Language
101. First-Year Russian. No credit granted to those who have completed or are enrolled in 103 or 111. (4). (LR).
In this course the student is introduced to the basics of Russian
pronunciation and grammar. The course begins with an intensive
study of the Russian sound system and orthographic rules (the
alphabet and correct spelling). Students spend an average of 1.5-2
hours per day working with tapes and writing exercises. The class
is supplemented by video shows. Students who intend to concentrate
in Russian Language and Literature or in Russian and East European
Studies might consider taking the intensive class, Russian 103.
Textbook: Live from Moscow, Stage I, Volume I by Davidson, Gor and Lekic. Cost:2
WL:4
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Times, Location, and Availability
102. First-Year Russian, Continued. Russian 101. No credit granted to those who have completed or are enrolled in 103, 111, or 112. (4). (LR).
In this course, the sequel to Russian 101, students complete their survey of Russian grammar, expand their vocabulary and learn
to express themselves in Russian about topics of interest including
Russian history and culture. The class is supplemented by video
shows. Students are expected to complete 1-2 hours of oral and written homework every night. Textbook: Live in Moscow, Stage
I, Volume II by Davidson, Gor, and Lekic. Cost:2
WL: 4
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Times, Location, and Availability
103/RC Core 193. Intensive First-Year Russian. No credit granted to those who have completed or are enrolled in 101, 102, 111, or 112. (8). (LR).
This course covers in one term what is ordinarily covered in
two terms of Russian 101 and 102. The course carries eight credit
hours which is over half the average underclass academic load
and is designed for highly motivated students who wish to acquire
rapid mastery of Russian. The course is especially recommended
for students intending to choose a concentration in Russian Language
and Literature or Russian and East European Studies. Students
are expected to complete approximately 16-20 hours of homework
per week, including 3-4 hours in the language laboratory. Cost:3 WL:3
(A. Makin)
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Times, Location, and Availability
201. Second-Year Russian. Russian 102 or 103. No credit granted to those who have completed or are enrolled in 203. (4). (LR).
This course reviews and expands grammatical concepts first
covered during the First-Year Russian (101 and 102) courses, focusing
on verbal aspect, declension and the verbs of placement. The course
also emphasizes speaking and listening skills. Students are expected
to complete 9-12 hours of homework per week. Textbook: Russian, Stage II by C. Martin and J. Sokolova. Cost:2
WL:4
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Times, Location, and Availability
202. Second-Year Russian, Continued. Russian 201. No credit granted to those who have completed or are enrolled in 203. (4). (LR).
This course assumes students' knowledge of the fundamentals
of Russian grammar, and involves a comprehensive study of the
declension of numbers, the use of verbs of motion (with and without
special prefixes), the formation and usage of participles and verbal adverbs. Students read and write texts of increasing complexity, discussing Russian and Soviet history, culture, and other topics
of interest. The course requires 8-12 hours of homework per week.
Textbook: Russian, Stage II by C. Martin and J. Sokolova.
Cost:2 WL:4
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Times, Location, and Availability
301. Third-Year Russian. Russian 202, and satisfactory scores on a proficiency test. No credit granted to those who have completed or are enrolled in 303. (4). (Excl).
Third-Year Russian starts with the assumption that the basic
aspects of the language have been assimilated, and therefore emphasizes
practical skills – reading, writing, and speaking. Difficult
grammatical points are reviewed, vocabulary is greatly enlarged, idiomatic constructions are studied. It is a recitation course, and students are asked to participate in class discussion and give oral reports. Students are evaluated on the basis of their
oral and written performances. Cost:2
WL:4 (A. Makin)
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Times, Location, and Availability
401. Fourth-Year Russian. Russian 302. No credit granted to those who have completed or are enrolled in 403. (4). (Excl).
Russian 401 is offered during the Fall Term and Russian 402
is offered during the Winter Term of every academic year. Prerequisites: three years of Russian (minimum). Classwork, homework, and labwork
include: grammar and word formation, reading and listening (films
and TV news included); discussions; oral reports and compositions.
