Course Descriptions

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101-102. Elementary Russian.
Fall, Spring. Credits: 4-4.
Elementary grammar, reading, and conversation, supplemented by materials on Russian culture.

201-202. Intermediate Russian.
Fall, Spring. Credits: 4-4.
Degree Requirement: F10 for 201.
Intermediate grammar and continued training in conversation and composition, supplemented by assignments in the Language Center. Reading of Russian texts of graded difficulty.
Prerequisites: Russian 101-102 or equivalent.

205. Russian Intellectual History of the Twentieth Century.
Fall. Credits: 4.
Degree Requirements: Humanities, F4.
Study and analysis of intellectual currents in twentieth-century Russia through recent films and literary works. Films include The Cranes are Flying, Dersu Uzala, Autumn Marathon, and Siberiade. Literary works by the following writers: Akhmatova, Astafiev, Voznesensky, Soloukhin, Rasputin, and Petrushevskaya. All films are subtitled; all works are read in translation.

209/309. Russian in Russia.
Summer. Credits: 4.
Degree Requirements: F10, F11.
A 3-4 week guided encounter with the language and culture aimed at solidifying vocabulary and grammar previously acquired. A significant cultural component is part of the course. Takes place in May-June.

212. Masterpieces of Russian Literature in Translation.
Fall. Credits: 4.
Degree Requirements: Humanities, F4.
Reading of representative works by major Russian writers of the nineteenth century (including Pushkin, Goncharov, Turgenev, Tolstoy, and Dostoevsky) and screening of film adaptations of these works. All works are read in translation; all films are in Russian, with English subtitles.

215. Giants of Russia’s Silver Age: Soloviev, Blok, and Rachmaninoff.
Spring. Credits: 4.
Study of the aesthetic, thematic, and personal connections among three of Russia’s towering figures: Vladimir Soloviev, Alexander Blok, and Sergei Rachmaninoff. The course will examine in depth the creative works of the philosopher-poet Soloviev, the poet-dramatist Blok, and the composer-pianist Rachmaninoff (for whom poetry was second only to music). Master themes and global concepts linking the three creative artists include the yearning for harmony; exploration of Russian Orthodox religiosity; elevation of the “eternal feminine” of Sophia (the body of God); and connection between beauty and goodness. Representative philosophical, poetic, and musical works, respectively, of the three artists will be examined.
Prerequisites: At least one course from the following departments or programs: Music, Philosophy, Religious Studies, or Russian Studies.

300. Dostoevsky.
Spring. Credits: 4.
Degree Requirements: Humanities, F4.
This course explores selected works by Dostoevsky in the context of the rise of the Russian novel. Concentration is on the major literary, philosophical, and religious issues Dostoevsky raises in his prose. All works are read in translation.

301-302. Advanced Russian.
Fall ,Spring. Credits: 4-4.
Advanced grammar, with greater emphasis on the refinement of conversation and composition skills. Discussion of topics related to contemporary life in Russia.
Prerequisites: Russian 201-202 or equivalent.

306. Phonetics.
Fall. Credits: 1.
Practice in Russian sounds, especially those that tend to be problematic for a non-native speaker. Emphasis on specific phonetic phenomena, such as palatalization and assimilation of consonants, and reduction of unstressed vowels. Examination of word stress, sentence-level stress, and intonation patterns.
Corequisite: Course should be taken as early as possible in the study of Russian, but must be taken as a co-requisite with Russian 301.

400. Soviet/Russian Film.
Spring. Credits: 4.
Degree Requirements: Humanities.
Introduction to the ideological and aesthetic forces that have shaped the development of Soviet/Russian film, with particular attention to various film theories. Films of various directors, such as Eisenstein, Chukhrai, Daneliia, Tarkovsky, and Mikhalkov will be studied. All films are subtitled; course is taught in English.

410. Analytical Reading.
Fall. Credits: 4.
This course aims to teach students the strategies of understanding texts of high literary quality by analyzing elements of given texts in their complexity. While focusing mainly on “psycho-poetic” aspects of reading activity, the course also introduces formal approaches to text analysis, such as identifying the stylistic devices and expressive means employed by the authors.

486. Senior Seminar.
Spring. Credits: 4.
Students will be assigned individual research topics associated with the essential concept of the Russian Idea, give weekly progress reports, which will involve analytical discussion, and present their results orally and in writing at the end of the course. Special attention will be given to assigned readings from the Russian press and from Russian literature.

495-496. Honors Tutorial.
Fall, Spring. Credits: 4-8, 4-8.