Not all courses are offered every year.
See the Russian catalog listing for up-to-date information on the current academic year.
RU 101 Beginning Russian (Fall)
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. LNG (Mr. Beyer, Mr. Davydov)
RU 102 Beginning Russian (Winter)
Continuation of RU 101 (Mr. Beyer, Ms. Titkova)
RU 103 Beginning Russian (Spring)
Continuation of the approach used in RU 101, but with increased emphasis on reading. (RU 101) LNG (Mr. Beyer, Mr. Moss, Ms. Titkova)
RU 122 The Russian Mind (in English) (Fall)
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. LIT HIS AAL (Mr. Davydov)
RU 151 Russian Literature's Golden Age: 1830-1880 (CW 10) (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 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? A limited number of spaces is available for students wishing to satisfy the College writing requirement. LIT EUR (Mr. Davydov)
RU 152 Russian Literature's "Bloody Age": Twentieth Century Literature and Society (CW 10) (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, emigre, and underground literature will be read to show the complex role of literature in Russian life and politics. A limited number of spaces are available for students wishing to satisfy the College writing requirement. LIT EUR (Mr. Davydov)
RU 201 Intermediate Russian (Fall)Systematic review of grammar and development of the spoken and written skills attained in Beginning Russian.(RU 102 or equivalent) LNG (Mr. Moss, Ms Titkova)
RU 202 Intermediate Russian (Spring)
Continuation of approach used in RU 201. Reading of contemporary Russian texts, conversation, and written assignments in Russian based on reading assignments. (RU 201 or equivalent) LNG (Mr. Moss, Ms Titkova)
RU/RE 231 The Russian Religious Experience (in English) (Fall) 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. (First-year students wishing to take this course should request a waiver from the instructor.) HIS PHL (Mr. Katz)
RU 232 The Origin and Nature of Human Language (in English)
RU/IS 233 Russian Perceptions of America (in English)
RU/TH 245 Russian-Soviet Film: Illusion and Reality (Fall)In the twentieth century, cinema became the most popularform 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 (Ms. Smorodinska)
RU 251 Epic, Myth, and Ritual in Soviet Literature (in English)(Spring) 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 (Mr. Moss)
RU/WG 255
Gender and Sexuality in Russian Culture (in English)(Fall) 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. Lecture and Discussion. LIT EUR (Mr. Moss)
RU 301 Advanced Russian (Fall)
Further development of spoken and written Russian. Reading and listening skills will be developed through exposure to a variety media and genres, including films and the internet. Conversation topics will be based on authentic readings in contemporary Russian issues. (RU 202 or equivalent) (Ms. Titkova)
RU 351
Dostoevsky (in English)(Spring) Classroom discussion of the major novels of Russia's most misunderstood genius. Brief lectures will attempt to define for a Western reader the uniquely Russian experience of Dostoevsky. The course will devote special attention to Dostoevsky's struggles with the existence of evil in this world.LIT EUR (Mr. Beyer)
RU 352 Tolstoy (in English) A study of the major works of the literary giant of Russia and the world. The major emphasis will be on discussion of Tolstoy's novels with background lectures on material not available to non-Russian scholars. No knowledge of Russian is required.
