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Literature, Culture, and Film Courses

Literature, Culture, and Film Courses

While Russian literature is always popular with students (and for good reason!), there is much more to Central and Eastern Europe than this. You can learn about representations of minority groups in Eastern European film; investigate gender issues in Russia; trace the experiences of East European immigrants; or explore literary themes such as love and death, revolution and restoration, and capital punishment. So whether you are looking for the masters of 19th century Russian literature or Slavic vampire lore, underground literatures or Russian fairy tales, the Department offers a class that will make you think in new ways about Slavic and East European cultures.

Undergraduate Courses | Graduate Courses

Slavic 2230

Vampires, Monstrosity, and Evil: From Slavic Myth to Twilight

Offered: Autumn, Spring | 3 credit units

Changing approaches to evil as embodied in vampires in East European folk belief & European & American pop culture; function of vampire & monster tales in cultural context, including peasant world & West from Enlightenment to now.  Taught in English. Prereq: Not open to students with credit for 130.
GE cultures and ideas course, GE diversity global studies course.
 

Russian 2250

Masterpieces of Russian Literature

Offered: Autumn, Spring | 3 credit units

Reading and analysis of great works of Russian literature from the 19th century to the present by authors such as Pushkin, Turgenev, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Chekhov, Akhmatova, Bulgakov, Solzhenitsyn, and Ulitskaya. Taught in English. Prereq: Not open to students with credit for 2250H (250H and 251H), 250, or 251. GE literature and diversity global studies course.

 

Russian 2250H

Honors Masterpieces of Russian Literature

Offered: Annually | 3 credit units

Reading great works of Russian literature (including Pushkin, Turgenev, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Chekhov, Bunin, Akhmatova, Solzhenitsyn, Ulitskaya); developing analytical writing & discussion skills. Taught in English. Prereq: Honors standing, or permission of instructor. Not open to students with credit for 2250 (250 and 251), 250H, or 251H. GE literature and diversity global studies course.

Russian 2335.01/2335.99 (online)

Magnificence, Mayhem and Mafia: Russian Culture

Offered: Autumn, Spring, Summer (online only) | 3 credit units

Russian culture from its foundations to the 21st century through analysis of literature, film, music, visual arts, beliefs, and customs.  Prereq: Not open to students with credit for 135 or 235. GE cultures and ideas and diversity global studies course.

Russian 2345 

Russian Fairy Tales and Folklore

Offered: Annually | 3 credit units

Examination of Russian folklore, focusing primarily on fairy tales as the most popular folkloric genre, and on its role in Russian culture today. Taught in English. Prereq: Not open to students with credit for 644.

Slavic 2345

Introduction to Slavic and East European Literature and Culture

Offered: Autumn, Spring | 3 credit units

Literature of a selected Slavic or East European country or countries in cultural and historical context; may include film, drama, art, music, and other media. Taught in English. May be repeated with topic change. Prereq: Not open to students with credit for 245 except by permission of instructor. Repeatable to a maximum of 9 credit hours. GE literature course, GE diversity global studies course.

Russian 2355.99

Russians and their Vodka: Deconstructing Myths

Offered: Autumn, Spring, Summer I 1 credit unit

Interdisciplinary study of vodka and its role in Russian history, culture, and politics. Course focuses first on vodka production and its uses, then on its influence on Russian culture in present times and key historical periods. Readings alternate with film, documentaries, and advertisements as class material. 

 

Slavic 3310

Science Fiction: East vs. West

Offered: Annualy | 3 credit units

Slavic, American, and British sci-fi on page and screen as reflection of major cultural concerns: progress, utopia, human perfectibility, limits of science and knowledge, gender, identity. Taught in English. GE Visual and Performing Arts, GE Diversity: Global Studies

Russian 3350

Russian Culture and Politics

Offered: Annually | 3 credit units

Interdisciplinary approach to reading and perceiving Russian political culture today. The class expands the meaning of culture to include political discourse, political practices, and current societal debates. Taught in English. Prereq: Not open to students with credit for 550.

Slavic 3360

Screening Minorities: Representations of the Other in Slavic Film

Offered: Annually | 3 credit units

Film representations of ethnic and religious others in East European cinema.  Taught in English.
Prereq: Not open to students with credit for 360. GE visual/performance arts course.

 Slavic 3340

The East European Immigrant Experience in America

Offered: Autumn, Spring | 3 credit units

Experiences of East European immigrants; assimilation vs. multiculturalism, American Dream, stereotypes, identity formation; development of written & oral communication skills.  Taught in English. Prereq: Level 1 writing course (1110), or English 110 or 111 with permission of instructor. Sophomore standing. Not open to students with credit for 367. GE writing and communications course: level 2, and diversity social diversity in the US course.

Russian 3460

Modern Russian Experience through Film

Offered: Autumn, Spring | 3 credit units

Exploration of some of the most revealing hopes and disappointments of Russian people presented in internationally acclaimed Russian films. Taught in English. Prereq: Not open to students with credit for 360. GE visual/performance arts and diversity global studies course.