Bi-weekly grammar tests and final exam. Cost:1 WL:4
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Times, Location, and Availability
413. Business Russian. Russian 302. (3). (Excl).
This course is planned for advanced Russian students (3rd year
and above) who are oriented toward economics or business. In particular this would target seniors seeking experience in international
business and graduate students in the Center for Russian and East
European Studies Master's Degree program (or in various departments, who either wish to pursue employment opportunities in business
or government or who wish to get a Ph.D. in economics, political
science, or history). The course will focus upon the vocabulary
and locations of commercial Russian, both oral and written. Students
will be expected to learn format and jargon for various types
of business communication. No final examinations. Business
Russian by Nyusya Milman will be the primary textbook. (Shevoroshkin)
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Times, Location, and Availability
Literature
231. Russian Culture and Society: An Introduction. (3). (HU).
This interdisciplinary course seeks to acquaint students with the major achievements of Russian art, music, literature, architecture, and cinema, and is taught with the aid of multimedia visual and audio presentations. As we examine the evolution of Russian culture
from the 10th century to the present day, we will be exploring
everything from Russian icons to the architecture of St. Petersburg, the prose of Dostoevsky and the music of Shostakovich, the exquisite
Easter eggs designed by the jeweler Carl Fabergé for the
last Russian tsars, and classics of Russian cinema such as Eisenstein's
great film Ivan the Terrible, in whose production Stalin
played a direct role. Despite the raising of the Iron Curtain
at the end of the 1980s, Russia continues to remain "a riddle
wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma," and this course provides
an opportunity to explore in detail the paradoxes of a society
which has produced some of the world's most barbaric rulers and some of its finest artists, writers, and musicians. The course
is designed to appeal to students with no background in Russian
studies, and to those thinking about becoming Russian concentrators.
No knowledge of Russian is required. Cost:3
(I. Ronen)
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Times, Location, and Availability
351. Introduction to Russian Literature. Russian 202. (3). (Excl).
This course is an introduction to Russian prose. Classes are
conducted in Russian. There are essays, a midterm and a final
(all in Russian). Class discussion is encouraged. The course increases
vocabulary, reading speed, written and oral fluency, while developing
literary-analytical skills. (M. Makin)
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Times, Location, and Availability
355. Supervised Reading of Russian Literature. Permission of instructor. (1-4). (Excl). (INDEPENDENT). May be elected for credit twice.
Students develop a term-long reading and writing project on
a topic or topics in Russian literary or linguistic studies, in
consultation with a member of the faculty. Readings may include
substantial amounts of Russian. Weekly meetings with the supervisor
may be conducted in English or Russian. Writing assignments made
according to the number of credit hours elected, but must correspond
to the writing expectations of upper-level department courses.
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Times, Location, and Availability
449. Twentieth-Century Russian Literature. A knowledge of Russian is not required. (3). (HU).
This historical survey of Russian literature from 1890 to 1921
covers the final achievements of realism and the response to modernism
in the later works of Tolstoy and Chekhov, the art of symbolism, the post-symbolic currents in poetry and prose, and the major
literary events of the first post-revolutionary decade both in the USSR and in exile. The required reading includes English translations
of representative poems by Soloviev, Briusov, Balmont, Merezhkovsky, Hippius, Sologub, Blok, Belyi, Viacheslav Ivanov, Annensky, Kuzmin, Khodasevich, Gumilev, Akhmatova, Mandel'stam, Khlebnikov, Maiakovsky, Pasternak, Tsvetaeva, Esenin, and Kliuev. Students select their
own readings in prose and drama out of an extensive list of titles
ranging from Soloviev's Three Conversations through Belyi's Petersburg to Zamiatin's We. Midterm and a final
take-home examination. (Ronen)
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Times, Location, and Availability
451/RC Hums. 451. Survey of Russian Literature. A knowledge of Russian is not required. (3). (HU).
This course focuses on the masterpieces of Russian fiction
written between 1820 and 1870, including such classics of world
literature as Tolstoy's War and Peace and Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment. Evolving fast from Romanticism
to High Realism, this period marks a blossoming of Russian culture, despite strained relations with political authorities. We will
trace how writers treated this political, social, intellectual
and religious issues dividing their contemporaries, creating a
unique kind of literature that claimed authority over society
in settling these problems. Topics include romantic self-fashioning
and posturing (including such risky aristocratic games as dueling
and gambling), gender relations, the fate of the educated in society, violence and repentance, reform and stagnation, history and the
private self, Russia and the West. No knowledge of Russian literature
or history is presupposed. Participation in class discussion, two short papers and a final exam. Cost: 2 WL:1
(Schönle)
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Times, Location, and Availability
461. Pushkin. Russian 352. A knowledge of Russian is required. (3). (Excl).
This course discusses the poetry, prose, and drama of Alexander
Pushkin. (Ronen)
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462. Dostoevsky. A knowledge of Russian is not required. (3). (HU).