RU 354 Chekhov (in English) (Fall) A study of Chekov's major dramatic output (in English translation): how to read a play; survey of the history of Russian theater before Chekhov; Turgenev's Month in the Country; Chekhov's evolution as a writer (short stories, tear-jerkers, and vaudevilles); analysis of his four major plays: Seagull, Uncle Vanya, Three Sisters, and Cherry Orchard; Chekhov's European contemporaries and his Russian successors. LIT EUR (Mr. Katz)
RU/AL 359 The Art of Vladimir Nabokov (in English)(Spring) 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. LIT USA (Mr. Davydov)
RU 401 Advanced Language Study
RU 402 Advanced Language Study
RU 411 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 attention will be devoted to the improvement of oral and written skills. (RU 202 or equivalent) LIT HIS EUR (Mr. Davydov)
RU 412 Russian Culture and Civilization II (Spring)
This course continues RU 411 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. (RU 202 or equivalent) LIT HIS EUR (Mr. Davydov)
RU 500 Advanced Studies in Language and Literature (Fall, Spring)
Supervised individual study for highly qualified students. (staff)
RU 700 Senior Independent Study Project (Fall, Spring)
(Approval required) (staff)
RU 704 Senior Seminar (Fall)
(Senior majors) (Mr. Davydov)
REES Courses
EC 230 Comparative Transitions(Fall)
This course examines the economic transition occurring in Russia and other former Soviet republics in a broader geographic and interdisciplinary context. Emphasis is placed upon the nature and legacies of the Soviet-type economic system, the political economy of the ensuing post-communist transition, and the ways in which this transition is playing itself out in different countries. Economic developments in Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and the Baltic states are afforded particular attention. The lessons offered by the experiences of other countries and regions in transition, especially East ern Europe, China, and Latin America, are also considered. (EC 150 or EC 155 or waiver) SOC (Mr. Pyle)
EC 330 Comparative Economic Systems
EC 430 The Post-Communist Economic Transition (Spring)
This course examines the economic transformation from Soviet-type socialism to capitalism based upon private ownership and markets. Topics examined include the nature and legacies of the traditional system, problems of macroeconomic stabilization, privatization, reform of financial and legal systems, and external transformation. Countries examined include Russia, Ukraine, the Central European Economies, and China. (EC 250 or EC 255 or permission) (Mr. Pyle)
GG 222 Political Geography of Russia
HI 233 Nomads of Eurasia (CW 5)(Spring)
This course will investigate the age-old conflict and coexistence of nomadic peoples and their sedentary neighbors in Eurasia. The persistence of the nomadic way of life into the twenty-first century suggests its adaptability in the face of often hostile political and social forces. The histories and cultures of nomadic peoples ranging from Afghanistan and the Middle East to Tibet and Mongolia will be examined. Central Asian Turkic peoples such as the Kazakhs and Kyrgyz will also be included. HIS SOC OTH (Ms. Endicott)
HI 247 Traditional Russia (CW 5) (Spring)
This course will examine the social, economic, and political history of Russia, focusing on the relationship between the centralized and autocratic state and Russia's different social groups and the emergence of an autocratic and statist political culture. The course will cover the Kievan, Muscovite, and Imperial periods and end with the reforms and counter-reforms of the 1860s and 1880s and the rise of the revolutionary movement. Limited places available for students to satisfy the College writing requirement. HIS SOC OTH (Mr. West)
HI 248 Modern Russia (CW 5) (Fall)
Russia at the turn of the century was faced with a crisis of transition from the traditional world to the modern. The first half of this course will focus on the social, economic, and political causes of the crisis, culminating in the Russian Revolutions of 1917. The course then follows the revolution through the civil war and NEP periods to Stalin's "Revolution from Above," which was largely responsible for creating the Soviet Union as we knew it. The course concludes by examining the emergence, under Gorbachev and Yeltsin, of yet another stage in the ongoing struggle to modernize. HIS SOC OTH (Mr. West)
PS 227 Soviet and Russian Politics (Spring)
This course seeks to introduce the student to a major phenomenon of twentieth century politics, the rise and decline of the Soviet Union and the emergence of Russia as its successor state. The first part of the course provides an overview of key factors that influenced Russian and Soviet politics under communism, including history, economy, ideology, institutions of the communist party, and the role of political leadership from Lenin to Gorbachev. The second part surveys radical political and social transformations in the 1990s and analyzes Russia's struggle with the twin challenges of democratic and market reform. SOC HIS OTH (Mr. Kraus)
PS 228 East European Politics(Fall)
This course provides an overview of the key stages in the development of East and Central European politics in the twentieth century. It examines the imposition of communist rule, crises of de-Stalinization, the collapse of communist regimes in 1989, and the politics of post-communist transitions. The course focuses on the factors promoting and impeding the development of stable democratic regimes and assesses East Europe's prospects. SOC HIS EUR (Mr. Kraus)
SA 338 Russian Society in the Twentieth Century (Fall)
This course examines Russian society in the twentieth century from a sociological perspective, focusing on the sweeping and often brutal social transformations that began with the Russian Revolution of 1905 and have continued through the present day. The principal goal of the course is to understand the collapse of Soviet communism and the highly unstable form of "political capitalism" which has emerged in the Russian Federation of the 1990s. Material on the late imperial and early Soviet periods will help us to understand the origins of Gorbachev's perestroika, the collapse of communism, and the Yeltsin administration's attempt to introduce a market economy through state decrees. We will examine the social history of major groups such as the peasantry and the intelligentsia; the recurrence of autocratic forms of political domination in Russia; and the relative roles of popular rebellion and intra-elite conflict in the fall of Soviet power and the rise of post-communist political capitalism. 3 hrs. lect./disc. SOC EUR (Mr. Garcelon)