Russia’s expansion to the East throughout the imperial period provided a cultural, political, and geographical setting for Russian literature and the fine arts, dramatically enriching their thematic range. But it also posed challenging questions. Did Russia belong to the East or the West? Could Russians perceive their expansion in terms of Europe’s mission to civilize the “barbaric” world? How did newly included non-Russian ethnic groups help reevaluate the Russian self? And how were they treated in the Soviet Union? The course addresses these fundamental issues and examines how Russians positioned themselves in regard to Muslim cultures. Emphasis will be placed on metropolis-colony relations, national identity, ethnic intolerance, gender and religious issues.

Intended Audience:

No prior knowledge of Russian literature, language, or history is required.

Class Format:

The weekly lectures for this course will be recorded and made available asynchronously. Every second week one lecture will be run in a discussion format that will require synchronous participation.

Testing for this course will be asynchronous and will consist of argumentative papers that will be submitted via Canvas during a designated time frame.

This course will use Canvas for all asynchronous online components. Every second week one synchronous meeting with the instructor will be conducted through Zoom. Students should have access to a camera and microphone.