Undergraduate Courses
in Russian Language, Literature, and Culture
All courses award 3 semester credit hours unless otherwise indicated
RUSS 101 Intensive Elementary Russian I (6 credits)
Prerequisites: None
This intensive first-year course is intended to develop the four skills: reading, writing, listening and speaking with an emphasis on communicative competence.
Two hours of lecture and six hours of laboratory per week. Not open to native speakers of Russian. Credit will only be granted for one of the following: RUSS 101; or RUSS 111 and RUSS 112.
RUSS 102 Intensive Elementary Russian II (6 credits)
Prerequisites: RUSS 101, RUSS 112, or equivalent
A continuation of RUSS 101 which will further develop the four skills: reading, writing, listening, and speaking with an emphasis on communicative competence.
Two hours of lecture and six hours of laboratory per week. Not open to native speakers of Russian. Credit will only be granted for one of the following: RUSS 102; or RUSS 113 and RUSS 114.
RUSS 111 Non-Intensive Elementary Russian I
Prerequisites: None
Begins the development of the basic skills required for communicative competence in Russian: reading, writing, listening, and speaking.
Not open to native speakers of Russian. Credit will only be granted for one of the following: RUSS 101; or RUSS 111 and RUSS 112 (RUSS 111 and RUSS 112 are equivalent to RUSS 101).
RUSS 112 Non-Intensive Elementary Russian II
Prerequisites: RUSS 111 or equivalent
A continuation of RUSS 111 which will further develop the four skills: reading, writing, listening, and speaking with an emphasis on communicative competence.
Not open to native speakers of Russian. Credit will only be granted for one of the following: RUSS 101; or RUSS 111 and RUSS 112 (RUSS 111 and RUSS 112 are equivalent to RUSS 101).
RUSS 113 Non-Intensive Elementary Russian III
Prerequisites: RUSS 112 or equivalent
A continuation of RUSS 112 which will further develop the four skills: reading, writing, listening, and speaking with an emphasis on communicative competence.
Not open to native speakers of Russian. Credit will only be granted for one of the following: RUSS 102; or RUSS 113 and RUSS 114 (RUSS 112 and RUSS 113 are equivalent to RUSS 102).
RUSS 114 Non-Intensive Elementary Russian IV
Prerequisites: RUSS 113 or equivalent
A continuation of RUSS 113 which will further develop the four skills: reading, writing, listening, and speaking with an emphasis on communicative competence.
Not open to native speakers of Russian. Credit will only be granted for one of the following: RUSS 102; or RUSS 113 and RUSS 114 (RUSS 112 and RUSS 113 are equivalent to RUSS 102).
RUSS 201 Intermediate Russian I (5 credits)
Prerequisites: RUSS 102, RUSS 114, or equivalent
CORE course: Humanities (HO)
Continued activation and expansion of skills and knowledge acquired in an elementary Russian course with the goal of communicative competence.
Two hours of lecture and four hours of laboratory per week. Not open to native speakers of Russian.
RUSS 202 Intermediate Russian II (5 credits)
Prerequisites: RUSS 201
CORE course: Humanities (HO)
Continued activation and expansion of skills and knowledge acquired in RUSS 201 with the goal of communicative competence.
Two hours of lecture and four hours of laboratory per week. Not open to native speakers of Russian.
RUSS 210 Structural Description of Russian
Prerequisites: RUSS 201 or equivalent
An introductory linguistic course designed to order and supplement students' knowledge of the sound system and the inflectional system of the verb. A practical component on reading skills also focuses on the verb and methods of developing vocabulary.
RUSS 211 Applied Russian Phonetics
Prerequisites: RUSS 102 or equivalent
This is a practical, hands-on course, which focuses primarily on conscious
work on the pronunciation of difficult sounds and sound sequences in
Russian. It places strong emphasis on teaching Russian intonation based on
the standard system of seven Intonational Constructions. The instructional
materials include two state-of-the-art courses on Russian pronunciation
developed by the leading phoneticians from Moscow and St. Petersburg.
