Russian

RUSS 101: Elementary Russian

For students with no previous training in or minimal knowledge of Russian. Simultaneous development of skills in speaking, reading, aural comprehension, writing. Students with prior instruction or who speak Russian at home should consult the department for placement information. Class meets five days a week. 6; Does not fulfill a distribution requirement; offered Fall 2007 -- A. Dotlibova, L. Goering

RUSS 102: Elementary Russian

Continues Russian 101. Prerequisite: Russian 101 or placement. Class meets five days a week. 6; Does not fulfill a distribution requirement; offered Winter 2008 -- A. Dotlibova, L. Goering

RUSS 103: Elementary Russian

Concludes introductory method of Russian 101-102. Prerequisite: Russian 102 or placement. Class meets five days a week. 6; Does not fulfill a distribution requirement; offered Spring 2008 -- A. Dotlibova, D. Nemec Ignashev

RUSS 107: Moscow Program: Beginning Grammar

This course will focus on continued study of the fundamentals of Russian grammar, vocabulary expansion, and activation. This course is conducted by members of Moscow State University Philological Faculty and supervised by the program director. Prerequisite: For students who have just recently begun their study of the Russian language, having completed or tested beyond elementary Russian 102. 4; Does not fulfill a distribution requirement; not offered 2007-2008

RUSS 108: Moscow Program: Beginning Phonetics

This course is taken in combination with Russian 107. Students focus on the essentials of Russian pronunciation with preliminary work in intonation. This course is conducted by members of Moscow State University Philological Faculty and supervised by the program director. 2; Does not fulfill a distribution requirement; not offered 2007-2008

RUSS 109: Moscow Program: Beginning Conversation

This course is taken in combination with Russian 107. Emphasis on socially relevant material. This course is conducted by members of Moscow State University Philological Faculty and supervised by the program director. 3; Does not fulfill a distribution requirement; not offered 2007-2008

RUSS 150: Contemporary Russian Culture and Society

This course surveys the complexities and contradictions of contemporary Russia, which today struggles with geography, climate, ethnic and religious diversity, and the legacies of serfdom and official corruption. Course materials include visual media (film, animation, computer graphics), short fiction (fairy tales, classical short works, and post-modern sci-fi), economic reviews, Chechnya reportage, and documentary. Course requirements: short papers aimed at the portfolio, occasional quizzes, final exam. No knowledge of Russian language or Russian studies assumed or required. No prerequisites. 6; Humanities, Recognition and Affirmation of Difference Requirement; not offered 2007-2008

RUSS 204: Intermediate Russian

Continued four-skill development using texts and resources from a variety of sources. Emphasis on communicative skills. Prerequisite: Russian 103 or placement. Class meets five days a week. 6; Does not fulfill a distribution requirement; offered Fall 2007 -- A. Dotlibova, D. Nemec Ignashev

RUSS 205: Russian in Cultural Contexts

In this course students continue to develop skills of narration, listening comprehension, and writing, while exploring issues of contemporary Russian life and consciousness. The issues are examined from the position of two cultures: American and Russian. The course draws on a variety of sources for reading and viewing, including the periodic press, film, and music. Prerequisite: Russian 204 or placement. 6; Does not fulfill a distribution requirement; offered Spring 2008 -- A. Dotlibova

RUSS 206: Reading Russian

In this course students will develop skills and strategies for reading a variety of authentic texts, including fiction, poetry, periodicals and Internet sources. We will also work on systematic vocabulary acquisition, advanced grammar and Russian research skills. Prerequisite: Russian 204 or permission of the instructor. 6; Arts and Literature; not offered 2007-2008 -- L. Goering

RUSS 207: Moscow Program: Intermediate Grammar

This course aims at vocabulary expansion and the assimilation and activation of formulaic conversational structures and speech etiquette at the same time it develops familiarity with more complex principles of Russian grammar. This course is conducted by members of Moscow State University Philological Faculty and supervised by the program director. Prerequisite: Russian 205 or placement. 4; Does not fulfill a distribution requirement; not offered 2007-2008

RUSS 208: Moscow Program: Intermediate Phonetics

This course is taken in combination with Russian 207. Students focus on the essentials of Russian pronunciation and correction. Preliminary work in intonation will be offered. This course is conducted by members of Moscow State University Philological Faculty and supervised by the program director. 2; Does not fulfill a distribution requirement; not offered 2007-2008

RUSS 209: Moscow Program: Intermediate Conversation

This course is taken in combination with Russian 207. Emphasis will be placed on socially relevant reading materials. This course is conducted by members of Moscow State University Philological Faculty and supervised by the program director. 3; Does not fulfill a distribution requirement; not offered 2007-2008

RUSS 226: Moscow Program: Magical Russia

Students will read a selection of fairy tales and several short works based on St. Petersburg by Pushkin, Gogol and Dostoevsky; Bulgakov's the Master and Margarita; and short stories by contemporary Siberian writers. Through the readings, excursions, theater performances, and individual exploration, students will explore local legends as they contribute to the larger cultural context of Russia herself. The evaluative exercise for this course will include a project and/or a final examination. 6; Arts and Literature, Recognition and Affirmation of Difference Requirement; not offered 2007-2008

RUSS 244: Russian Literature in Translation: The Novel to 1917

A survey of representative works from the early nineteenth century to 1917. Close textual analysis will be combined with discussion of the evolution of the genre in its historical and cultural context. Works by Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Gogol and others. No prior knowledge of Russian or Russian history is required. 6; Arts and Literature; offered Fall 2007 -- L. Goering

