Courses in Russian
Courses in Russian Language
A RUS 101 Elementary Russian I (4)
Introduction to the fundamentals of Russian grammar and basic vocabulary through extensive classroom drills, graded readings and translations. Systematic attention to essentials of pronunciation. Some laboratory work. Native speakers of Russian may not take this course without permission of chair. Only one of A RUS 101, 103, and 105 may be taken for credit. Language courses must be taken in sequence. A student may not earn graduation credit for a lower-level course taken concurrently with a higher-level course or after receiving credit for a higher-level course in the sequence.
A RUS 102 Elementary Russian II (4)
Continuation of A RUS 101. Some laboratory work. Native speakers of Russian may not take this course without permission of chair. Only one of A RUS 102, 104, and 105 may be taken for credit. Language courses must be taken in sequence. A student may not earn graduation credit for a lower-level course taken concurrently with a higher-level course or after receiving credit for a higher-level course in the sequence. Prerequisite(s): A RUS 101 or permission of chair.
A RUS 103 Russian for Bilingual Students I (3)
For students of Russian descent who speak Russian but have no formal education in the language. Students will learn to read and write Russian, and will be exposed to the fundamentals of Russian grammar. May be required as a prerequisite to enrolling in more advanced courses in Russian. Only one of A RUS 101, 103, and 105 may be taken for credit. May not be offered in 2011-2012.
A RUS 104 Russian for Bilingual Students II (3)
A continuation of A RUS 103. Only one of A RUS 102, 104, and 105 may be taken for credit. May not be offered in 2011-2012.
A RUS 105 Intensive Introductory Russian (8)
Intensive first year Russian. Introduction to the fundamentals of Russian grammar and basic vocabulary through extensive classroom drills, graded readings, and translations. Systematic attention to essentials of pronunciation. Equivalent to A RUS 101 and 102 sequence. Native speakers of Russian may not take this course without permission of chair. Only one of A RUS 101, 102, 103, 104, and 105 may be taken for credit. May not be offered in 2011-2012.
A RUS 201Y Intermediate Russian I (5)
Review of basic grammar; major grammatical issues not covered in elementary Russian; reading, translation, composition, and conversation. Some laboratory or drill each week. Also offered in the University in High School Program. Language courses must be taken in sequence. A student may not earn graduation credit for a lower-level course taken concurrently with a higher-level course or after receiving credit for a higher-level course in the sequence. Prerequisite(s): A RUS 102, 104, 105, or equivalent.
A RUS 202Y Intermediate Russian II (5)
Continuation of A RUS 201 with increased use of Russian as language of instruction. Some laboratory or drill each week. Also offered in the University in High School Program. Language courses must be taken in sequence. A student may not earn graduation credit for a lower-level course taken concurrently with a higher-level course or after receiving credit for a higher-level course in the sequence. Prerequisite(s): A RUS 201 or equivalent.
A RUS 301 Advanced Russian I (3)
Essential fine points of morphology and syntax; reading, translation, composition. Taught predominantly in Russian. Prerequisite(s): A RUS 202 or equivalent.
A RUS 302 Advanced Russian II (3)
Continuation of A RUS 301. Taught predominantly in Russian. Prerequisite(s): A RUS 301 or equivalent.
A RUS 311Y Russian Conversation (3)
Advanced conversation in idiomatic, colloquial Russian; oral reports, free discussion; systematic practical phonetics; content reflecting everyday activities and current events. Taught in Russian. Three classes, two laboratories or drills each week. May be repeated for credit when content varies, with permission of instructor. Prerequisite(s): A RUS 202 or equivalent.
A RUS 397 Independent Study (1–6)
Directed reading and conferences on selected topics. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite(s): junior or senior standing, and permission of instructor and the undergraduate program director.
A RUS 401 Advanced Russian Grammar (3)
Careful review of problematic grammar topics, development of reading and analysis with particular attention to morphology and syntax, improvement of writing skills. Prerequisite(s): A RUS 302 or permission of instructor or the undergraduate program director.
A RUS 408 Translation into Russian (3)
Written translation and linear interpreting from English into Russian on a variety of subjects. Prerequisite(s): permission of instructor. May not be offered in 2011-2012.
A RUS 411 Stylistics (2)
Theoretical foundations of stylistics; basic concepts of functional styles of language; lexical, grammatical, syntactic stylistics; analysis of individual styles and their accurate rendering in translation. Quarter course. Prerequisite(s): A RUS 302 or equivalent.
A RUS 412 Advanced Russian Conversation (3)
Continuation of A RUS 311 on a more advanced level. Three hours a week. Some laboratory and drill work. Semester course. Prerequisite(s): A RUS 311 or 312, or permission of chair. May not be offered in 2011-2012.
