Russian (RUSS)

Courses

RUSS 101. Elementary Russian I. 4 hours.

Basics of Russian grammar and vocabulary. Reading and discussing the culture and modern life of Russia. Course Information: Taught in a blended format. Internet access is required. A high-speed connection is strongly recommended. Prerequisite(s): For students who have had no formal work in Russian.

RUSS 102. Elementary Russian II. 4 hours.

Continues RUSS 101. Course Information: This class is taught in a blended format. Internet access is required. A high-speed connection is strongly recommended. Prerequisite(s): RUSS 101; or appropriate score on the department placement test.

RUSS 103. Intermediate Russian I. 4 hours.

Futher study of Russian grammar and vocabulary. Reading and discussing the culture and modern life of Russia. Introduction to expository, persuasive and argumentative styles. Course Information: This class is taught in a blended format. Internet access is required. A high-speed connection is strongly recommended. Prerequisite(s): RUSS 102; or appropriate score on the department placement test.

RUSS 104. Intermediate Russian II. 4 hours.

Continuation of RUSS 103. Futher study of Russian grammar and vocabulary. Reading and discussing the culture and modern life of Russia. Introduction to expository, persuasive and argumentative styles Course Information: This class is taught in a blended format. Internet access is required. A high-speed connection is strongly recommended. Prerequisite(s): RUSS 103; or appropriate score on the department placement test.

RUSS 115. Russian Culture Before the Revolution. 3 hours.

The main trends of Russian thought and manners from the beginning to the Revolution: literature, philosophy, religion, art, architecture, intellectual life. Audio-visual emphasis. World Cultures course.

RUSS 116. Russian Culture: The Soviet Period. 3 hours.

The transformation of Russian culture after 1917: literature, art, architecture, philosophy, intellectual trends; emphasis on the ideology of Socialist Realism. Audio-visual emphasis. World Cultures course.

RUSS 120. The Russian Short Story in Translation. 3 hours.

Introduction to important Russian short stories of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries; the elements of fiction; close analysis of literary texts. Creative Arts course, and World Cultures course.

RUSS 130. Masterpieces of Russian Literature in Translation. 3 hours.

Introduction to Russian novellas and novels of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Creative Arts course, and World Cultures course.

RUSS 140. Understanding the Body: Health, Gender, and Disability in Russian Culture. 3 hours.

Introduction to the theoretical understanding and representation of the body through examples of Russian literature and arts. Course explores such topics as illness, health, reproduction, disability, gender, and power. Course Information: Taught in English. Extensive computer use required. No knowledge of Russian language or culture required. Creative Arts course, and World Cultures course.

RUSS 150. Introduction to Russian Cinema. 3 hours.

Introduction to major themes, trends, and techniques of Russian/Soviet cinema. Explores film as an expression of social reality and political ideology. Comparisons drawn with American cinema. Course Information: Taught in English. Films screened with English subtitles. Creative Arts course, and World Cultures course.

RUSS 201. Advanced Russian through Media and Film. 3 hours.

Development of advanced language skills through the study of Russian media and film from a variety of periods. In-depth analysis of past and present Russian cultural artifacts. Prerequisite(s): RUSS 104; or appropriate score on the department placement test.

RUSS 202. Advanced Russian through Contemporary Culture. 3 hours.

Development of skills in spoken and written Russian, within the context of contemporary Russian culture, via a variety of sources, such as: news articles, comics, music. Prerequisite(s): RUSS 104; or appropriate score on the department placement test.

RUSS 203. Advanced Russian through Short Stories. 3 hours.

Development of advanced language skills: writing, reading, listening comprehension, and speaking. Exploration and analysis of Russian cultural tropes within the context of short stories. Course Information: May be repeated for a maximum of 6 hours. May be repeated if topics vary. Prerequisite(s): RUSS 104; or appropriate score on the department placement test.

RUSS 239. Twentieth-Century Russia in Film. 3 hours.

Survey of social, political and cultural development of the Russian Empire and Soviet Union through the use of film as a historical source. Course Information: Same as HIST 239. Prerequisite(s): ENGL 160 or completion of any 100-level history course. Class Schedule Information: To be properly registered, students must enroll in one Lecture and one Discussion. Past course.

RUSS 241. Dostoyevsky. 3 hours.

Selected short stories and novels. Course Information: Taught in English. Creative Arts course.

RUSS 242. Tolstoy. 3 hours.

Discussion of selected short stories and plays. Course Information: Taught in English. Creative Arts course.

RUSS 244. Women in Russian Literature. 3 hours.

Major works by and about women in Russian literature: experiences of women and societal attitudes toward them. Course Information: Same as GWS 244. Taught in English. Creative Arts course, and World Cultures course.

RUSS 247. Literature and Fantasy in Russia. 3 hours.

Fantasy as a literary genre. Comparison of the artistic strategies employed by works of literature and film into which the fantastic intrudes in the form of alternate states of consciousness such as dream, inebriation, and madness. Course Information: Taught in English. Prerequisite(s): Sophomore standing or above; or consent of the instructor. Creative Arts course.

RUSS 248. Russian Visual and Material Culture. 3 hours.

