Thomas R. Beyer, Jr.
CV Starr Professor of Russian & East European Studies
Email: beyer@middlebury.edu
Phone: work802.443.5536
Office Hours: On leave AY 2012-13
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I have been teaching Russian language and literature at Middlebury for the past 35 years. I have published extensively on Russian language, translated the works of Andrei Bely into English. I am also the editor of the Middlebury Studies in Russian Language and Literature. In the past few years I have taught seminars on the works of Dan Brown, including 33 Keys to Unlocking the The Lost Symbol: A Reader's Companion to Dan Brown's Novel. I use technology extensively in and out of the classroom that can be accessed at my homepage.
Courses
Courses offered in the past four years.
▲ indicates offered in the current term
▹ indicates offered in the upcoming term[s]
FYSE 1286 - Key to Angels and Demons ▲
RUSS 0101 - Beginning Russian
Beginning Russian
This course is an approach to the language using four skills (speaking, listening, reading, and writing). It provides a firm control of the sound system and the structure of Russian. Although much emphasis is put on the spoken colloquial language, reading, writing, and a conscious understanding of the fundamentals of grammar prepare a strong foundation for work in advanced courses or for reading in specialized fields. 3 hrs. lect., 3 hrs. drill.
Fall 2009, Fall 2010, Fall 2011
RUSS 0102 - Beginning Russian
Beginning Russian
This course is a continuation of RUSS 0101. (RUSS 0101 or equivalent)
Winter 2010, Winter 2012
RUSS 0103 - Beginning Russian
Beginning Russian
This course is a continuation of the approach used in RUSS 0102, but with increased emphasis on reading. (RUSS 0102) 3 hrs. lect., 3 hrs. drill.
Spring 2009, Spring 2010, Spring 2011, Spring 2012
RUSS 0151 - Golden Age Russian Literature
Russian Literature's Golden Age: 1830-1880 (in English)
Duels, ghosts, utopias, murders, prostitution, and adultery- these are the raw materials Russian authors turned into some of the world's greatest literature. This course is an introduction to Russian literature of the 19th century, from the short stories of Pushkin and Gogol to the great novels of Dostoevsky and Tolstoy. The centrality of literature in Russian society and the interrelations among the authors and texts will be discussed. How do the authors combine reality, fantasy, and philosophy to make these works both uniquely Russian and universal? 3 hrs. lect.
Spring 2009, Spring 2010, Spring 2011, Spring 2012
RUSS 0152 - Russian Modernism
Russian Literature's "Bloody Age": Twentieth-Century Literature and Society (in English)
Writers die for literature in Russia. This course is a survey of Russian literature from before the Revolution to the present. Beginning with Chekhov's stories, we will read supernatural tales, futurist utopias, and harrowing realistic accounts of life in the prison camps of Siberia. Official, émigré, and underground literature will be read to show the complex role of literature in Russian life and politics. 3 hrs. lect.
Fall 2010
RUSS 0500 - Advanced Independent Study ▲ ▹
Advanced Studies in Language and Literature
Supervised individual study for highly qualified students. (Approval required)
Spring 2009, Fall 2009, Winter 2010, Spring 2010, Fall 2010, Winter 2011, Spring 2011, Fall 2011, Winter 2012, Spring 2012, Fall 2013, Spring 2014
RUSS 0700 - Senior Independent Study ▲ ▹
Senior Independent Study
(Approval required)
Spring 2009, Fall 2009, Winter 2010, Spring 2010, Fall 2010, Winter 2011, Spring 2011, Fall 2011, Winter 2012, Spring 2012, Fall 2013, Spring 2014
RUSS 0704 - Senior Seminar ▲
Senior Seminar (in Russian)
This seminar topic changes every year. Recent seminar titles have included Research, Recast, Relay, The History of Russian Poetry, and Russian Drama. This course will provide students with the skills to identify and utilize Russian sources, provide professional quality written summaries and analyses, make oral presentations in Russian, and produce a substantial written assignment and project. (Senior Majors) 3 hrs. sem.
Fall 2011, Fall 2013
I have published over twenty original works and translations, including 501 Russian Verbs, 501 English Verbs, Andrei Bely's The Christened Chinaman and Glossolalia.