A RUS 447 Russian Language Through Film (3)
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. Prerequisites(s): permission of instructor.
Literature Courses in Russian
A RUS 421 Introduction to Literary Theory and Analysis (3)
Types of analysis; basic terms; basic theoretical approaches and their application. Detailed discussion of individual works to illustrate concepts, theories and methods. Prerequisite(s): A RUS 202. May not be offered in 2011-2012.
A RUS 422 Russian and Slavic Folklore and Mythology (3)
Introduction to popular customs and literature of Russian and Slavic peoples. Survey of main genres: fairy tale, epic narratives, songs, folk dramas, proverbs and sayings, charms and incantations. Prerequisite(s): A RUS 202. May not be offered in 2011-2012.
A RUS 423 History of Russian Drama and Theatre (3)
Survey of the Russian theatre and theatrical literature from its origins to the present. Main emphasis on plays of the 19th and 20th centuries (Fonvizin, Gogol, Pushkin, Ostrovsky, Chekhov, Mayakovsky, Gorky). Discussion of the role of the arts (music and painting) in the development of Russian theatre. Prerequisite(s): A RUS 202. May not be offered in 2011-2012.
A RUS 426 Russian 19th Century Poetry (3)
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, Mekrasov and Fet. Distinguishing characteristics of literary schools will be examined against the background of Russia’s cultural and political environment.
A RUS 427 Russian 20th Century Poetry (3)
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, Bolk, Belyj, Gumilev, Axmatova, Cvetaeva, Majakovskij, Xlebnikov, Zabolockij, Vysockij and Brodskij. Writers and schools will be studied with major cultural and political developments of the times.
A RUS 428 Pushkin’s Evgeny Onegin (2)
Reading of Pushkin’s novel in verse in the Russian original as well as major secondary and critical works. Prerequisite(s): A RUS 301 or permission of instructor.
A RUS 470 Structure of a Slavic Language (3)
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, Romanian, Serbo-Croatian, Ukrainian. May not be offered in 2011-2012.
Literature and Culture Courses in English Translation
A RUS 151 Tolstoy’s War and Peace (3)
In 1863, at age 35, Tolstoy began writing War and Peace. Over the next 7 years, it transmogrified from a novel about decadent Russian society in the 1850s to an epic about Russian society during the Napoleonic wars of the 1810s. Our exploration of War and Peace includes Tolstoy’s own letters and later interpretations in Bondarchuk’s film (1967) and Prokofiev’s opera (1952), as we examine the big questions: the individual in relation to history, free will, the psychological hero, knowledge, historical determinism, death and war, as well as more specific subjects such as the cultural war between Russia and France, the Napoleonic Wars, the nobility, and love.
A RUS 161/161Z Russian Civilization (3)
The cultural and ideological development of Russia from the inheritance of the Byzantine Empire through the 1917 Russian Revolution. Includes various aspects of history, political systems, economy and culture and the arts. Conducted in English. Only one version of A RUS 161 may be taken for credit.
A RUS 162/162Z Russia Today (3)
Introduction to the society and culture of contemporary Russia, focusing in part on the continuities and differences between Soviet and post-Soviet period. Topics to be studied include: the linguistic and cultural revolution of the 1990s, individual adaptation to a new economic environment, official and unofficial attempts to “construct” a new Russia. Conducted in English. Only one version of A RUS 162 may be taken for credit.
A RUS 171 (= A WSS 171) Women in Russian Culture (3)
The course will examine the roles of women in Russian culture through a study of film, literary works by and about women. Only one version of A RUS 171 may be taken for credit. May not be offered in 2011-2012.
A RUS 190 Women Writers in Russian Literature (3)
The course examines Russian women’s writings beginning with the 18th century to the present. The texts are studies in the context of Russian literature in general and women’s writings in particular. It includes: autobiographies by Catherine the Great, Alexandra Durova, and Nadezda Mandelshtam; prose works by Karolina Pavlovana, Elena Guro, Tatjana Tolstaia, and the plays by Liudmila Petrushevskaia. May not be offered in 2011-2012.
A RUS 240 Great Works of Russia in English Translation (1)
Each mini-course in A RUS 240 focuses on a great book by a Russian author and examines it in depth. Emphasis on textual analysis with consideration of diverse critical approaches and the work’s significance for Russian society and world literature. Conducted in English. A RUS 239 and/or 240 may be repeated for credit when content varies.