Russian 3470

Anna Karenina Goes to Hollywood

Offered: Spring | 3 credit units

This course explores Tolstoy's Anna Karenina in relation to popular American culture. The course will consist of two parts: in the first half, we will read and discuss Anna Karenina, and we will then examine films and other popular works based on the novel.

GE VPA and diversity global studies course.

Russian 3530

History of Russian Cuisine 

Offered: Autumn, Spring | 3 credit units

Exploration of Russian cuisine: its history and its role in Russian literature and culture. Using classical Russian literature as well as cookbooks and cultural histories as textbooks, students will study the relationship between food and culture and the artistic representation of Russian cuisine. Taught in English.  GE Culture and Ideas.

Russian/Slavic 4191

Internship for Russian/Slavic Majors

Offered: By arrangement | 1-3 credit units

Intensive work experience or research assistance relating to Russia or Russian, conducted under the supervision of a faculty member. Prereq: Enrollment in major or minor in Russian, and permission of the Undergraduate Studies Coordinator. Repeatable to a maximum of 6 credit hrs and 2 completions. This course is graded S/U.

Russian 4220

Love and Death in Russian Literature and Film

Offered: Rarely | 3 credit units

Analysis of major works in nineteenth-century Russian literature (from the Golden Age and Realism), and major themes such as lost love in the Russian novel. Taught in English. Prereq: Not open to students with credit for 520 and 521.

Russian 4221

Revolution and Restoration in Russian Literature

Offered: Rarely | 3 credit units

Starting with Stalinism, this survey course presents lectures-discussions on socialist-realist, dissident, GULAG, Thaw, "Stagnation," post-Gorbachev, and restoration literature, as well as emigre works. Taught in English. Prereq: Not open to students with credit for 522 or 523.

Slavic 4520H

Slavic and East European Cities

Offered: Occasionally | 3 credit units

A literary and cultural analysis of Slavic and Eastern European cities as an urban spaces using sources from many periods and cultures. City focus may vary per offering. Prereq: English 110 or equivalent.

Slavic 4560H

Gender and Women in Western and Eastern Europe

Offered: Occasionally | 3 credit units

The complementary nature of feminists' notions in Western and Eastern European societies and cultures via literature and film. Taught in English. Films will  have English subtitles. Prereq: Enrollment in an honors program or by permission of department or instructor.

Russian 4575

Capstone Course for Russian Majors

Offered: Autumn, Spring | # credit units

Junior and Senior seminar explores issues of Russian language and literature, focusing on reading in Russian and on honing Russian and English oral and writing skills. Required for Russian major. Taught in Russian and English. Prereq: English 2367 or equivalent. Repeatable to a maximum of 9 credit hours.

Slavic 4597

The Politics of Language in Southeast Europe

Offered: Occasionally | 3 credit units

In a global world, language is a key issue in the articulation of ethnicity and the struggle for power. This course looks at how the languages of the Balkans serve as the foundations for modern ethnic and religious identities, and how linguistic histories and structures have been and continue to be manipulated for social and political purposes. Prereq: Junior or Senior standing. GE cross-disciplinary seminar and diversity global studies

Slavic 4998

Undergraduate Supervised Project

Offered: By arrangement | 1-3 credit units

This course is an opportunity for undergraduate majors and minors to do non-thesis research or creative work (e.g., translations) under faculty supervision for credit.
Prereq: Major or minor status in one of department's programs, permission of faculty member supervising the project and Undergraduate Studies Coordinator. Repeatable to a maximum of 6 credit hours or 2 completions. This course is graded S/U.

Russian 5225

Russian Emigre Literature

Offered: Occasionally | 3 credit units

Analysis of the three "waves" of Russian emigration -- post-Revolutionary, post-WWII, and the so-called "third wave" in the 1970s and 80s through the poetry, fiction, and memoirs by such writers as: Ivan Bunin, Vladislav Khodasevich, Vladimir Nabokov, Nina Berberova, Sergei Dovlatov, Vasily Aksyonov, and Joseph Brodsky. Prereq: English 1110 or equiv, or any 4000-level Russian literature, culture or linguistics course.

Polish 5230

Polish Literature

Offered: Occasionally | 3 credit units

Polish cultural and intellectual history as represented in the major works of Polish literature and in contemporary media. Taught in English. Readings in English, but students of Polish will do portions of the readings in the original. Prereq: 6 credit hours of Literature courses at the 2000 level or above, or permission of instructor. Not open to students with credit for 630 and 631.

Russian 5230

Utopia and Dystopia in Russian Literature

Offered: Occasionally | 3 credit units

Russian writers of the past two centuries have been fascinated with both the idea of utopia and its reverse image of a dystopian society whose aim of perfection has led to the very opposite. In this course, we will explore realist, modernist, Soviet, and post-Soviet utopian and dystopian novels, stories, plays, and essays.

Prereq: 2250 or another course on Russian literature or culture is recommended for undergraduates.

Russian 5250.01 (.02, .03, ...)

