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.
66 credits, including the following: Russian 205; 207 or 307; 12 credits of survey courses in English (Russian 150, 244, 268, Cinema and Media Studies 237); 18 credits numbered 330 or above, six of which will normally be Russian 395; and the integrative exercise. Courses 101, 102 and 103 do not count toward the major.
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, and History 240-242.
Language House: Students have the opportunity to immerse themselves in the language by living in Parish House. A native Russian Resident Associate provides opportunities for conversation practice and assists students in organizing a variety of cultural activities.
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., NE, Fall—A. Dotlibova, D. Nemec Ignashev
RUSS 102. Elementary Russian
Continues Russian 101. Prerequisite: Russian 101 or equivalent. 6 cr., NE, Winter—A. Dotlibova, L. Goering
RUSS 103. Elementary Russian
Concludes introductory method of Russian 101-102. Prerequisite: Russian 102 or equivalent. 6 cr., NE, 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., NE, Spring—D. Nemec Ignashev
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., NE, Spring—D. Nemec Ignashev
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., NE, Spring—D. Nemec Ignashev
RUSS 150. Facts and Fairy Tales: Introduction to Russian Cultural History
This course explores issues central to life in Russia today--e.g., ethnic and religious diversity, gender equality, ecology, poverty (and wealth), demographics, and corruption--through the lens of Russia's arts as developed over the last thousand years. Media include architecture, folklore, nineteenth- and twentieth-century fiction, painting, music, and cinema. Theoretical texts address different approaches to the study of national cultures. Discussions are supplemented by occasional lectures; student assessment is based on participation, a final exam, and short papers desinged for inclusion in the portfolio. No knowledge of Russian language or Russian studies assumed or required. Prerequisite: No knowledge of Russian language or Russian studies assumed . 6 cr., WR; HI, WR2, IS, 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 equivalent. 6 cr., NE, Fall—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 equivalent. 6 cr., NE, IS, Winter—A. Dotlibova
RUSS 206. Russian Practicum
In this three-credit course students will both refresh their knowledge of Russian acquired in the 101-204 sequence as well as develop intermediate-level skills in grammar, reading, listening, and speaking. Curriculum from term to term will be adjusted by the instructor to student needs. Prerequisite: Open to students who have completed Russian 204 and not yet embarked on Russian 330 or above courses, or by permission of the instructor. 3 cr., NE, Not offered in 2015-2016.
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 equivalent. 4 cr., NE, Spring—D. Nemec Ignashev
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., NE, Spring—D. Nemec Ignashev
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., NE, Spring—D. Nemec Ignashev
RUSS 226. Moscow Program: Russia's Hallowed Places
This course explores localities in Russia that have acquired the significance of hallowed or sacred places, the reasons underlying their designation, and the diversity of belief systems they embody. Localities considered include places in and around Moscow (some holy, others cursed), the routes of literary heroes (and their creators) in St. Petersburg, sites of legendary historical significance in Central Russia, and the "sacred sea" of Siberia, Lake Baikal, and its Buryat-Mongol shamanist-Buddhist environs. Course materials: readings, films, excursions, lectures, and travel. Student learning is assessed through occasional quizzes, weekly discussions, and integrative blog writing assignments. Prerequisite: Acceptance in Russian OCS Program. 6 cr., HI, IS, Offered in alternate years. Spring—D. Nemec Ignashev
RUSS 244. The Rise of the Russian Novel
From the terse elegance of Pushkin to the psychological probing of Dostoevsky to the finely wrought realism of Tolstoy, this course examines the evolution of the genre over the course of the nineteenth century, ending with a glimpse of things to come on the eve of the Russian Revolution. Close textual analysis of the works will be combined with exploration of their historical and cultural context. No prior knowledge of Russian or Russian history is required. 6 cr., LA, WR2, IS, Not offered in 2015-2016.
RUSS 261. Lolita
Rejected by every major publisher to which the author submitted it, first published in France in 1955 by a press known for pornographic trash, Vladimir Nabokov's scandalous novel of a middle-aged college professor obsessed with a twelve-year-old girl continues to feed controversy as well as to challenge and delight readers with its labyrinthian narrative, endless wordplay, innumerable meta-artistic allusions, and troublesome eroticism. Thus warned, you are invited to join the jury in deliberating the designs and delights of this twentieth-century literary classic. Conducted in English. 3 cr., LA, WR2, Not offered in 2015-2016.
RUSS 280. Russian History Through Song
In this course we will analyze, sing, and stage some of the best-known Russian songs of the twentieth century, songs that have become the "prayers" of the new civic religion. Prerequisite: Russian 205 or instructor permission. 2 cr., S/CR/NC, NE, IS, Not offered in 2015-2016.
RUSS 290. Moscow Program: Reading for Russia
3 cr., Spring—D. Nemec Ignashev
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 205/206. 4 cr., NE, Spring—D. Nemec Ignashev
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., NE, Spring—D. Nemec Ignashev
RUSS 309. Moscow Program: Advanced Practicum
This course aims at skill development in speaking and oral presentation as well as in limited forms of composition. It is taken in combination with Russian 307 and conducted by members of Moscow State University Philological Faculty and supervised by the program director. Prerequisite: Russian 205 and 6 credits in Russian at the 330 level. 3 cr., NE, Offered in alternate years. Spring—D. Nemec Ignashev
RUSS 333. Russian Literature for Children
Many well-known Russian writers also wrote literature for children. Some sought new ways of educating; others sought refuge from the constraints of censorship. Some incorporated themes from folklore; others created new characters who became part of the literary culture shared by all Russians. This course will examine the evolution of Russian writing for children from the mid-nineteenth century to the present. Works by Tolstoy, Chukovskii, Zoshchenko, Olesha, Kharms, Marshak and others. Conducted in Russian. Prerequisite: Russian 205 or faculty permission. 6 cr., LA, IS, Not offered in 2015-2016.
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., LA, IS, Not offered in 2015-2016.
RUSS 341. The Russian Short Story
A survey of representative short stories from the past two hundred years. Works by Gogol, Leskov, Chekhov, Babel, Nabokov, Petrushevskaya, Ulitskaya and others. Conducted in Russian. Prerequisite: Russian 205 or the equivalent. 3 cr., LA, IS, Not offered in 2015-2016.
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-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 cr., NE, IS, Not offered in 2015-2016.
RUSS 346. Russian Cultural Idioms: The Golden Age
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 literary and artistic works produced in the first half of the nineteenth century in the context of history and social thought, with emphasis on poetry and theater. Not open to students who have taken Russian 345. Prerequisite: Russian 205 or instructor permission. 3 cr., LA, IS, Offered in alternate years. Fall—A. Dotlibova
RUSS 347. Russian Cultural Idioms: The Age of Reform
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 literary and artistic works produced in the second half of the nineteenth century in the context of history and social thought, with emphasis on music and fine art. Not open to students who have taken Russian 345. Prerequisite: Russian 205 or instructor permission. 3 cr., LA, IS, Offered in alternate years. Winter—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 cr., LA, IS, Not offered in 2015-2016.
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 instructor permission. 6 cr., LA, IS, Not offered in 2015-2016.