Non-textual manifestations of Russian culture such as painting, sculpture, architecture, design and decorative arts in a way that emphasizes how an object's compositional medium relates to its aesthetic and functional purposes. Course Information: Same as AH 248. Taught in English. Prerequisite(s): Completion of ENGL 160; or any 100-level RUSS or AH course. Creative Arts course.

RUSS 321. Great Russian 19th-Century Novels and the European Tradition. 3 hours.

Reading and interpretation of various 19th-century novels, including, but not limited to, the works of Pushkin, Lermontov, Gogol, Turgenev, Dostoevsky, and Tolstoy. Emphasis on the socio-historic and intellectual context of these works. Course Information: Taught in English. Prerequisite(s): Junior standing or above; or consent of the instructor.

RUSS 330. Art and Politics: Soviet and Post-Soviet Literature. 3 hours.

An examination of various Russian literary and aesthetic practices with a focus on how writers defined their art vis-à-vis its contribution to or autonomy from the ideological goals of the Soviet state. Course Information: Taught in English.

RUSS 399. Independent Study. 1-3 hours.

Investigation of special problems under the general direction of a staff member. Course Information: May be repeated to a maximum of 6 hours. Prerequisite(s): Junior standing, consent of the instructor and the head of the department. Class Schedule Information: This course counts toward the limited number of independent study hours accepted toward the degree and the major.

RUSS 410. Structure of Modern Russian. 3 or 4 hours.

Introduction to Russian morphology and phonology. Examination of the Russian language as a system with particular attention to verb conjugation and noun declension, with the goal of improving students’ practical language skills. Course Information: 3 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours. Prerequisite(s): RUSS 201; and credit or concurrent registration in RUSS 202; or consent of the instructor.

RUSS 440. Topics in Russian Culture and Cultural Studies. 3 or 4 hours.

Exploration of various topics in Russian culture through an interdisciplinary prism, addressing intersections between visual and verbal arts as well as high and popular culture. Content varies.Course Information: 3 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours. May be repeated to a maximum of 6 hours for undergraduate students or 8 hours for graduate students, if topics vary, and with consent of the instructor. Taught in English. All texts are available in English. Students pursuing a major or minor in Russian, or an MA or PhD in Slavic Studies, will be required to read primary texts in the target language. Prerequisite(s): Junior standing or above; or consent of the instructor.

RUSS 460. Topics in Russian Literature. 3 or 4 hours.

Study of a major author, movement, genre, or special topic. Content varies. Course Information: 3 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours. May be repeated up to 2 time(s) if topics vary. Taught in English. Prerequisite(s): Consent of the instructor Junior, senior, or graduate standing. Or consent of the instructor.

RUSS 499. Independent Study. 1-4 hours.

Investigation of special problems under the general direction of a staff member. Course Information: May be repeated to a maximum of 8 hours. Graduate students may register for more than one section per term. Prerequisite(s): Senior or graduate standing, consent of the instructor and the head of the department. Class Schedule Information: This course counts toward the limited number of independent study hours accepted toward the degree and the major.

RUSS 525. Studies in the Russian Novel. 4 hours.

Extensive reading and independent critical analysis of the nineteenth-century classic Russian novels. Authors may include, but are not limited to, Pushkin, Lermontov, Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Turgenev, and Gogol. Topics may vary. Course Information: May be repeated to a maximum of 8 hours, if topics vary and with consent of instructor. Taught in English.

RUSS 530. Studies in Russian Poetry. 4 hours.

The development of Russian poetry from the 18th century to the present. Contemporary theories on poetry. Topics may vary. Course Information: May be repeated to a maximum of 8 hours, if topics vary and with consent of instructor. Taught in English.

RUSS 535. Experimental Prose and Metafiction. 4 hours.

In-depth exploration of six metafictional novels dealing with defining aesthetics and rethinking the place of the writer vis-a-vis his age, his reader, and his self. Topics may vary. May be repeated to a maximum of 8 hours, if topics vary and with consent of instructor. Taught in English.

RUSS 540. Imitation and Originality in Russian Literature. 4 hours.

Practices of imitation and parody in Russian literature, the role of those practices in Russian literary history, and their relationship to literary evolution and ideological change. Topics may vary. Course Information: May be repeated to a maximum of 8 hours, if topics vary and with consent of instructor. Taught in Russian.

RUSS 560. Russian Modernism and the Avant-Garde. 4 hours.

In-depth exploration of various theories of the avant-garde and of avant-garde practices in literature, film, architecture, visual and performing arts. Topics may vary. Course Information: May be repeated to a maximum of 8 hours, if topics vary, and with consent of the instructor. Taught in English.

RUSS 575. Workshops in Translation. 4 hours.

Focuses on the translation of literary and non-literary texts. Various theoretical approaches to translation and trace the evolution of notions of conveying from one language to another. Topics may vary. Course Information: May be repeated to a maximum of 8 hours, if topics vary, and with consent of the instructor. Taught in English.

RUSS 596. Independent Study. 1-4 hours.

Investigation of special problems under the general direction of a staff member. Course Information: May be repeated to a maximum of 8 hours. Students may register in more than one section per term. Prerequisite(s): Consent of the instructor and the head of the department.