The Russian Writer

Offered: Annually | 3 credit units

Close analysis of the major works of an individual Russian writer such as Fyodor Dostoevsky, Leo Tolstoy, Mikhail Bulgakov, or Vladimir Nabokov. Taught in English. Prereq: Repeatable to a maximum of 9 credit hours. Courses with suffixes .02 and above are not repeatable. These suffixes distinguish specific content in the course.

Slavic 5280

Slavic and East European Literature

Offered: Occasionally | 3 credit units

Masterpieces of Slavic and East European literatures, either in a comparative perspective or focusing on the literature of one country in its cultural context.  Taught in English.  Repeatable for credit with change of topic. Prereq: Completion of GE in Literature or permission of instructor. Not open to students with credit for 519. Repeatable to a maximum of 6 credit hours.

Slavic 5450

Global Human Trafficking: Realities and Representations

Offered: Autumn, Spring I 3 credit hours

This course will introduce students to the development of human trafficking as it has been understood and represented by governments, policymakers, the media, and popular culture. The objective of this course is to scrutinize common understandings and representations of trafficking and to consider the advantages and disadvantages of such understandings and representations.
Prereq: Not open to students with credit for WGSSt 5450. Cross-listed in WGSSt.

Russian 5460

Russian Media

Offered: Occasionally I 3 credit hours 

This course will examine Russian media and communication within the context of media analysis and communication studies. The course will briefly review the history of Soviet and post-Soviet media in the late 20th-21st centuries, but will focus primarily on contemporary Russian media. Taught in English with the option of completing extra course work in Russian for an additional credit hour.

Russian 5530

Madness and Power in Russia

Offered: Occasionally | 3 credit units

Discussions of politics and power as related to madness; manifestations of insanity in Russian literary and film texts will accompany examination of the cultural, philosophical, legal, and historical context. Taught in Russian or English. Prereq: 4102 or equivalent, or permission of instructor.

Slavic 6000

Slavic Literature, Film & Cultural Studies Professionalization Forum

Offered: Autumn, Spring | 1 credit unit

Biweekly colloquium for presentations and discussion of research by graduate students, faculty, and visiting scholars. Required for M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in Slavic Literatures and Cultures.
Prereq: Graduate standing. Repeatable to a maximum of 8 credit hours. This course is graded S/U.

Russian 6252

Issues in 19th-Century Russian Literature

Offered: Annually | 3 credit units

Literature of the Golden Age and Realist periods in cultural and political context. Good reading ability in Russian recommended.  Prereq: Graduate standing, or permission of instructor. Not open to students with credit for 750 or 751. Repeatable to a maximum of 6 credit hours.

Russian 6253

Issues in 20th- and 21st-Century Russian Literature

Offered: Annually | 3 credit units

Silver Age, Soviet, emigre, or post-Soviet literature in cultural and political context. Good reading ability in Russian recommended. Prereq: Graduate standing, or permission of instructor. Not open to students with credit for 752 or 754. Repeatable to a maximum of 6 credit hours.

Russian 6254

Russian Literary Genres

Offered: Occasionally | 3 credit units

Genres of Russian literature: e.g., poetry, drama, novel, short story, literary essay. Time periods, authors, and themes are variable. Good ability to read Russian recommended.
Prereq: Graduate standing, or permission of instructor. Not open to students with credit for 653 or 723. Repeatable to a maximum of 6 credit hours with a change of topic.

Slavic 6457

Film Theory, Gender, and National Identity in Slavic Cinema

Offered: Occasionally | 3 credit units

Introduction to film theory and exploration of changes in national and gender identities during the 20th century as reflected in Slavic cinema. Taught in English. Prereq: Graduate standing, or permission of instructor. Not open to students with credit for 657.

Slavic 6500

Proseminar in Slavic and East European Literary and Cultural Studies

Offered: Occasionally | 3 credit units

Introduction to scholarly approaches to Slavic and East European Literary & Cultural Studies; historical overview of literary & cultural criticism & theory; basic practical approaches to the study of literary & cultural texts. Taught in English. Prereq: Graduate standing in dept, or 25 credit hours of Russian and/or Slavic and East European literature, or permission of instructor. Not open to students with credit for Russian 660.
 

Slavic 6501

Introduction to Slavic and East European Studies

Offered: Annually | 3 credit units

Proseminar on central topics, current research, and research methodology in the Slavic and East European area studies. Taught in English. Required for the M.A. program in the Center for Slavic and East European Studies. Prereq: Graduate standing or permission of instructor. Not open to students with credit for 700.

Slavic 7480

Slavic Film Directors

Offered: Occasionally | 3 credit units

Slavic and East European film directors as auteurs; key notions of contemporary film theory. Taught in English. Prereq: Graduate standing, or permission of instructor. Repeatable to a maximum of 6 credit hours with change of topic.

Russian 8550

Seminar in Russian Literature, Film, or Cultural Studies

Offered: Occasionally | 3 credit units

Variable-topic seminar on issues in Russian literature, film, or culture. Repeatable for credit with change of topic. Prereq: Graduate standing, or permission of instructor. Repeatable to a maximum of 24 credit hours.