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LOWER DIVISION COURSES
Russian 001. Elementary Russian (5 units)
Liliana Avramenko
MTWRF 9:00-9:50A
148 Physics Building
CRN 50006
Course Description: This course is an introduction to Russian grammar and development of all language skills in a cultural context with special emphasis on communication.
Course Placement: Students who have successfully completed, with a C- or better, Russian 002 or 003 in the 10th or higher grade in high school may receive unit credit for this course on a P/NP grading basis only. Although a passing grade will be charged to the student's P/NP option, no petition is required. All other students will receive a letter grade unless a P/NP petition is filed.
For more information, please contact the instructor, Russian Language Coordinator (clarnett@ucdavis.edu), or the Russian Program Coordinator/Advisor (allowrey@ucdavis.edu).
GE credit (Old): Arts & Humanities.
GE credit (New): Arts & Humanities and World Cultures.
Format: Discussion - 5 hours; Laboratory - 1 hour.
Textbooks:
- Richard Robin, et al., Golosa: A Basic Course in Russian, Book 1 (5th Edition) (Prentice Hall, 2011)
- Richard Robin, et al., Student Activities Manual for Golosa: A Basic Course in Russian, Book 1 (5th Edition) (Prentice Hall, 2011)
Russian 004. Intermediate Russian (5 units)
Maria Usacheva
MTWR 10:00-10:50A
148 Physics Building
CRN 50007
Course Description: This is the first course of the intermediate Russian series. Students will review grammar, introduce to short literature, and practice intermediate level conversations.
Prerequisite: Russian 003.
GE credit (Old): Arts & Humanities.
GE credit (New): Arts & Humanities, Oral Skills and World Cultures.
Format: Laboratory/Discussion - 4 hours.
Textbooks:
- Olga Kagan, et al., V Puti: Russian Grammar in Context, 2nd Edition (Prentice Hall, 2005)
- Olga Kagan, et al., V Puti: Russian Grammar in Context Student Activities Manual, 2nd Edition (Prentice Hall, 2005)
UPPER DIVISION COURSES
Russian 101A. Advanced Russian (4 units)
Liliana Avramenko
MWF 11:00-11:50A
101 Olson Hall
CRN 50014
Course Description: This is the first course of the advanced Russian series. Students will continue to refine their reading comprehension, writing skills, conversational competence, and grammar knowledge. Materials for discussion will include articles from the contemporary media, recent films, classic and modern literature. Goals of the course are to complete a study of the basic elements of Russian grammar (nouns, verbs, adjectives, gender and case agreement, plural), spelling rules, to increase active and passive vocabulary, to initiate speaking ability, to develop advanced reading and writing skills, and to learn more about Russian culture. Homework will consist of reading texts, writing answers to questions, grammar exercises and short essays. Students will make oral presentations in class.
There will be two written tests, three to four short quizzes or dictations, two essays, oral presentations, and a final exam.
Prerequisite: Russian 006 or consent of instructor (lavramenko@ucdavis.edu).
GE credit (Old): Arts & Humanities.
GE credit (New): Arts & Humanities and World Cultures.
Format: Lecture/Discussion - 3 hours; Writing.
Textbook:
- Olga Kagan, et al., Russian for Russians (Slavica Publishers, 2002)
Russian 124. Twentieth Century Russian Literature (4 units)
Jenny Kaminer
TR 12:10-1:30P
1134 Bainer Hall
CRN 53263
Course Description: This course will introduce students to some of the major works and authors of Russian prose, poetry, and drama of the twentieth century. We will pay particular attention to the intersections between literature and important historical events, such as the Russian Revolution, the rise of Stalinism, the waves of Russian emigration, and the collapse of the Soviet Union. Students will learn skills for closely reading and analyzing Russian texts in the original. Among the authors covered are Vladimir Nabokov, Ivan Bunin, Mikhail Zoshchenko, Evgeny Zamiatin, Anna Akhmatova, Daniil Kharms, Sergei Dovlatov and Liudmila Ulitskaia.Taught in Russian.
Prerequisite: Russian 101C.
GE credit (Old): Arts & Humanities.
GE credit (New): Arts & Humanities, Oral Skills, Visual Literacy, World Cultures, and Writing Experience.
Format: Lecture/Discussion - 3 hours; Term Paper.
Textbook:
- A Course Reader
Russian 150. Russian Culture (4 units) IN ENGLISH
Jenny Kaminer
TR 3:10-4:30P
235 Wellman Hall
CRN 53264
Course Description: This course will examine Russian culture of the 19th-21st centuries through the prism of the comedic tradition. We will explore how writers, dramatists, and filmmakers have responded to the varying historical and political contexts of both Imperial Russia and the Soviet Union, as well as the post-Soviet period, with works of humor and satire. We will also read some texts by those Russian thinkers (such as Mikhail Bakhtin) who have theorized about the nature of humor and comedy. Works discussed will include:
- "The Nose" (story by N. Gogol; opera by D. Shostakovich)
- Short stories by A. Chekhov and M. Zoshchenko
- “The Fatal Eggs” by Mikhail Bulgakov
- Texts by Russia's "writers of the Absurd," D. Kharms and A. Vvedenskii
- Soviet-era film comedies, such as Volga Volga (1938) and The Irony of Fate(1975)
Prerequisite: None. Knowledge of Russian not required.
GE credit (Old): Arts & Humanities, Social-Cultural Diversity and Writing Experience.
GE credit (New): Arts & Humanities, Oral Skills, Visual Literacy, World Cultures, and Writing Experience.
Format: Discussion - 3 hours; Term Paper.
Textbooks:
- Venedikt Erofeev, Moscow to the End of the Line, translated by H. William Tjalsma (Northwestern University Press, 1992)
- A Course Reader