Russian Courses
Rus 501 Translation Into English (4)
Formal written translation from Russian into English on a wide variety of subjects with careful attention to precision in meaning and style and to the demands of professional translating.
Rus 502 Translation Into Russian (4)
Formal written translation from English into Russian on a wide variety of subjects with careful attention to precision in meaning and style and to the demands of professional translating.
Rus 503 Syntax of Modern Russian (4)
Description and analysis of salient syntactic features of contemporary standard Russian. Prerequisite: Rus 515 or consent of instructor.
Rus 511 Russian Stylistics and Advanced Language Skills (4)
Concentrates on the integration of language skills, including stylistics and high-level review of syntax. Emphasis on vocabulary development and active language skills_speaking and writing. Materials include short stories and literary excerpts representing different schools and styles, plus selected texts from newspapers and magazines. Taught entirely in Russian.
Rus 515 Phonology and Morphology of Modern Russian (4)
Fundamentals of phonological theory; description and analysis of Russian phonetic and phonemic systems. Description and analysis of major inflectional systems of Russian; form and meaning of grammatical categories; morphophonemic alternations. Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.
Rus 517 Russian Word Formation (2)
Vocabulary acquisition through study of derivational morphology and the study of the lexicon of Russian.
Rus 518 History of the Russian Language (4)
Introduction to the historical development of the phonology and morphology of contemporary standard Russian.
Rus 521 Introduction to Literary Theory and Analysis (2)
Types of analysis; basic terms; basic theoretical approaches and their application. Detailed discussion of individual works to illustrate concepts, theories, and methods.
Rus 522 Russian and Slavic Folklore and Mythology (4)
Introduction to popular customs and literature of Russian and Slavic peoples. Survey of main genres: fairy tales, epic narratives, songs, folk dramas, proverbs and sayings, charms and incantations.
Rus 523 History of Russian Drama and Theatre (4)
Survey of Russian theatre and theatrical literature from its origins to the present. Main emphasis on plays of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries (Fonvizin, Gogol, Pushkin, Ostrovsky, Chekhov, Mayakovsky, Gorky). Discussion of the role of the other arts (music, painting) in the development of Russian theatre.
Rus 525 Russian Versification (2)
Basic concepts of verse analysis. Survey of verse systems in Russian poetry from the eighteenth through the twentieth centuries.
Rus 526 Russian Nineteenth-Century Poetry (4)
Course will examine major representative poets representing pre-romanticism, romanticism, pre-realism, realism and aestheticism (or protosymbolism). Major poets include Krylov, Zhukovskij, Pushkin, Lermontov, Baratynskij, Tjutchev, Nekrasov and Fet. Distinguishing characteristics of literary schools will be examined against the background of Russia’s cultural and political environment.
Rus 527 20th-century Russian Poetry (4)
Course will survey major poets and schools, including Decadence, Symbolism, Acmeism, Futurism, Independent figures, Socialist Realism and subsequent trends. Poets include Sologub, Bal‘mont, Brjusov, Blok, Belyj, Gumilev, Axmatova, Cvetaeva, Majakovskij, Xlebnikov, Zabolockij and Brodskij. Writers and schools will be studied with major cultural and political developments of the times.
Rus 528 Pushkin's Evgenij Onegin (2)
Close reading of Pushkin's novel in verse in the Russian original as well as of major secondary and critical works.
Rus 539 Russian Literature to 1700 (4)
Survey of major genres, writers, and works of Russian literature from its origins to 1700.
Rus 540 18th-Century Literature and Culture (4)
Survey of major movements and figures in literature, music, and visual arts. Examination of the development of genres, and analysis of representative works in various fields, with comparative approach.
Rus 542 Development of Russian Prose 1790-1850 (2)
Development of Russian prose from the late eighteenth to the mid-nineteenth century. Movements considered are Sentimentalism, Romanticism, Naturalism and early Realism. Discussion of works by Karamzin, Pushkin, Gogol, Turgenev, and others.
Rus 543 Russian Modernism (4)
Interdisciplinary course on major artistic movements and figures in Russian prose, music, and the visual arts from the 1890s to the 1920s. Analysis of selected works by writers such as Bely, Remizov, Khlebnikov, Olesha, Pasternak, and others; examination of the work and aesthetic of composers such as Stravinsky, Prokofiev, Scriabin, and Rachmaninoff; consideration of the work of artists such as Kandinsky, Malevich, Chagall, and others.
Rus 544 Twentieth Century Russian Literature (4)
Survey of the major movements and writers in Russian literature from 1917 to the present. Theory, practice, and aftermath of socialist realism. The "thaw" and its consequences. Russian literature in emigration.
Rus 546 Russian Realism (4)
Development of Russian realist prose from the 1840s to the 1880s. Discussion and analysis of selected works by Turgenev, Goncharov, Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Leskov, and others.
Rus 547 Russian Language Through Film (4)
The course uses Russian films of the late 20th century to enhance students' language skills and deepen their cultural knowledge. Work involves intensive class discussion and written assignments. Films are selected on the basis of artistic merit, language quality, and general interest. Conducted entirely in Russian.
