Course Catalog - Russian
Russian 101, 102 - Elementary Russian 1, 2
Annually
Promotes active communicative skills along with the basics of Russian grammar. By course end, read, write, understand, and speak Russian in a broad range of everyday situations. Various aspects of Russian culture and life are introduced through the medium of language. Five class hours weekly and language lab practice. One and one-quarter units each semester.
Russian 201, 202 - Intermediate Russian 1, 2
Annually
Designed to activate students’ spoken Russian, a wide variety of in-class activities allow students to practice Russian needed for most everyday situations. Textbook and workbook are supplemented with audio and videotapes. Conducted in Russian. Prerequisite: Russian 102 or the equivalent. Five class hours weekly. One and one-quarter units each semester.
Russian 252, 253 - Russian Short Story 1, 2
Every third year
Offers an opportunity to get acquainted with the most outstanding Russian writers and to read their masterpieces in the genre of the short stories. The first semester begins in the eighteenth century with Karamzin and continues through Chekhov. The second semester starts with Chekhov and brings students up to the present. Authors include Pushkin, Turgenev, Gogol, Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky, Gorky, Babel and Zoshchenko. In English. One unit.
Russian 254 - Russian Drama
Every third year
A study of the major Russian playwrights (Fonvizin, Gogol, Griboedov, Tolstoy, Chekov, Gorky, Andreyev, Mayakovsky, Shvarts) of the 19th and 20th centuries. Emphasis is placed on auditory and visual nature of drama, by means of American, British and Russian films, and students’ own exercise in acting (voluntary). Conducted in English. One unit.
Russian 255 - 19th-Century Russian Literature
Every third year
During the 19th century, the Emancipation of the serfs, the Great Reforms, revolutionary activity and continued westernization changed Russian society dramatically. Perhaps it was these attempts at liberalization that produced the great works of Pushkin, Lermontov, Gogol, Turgenev, Dostoevsky and Tolstoy. Read such classic works as The Bronze Horseman, Hero of Our Time, The Overcoat, Crime and Punishment and Anna Karenina. Taught in English. One unit.
Russian 256 - 20th-Century Russian Literature
Every third year
A survey of the turbulent 20th century that took Russian literature from the exhilaration of pre-revolutionary years to the uncertainty of the glasnost era. Readings include the prose and poetry of Bely, Gorky, Blok, Babel, Zamyatin, Akhmatova, Chukovskaya, and Tolstaya. Conducted in English. One unit.
Russian 258 - Fire and Ice: Siberia in Fiction
Every third year
A consideration of Siberia as a native land, an adopted land, and a land of exile. Students start with Siberian folktales and the study of such native traditions as shamanism. Next, the course examines Siberia through Chekhov, Dostoevsky, and Shalamov as a land of both freedom and imprisonment. Finally, students read Rasputin, Astafiev, and Shukshin, whose work is devoted to the preservation of Siberia as a natural world and a culture. Narrative and documentary films complement the reading selections. Conducted in English. One unit.
Russian 299, 399, 499 - Special Topics in Russian Literature
Annually
A special course offered either semester on a single author or theme which have included: Akhmatova’s poetry, the short stories of Bulgakov, Christianity in Russian literature, the world of Chekhov, and 20th-century Russian poetry. Conducted in English or Russian. One unit.
Russian 301 - Russian Composition and Conversation 1
Fall
Continued development of oral and written language skills and cultural competency through the use of Russian literature and multimedia materials. Prerequisite: Russian 202 or the equivalent. Three class hours weekly include writing laboratory with native speaker. One unit.
Russian 303, 304 - Advanced Studies in Russian Culture 1, 2
Annually
Analysis of literary works and documentary materials with the aim of probing Russian cultural traditions, particularly in the 19th and 20th centuries. All discussions, readings and papers in Russian. Prerequisite: Russian 301 and permission of instructor. One unit each semester.
Russian 391, 392 - Third-Year Tutorial
Annually
With permission of Department Chair and instructor only. For third-year students who wish to pursue work not covered by one of the regularly offered courses. One unit.
Russian 402 - Parody and Satire in Russian Literature
Every third year
Examines the absurdity and injustice of the housing crisis of the 1920’s in the work of the major writers of early Soviet satire-Zoshchenko, Kataev, Bulgakov, and Averchenko. Themes include the meaning of home, how it reflects identity and how the new Soviet state will relate to past Russian culture. Conducted in Russian. One unit.
Russian 403 - 19th-Century Russian Poetry
Every third year
An introduction, a critical study, and readings in the major Russian poets of the 19th century. Among the poets studied are Pushkin, Lermontov, Tyutchev, Fet, and Nekrasov. Lectures, discussions, and readings in Russian. One unit.
Russian 404 - 20th-Century Russian Poetry
Every third year
A sequel to Russian 403, the course introduces one of the most revealing components of 20th-century Russian culture, while continuing to build on students’ language skills. Among the poets studied are Blok, Akhmatove, Mandelstam, Paternak, Tsvetaeva, Brodsky, and Yevteshenko. Lectures, discussions, and readings in Russian. One unit.
Russian 405 - Alexander Pushkin
Every third year
An extensive introduction to a cultural phenomenon unique in Russian and world literature. Pushkin initiated and promoted a range of literary genres: lyrical poems, narratives in verse, dramas, novels, short stories, fairy tales, political epigrams, love songs. There is no field of writing in which Pushkin did not leave models of highest achievement. Conducted in Russian. Prerequisite Russian 301 or the equivalent. One unit.
Russian 491, 492 - Fourth-Year Tutorial
Annually
With permission of department chair and instructor only. For fourth-year students who wish to pursue work not covered by one of the regularly offered courses. One unit.
* The courses and descriptions listed above are taken directly from the official College Catalog.