A detailed examination of the literary career and major fiction
of Fedor Dostoevskii. His novels and short stories, including Poor Folk, The Double, Notes from the Underground, Crime and Punishment, The Devils, and The Brothers Karamazov
are read and analyzed. His contribution to literary and literary-political
discussions of the time is assessed. Two papers, two examinations.
Lectures, with discussion encouraged. Cost:2
WL:1 (M. Makin)
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Times, Location, and Availability
476(Slavic 567). Russian Literary and Cultural Theory and the West. (3). (Excl).
This course examines twentieth-century Russian critical theory
in its relationship with Western literary and cultural theory.
Translated works by the Russian Formalists, Soviet semioticians
(Lotman and Uspensky), Bakhtin and his circle, as well as contemporary
post-modernists will be discussed in the light of comparable Western
approaches. Emphasis will by placed on the relationship between
literature and the cultural environment. We will discuss issues
such as literature as device, literature in its institutions, poetic form and play, aesthetic value and ritual, the theory of
narrative and the search for a masterplot, the criticism, postmodernism
and Stalinist ideology and the mythology of everyday life in Russia
and America. Among Western critics we will read works by Genette, Williams, Barthes, Herrnstein Smith, Iser, Greenblatt, Jauss, de Man, Jameson, and Baudrillard. Very short weekly essays, one
oral presentation, and one 15-page paper. Knowledge of Russian not required. All texts read in translation. (Schönle)
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Times, Location, and Availability
141. First-Year Czech. No credit granted to those who have completed or are enrolled in Czech 143. (4). (LR).
This is a beginner's course in the essentials of grammar and pronunciation. Daily preparation, quizzes and tests, and the language
lab are required of all students. Cost:1 WL:1
(Brodska)
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Times, Location, and Availability
341. Third-year Czech. Czech 242. (3). (Excl).
The course reviews and deepens knowledge of Czech grammar, expands vocabulary, and enhances the overall proficiency through
exposure to a variety of Czech language and culture materials, such as current journalism, media materials and the like. Students
with interests in professional areas can design their work in
accordance with their field of specialization. Students who complete third-year Czech should be able to participate in conversations
with native speakers and read a broad variety of texts with the
aid of a dictionary. (Toman)
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Times, Location, and Availability
480. Supervised Czech Reading. Permission of instructor. (1-4). (Excl). May be elected for credit twice.
Selected readings in Czech on specific topics according to the student's needs and qualifications. Knowledge of Czech through
Czech 142 is required. (Brodska) Cost:1
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Times, Location, and Availability
Language
121. First-Year Polish. (4). (LR).
Introductory course presenting basic grammatical information
and vocabulary. Course is geared toward active language use through
oral drills and conversational practice. Conversations and discussions
include a cultural component to familiarize students with both the Polish language and culture. (Wampuszyc)
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Times, Location, and Availability
221. Second-Year Polish. Polish 122. (4). (LR).
This course builds on work done in 121/122, First-Year Polish, and assumes a good knowledge of the grammatical structure of the
language. Emphasis is placed first on reading Polish and second
on developing increased competence in speaking and writing. Cost:1
WL:4 (Soper)
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Times, Location, and Availability
321. Third-Year Polish. Two years of Polish. (3). (Excl).
This course builds substantially on work done in 221-222, Second-Year
Polish. Emphasis on recognizing and practicing various styles:
writing business and personal letters; scholarly and artistic
prose; poetry; diplomatic language, contemporary slang; and translation
for publication. Cost:2
WL:3
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Times, Location, and Availability
Literature
425. Polish Literature in English. (3). (HU).
The course surveys the development of Polish literature in
terms of individual authors and major literary movements from the beginning until 1863. Individual critical analysis of texts
required. A knowledge of Polish is NOT required. All readings
in English translation. Can NOT be taken as a tutorial. Cost:3
WL:3 (Carpenter)
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Times, Location, and Availability
450. Directed Polish Reading. Permission of instructor. (1-3). (Excl). (INDEPENDENT).
The course is designed for students who wish to read Polish
texts in the original. Readings are selected individually by students
in consultation with the instructor, and they cover different
fields including literature, art, philosophy, journalism, and history. Prerequisite: there years of Polish or equivalent. Students
are evaluated on the basis of oral and written reports. No exams.
