Undergraduate Courses | Department of Slavic and East European Languages and Cultures

Slavic 2230 (.01 classroom, .99 online)

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 (.01 classroom, .99 online)

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 classroom, .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: Occasionally | 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.

Slavic 2365 (.01 classroom, .99 online)

Sports, Socialists, and Society in Russia and Eastern Europe

Offered: Annually | 3 credit units

This course looks at the development of sports as a substitute and arena for battle between countries, as well as the rise of sports culture more generally in Central and Eastern Europe in terms of nationhood, politics, and corporeality. In this course, students will learn about the history and culture of sports, spectatorship, fandom, the Cold War, and Central and Eastern Europe.
GE cultures and ideas and diversity global studies course.

Slavic 2367

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.

Slavic 2850

Other Russias

Offered: Autumn, Spring | 3 credit units

This class is an introduction to lesser known or marginalized people and identities inhabiting Russia. Students learn about gender, sexual, racial, ethnic, religious, and linguistic diversity as lived experiences, as categories and experiences embedded in historical and cultural contexts, and as categories of social difference that are intersectional, shifting, and shaped by hierarchies of power.

Slavic 2995.99 (online)

Race and Gender in Eastern Europe and the US: A Transatlantic Comparison

Offered: Annually | 3 credit units

By studying how identities (racial, ethnic, gender, and religious) exist as cultural constructs, this course will examine and compare the experiences of Russian and East European ethnic and racial minorities in their respective countries and African Americans in the US regarding racialization and marginalization through cultural and social constructs. Taught in English.

Prereq: Not open to students with credit for CompStd 2995. GE foundation race, ethnicity and gender div course. Cross-listed in CompStd 2995.

Slavic 3310

Science Fiction: East vs. West

Offered: Annually | 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

Slavic 3320

Queer Comrades: Sexual Citizenship and LGBTQ Lives in Eastern Europe

Offered: Annually | 3 credit units

Through the lens of film, literature, theater, and art, this course explores what it means to be a queer citizen of Eastern Europe. Countering ideas of inherent backwardness, which tend to erase the existence of a diverse group of people, we will get to know works of art that bear witness to the wealth of queer experiences in 20th century Eastern Europe. GE theme citizenship for diversity and just world course.

Slavic 3333 (.01 classroom, .99 online)

The Soviet Space Age

Offered: Annually | 3 credit units

Exploration of Space Age as a technological/cultural phenomenon, focusing on the Soviet period and the Space Race, in historical context and in a comparative perspective. Taught in English.
GE cultures and ideas and diversity global studies course.

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.

Russian 3355.99 (online)

Vodka in Russian Society and Culture: Deconstructing Myths

Offered: Annually | 3 credit units

Vodka in Russia is important to virtually all social functions, is used as a home remedy for ailments, and is a frequent theme of jokes, folk songs, films, and literature. It also has an important political history, having long been used by the Russian (and Soviet) state as a form of social control. This course explores Russian culture and history through its most famous drink.
GE cultures and ideas and diversity global studies course.

Russian 3460 (.01 classroom, .99 online)

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 (.01 classroom, .99 online)

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 3480 (.01 classroom, .99 online)

The Russian Spy: Cultures of Surveillance, Secret Agents, & Hacking from the Cold War through Today

Offered: Annually | 3 credit units

This course explores the concept of the spy in the cultural imaginations of both Russia and the West from the early-20th century through the present. Topics will include stereotyping in popular culture, the relationship between fiction and the political imagination, Western (especially American) and Russian views of each other, the Cold War, privacy, security, fear, and war.

Russian 3490 (.01 classroom, .99 online)

Russian Youth Culture

Offered: Annually | 3 credit units

In this class, students will learn about different decades, from 1950s till present, in the life of Russian youth. Ideology, political activism and political inertia, Western influence and national patriotism, fashion and popular bands.

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.

Slavic 3750

[Alter]Native Russia: Indigenous Histories, Cultures, and Politics in Siberia and the North

Offered: Autumn, Spring| 3 credit units

An intersectional study of race, ethnicity, and gender diversity, this course focuses on the histories, cultures, and politics of often neglected Indigenous peoples of Siberia and the Arctic, and to puts them in a comparative perspective with North America and the global context.

Slavic 3800

Bilingualism: Life in Two Worlds

Offered: Occasionally | 3 credit units

The majority of the world population is becoming increasingly bilingual and bilingualism is viewed as the rule rather than the exception in the 21st century. This course explores the multifaceted aspects of a bilingual individual, i.e., the reasons to become bilingual, cognitive and social advantages of bilingualism, attitudes to people with accents, personality and bilingualism, etc. Through the instructor’s lectures, assigned readings, engaging discussions and a course project students will be exposed to numerous aspects of bilingualism, both at the individual and societal levels.GEC: Social Diversity in the United States (Social Sciences).

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 4530

Hacking Slavic Literatures: Literary Analysis in the Digital Age

Offered: Every Other Year | 3 credit units

In this course we explore literary texts in their digital environments and look at the various ways in which we can virtually access, store, circulate, and read books. We work with large collections of famous texts (or: text corpora), digital archives, and collections of bibliographical data (also referred to as metadata) to analyze how themes and styles evolve over time. Prereq: Russian 2250 or equiv.

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: Spring | 3 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 5450

Global Human Trafficking: Realities and Representations

Offered: Occasionally 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.

Slavic 5457

Ideology and Viewers: East European Film and Media

Offered: Occasionally I 3 credit hours

This course explores the complex dynamics between ideology, propaganda, and the ways Russian, East European, and U.S. films and media 'tap into the political unconscious' of viewers. With the aid of audience studies and reception theory, the course examines film and media reception and the ideological factors which impact it from the early Soviet and socialist times to the present.
Repeatable to a maximum of 9 credit hours.

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.

Russian 5601

Structure of Russian I

Offered: Every two years | 3 credit units

Systematic synchronic description of the structure of Contemporary Standard Russian, focusing on phonetics, phonology, and morphology, and associated theoretical issues. Taught in English. Prereq: 3102, or graduate standing in Slavic, or permission of instructor. Not open to students with credit for Russian 640 or Russian 6601.

East European 5627

Reading Course in a Balkan or East European Language

Offered: Annually | 3 credit units

Fundamentals of grammar and vocabulary needed for reading a non-Slavic language of Eastern or East Central Europe or the Balkans (e.g., Albanian, Romanian, Estonian, Hungarian, Latvian, or Lithuanian).

Prereq: Graduate standing, or permission of instructor. Not open to students with credit for 671. Repeatable to a maximum of 6 credit hours.

Russian 5630

Russian Translation: Theory, Practice, and the Profession

Offered: Every other year | 3 credit units

Theory and practice of translating Russian literary, cultural, political, scientific, and business texts into English.

Recommended prereq: Russian 2250.
Prereq: Russian 3102 or 3122.

Russian 5701

History of Russian I

Offered: Every two years | 3 credit units

Survey of the most important developments in the Russian writing system, phonology, morphology, and syntax from Old East Slavic to modern times; Russian among the Slavic languages; main methodologies in historical linguistics. Prereq: 3102 or 503, or graduate standing, or permission of instructor. Not open to students with credit for Russian 720 or Russian 6701.