The work on difficult sounds and sound sequences progresses in two parallel directions, which correspond to two main sources of pronunciation errors. The first source of errors involves the new sounds, which do not have direct counterparts in English. The second source of errors is associated with discrepancies between spelling and pronunciation in Russian, and consequently, the course pays special attention to the reading rules. The course makes use of various types of authentic and culturally significant materials, such as proverbs, sayings, tongue-twisters, riddles, and poems.
Not open to native speakers of Russian.
RUSS 221 Masterworks of Russian Literature I
Prerequisites: None
CORE course: Literature (HL)
Introduction to the classics of Russian literature in translation, beginning with Pushkin in the early nineteenth century and concluding with the works of Dostoevsky and Tolstoy in the later part of that century.
RUSS 222 Masterworks of Russian Literature II
Prerequisites: None
CORE course: Literature (HL)
This course provides an incomplete survey of Russian literature of the newly-concluded and wildly eventful 20th-century. We will begin with Chekhov, a writer who can be seen as both the last great writer of the 19th century and the first of the 20th century; we will go on to read works by Zamiatin, Bulgakov, Kharms, Nabokov, Solzhenitsyn, and Erofeev, and a memoir by Eugenia Ginzburg.
Almost all of the works we will be reading (with the exception of the Chekhov) were banned at one time or another under the Soviet regime, or were never published at all; in this sense, the course conveys something of the excitement of the late 20th century, when earlier, forbidden works began to surface one by one, slowly revealing the past. The focus of this course will be on the careful reading and interpretation of literature, and on expressing ideas about literature in writing.
RUSS 281 Russian Language and Pre-Revolutionary Culture
Prerequisites: None
CORE course: Humanities (HO)
Introduction to the Russian language and study of Russian nationalism; artistic and social concepts in the development of Russian art, dance, geography, history, and literature from the 18th to the 20th centuries.
Lectures in English, with third hour devoted to basic language instruction (alphabet, vocabulary, pronunciation, and minimal conversational skills). Not open to native speakers of Russian.
RUSS 282 Contemporary Russian Culture
Prerequisites: None
CORE course: Humanities (HO) / Diversity (D)
Russia of the post-Communist era. An exploration of the cultural implications of the disintegration of the former Soviet Union. Also included is a brief introduction to the Russian language: alphabet, elementary reading and survival skills for the first time traveler.
Course format includes a combination of lectures, group discussions, videos, and optional field trips.
RUSS298 Special Topics in Russian Language and Literature
Prerequisites: None
Addresses special or unique topics in the field of Russian Language and/or Literature.
Repeatable up to 6 credits if the content differs.
RUSS298K Soviet Film: Propaganda, Myth, Modernism
Prerequisites: None
CORE course: History/Theory of the Arts (HA)
A survey of Soviet film from the 1920s to 1991, with the main emphases on the 1920s and 1960s. The course focuses on important directors, genres, themes, and styles, beginning with the most internationally famous period of Soviet silent cinema (1925-1930), and continuing through the Stalin period (1929-1953), into the "Thaw" (mid '50s to '60s), the period of "stagnation" under Brezhnev, and finally, "glasnost."
Theoretical issues to be considered include: "propaganda"-- ideology and its integral role in Soviet art, in particular in the overarching rubric of "Socialist Realism," declared as doctrine in 1934; "myth"-- the various myths of the individual, the Russian/Soviet "nation," and history as embodied in Soviet film; and "modernism"-- the structural and technical characteristics of Soviet film art, especially as described by Soviet film theorists.
RUSS298M Russian Cinema at the end of the Millennium
Prerequisites: None
CORE course: Humanities (HO) / Diversity (D)
The course traces the evolution of Russian cinema in the context of the changing Russian reality. The eighties and the nineties witnessed dramatic changes in the social, political, and cultural life in Russia. The burst of economic, social, and cultural activity, deep changes in the way of life and in the lifestyle, and new values brought about by perestroika (restructuring) and glasnost (openness), the collapse of the Soviet Empire and of Communism as the only official ideology had a strong impact on the arts, and especially on filmmaking.
The newly acquired freedom of expression allowed filmmakers to deal
openly with topics, which had been banned from the screen by official
censorship: the Communist past, the cult of Stalin, anti-Semitism, sex,
violence, crime, drugs. The films from the late nineties reflect the
post-Communist Russia’s renewed quest for national identity, the rise of
nationalism, and its search for a national hero.