Cost:1 WL:3 (Carpenter)
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Times, Location, and Availability
231. Second-Year Serbo-Croatian. Serbo-Croatian 132. (4). (LR).
This course builds on work done in 131/132, First-Year Serbo-Croatian, and assumes a good knowledge of the grammatical structure of the
language. Emphasis is placed first on reading Serbo-Croatian and second on developing increased competence in speaking and writing.
Opportunities are provided outside the classroom for conversation
as well as for cultural activities (video, film, folk dance, food, etc.). Cost:1 (Stolz)
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Times, Location, and Availability
439. Directed Reading of Serbo-Croatian Literature. Permission of instructor. (1-4). (Excl). (INDEPENDENT). May be elected for a total of 8 credits.
This course is designed to provide an opportunity for extensive
reading in Serbo-Croatian of a variety of materials at an advanced
level. The subject matter covered is dependent upon the preparation
and interest of the individual student. Texts range from belles-lettres,
short stories and novels through journalism and history. Cost:1
WL:4 (Stolz)
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Times, Location, and Availability
251. Second-Year Ukrainian. Ukrainian 152. (4). (LR).
This course involves reading, speaking, writing, and grammar.
Tests and conversational topics are based on Ukrainian culture, history, literature, and poetry. The new addition to this course
will include business Ukrainian. Daily preparation, quizzes, and tests are required of all students. Cost:1
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Times, Location, and Availability
421. Directed Reading in Ukrainian Literature. Open to non-concentrators. A knowledge of Ukrainian is not required. (1-4). (Excl). (INDEPENDENT). May be repeated for a total of 8 credits.
Reading can be done in English or in Ukrainian. Plan of study
is worked out with each student on an individual basis. Hourly
discussion sessions are held once a week, and a number of written
essays are assigned per term (one for each credit earned). Cost:1
WL:3
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Times, Location, and Availability
150. First Year Seminar.
(3). (HU). May be repeated for a total of 6 credits.
Section 001 – Cultural Diversity of Russia, Eastern Europe, and Eurasia. This course will explore the extraordinary cultural
diversity of Eastern Europe, Russia and Eurasia, where European
and Asian cultures met and often clashed, and whose culture is
a unique blend of Western and Oriental influences. Two papers
and short reviews of films, stories, and articles. (Shevoroshkin)
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Times, Location, and Availability
151. First Year Seminar.
(4). (Introductory Composition). Laboratory fee ($35)
required.
Section 001 – Russian Film, Russian Life. In this seminar
we will explore the competition between differing social and cultural
values in 20th-century Russian life by examining how these values
have been represented in Russian film. All of the films to be
seen and discussed in the seminar involved events in Russian history
(from life in the medieval period to the collapse of the USSR)
and in contemporary Russian society. Even what the "historical"
films have to say about art, politics, religion, gender, ethnicity, and social issues is always targeted toward the debates of the
periods in which the films were made. Thus, two time periods are
always relevant: the era the film depicts and the era in which
it was produced. Film in Russia was subject to varying degrees
of ideological control. But visual film language proved in many
ways difficult to censor completely, so that in many periods ingenious
film directors were able to work within the system, balancing the Communist Party's preferred views on issues with their own, more or less dissident, views. The end of censorship in the mid-1980s
brought a new, more frank, treatment of many themes: nationalism, religion, youth culture (rock and roll, punk), women's issues, the role of the artist in society. In all cases, we will have
an eye not only on issues as they were relevant in the past, but
also on their effects on perceptions and debates within Russia
today. Cost:2
WL:4 (Eagle)
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Times, Location, and Availability
225. Arts and Cultures of Central Europe. (3). (HU).
The course is an introduction to the rich cultures of the peoples
of Central Europe (Croats, Czech, Hungarians, Jews, Poles, Serbs, and Slovaks) seen against the background of two world wars, communism
and its recent disintegration. Culturally vibrant, Central Europe
reveals the tragic destiny of twentieth-century civilization which
gave rise to two totalitarian systems: fascism and communism.
