Professors: Thomas Beyer (on leave spring semester) Sergei Davydov, Michael Katz, Kevin Moss (chair); Associate Professor: Tatiana Smorodinska; Emerita Lecturer: Alexandra Baker.
Our goal is to make our students proficient at speaking, reading, writing, and listening to Russian and to facilitate their understanding and appreciation of Russian literature and culture. Most of our majors combine academic year study on campus and a junior year or semester in Russia to maximum advantage. Many also study in the intensive language program of Middlebury's summer Russian School. At the end of four years, our students can interact freely with native speakers in both formal and informal settings and participate comfortably in many aspects of Russian life. They are prepared to use their Russian in a wide range of career settings at home and abroad or to apply it to graduate study of politics, law, history, business, education, literature, economics, linguistics, journalism, and other disciplines.
The Russian department also offers courses in English for students who would like an introduction to the masterpieces of Russian literature and to the complex and fascinating Russian culture.
Courses Taught In English: The following courses in Russian literature are taught in English and are open to all Middlebury students: RUSS 0122 The Russian Mind (includes culture and history in addition to literature); RUSS 0151 Russian Literature's Golden Age: 1830-1880; RUSS 0152 Russian Literature's "Bloody Age": Twentieth Century Literature and Society; RUSS 0251 Epic, Myth, and Ritual in Soviet Literature; RUSS 0351 Dostoevsky; RUSS 0352 Tolstoy; RUSS 0354 Chekhov; RUSS/AMLT 0359 Nabokov. Other courses in English are RUSS/RELI 0231 The Russian Religious Experience, RUSS 0232 The Origin and Nature of Human Language, RUSS 0233 Russian Perceptions of America,RUSS/DANC 0241 Diaghilev's Ballets Russes and the Creation of Modern Culture, RUSS/FMMC 0245 Russian-Soviet Film: Illusion and Reality, and RUSS/WAGS 0255 Gender and Sexuality in Russian Culture.
Major Requirements: Normally, majors must complete second-year Russian, RUSS 0151, RUSS 0152, four other courses, including at least one mainstream course in Russia, and a senior seminar. Each student's program is planned individually with the department chair. Students planning careers in government, business, or law are advised to consider a major in the Russian and East European studies track of the international studies program. Russian majors also frequently combine their language study with a minor in economics, geography, history, or political science, or do a joint or double major with one of these subjects. Majors planning teaching careers should study a second language, preferably through at least the third-year level, and should consult members of the teacher education faculty regarding certification.
Departmental Honors: Majors with a B+ average in Russian courses and a B average overall are eligible to prepare an honors thesis, the final copy of which is due April 20 of the year of graduation. Departmental honors are determined by the thesis grade. Students will receive highest honors for an A thesis, high honors for an A- thesis and honors for a B+ thesis.
Minors:The Russian department offers two minor programs: The Russian language minor includes RUSS 0101, RUSS 0103, RUSS 0201, RUSS 0202, any two of RUSS 0301, RUSS 0402, RUSS 0411 and RUSS 0412. The Russian literature and culture minor includes any two of RUSS 0122, RUSS 0151, RUSS 0152, RUSS/RELI 0231, RUSS/DANC 0241 RUSS/FMMC 0245 and RUSS/WAGS 0255, and three of the following: RUSS 0351, RUSS 0352, RUSS 0354, and RUSS/AMLT 0359. A first-year seminar may, on occasion, be substituted for one of these courses.
Junior Year in Russia:All majors and language minors are encouraged to study for a year in Russia. Middlebury's programs at Irkutsk State University, Russian State University for the Humanities in Moscow, *Voronezh State University, and Yaroslavl State University are open to juniors who have completed 0300-level Russian. Students are strongly encouraged to spend a summer in the Russian School before beginning study in Russia. Students who have completed only 0200-level Russian must spend the fall semester at *Voronezh or Yaroslavl. In their first semester,all students will take conversation, composition, and culture/civilization courses organized exclusively for our students;students who have completed third year level Russian will also take one mainstream course with Russian students, selected from the full university curriculum. In the second semester, students who have not yet taken a mainstream course will take one, and students who have already taken one will take two or more, in addition to the courses organized for Middlebury. Majors are expected to take at least one mainstream course while in Russia. Students unable to attend for a full year may study in Russia for one semester, preferably in the fall. The following courses are among those offered at our programs in Russia in recent years. While we cannot guarantee that each of these courses will be available on a regular basis, they are representative of the kinds of offerings students may expect:
In Irkutsk:
- Russian Literature of the Nineteenth Century
- Language of the Mass Media
- Scientific Texts
- History of Russia 1917-1970 Through Film
- Siberian Culture and Ethnic Groups
In Moscow:
- Russian Folklore
- History of Economics
- Nationalities and Contemporary Political Problems
- The Language of Russian Business
*In Voronezh:
- Survey of Nineteenth- and Twentieth-Century Russian Literature
- History of the Russian Language,
- Eleventh-Eighteenth Centuries
- Masterworks of Russian Prose and Poetry
- Russian Prose Translation
- Russian Civilization and Culture: Art, Music, and Folklore
In Yaroslavl:
- History of Russia, Tenth - Seventeenth Centuries
- Modern Russian History and Contemporary Politics
- Readings in Russian Literature
- Russian Prose Translation
- Russian Civilization and Culture: Art, Architecture, and Music
*The program in Voronezh will not be offered in 2006-07.