RUSS298P Dostoevsky and the Russian Soul
Prerequisites: None
CORE course: Literature (HL)
It is well known that the tremendous success of Dostoevsky’s novels in the West coincided with the development of psychoanalysis. Dostoevsky’s exploration of the dark side of the psyche shaped a mythological image of the Russian soul and fascinated Freud who wrote that Dostoevsky “himself illustrates psychoanalysis in every character, in every sentence”. However, Freud’s own analysis of Dostoevsky created much controversy. In this class we study two major works of Dostoevsky with reference to related developments in Russian and European culture, literary criticism, and intellectual history to investigate why his work has fascinated readers and psychologists for two centuries.
RUSS 301 Advanced Russian I
Prerequisites: RUSS 202 or equivalent
Advanced training in Russian communicative structures.
RUSS 302 Advanced Russian II
Prerequisites: RUSS 301
Further advanced training in Russian communicative structures.
RUSS 303 Russian Conversation: Functional Skills
Prerequisites: RUSS 202 or equivalent
Skills for daily life (both function and etiquette) and argumentation (rhetoric).
Intended for students who do not anticipate having the opportunity to study abroad in the former Soviet Union.
RUSS 307 Commercial Russian I
Prerequisites: RUSS 202 or equivalent
Designed to give introductory knowledge of correct commercial Russian including letters, business forms, contracts, and agreements.
RUSS 321 Survey of Russian Literature I
Prerequisites: RUSS 202 or equivalent
Introduction to Russian literature of the 19th century, in Russian. Readings will include classics of Pushkin, Lermontov, Turgenev, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, and Chekhov. The focus of the course will be close analysis of literary texts in the original, and the development of reading skills and fluency of oral and written expression. Readings, class discussion,and writing assignments in Russian.
RUSS 322 Survey of Russian Literature II
Prerequisites: RUSS 321 or equivalent
A continuation of RUSS 321. This course provides an introduction to Russian literature of the 20th century, in Russian.
RUSS 327 Old Russian Literature in Translation
Prerequisites: None
Recommended: RUSS 221
Old Russian literature of the 11th through 17th centuries for the general student. Selected texts will be read in translation, with analysis in terms of genre and historical setting.
RUSS 328D 19th Century Russian Literature in Translation: Dostoevsky
Prerequisites: None
Examination in detail the literary works of Fyodor Dostoevsky, including Notes from Underground, The Double, The Idiot, The Brothers Karamazov, and selections from The Diary of a Writer. Readings and discussion conducted in English.
Students with knowledge of Russian are strongly encouraged to read in the original.
RUSS 329 Soviet Literature in Translation
Prerequisites: None
Russian literature since 1917, both as a continuation of pre-revolutionary traditions and as a reflection of Soviet ideology.
Repeatable to 6 credits if content differs.
RUSS 381 Russian Civilization - In Russian I
Prerequisites: RUSS 202
A historical survey of Russian civilization emphasizing architecture, painting, sculpture, music, ballet, and theater to the beginning of the 19th century pointing out the interrelationship of all with literary movements.
Taught in Russian.
RUSS 382 Russian Civilization - In Russian II
Prerequisites: RUSS 202
A historical survey of Russian civilization emphasizing architecture, painting, sculpture, music, ballet, and theater from the beginning of the 19th century to the present pointing out the interrelationship of all with literary movements.
Taught in Russian.
RUSS 386 Experiential Learning (3 to 6 credits)
Prerequisites: Junior standing and permission of department
RUSS 388 Language House Spring Colloquium (1 credit)
Prerequisites: Residence in Language House
Focuses on the development of skills in the target language and acquiring the cultural knowledge of the countries that speak the target language.
For students residing in the Language House immersion program. Repeatable to 8 credits.
RUSS398 Special Topics in Russian Language and Literature
Prerequisites: None
Addresses special or unique topics in the field of Russian Language and/or Literature.
Repeatable up to 6 credits if the content differs.
RUSS398H Russian for Heritage Speakers
Prerequisites: Permission of department
Intended for speakers of Russian who have advanced spoken skills, but who are not fully literate in terms of reading/writing.
