 credits
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