The course will outline the ethnic complexities of the region, with special attention to Jewish culture and its tragic destruction
during the Holocaust. The trauma of the war on the civilian population
will be documented by contemporary films. The course will examine the fate of culture under totalitarianism and study subterfuges
used by novelists, dramatists, and artists to circumvent political
control and censorship. Students will read works by Kafka, Milosz, Kundera, and Havel; see movies by Wajda and others; become acquainted
with Czech and Polish avant-garde art and music, and the unique
cultural atmosphere of Central European cities: Vienna, Prague, Budapest, and Warsaw. (Carpenter, Toman, Eagle)
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Times, Location, and Availability
313/RC Hums. 313. Russian Cinema. (3). (HU). Laboratory fee ($50) required.
In the 1920's Soviet filmmakers armed with bold new ideas about
cinematic art and with a revolutionary political ideology created the theory of film montage and through it a decade of acknowledged
masterpieces. In the 1930's experimentation gave way to an officially
sanctioned "socialist realist" art, ideologically dogmatic
and oriented toward the regime's specific political and social
goals. However, after Stalin's death experimentation and diversity
reemerged in Soviet cinema. Although "socialist realism"
remained the officially sanctioned style, directors were able
to reintroduce personal themes, and, more subtly, introduce religious
and philosophical issues. The 1980's saw the reemergence of a
variety of approaches (from documentary "naturalism"
to symbolic allegory, from satire and parody to the grotesque)
and open political and social criticism in the spirit of glasnost.
Films such as Scarecrow (1984), My Friend Ivan Lapshin
(1985), Repentance (1986), and Little Vera (1988), Taxi Blues (1991), and Burnt by the Sun (1994)
examined with amazing frankness the dismal economic and spiritual
consequences of the Stalin-Brezhnev years. The course will examine this rich history, in terms of both themes and styles. Evaluation
will be based on contributions to class discussion and three short
(5-7 page) critical papers. Cost:2
WL:4 (Eagle)
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Times, Location, and Availability
395/REES 395/Pol. Sci. 395/Hist. 332/Soc. 392. Survey of Russia: The Russian Empire, the Soviet Union, and the Successor States. (4). (SS). Laboratory fee ($10) required.
See Russian and East European
Studies 395. (Rosenberg)
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Times, Location, and Availability
171/Armenian 171. First-Year Armenian. (4). (LR).
This course is designed for students with no previous knowledge
of Armenian. Reading, writing, and speaking are equally emphasized.
Homework assignments and listening to tapes on a regular basis, frequent short tests, and a final examination are required. Overall
performance throughout the year/term and in the final examination
and compliance with requirements will determine the grade. Cost:1
(Bardakjian)
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Times, Location, and Availability
181/Armenian 181. First-Year Eastern Armenian. (4). (Excl).
This course is designed for beginners with no previous knowledge
of Eastern Armenian (the state language of Armenia). Reading, writing, listening, and speaking are equally emphasized. Homework
assignments, frequent short tests, and a final examination are
required. Overall performance throughout the year/term and in the final examination and compliance with requirements will determine the grade. Cost:1 (Bardakjian)
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Times, Location, and Availability
418/Armenian 418. The Post-Genocide Literature of the Armenian Dispersion. Permission of instructor. (3). (Excl).
Although most of the Western Armenian writers were put to death
during the genocide, there occurred almost no hiatus in the course
of Armenian literature. A younger generation, many of whom were
orphans, soon bridged the gap and revived the literary tradition.
France, the U.S., and the Middle East (mainly Syria, Lebanon, and Egypt) emerged as the most active centers of Armenian literary
activities. All three groups manifested different reactions to the trauma they had suffered. The Armenian writers of France questioned
old Armenian values. Those of the Middle East too revived memories
but, at the same time, they held a more optimistic view of the
present and future of their nation. This course will highlight these and many of the other ways in which the Armenian dispersion
has tried through literature to understand and deal with its unprecedented
tragedy and its consequences. The format will be lectures and short discussions. Students will be required to write two term
papers in addition to a final exam. English translations of texts
will be used; no knowledge of Armenian is required. No prerequisites.
(Bardakjian)
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Times, Location, and Availability
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