Courses Offered
1, 2, 3. Introductory Russian
1. 07F, 08F: 9L, 12
2. 08W, 09W: 9L
3. 08S, 09S: 9L
An introduction to Russian as a spoken and written language. None of these
serves in partial satisfaction of the Distributive or World Culture
Requirements. The staff.
7. First-Year Seminar in Russian
Consult special listings
11. Russian Popular Culture
Not offered in the period from 07F through 08S
13. Slavic Folklore: Vampires, Witches and Firebirds
07F, 08S, 08F: 10
This course explores the world of Slavic folklore and legends. Through an
analysis of fairytales and other folk texts we will examine the nature and
forms of oral tradition in its social context. Topics will include the
relationship of myth to folk literature as well as the distinguishing traits of
the folk genres most prevalent in the Slavic countries. The themes will be
related to the contemporary world wherever possible, examining what happens
when traditional cultures and beliefs conflict with modern views. The course is
based on materials in Russian and East European cultures, but also draws from
other traditions.
Our primary readings will include a selection of fairytales, folksongs and
ritual practices of folk beliefs, medicine, incantations and divinations.
Backgroundworks include such books as Russian Folk Belief by Linda Ivanits, The
Morphology of the Folk Tale by Vladimir Propp, and The Uses of Enchantment by
Bruno Bettelheim. We will also examine other media, including film, music (both
folk music and more contemporary pieces, including Stravinsky’s The Firebird)
and art.
Open to all classes. Dist: INT or LIT; WCult: W. Somoff.
14. Faces of Totalitarianism: A History of a Nation through a History of a
Medium (Identical to Film Studies 42)
Not offered in the period from 07F through 08S
15. Introduction to Russian Civilization
08S: 3A
An examination of Russia as a cultural, national, and historical entity part
of and yet apart from both Europe and Asia. Russia is a continental power of
vast proportions whose traditions, character, national myths, and forms of
political organization often seem a mirror-image to those of the United States.
After a brief survey of Russian history, the course will examine certain
determinants of Russian culture, including Christianity, multinationalism, and
the status of Russian civilization on the periphery of Europe. The course will
then deal with the art, music, and popular literature of Russia, and conclude
by examining certain contemporary issues, including the complex coexistence of
Russian and Soviet culture.
Open to all classes. WCult: W. Gronas.
19. Understanding the Russians: The Role of Language and Culture in
Communication
08W: 3B
With the arrival of the new millennium and its promise of global
communications networks, we are becoming more and more aware of our world as a
‘global village’ and of the implications this has, both linguistic and
cultural, for communication across national and ethnic boundaries. This course
will examine those areas in the study of culture and of language pragmatics
with relevance to such communication between Americans and Russians. Readings
and class discussions will focus on such phenomena as ‘culture’ and ‘language’
shock; the linguistics and cultural evidence for differences in the two
countries’ views of such phenomena as time and space, as well as for such
concepts as public and private ‘spheres,’ friendship, or of what constitutes a
conversation. A variety of sources from literary works, TV documentaries and
film, to travel handbooks and the conduct of negotiations will be examined for
the cultural and language script they subsume in the two countries.
Open to all classes. Dist: SOC or INT; WCult: W. Gusejnov.
21. Russian Civilization: Study Abroad
08X: D.L.S.A.+
This course, taught by the faculty member directing the program, will vary
in topic from year to year, depending on the specialty of the faculty member.
Credit for this course is awarded to students who have successfully completed
the Dartmouth Foreign Study Program in Russia.
Prerequisite: membership in the L.S.A. Program. WCult: W.
22. The Russian Language: Study Abroad
08X: D.L.S.A.+
This course represents the course in grammar and the other written work done
by the students at the University of St. Petersburg. Credit for this course is
awarded to students who have successfully completed the Dartmouth Foreign Study
Program in Russia.
Prerequisite: membership in the Foreign Study Program. WCult: W.
23. The Russian Language: Study Abroad
08X: D.L.S.A.+
This course represents the work done in the phonetics classes and in the
conversation classes at the University of St. Petersburg. Credit for this
course is awarded to students who have successfully completed the Dartmouth
Foreign Study Program in Russia.
Prerequisite: membership in the L.S.A. Program. WCult: W.
27. Intermediate Russian I
07F, 08F: 9L
A continuation of the 1-2-3 cycle, this course is the first of the
intermediate language courses offered by the Department. The course prepares
the student for further upper-level study of the language. It includes
intensive review, introduction to new grammatical topics, as well as reading,
composition and conversation.
Prerequisite: Russian 3 or equivalent. Garretson.
28, 29. Intermediate Russian II and III
28. 08W, 09W: 12
29. 08S, 09S: 12
This sequence completes the cycles of second-year Russian. Special emphasis
is placed on such difficult areas as participles, aspects and verbs of motion.
The course includes extensive reading, video work and vocabulary building.
Prerequisite: Russian 23 or Russian 27, or permission. Rakova.
31. Russian Literature of the Golden Age in Translation
08S, 09S: 2A
Nineteenth-century Russian prose culminated in the masterpieces of Tolstoy,
Dostoevsky and Chekhov. Through works such as Anna Karenina, Crime and
Punishment and The Cherry Orchard, these writers expanded the boundaries of the
genres in which they worked, even as they exposed the acute social problems of
their time. Their work is distinguished not only by the sharpness of the
character analysis but also by the compassion with which the analysis is
conducted. This course examines the process by which this literature acquired
its unique configuration.
Taught in English. Open to all classes. Dist: LIT; WCult: W. Somoff.