Rus 570 Q-X Structure of a Slavic Language (4)
Study of the structure of a Slavic language other than Russian or, occasionally, a non-Indo-European language of Eastern Europe or the former USSR. May be repeated for credit in a different language: Bulgarian, Old Church Slavonic, Czech, Polish, Serbo-Croatian, Ukrainian, Romanian. Prerequisite: Knowledge of Russian or consent of instructor.
Rus 571 Topics in Slavic Literatures and Cultures (1-3)
A course on various topics in Slavic literatures and cultures (Russian, Polish, Czech, Bulgarian, Serbian, Croatian, Ukrainian, etc.). May cover an individual work, author, genre or theme. May be conducted in English or a Slavic language. Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.
Rus 590 Russian Literature in English Translation (2-4)
Independent or group study on special topics in Russian literature for students with a B.A. degree. Knowledge of Russian not required. May be repeated for credit. Not open to candidates for the M.A. in Russian. Prerequisite: Consent of department chair.
Rus 591 Methodology I (1)
Introduction to research methodology, including use of computers for research, bibliography, and other research tools. Students will choose a topic for a research paper to be written in Methodology II.
Rus 592 Methodology II (2)
Research workshop. Work with an individual faculty member on the writing of a research paper on a topic chosen in Methodology I. Includes individual consultation and the study of research methods in various fields in the discipline. Prerequisite: Methodology I.
Rus 601 General Translation (2)
Translation of unadapted texts from Russian to English, expository prose, analysis of published translations, requirements of professional translations, refinement of finished translations.
Rus 602 General Translation (2)
Continuation of Rus 601.
Rus 603A Specialized Translation (2)
Translation of non-fiction. Practice in a variety of areas within the humanities, social and natural sciences, and other fields. Areas treated have included literary theory, literary history and criticism, philosophy, history, anthropology, psychology, political science, sociology, biology, and physics, in styles and levels of difficulty ranging from popularizations to formal scholarly prose. Special reference works, strategies for acquisition of facility in the terminology and subject content of scholarly fields. Prerequisite: Rus 601-602 or permission of instructor.
Rus 603B Specialized Translation (2)
Translation of non-fiction. Practice in a variety of areas within the humanities, social and natural sciences, and other fields. Areas treated have included literary theory, literary history and criticism, philosophy, history, anthropology, psychology, political science, sociology, biology, and physics, in styles and levels of difficulty ranging from popularizations to formal scholarly prose. Special reference works, strategies for acquisition of facility in the terminology and subject content of scholarly fields. Prerequisite: Rus 601-602 or permission of instructor.
Rus 604 Specialized Translation (2)
Continuation of Rus 603.
Rus 605 Literary Translation (4)
Translation of selected literary texts from Russian into English with special attention to stylistic considerations.
Rus 610 Interpreting (4)
Introduction to consecutive and simultaneous oral interpreting, interpreting techniques and strategies, extensive oral practice and laboratory drills.
Rus 615 Sight Translation (2)
Technique and practice of sight translation, using published materials drawn from current Russian periodicals and newspapers dealing with topics requiring some background research, including CIS politics and economics, the legal system, literary life, theatre, visual arts, films, and everyday life. Prerequisite: Acceptance into program.
Rus 620 Contrastive Typology of English and Russian (4)
Introduction to theory of contrastive analysis with specific reference to the linguistic structures of English and Russian.
Rus 624 Eighteenth-Century Russian Literature (4)
The major movements, authors, and works, with emphasis on Neo-classicism and Sentimentalism.
Rus 639 Contemporary Russian Literature (4)
The development of Soviet and Russian literature since 1953.
Rus 641 Pushkin (4)
Critical study of Pushkin's poetry and prose and their significance in the development of the 19th-century Russian literary tradition.
Rus 642 Gogol (4)
Critical study of Gogol's works and their significance in the development of Russian drama and prose fiction.
Rus 645 Tolstoy (4)
Critical study of Tolstoy's works and their significance in the development of Russian drama and prose fiction.
Rus 646 Dostoevsky (4)
Critical study of Dostoevsky's works and their significance in the development of the Russian novelistic tradition. Prerequisite: Rus 357 or consent of instructor.
Rus 648 Chekhov (4)
Critical study of Chekhov's works and their significance in the development of Russian drama and prose fiction.
Rus 680 Final Translation Project (4-6)
Translation of a literary or scholarly text, 50-60 pp. in lenght, selected in consultation with the faculty member supervising the translation. The project is undertaken after having completed the other requirements for the Certificate of Advanced Study in Russian Translation.
Rus 695 Study in Russia (3)
Intensive study of Russian in the student's discipline at Moscow State University. Registration open only to students selected for the SUNY-MGU exchange program. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisites: Consent of the department chair and student's advisor. Graded S/U.
Rus 699 Master's Thesis in Russian (2-6)
Independent research leading to an acceptable thesis for the master's degree. Prerequisite: Consent of department chair.
