Lower Division Courses
Russian 2 - Elementary Russian
Erin Grimm, Instructor
M-F 9:00-9:50, 101 Wellman
CRN 60240
This course is a continuation of grammar and language skills developed in course 1.
Prerequisite: Russian 2 or Consent of Instructor.
Format: Lecture/Discussion - 5 hours; Laboratory - 1 hours.
Textbooks:
- Robin, Golosa: Basic Course in Russian, Book I (Textbook)
- Robin, Golosa: Basic Course in Russian, Book I (Workbook/Lab Manual)
Russian 5 - Intermediate Russian
Zoya Stanchits Popova, Instructor
M-F 10:00-10:50, 211 Wellman
CRN 60241
This course is the second part of the intermediate Russian series. There will be more emphasis on
grammar review, introduction to literature, and conversational practice.
Prerequisite: Russian 4 or Consent of Instructor.
Format: Lecture/Discussion - 4 hours; Laboratory - 1 hours.
Textbooks:
- Olga Kagan, Russian Grammar in Context, 2nd Edition (Textbook)
- Olga Kagan, Russian Grammar in Context, 2nd Edition - V Puti (Workbook)
Upper Division Courses
Russian 101B - Advanced Russian
Jenny Kaminer, Assistant Professor
MWF 11:00-11:50, 233 Wellman
CRN 63355
This course is an a continuation of course 101A. This course will deal topics in Russian grammar for the advanced student and supplement with reading and discussion of journalistic texts and classics and contemporary literature. The course will also focus on conversational exercises, utilizing literary and colloquial variants of current Russian speech.
Prerequisite: Russian 101A.
Format: Lecture - 2 hours; Discussion - 1 hours; Short Paper.
Textbook:
- Olga Kagan, Russian for Russians
Russian 105 - Advanced Russian Composition
Jenny Kaminer, Assistant Professor
MWF 1:10-2:00, 1130 Bainer
CRN 63358
This course is an intensive conversational practice and discussion based on current events and contemporary films and texts. The course is conducted in Russian.
Prerequisite: Russian 6 or Consent of Instructor
Format: Discussion - 3 hours; Short Papers.
Textbook:
- Kashper, Cinema for Russian Conversation, Volume II
Russian 121 - 19th Century Russian Prose
Olga Stuchebrukhov, Associate Professor
TR 12:10-1:30, 244 Olson
CRN 63359
Some of the most pressing questions in Russia today are “Why are there so many ‘superfluous people’ in Russian society?” and “What is to be done about it?” This course will focus on the theme of a superfluous man (lishnii chelovek) in the 19th-century Russian prose, paying attention to its modern-day adaptation. This national character type is usually an intelligent and well-educated aristocrat who proves to be ineffective and useless despite his intelligence and goodwill. This course will expand the definition of the term by playing on the various meanings of the word lishnii. Reading short stories and novellas by Pushkin, Gogol, Lermontov, Turgenev, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, and Chekhov, we will examine the issue of who feels unwanted, needless, and expandable in Russian society and why.
A Course Reader will be used as the main text for this class, which will include the following reading:
- Pushkin, “The Postmaster”
- Lermontov, “Princess Mary,” “The Fatalist” (from Hero of Our Time)
- Gogol, “The Overcoat,” “The Diary of a Madman”
- Turgenev, “The Diary of a Superfluous Man”
- Dostoevsky, “Notes from Underground,” “The Meek One”
Tolstoy, “Father Sergius”
- Chekhov, “Gooseberries,” “Superfluous People”
Grading:
Paper #1 (20%), Paper #2 (20%), Homework and Participation (20%), Midterm (20%), and Final Exam (20%).
Prerequisite: Russian 101C; Conducted in Russian.
Format: Lecture/Discussion - 3 hours; Term Paper. GE Credit: ArtHum
Textbook: A Course Reader
Russian 130 - Contemporary Russian Culture
Olga Stuchebrukhov, Associate Professor
TR 1:40-3:00, 146 Robbins
CRN 63360
This course is a survey of the Post-Soviet literary and cultural life. One of Russia's most popular TV programs today is
"Gordon-Quixote," in which Alexander Gordon plays the role of a Don Quixote, hopelessly upholding the "anachronistic" values
of Russian classical heritage. The program exposes the cultural schism between the past and the present that defines Post-Soviet
Russia's national identity. This course will focus on the commercialization of culture in Russia and will analyze the latest
developments in literature, film, art, and architecture through the dichotomy of high vs. low culture. Topics will include: avant-garde
and kitsch; Postmodernism in Russian literature, art and architecture; history, genres, and themes of Post-Soviet cinema.
A Course Reader will be used as the main text for this class which includes:
- "Avant garde and Kitsch" by Clement Greenberg
- "Russian Architecture: Between Anorexia and Bulimia" by Vladimir Paperny
- "Communism as Kitsch: Soviet Symbols in Post-Soviet Society" by Theresa Sabonis-Chafee
- "From the Toilet to the Museum: Memory and Metamorphosis of Soviet Trash" by Svetlana Boym
- Short stories by Pelevin, Makanin, Viktor Erofeyev, Petrushevskaya, Tolstaya.
Films that will be viewed include:
- The Thief (1997) by Pavel Chukhrai
- The Brother (1997) by Alexei Balabanov
- Chekhovian Motifs (2002) by Kira Muratova
- The Mermaid (2007) by Anna Melikyan
Prerequisite: None.
Format: Lecture/Discussion - 3 hours; Term Paper. GE Credit: ArtHum.
Textbook: A Course Reader