RUSS 0101 Beginning Russian (Fall)
This course is an approach to the language using four skills (speaking, listening, reading, and writing) 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. LNG (M. Katz, S. Davydov)
RUSS 0102 Beginning Russian (Winter)
This course is a continuation of RUSS 0101. (RUSS 0101 or equivalent) LNG(M. Katz)
RUSS 0103 Beginning Russian (Spring)
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. LNG (M. Katz, S. Davydov)
RUSS 0122 The Russian Mind (in English) (Spring)
This course is an introduction to the dominant themes of Russia's past and their impact on the shaping of the present-day Russian mind. We will investigate how the occidental and oriental elements blend into a unique Euro-Asian culture, nation, and world power. The topics selected for investigation include: Slavic mythology; Russian Orthodoxy; the concept of autocracy and the legacy of Peter the Great; Pushkin, Gogol, Dostoevsky, and Tolstoy; origins of Russian radicalism; the legacy of Lenin and Stalin, Khrushchev, Brezhnev and Gorbachev, and a look at Boris Yeltsin and beyond. 3 hrs. lect. LIT HIS OTH AAL(S. Davydov)
RUSS 0151 Russian Literature's Golden Age: 1830-1880 (in English) (Fall)
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 nineteenth 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. LIT EUR (T. Beyer)
RUSS 0152 Russian Literature's "Bloody Age": Twentieth-Century Literature and Society (in English) (Spring)
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. LIT EUR (S. Davydov)
RUSS 0201 Intermediate Russian (Fall)
Systematic review of grammar and development of the spoken and written skills attained in Beginning Russian. (RUSS 0103 or equivalent) 3 hrs. lect., 3 hrs. drill LNG (K. Moss, T.
Smorodinska)
RUSS 0202 Intermediate Russian (Spring)
Continuation of approach used in RUSS 0201. Reading of contemporary Russian texts, conversation, and written assignments in Russian based on reading assignments. (RUSS 0201 or equivalent) 3 hrs. lect., 3 hrs. drillLNG (T. Smorodinska, K. Moss)
RUSS/RELI 0231 The Russian Religious Experience (in English) (Not offered 2006-07)
In its origins Christianity was Eastern rather than Western. The Russian Primary Chronicle relates how Vladimir I, Grand Prince of Kiev, sent his emissaries to Constantinople to choose a religion; after Vladimir's baptism in 988, Eastern Orthodox Christianity flourished in the lands of Rus'. This course will examine major aspects of the Russian religious experience: doctrinal differences between East and West; the history of the Russian Orthodox Church; Russian religious art (icons) and church architecture; Byzantine liturgical music; and the state of the church in post-Soviet Russia. HIS PHL OTH AAL CMP
RUSS 0232 The Origin and Nature of Human Language (in English) (Fall)
Language is the most complex expression of our humanity and individuality. This course will investigate what is known of the origins of human language and examine current thinking on the nature and function of language. The work of the seminar will be highly interactive: students will acquire basic linguistic concepts and apply them to one of the languages they know.(Study or knowledge of one language other than English essential.) 3 hrs. lect. SOC EUR CMP(T. Beyer)
RUSS 0233 Russian Perceptions of America (in English) (Not offered 2006-07)
This course will examine Russian perceptions of the people and institutions of the United States during the twentieth century. Students will read firsthand accounts by a broad selection of Russian observers, then analyze both the authors' reactions to America and their own reactions to the foreigners' perceptions. Readings will be in English, though native Russian speakers and students returning from study in Russia will read original texts where appropriate/available. SOC EUR CMP
RUSS/DANC 0241 Diaghilev's Ballets Russes and the Creation of Modern Culture (Fall)
An exploration of the phenomenon of Serge Diaghilev's Ballets Russes which, between 1909 and 1929, exerted a pervasive influence over the creation of modern culture in the Western world. We will investigate the methods employed by Diaghilev to bring together innovative choreographers, composers, artists, and writers (Fokine, Nijinsky, Stravinsky, Prokofiev, Satie, Picasso, Cocteau, etc.) to create collaborative works of art that defined modernism, and the historical context within which these works were created. Readings, music, art, film/video and other sources, will shed light on the relationship between modernism and World War I, "Russianness," commercialism, neo-classicism, commedia dell'arte, gender, and the "homosexual aesthetic". 3 hrs. lect./disc., screening ART HIS EUR(A. Wentink)
RUSS/FMMC 0245 Russian-Soviet Film: Illusion and Reality (Not offered 2006-07)
In the twentieth century, cinema became the most popular form of propaganda and entertainment in the former Soviet Union. In Russia today film remains an important transmitter of new social ideas and spiritual concerns. The course will survey the development of the Russian cinema, exploring the historical background, cultural and literary context, and political "sub-context" of selected popular Russian films as well as different film techniques. We will analyze films of various genres, such as drama, musical, comedy, the Russian "eastern," melodrama, and sci-fi, ranging from silent films to the most recent ones. ART OTH EUR
