Provides a chronological overview of civilization in the area now known as Russia, from its beginnings to the end of the Romanov dynasty, paying particular attention to the geographic, social, artistic, economic, and political forces that have combined to give the Russian people and their culture their unique characteristics. Taught in English. Approved for arts and sciences core curriculum: historical context.
Introduces students to major trends in Russian culture from the 1890's to the present, through the study of literature, art, architecture, music, journalism and film in an historical context. Addresses such questions as: how have past events affected Russian society? How can we use knowledge about Russia's past to understand social and cultural forces today? Taught in English. Students may not receive credit for both RUSS 2221 and LIBB 2100. Approved for arts and sciences core curriculum: historical context.
Provides a general introduction to fairy tales including various theoretical approaches to classifying and interpreting them; introduces students to a wide selection of Russian folk and fairy tales. Examines the cultural, social and political values they reflect, as well as the continuing influence of fairy tales and folk beliefs in Russian literature, music, folk art, and film, as well as in the political propaganda of the 20th century. Taught in English. Approved for GT-AH2. Approved for arts and sciences core curriculum: literature and the arts.
Introduces students to the folkloric and historic origins of the vampire of contemporary culture. Students will read extensively from both Russian and Western literary works, analyzing the image of the vampire as represented in folk narrative, popular fiction, and film. Students learn and apply critical approaches to understanding the vampire metaphorically, symbolically, and as a demonized "other". Taught in English. Approved for arts and sciences core curriculum: literature and the arts.
Immerses students in the mythological representations of Russia's historical past, and introduces them to the great warrior heroes who defended the Russian land and its leaders, from ancient times to the present through epic narratives, animation, art and film. Taught in English. Approved for arts and sciences core curriculum: literature and the arts.
Explores the changing role and cultural images of women as reflected in Russian folklore, documents, costumes, icons, paintings, and literature from medieval times to 19th c. Introduces female characters such as princesses and tsarinas, rebellious wives and pious Christians, Amazons and terrorists. Focuses on the way women have transgressed boundaries of patriarchy and secured powerful positions. Taught in English. Approved for GT-AH2. Approved for arts and sciences core curriculum: historical context.
Introduces students to post-communist Russia, its values and ideologies. It is equally wrong to interpret post-Soviet society through the prism of the Cold War as through the models of contemporary post-industrial capitalism. Neither totalitarian nor liberal, contemporary Russia raises numerous questions about such ideological and cultural constructions as neo-liberalism and capitalism, nationalism, globalization, state power, and popular vs. high cultures. Taught in English. Approved for arts and sciences core curriculum: contemporary societies.
Surveys Russian cinema in historical and cultural context from early 20th century to the present. Taught in English. Recommended prereq., RUSS 2221 or FILM 1502. Same as FILM 3211. Approved for arts and sciences core curriculum: literature and the arts.
Examines forms, genres and social functions of laughter in Slavic cultures (Russian, Polish, Czech, Serbian, and others). Analysis of the carnivalesque, grotesque, and irony in the works of Gogol, Chapek, Hashek, Lem, Kundera, Gombrowicz, Kharms, Zoshchenko, Ilf and Petrov, Kusturica, Kieslewsky, and other authors; also provides an introduction to literature and film of Eastern Europe. Taught in English.
Examines Russo-Soviet fiction literature and film. Within this popular genre, writers conceive and criticize social utopias, thus creating works situated between the poles of utopia and dystopia. Through discussions of Soviet and post-Soviet science fiction, utopian and distopian alike, the course introduces a Russo-Soviet "alternative modernity" and studies its historical developmental. All readings are in English. Taught in English. Approved for arts and sciences core curriculum: literature and the arts.
Examines the relationship between politics, economics, aesthetics, and the way moral and social issues are treated in noteworthy Russian films of the last 20 years. Taught in English. Same as FILM 3301.
Russian culture from the ninth century to the present. Focuses on interdisciplinary exploration of literature, folklore, art, architecture, and music through study in St. Petersburg. Offered abroad only. Approved for arts and sciences core curriculum: historical context.