32. Modern Russian Literature in Translation
08W, 09W: 2
This course examines the impact which the turbulent history of
twentieth-century Russia had on literature and on writers struggling to defend
their integrity. The century began with Russian Modernism, out of which came
experimental masterpieces in all the arts. This movement was terminated in 1930
by Stalin, who imposed harsh controls under the aegis of Socialist Realism,
which dominated the arts until Stalin’s death in 1953. Since then, Russian
writers have gradually liberated themselves from the demands of the censors to
produce a literature as articulate and exciting as the great novels of Tolstoy
and Dostoevsky. Readings include such novels as Zamyatin’s We, Bulgakov’s The
Master and Margarita, Pasternak’s Doctor Zhivago and Solzhenitsyn’s One Day in
the Life of Ivan Denisovich and literary artifacts of the contemporary
counterculture (such as cyberpunk novels and rock-n-roll poetry).
Taught in English.* Open to all classes. Dist: LIT; WCult: W. Gusejnov.
35. Dostoevsky and the Problem of Evil
07F, 08F: 2A
Dostoevsky laid bare the tragedy of human existence and probed the innermost
recesses of the human psyche to show the terrifying isolation of a human being
separated from God. Revolted by a world in which innocent children suffer,
Dostoevsky tested the meaning to be found in Christianity, personal
responsibility and human solidarity. This course examines his major novels,
with particular emphasis on the artistic expression of his philosophical views.
Those views will be examined in the context of Russian intellectual and
literary history. Readings include Notes from Underground, Crime and
Punishment, The Idiot, Demons, and The Brothers Karamazov.
Taught in English.* Open to all classes. Dist: LIT; WCult: W. Kopper.
36. Tolstoy and the Problem of Death
08X: 2A
From childhood to the end of his life, Tolstoy struggled to overcome his
fear of death. As he himself put the problem, ‘Is there any meaning in my life
which the inevitable death awaiting me does not destroy?’ In his quest for
bulwarks against that fear, he studied the great philosophers and he examined
closely the value system of the peasants. He found temporary relief in war and
in marriage, but the definitive solution always eluded him. The evolution of
this theme, and the formal devices by which Tolstoy expressed it in his prose,
will be traced in the major novels, War and Peace and Anna Karenina. The course
will conclude with a brief examination of the prose that Tolstoy produced after
his conversion.
Taught in English. Open to all classes. Dist: LIT; WCult: W. Loseff.
38. Special Topics in Russian Literature
Not offered in the period from 07F through 08S
39. Multiethnic Russian Empire under the Tsarist, Soviet, and Post-Soviet
Regimes (Identical to Anthropology 39)
08W: 10 09W: 2
This course explores the emergence of ethnic identity and nationalism among
the peoples of the Russian empire, the Soviet Union and their successor states.
Drawing on anthropological and historical works, it examines the process of
formation of a centralized multiethnic Russian empire and the liberation
struggle of its nationalities prior to 1917. It then proceeds to the crucial
period of 1917-1991 and explores the theory and practice of nationalities
politics of the Bolshevik, Stalinist, and the late Soviet socialism. The
dissolution of the USSR, the rise of interethnic conflicts, and the relations
between ethnic groups in Russia and the successor states are the focus of the
second half of the course, where several case studies are discussed in
depth.
Open to all classes. Dist: SOC; WCult: W. Kan.
41. Advanced Conversation and Composition
Not offered in the period from 07F through 08S
42. Advanced Grammar I
07F: 2
This course aims to increase and perfect the student’s abilities in all
areas of Russian language: conversation, composition and reading. In addition
to reviewing difficult grammatical points, the sequence will present certain
subtleties of language usage accessible only to advanced students.
Prerequisite: Russian 29. Rakova.
43. Advanced Grammar II
Not offered in the period from 07F through 08S
45. Special Topics in Russian Language
08W: 11, 08S: 12
In 08W, Russian For Heritage Speakers. This course is for students who grew
up speaking Russian with their family but have limited knowledge of how to read
and write in Russian. The course objective is to develop advanced reading
ability, grammatical awareness, and writing competence. The coursework includes
readings from Russian literature, film viewings, and creative work with
language. Our major class project will consist in writing an epistolary novel
in which everyone will become simultaneously a character, a writer, a reader,
and a literary critic.
Prerequisite: oral proficiency in Russian; permission of instructor. WCult:
W. Somoff.
In 08S, History of the Russian language. This course introduces the student
to the history of the phonology (sound development) and morphology (development
of grammatical categories) of Russian as a Slavic and Indo-European
language.
Prerequisite: Russian 29 or higher. Garretson.
62. Structure of Modern Russian
Not offered in the period from 07F through 08S
71. Topics in Russian Literature
08W, 09W: 2A
In this seminar students read works of prose and poetry in Russian, study
methods of critical analysis, and practice translation. Each offering of the
course will be based on a particular theme or period. Students may take the
course more than once provided that the topic is not the same as in a previous
election.
In 08W, Man, God and Devil in Russian Poetry. Dist: LIT; WCult: W.
Loseff.
85. Independent Reading
All terms: Arrange
Russian 85 is available to students in the Honors Program who intend to do
preparatory work for a thesis or to students who wish to study a topic not
normally covered in a regularly offered course. In the latter case it is
necessary to prepare a one-page proposal describing what the student plans to
study and to accomplish during the term. The proposal must then be approved by
the faculty member who has agreed to direct the course and by the Department as
a whole. Final approval must be received before the beginning of the term in
which the course is to be taken.
86. Senior Seminar
Not offered in the period from 07F through 08S
87. Thesis
All terms: Arrange
A program of individual research designed for honors students. Interested
students should consult the Chair of the Department.
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