RUSS 0251 Epic, Myth, and Ritual in Soviet Literature (in English) (Not offered 2006-07)
This course will examine the role of literature in Soviet culture in the light of theories of myth in traditional societies and in comparison to some of the earliest literary embodiments of myths. We will compare the major ritualized literary genres of ancient Greece, epic and tragedy, with the most important genres of the Soviet period, the socialist realist novel and film.LIT EUR
RUSS/WAGS 0255 Gender and Sexuality in Russian Culture (in English) (Not offered 2006-07)
This course will investigate the categories of gender and sexuality in Russian culture. We will look at literary texts and films from various periods to see how these categories were constructed in pre-Revolutionary Russia, in the Soviet Union, and in post-Soviet Russia. Topics addressed will include Russian definitions of masculinity and femininity, same-sex desire, and the connection between political and sexual dissidence. Works to be examined include traditional folk tales, Tolstoy's "Kreutzer Sonata," Nagrodskaya's Wrath of Dionysus, Kuzmin's Wings, and the films Bed and Sofa and Little Vera. 3 hrs. lect. and disc. plus screening. LIT EUR
RUSS 0301 Advanced Russian (Not offered 2006-07)
Further development of spoken and written Russian. Reading and listening skills will be developed through exposure to a variety of media and genres, including films and the Internet. Conversation topics will be based on authentic readings in contemporary Russian issues. (RUSS 0202 or equivalent)
RUSS 0351 Dostoevsky (in English) (Spring)
A study of the most important works by literary giant Fyodor Dostoevsky. Readings include: selected early fiction (Poor Folk, The Double, The Gambler); his seminal manifestoNotes from Underground; his first major novel Crime and Punishment; and his masterpiece The Brothers Karamazov.Biographical information, excerpts from the author's notebooks, analysis of comparative translations, and film adaptations will supplement readings. No knowledge of Russian required. Open to first-year students.3 hrs. lect. LIT EUR(M. Katz)
RUSS 0352 Tolstoy (in English) (Not offered 2006-07)
A study of major works by literary giant Leo Tolstoy. Students will be introduced to his epic range, philosophical depth, and psychological acuteness. Readings encompass early short fiction including selected "Sevastopol Tales," "Three Deaths," and "Family Happiness;" in-depth analysis of his masterpiece Anna Karenina; and several late, post-conversion works including "The Death of Ivan Ilych," "The Kreutzer Sonata," and "Master and Man." Excerpts from Tolstoy's memoirs, diaries, and letters. No knowledge of Russian required. LIT EUR
RUSS/THEA 0354 Chekhov (in English) (Not offered 2006-07)
A study of Chekhov's major dramatic output: a survey of the history of Russian theatre before Chekhov; Turgenev's Month in the Country; Chekhov's evolution as a writer; analysis of his four major plays: Seagull, Uncle Vanya, Three Sisters, and Cherry Orchard; Chekhov's European contemporaries and his Russian successors. 3 hrs. lect. LIT EUR
RUSS/ENAM 0359 The Art of Vladimir Nabokov (Not offered 2006-07)
A study of the "perverse" aesthetics of this Russian-American writer. We will expose the hidden plots under the surface of his fiction, follow and arbitrate the ongoing contest between the author and his fictional heroes, and search for the roots of Nabokov's poetics in Western and Russian literary traditions. An attempt will be made to show the continuity between the Russian and English works of this bilingual and bicultural writer. 3 hrs. lect. LIT USA NOR
RUSS 0402Advanced Language Study (Not offered 2006-07)
Continued development of spoken and written skills, including stylistic analysis of various types of materials. (Third-year Russian or equivalent)
RUSS 0411 Russian Culture and Civilization I (Fall)
This course offers a bilingual approach to the study of Russian culture from its origins to the mid-nineteenth century. Works of literature, art, and music will be examined in their historical context. Particular emphasis will be devoted to the improvement of oral and written skills. (RUSS 0202 or equivalent) 3 hrs. lect LIT HIS EUR (T. Smorodinska)
RUSS 0412 Russian Culture and Civilization II (Spring)
This course continues RUSS 0411 but may be taken independently. It offers a bilingual approach to the study of Russian culture from the second half of the nineteenth century to the present. Works of literature, art, and music will be examined in their historical and political context. Particular attention will be devoted to the improvement of oral and written skills. (RUSS 0202 or equivalent) 3 hrs. lect. LIT HIS EUR (T. Smorodinska)
RUSS 0500 Advanced Studies in Language and Literature (Fall, Winter, Spring)
Supervised individual study for highly qualified students. (Approval required) (Staff)
RUSS 0700 Senior Independent Study Project (Fall, Winter, Spring)
(Approval required) (Staff)
RUSS 0704 Senior Seminar (Fall)
(Senior majors) 3 hrs. sem. (T. Beyer)