A RUS 251 Masterpieces of 19th Century Russian Literature (3)
Survey of the development of Russian literature, particularly prose fiction, from the age of Pushkin to 1900. Readings will be chosen from short stories and novels by the following writers: Pushkin, Gogol, Lermontov, Turgenev, Goncharov, Tolstoy, and Dostoevsky. Conducted in English.
A RUS 252 Masterpieces of 20th Century Russian Literature (3)
Survey of the development of Russian literature, particularly prose fiction, from the turn of the century to the death of Stalin (1953). Readings will be chosen from short stories and novels by the following writers: Chekhov, Gorky, Olesha, Bulgakov, Babel, Pasternak, Zamyatin, and Sholokhov. Conducted in English.
A RUS 253 Contemporary Russian Literature (3)
Survey of Soviet literature from the death of Stalin (1953) to the present. Readings taken primarily from prose fiction by such writers as Solzhenitsyn, Trifonov, Aksyonov, Shukshin, Bitov, and Erofeyev. Discussion of how the changing political situation has affected writers and literature. Conducted in English.
A RUS 261/261Z Dostoevsky and Tolstoy in English Translation (3)
Examination of the life, times and works of Russia’s two most important 19th century prose writers. Approximately one-half of the course will be devoted to each writer. Reading of novels, short stones and essays, and discussion of the authors’ extra-literary significance. Conducted in English. Only one version of A RUS 261 may be taken for credit. Prerequisite(s): one course in literature or junior or senior standing. May not be offered in 2011-2012.
A RUS 266 Gogol in English Translation (2)
Gogol’s fiction and his role in the development of Russian prose. Quarter course; conducted in English. May not be offered in 2011-2012.
A RUS 267 Chekhov in English Translation (2)
Chekhov’s stories and plays with emphasis on social, psychological and philosophical insights. Special attention to Chekhov’s role in the development of the short story and drama. Quarter course. May not be offered in 2011-2012.
A RUS 270 Topics in Slavic Literatures and Cultures (1–3)
A short course on various topics in Slavic literatures and cultures (Russian, Czech, Serbian, Croatian, Bulgarian, Polish, etc.). May include instruction in language, or lecture-style courses on literature and culture. Course may cover an individual work, an individual author or a genre. May be repeated for credit when content varies. Quarter course. Conducted in English.
A RUS 280 Soviet and Russian Cinema (3)
Main trends in the development of Russian and Soviet cinema, from the silents of the early 20th century to the period of glasnost and the post-Soviet era. Introduction to the theories of Eisenstein, Vertov, Kuleshov, and others. Social and political issues explored through famous classic and contemporary films. Conducted in English.
A RUS 352Z Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov (3)
In English. A mercurial defier of national, linguistic, cultural, and theoretical categories, Vladimir Nabokov remains paradoxically elusive and monumental, a thrilling and exasperating genius. This course examines both the Russian (in translation) and English novels – Nabokov’s first novel, Mary (1926), The Defense (1929), Invitation to a Beheading (1936), The Gift (1938), Lolita (1955), and Pale Fire (1962) – his memoirs, Speak, Memory (1966), and some of the essays and short stories, plus recordings of Nabokov reading his work aloud, and films of his novels.
A RUS 354/354Z The Russian Novel in its Western Context (3)
A comparative course concentrating on 19th century prose fiction by Russian authors such as Dostoevsky, Turgenev, Tolstoy, Pushkin and Lermontov, examined as it relates to the work of their European and American contemporaries, including Dickens, Balzac, Byron, Flaubert, Henry James, George Eliot, and others. Only one version of A RUS 354 may be taken for credit. Conducted in English. Prerequisite(s): one course in literature or junior or senior standing, or permission of instructor. May not be offered in 2011-2012.
A RUS 380 Topics in Soviet and Russian Cinema (3)
In-depth study of individual directors, genres and themes; cinema and the other arts; cinema and the state. Film as propaganda tool and as vehicle for formalistic experimentation, social criticism, and cultural/historical recollection. Films by Eisenstein, Romm, Kalatozov, Chukhral, Tarkovsky, Gherman, Muratova, Mamin, and others. Conducted in English. May be repeated when content varies with permission of the instructor. Prerequisite(s): A RUS 280 or with permission of instructor.
A RUS 480 Senior Seminar on the Language, Society, and Culture of Contemporary Russia (3)
A capstone course required for majors in Russian to be completed in the senior year or upon satisfaction of all core courses. Advanced study of contemporary Russian culture and society as reflected in the Russian mass media. Extensive use of electronic materials. Prerequisite(s): A RUS 302 or 311 and/or permission of instructor. Students must also have completed one of the following courses: A RUS 162 (Russia Today), A HIS 355 (History of Russia II), or R POS 354 (Russian Domestic Politics).