RUSS 255: Russian Cinema: History and Theory

This course offers an historical overview of Russian cinema from its inception before the revolution of 1917, through the Soviet epoch, and into the era of independent Russia. Focus on the history of the medium in its distinctly Russian context is complemented with an overview of Russian film theory as applied in analysis. No prior knowledge of Russian language or culture is required. All films will be subtitled. Format: 2 screenings per week, readings, discussion, short papers. 6; Arts and Literature, Recognition and Affirmation of Difference Requirement; not offered 2007-2008

RUSS 266: Dostoevsky

An introduction to the works of Dostoevsky. Readings include Poor Folk, Notes from the Underground, and The Brothers Karamazov. Conducted entirely in English. No prerequisites and no knowledge of Russian literature or history required. 3; Arts and Literature; not offered 2007-2008

RUSS 267: War and Peace

Close reading and discussion of Tolstoy's magnum opus. Conducted entirely in English. No prerequisites and no knowledge of Russian literature or history required. 3; Arts and Literature; not offered 2007-2008

RUSS 268: Russian Fiction of the Soviet Period

What avenues of literary expression are open to a writer when the government declares "socialist realism" to be the only acceptable artistic method? In this course we will read novels and short prose written in Russia between 1917 and 1991. Writers to be covered will range from those who conformed in varying degrees to governmental strictures to those who risked their lives to circulate their works underground or publish them abroad. Works by Olesha, Bulgakov, Pasternak, Solzhenitsyn, Tolstaia, and others. In translation. No prerequisite. 6; Arts and Literature; not offered 2007-2008

RUSS 301: Russian Skill Maintenance

Continued language practice and skill development, normally for mid-advanced students not currently enrolled in another 300-level Russian course. Topics vary. May be repeated according to need; six credits may be counted toward the Russian major. Prerequisite variable. 3; Does not fulfill a distribution requirement; not offered 2007-2008

RUSS 307: Moscow Program: Advanced Grammar

This course combines advanced work in Russian grammar (largely corrective) and fundamentals in composition, with conversational Russian. Prerequisite: at least 6-12 credits beyond Russian 205­206. 4; not offered 2007-2008

RUSS 308: Moscow Program: Advanced Phonetics and Intonation

This course is taken in combination with Russian 307. Students focus on corrective pronunciation and theory and practice of Russian intonation. This course is conducted by members of Moscow State University Philological Faculty and supervised by the program director. 2; Does not fulfill a distribution requirement; not offered 2007-2008

RUSS 309: Moscow Program: Advanced Composition

This course is taken in combination with Russian 307. Materials will combine literary classics with the socially relevant. This course is conducted by members of Moscow State University Philological Faculty and supervised by the program director. 3; Does not fulfill a distribution requirement; not offered 2007-2008

RUSS 332: Reading a Russian Novel

In this course we apply a variety of strategies, approaches, and interpretive models as we read a contemporary Russian novel not yet translated into English. Prerequisite: Russian 205 or concurrent registration in Russian 205 or permission of the instructor. 3; Arts and Literature; offered Spring 2008 -- D. Nemec Ignashev

RUSS 334: Russian Poetry

This course is about learning to read, analyze, understand, and translate Russian poetry, with focus on nineteenth- and twentieth-century writers. Conducted in Russian. Prerequisite: Russian 205 or permission of the instructor. 3; Arts and Literature; offered Fall 2007 -- D. Nemec Ignashev

RUSS 345: Russian Cultural Idioms of the Nineteenth Century

An introduction to the names, quotations and events that every Russian knows--knowledge which is essential to understanding Russian literature, history and culture of the last two centuries. We will study the works of Russian writers (Griboedov, Pushkin, Leskov, and Dostoevsky), composers (Glinka, Mussorgsky, Rimsky Korsakov, and Tchaikovsky), artists (Briullov, Ivanov, the Itinerants) and actors (Mochalov, Shchepkin) in the context of social thought and the social movements of the nineteenth century. Conducted in Russian. Prerequisite: Russian 205 or permission of the instructor. 6; Arts and Literature; not offered 2007-2008 -- A. Dotlibova

RUSS 351: Chekhov

A study of Chekhov's short fiction, both as an object of literary analysis and in the interpretation of critics, stage directors and filmmakers of the twentieth century. We will also examine the continuation of the Chekhovian tradition in the works of writers such as Bunin, Petrushevskaia and Pietsukh. Conducted in Russian. Prerequisite: Russian 205 or permission of the instructor. 6; Arts and Literature; not offered 2007-2008

RUSS 360: Russian Theater in the Twentieth Century

We will read classic Russian plays by Gogol, Ostrovsky, and Chekhov, while using acting exercises following the methods of directors Stanislavksy, M. Chekhov, Meyerhold and Vakhtangov to help us understand the theatrical meaning of these texts. Through memoirs, critical articles, directors' notes, set designs and photographs we will then trace the theatrical history of these plays from the beginning of the twentieth century to the present. 6; Arts and Literature; not offered 2007-2008

RUSS 395: Senior Seminar: The Cult of Stalin

Drawing on materials from film, literature, architecture, and mass culture, we will examine the cult of Iosif Stalin during "the Leader's" lifetime and continuing into subsequent eras through both repudiation and periodic revivals. We will address the pagan and Christian foundations of the Stalin cult, as well as its connections with the cult of Lenin. Conducted entirely in Russian. Prerequisite: at least 6 credits at the level of Russian 330 or higher or permission of the instructor. 6; Arts and Literature; offered Winter 2008

RUSS 400: Integrative Exercise

6; S/NC; Does not fulfill a distribution requirement; offered Fall 2007, Winter 2008 -- L. Goering, D. Nemec Ignashev