RUSS398W Russian for Heritage Speakers
Prerequisites: Permission of department
Focuses on the contribution of women to Russian cultural development over the period of the 20th century by analyzing the influence of social and political conditions on the status of women in Russian society, their creative work, and the evolution of the image of women in works of Russian art. While the course adopts a culturally oriented perspective, it also draws on feminist scholarship, literary and film criticism, and research into Russian history and the social sciences.
In addition to reading of literary sources; prose, poetry, and memoirs by Russian women writers and criticism; the course uses a variety of video and electronic resources. Students explore the multitude and diversity of women's voices and images as part of 20th century Russian consciousness in its state of evolution, and discuss controversial issues, such as women's "otherness" and the integration of women's works with works created by men.
RUSS401 Advanced Russian Composition
Prerequisites: RUSS 302 or equivalent
This course is designed to help the students develop advanced writing skills and emphasizes writing as a process. It focuses on grammar for writing, elements of written discourse, such as formulaic and idiomatic written language used in press, correspondence, and academic writing, and creative aspects of self-expression in Russian. Students practice speed writing, drafting, editing, self-correction, and peer correction.
The course uses materials from the Russian and American press dealing with Russian culture and lifestyle, and addresses such issues as women's rights, ecology, education, national conflicts, and crime. In addition to serious academic writing, students practice writing soap operas, fairy tales, humorous letters, job applications, etc.
RUSS402 Practicum in Written Russian
Prerequisites: RUSS 401 or equivalent
A continuation of RUSS401.
RUSS403 Practicum in Written Russian
Prerequisites: RUSS 303 or equivalent
Advanced spoken production of high-level, abstract language.
RUSS404 Practicum in Spoken Russian
Prerequisites: RUSS 403 or equivalent
To improve comprehension of rapidly spoken Russian or various functional styles and to develop ability to synthesize orally the context of spoken material.
RUSS405 Russian-English Translation I
Prerequisite or Corequisite: RUSS 302 or equivalent
Introduction to the principles of translation of a particular genre, typically diplomatic, literary, historical, or business.
RUSS406 Russian-English Translation II
Prerequisite: RUSS 405
Continuation of RUSS 405.
RUSS 407 Commercial Russian II
Prerequisites: RUSS 307
Continuation of RUSS 307 focusing in the more difficult and complex Russian business documents and doing business with Russian ministries.
RUSS409 Selected Topics in Russian Language Study
Prerequisites: Permission of department
Addresses special or unique topics in the field of Russian Language Study.
Repeatable up to 6 credits if the content differs.
RUSS 410 Applied Russian Linguistics
Prerequisites: None
The nature of applied linguistics and its contributions to the effective teaching of foreign languages. Comparative study of English and Russian, with emphasis upon points of divergance. Analysis, evaluation, and construction of related skills.
RUSS 411 Linguistic Analysis of Russian I
Prerequisites: RUSS 210 and LING 200
Pre- or corequisite: RUSS 301
Elucidation of theoretical concepts of modern linguistics through the analysis of problematic concepts in the Russian linguistic system. Phonology and the syntax of the simple sentence.
RUSS 412 Linguistic Analysis of Russian II
Prerequisites: RUSS 411
Continuation of RUSS 411. The syntax of the complete sentence; semantics.
RUSS 431 Russian Literature of the 19th Century I
Prerequisites: None
Selections from 19th Century Russian Literature.
Taught in Russian.
RUSS 432 Russian Literature of the 19th Century II
Prerequisites: None
Selections from 19th Century Russian Literature.
Taught in Russian.
RUSS 433 Russian Literature of the 20th Century
Prerequisites: None
Selections from 20th Century Russian Literature.
Taught in Russian.
RUSS 434 Soviet Russian Literature
Prerequisites: None
Selections from Soviet Russian Literature.
Taught in Russian.
RUSS439 Selected Topics in Russian Literature
Prerequisites: Permission of department
Addresses special or unique topics in Russian Literature.
Taught in Russian. Repeatable up to 6 credits if the content differs.
RUSS473 Recent History of the Russian Language
Prerequisites: RUSS 210 or equivalent
Linguistic interpretation of Russian texts from the late 18th century to the present.
RUSS499 Independent Study in Russian
Prerequisites: permission of instructor
Independent study under faculty supervision.
Repeatable to 6 credits if content differs.