Chair: Professor John Roger Paas (German)
Professors: Laura Goering, Diane M. Nemec Ignashev
Senior Lecturer: Anna Mikhailovna Dotlibova
Russian (RUSS)
Students considering language study outside the Western European offerings will find Russian a refreshing change. In our first-year sequence we cover the fundamentals with equal emphasis on speaking, listening, writing, and reading. Traditional materials are supplemented by fairy tales, folk songs, rock music video, film clips and internet materials. By the end of Russian 204, students are able to read short prose by Chekhov, Dostoevsky, and Tolstoy, and to communicate functionally with native speakers. Language courses beyond 204 address contemporary Russian cultural and social issues while focusing on skill development at the intermediate (205), and advanced level (301). Students with pre-college Russian, either acquired or native, should consult the department for placement information.
Literature and Cultural Studies
We teach a variety of courses in English translation with no prerequisites (230-295). Courses at the 330-395 level that are conducted entirely in Russian aim to expand students' linguistic range as well as their understanding of analytical techniques and cultural contexts. See individual listings below for prerequisites.
Requirements for a Major
63 credits, including the following: Russian 205; 207 or 307; 12 credits of survey courses in English (Russian 150, 244, 255, 268); 18 credits numbered 330 or above, six of which will normally be Russian 395; and the integrative exercise. Up to six credits in Russian 301-308 can be counted toward the major. Remaining credits may be chosen in consultation with the adviser from: departmental offerings, study abroad, appropriate methodology courses, related field work, etc. Students are strongly advised to include Russian and Eurasian courses from other disciplines in their electives.
Study Abroad: Participation in foreign study programs is highly recommended for students majoring in the Russian field. For a description of the Carleton Moscow Program, consult the section "Off-Campus Studies." Departmental approval of credit for participation in overseas programs should be sought before leaving campus.
Certificate of Advanced Study in Foreign Language and Literature or Foreign Language and Area Studies: In order to receive the Certificate of Advanced Study in Russian, students must fulfill the general requirements (refer to Academic Regulations) in the following course distribution: six courses beyond 103, including 205 and two courses numbered 330 or above. Although courses for the certificate may be taken on a S/CR/NC basis, "D" or "CR" level work will not be sufficient to satisfy course requirements. Additional courses may be chosen from among other offerings in the Russian section, History 240-241, and Economics 231.
Language House: Students have the opportunity to immerse themselves in the language by living in the Language House. A native Russian Resident Associate provides opportunities for conversation practice and assists students in organizing a variety of cultural activities.
Russian Courses
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 cr., ND, Fall—A. Dotlibova, L. Goering
RUSS 102. Elementary Russian Continues Russian 101. Prerequisite: Russian 101 or placement. Class meets five days a week. 6 cr., ND, Winter—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 cr., ND, Spring—A. Dotlibova, L. Goering
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 cr., ND, Spring—Non-Carleton Faculty
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 cr., ND, Spring—Non-Carleton Faculty
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 cr., ND, Spring—Non-Carleton Faculty
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 cr., AL, RAD, Fall—D. Nemec Ignashev
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 cr., ND, Fall—A. Dotlibova, L. Goering
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 cr., ND, Winter—A. Dotlibova
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 cr., ND, Spring—Non-Carleton Faculty
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 cr., ND, Spring—Non-Carleton Faculty
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 cr., ND, Spring—Non-Carleton Faculty
RUSS 227. Moscow Program: Russia East and West Students will read non-fiction and fiction that explores and illuminates Russia's dual identity as European and Asian. Literary readings will include fairy tales, saints' lives, and short prose and poetry by Pushkin, Gogol, Dostoevsky, Rasputin, Vampilov, and others. Through readings, excursions, and travel in European and Asian Russia students will place the readings in the large cultural context of contemporary Russian, both historical and contemporary. The evaluative exercise for this course will include a project and/or a final examination. 6 cr., AL, RAD, Not offered in 2009-2010.
RUSS 228. Moscow Program: Russia North and South Students will read non-fiction and fiction that explores and illuminates Russia's cultural identities along the axis of North-South. Literary readings will include fairy tales, saints' lives, and short prose and poetry by Pushkin, Lermontov, Tolstoy, Belov, Pristavkin, and others. Through readings, excursions, and travel to the Russian North and Black Sea areas students will place the readings in the large cultural context of contemporary Russia. The evaluative exercise for this course will include a project and/or a final examination. 6 cr., AL, RAD, Spring—D. Nemec Ignashev
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 cr., AL, Not offered in 2009-2010.
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: two screenings per week, readings, discussion, short papers. 6 cr., AL, RAD, Winter—D. Nemec Ignashev
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 cr., AL, Not offered in 2009-2010.
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 cr., AL, Not offered in 2009-2010.
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 cr., AL, Not offered in 2009-2010.
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 205/Â206. 4 cr., ND, Spring—Non-Carleton Faculty
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 cr., ND, Spring—Non-Carleton Faculty
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 cr., ND, Spring—Non-Carleton Faculty
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 cr., AL, Not offered in 2009-2010.
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 cr., AL, Not offered in 2009-2010.
RUSS 336. Pushkin A study of the major poetry, drama and prose of Russia's most important poet. Prerequisite: Russian 205 or permission of the instructor. 6 cr., AL, Winter—L. Goering
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 and Pushkin, Leskov and Dostoevsky), composers (Glinka, Mussorgsky, Rimsky-ÂKorsakov 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 cr., AL, Not offered in 2009-2010.
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 cr., AL, Not offered in 2009-2010.
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 cr., AL, Spring—A. Dotlibova