Explores contemporary Slavic and American folk practices and investigates the possible origins and consequences of such practices. Focuses upon the value systems these practices represent, and ways that core values help to define identities and cultures. Topics include folk religion, magic, healing, life cycle and calendar rituals and folk music. Taught in English. Approved for arts and sciences core curriculum: ideals and values.
Examines Soviet society and culture of Stalin period (1929-1953). Great Terror and resistance, communist ideology and shady commercial practices, musical comedy and Gulag, political intrigues and show trials, and many other aspects of Stalinism will be discussed. Course materials include historical studies, documents, memoirs, diaries, novels and films of or about the period. Taught in English. Approved for arts and sciences core curriculum: ideals and values.
Surveys the development of American-Russian cultural relations from the second half of the 18th century to the present. Examines the character and significance of Russian-American relations in social, intellectual, artistic, and other spheres from a comparative perspective. Taught in English. Recommended restriction: to students with 57-180 credits (Juniors or Seniors). Approved for arts and sciences core curriculum: historical context or U.S. context. Requisites: Restricted to students with 57-180 credits (Juniors or Seniors).
Examines the experience of Russian Jews from the late 19th century to the present through fiction and films dealing with challenges of co-existence of Jews and their neighbors; Bolshevik Revolution, Stalinism, Holocaust, post-Stalin period; place of Jews as individuals and a minority within Russian and Soviet society; and emigration to America and elsewhere at the turn of the century. Taught in English.Recommended prereq., any 1000 or 2000-level undergraduate literature course. Same as JWST 4401. Approved for arts and sciences core curriculum: literature and the arts.
Focuses on close reading of major novels and other works by Dostoevsky, one of the most important psychological novelists in modern literature, a profound religious thinker, and the greatest crime novelist in the world. Taught in English. Same as RUSS 5431.
Examines the development of Tolstoy's thought and literary style through study of the novel War and Peace and short works from different periods of Tolstoy's writing. Taught in English. Recommended prereq., lower division literature course. Same as RUSS 5441.
Analyzes the life and creative works of the author of some of the funniest and some of the gloomiest stories in Russian literature. Examines Chekhov's major plays that laid the foundation for modernist theatre. Taught in English. Same as RUSS 5451.
Examines issues facing women in 20th-21st century Russia, based on study of current events, history, literature, posters and film. Studies images of women as amazons and rebels, salon hostesses and poets, New Soviet Women and women in combat, prostitutes and mothers. Taught in English. Recommended prereq., lower level literature or culture course. Same as WMST 4471 and RUSS 5471. Approved for arts and sciences core curriculum: human diversity.
Explores the tradition of dissent and opposition in Russian culture, from the medieval period to present, approaching forms of rebellion (religious, political, social, aesthetic) in historical context. This survey in intellectual history will trace this phenomenon across historical documents, literary texts, film, and the fine and performing arts, pairing these primary materials with readings in Russian history. Approved for arts and sciences core curriculum: historical context. Taught in English. Same as RUSS 5481.
Surveys background of Russian literature from 1800 to1900. Russian writers and literary problems in the 19th century emphasizing major authors: Pushkin, Lermontov, Gogol, Dostoevsky, Turgenev, Tolstoy, and Chekhov. Taught in English. Same as HUMN 4811. Approved for arts and sciences core curriculum: literature and the arts.
Interdisciplinary course emphasizing the influence of literature and art in 20th century Russian literature. Follows the changing cultural landscape from the time when Russia was in the vanguard of modern European literature to the period of Stalinism. Taught in English. Same as HUMN 4821. Approved for arts and sciences core curriculum: literature and the arts.
Acquaints students with the most representative works of Russian writers from the 1960s to the present in a broad historical and political perspective. Examines the relationships between ideological concepts and aesthetics, and the treatment of moral and social issues in recent literary works. All readings are provided in translation. Taught in English. Recommended prereq., lower level literature course. Approved for arts and sciences core curriculum: literature and the arts or contemporary societies.
