All our Literature and Culture courses and RUSS 101 (first-semester Russian) are open to all students. There are no prerequisites. 

If you have prior knowledge of Russian and would like to continue learning it with us, please take the following steps: 
1. take our online placement grammar test (45-60 minutes); 
2. contact professor Tatiana Smorodinska at tsmorodi@middlebury.edu to schedule an oral proficiency interview (30-35 minutes), either in person or via Zoom.  

Courses offered in the past four years. Courses offered currently are as noted.

Course Description

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.

Terms Taught

Fall 2020, Fall 2021, Fall 2022, Fall 2023, Fall 2024

Requirements

LNG

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Course Description

Beginning Russian
This course is a continuation of RUSS 0101. (RUSS 0101 or equivalent)

Terms Taught

Winter 2021, Winter 2022, Winter 2023, Winter 2024, Winter 2025

Requirements

LNG, WTR

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Course Description

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.

Terms Taught

Spring 2021, Spring 2022, Spring 2023, Spring 2024, Spring 2025

Requirements

LNG

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Course Description

The Russian Mind (in English)
In this course we will study the dominant themes of Russia's past and their role in shaping the present-day Russian mind. Topics will include: Slavic mythology; Russian Orthodoxy; Russian icons; the concept of autocracy; the legacy of Peter the Great and Catherine the Great; the Golden Age of Russian Literature (Pushkin, Gogol, Tolstoy and Dostoevsky); Russian composers, including the "Mighty Five"; Russian theater and ballet; the origins of Russian radicalism; the Russian Revolution; the legacy of Lenin and Stalin; and Russia from Khrushchev to Putin. 3 hrs. lect.

Terms Taught

Spring 2021, Spring 2022, Spring 2023, Spring 2024, Spring 2025

Requirements

HIS, LIT, NOA

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Course Description

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.

Terms Taught

Fall 2020, Fall 2021, Fall 2022, Fall 2023, Fall 2024

Requirements

EUR, LIT

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Course Description

Intermediate Russian
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

Terms Taught

Fall 2020, Fall 2021, Fall 2022, Fall 2023, Fall 2024

Requirements

LNG

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Course Description

Intermediate Russian
Continuation of the 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. drill

Terms Taught

Spring 2021, Spring 2022, Spring 2023, Spring 2024, Spring 2025

Requirements

LNG

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Course Description

Slavic Myths, Fairy-Tales, and Fantasy (in English)
In this course we will explore the world of the Slavic folklore and get acquainted with its most prominent motifs and characters: Baba Yaga the Bone Leg, Vasilisa the Wise, Koschei the Deathless, and many others. We will trace the development of these motifs and characters from their earliest appearance in Slavic myths and fairy-tales, through the works of Russian literature of the 19th and 20th century (Gogol, Pushkin, Bulgakov, the Strugatsky brothers), and, finally, see how they make their way into the texts of contemporary Russian, Ukrainian, Croatian, Polish and American fantasy authors (Tokarczuk, Ugresic, Sapkovski, Arden, etc.).

Terms Taught

Fall 2022

Requirements

CMP, EUR, LIT

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Course Description

Putinism and Contemporary Russian Culture
The 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union was hailed in the West as a triumph of democracy over totalitarianism; for some observers the event even signaled “the end of history.” Today however it seems history is “back,” with Russia under Putin once again assuming its former role as enemy and the “other” of the West. In this course we will seek a better understanding of this apparent reversal of vectors from within Russian culture, while situating it within larger illiberal trends in world politics, by analyzing literary works, popular cinema, political theory, journalism, social media, and other forms of cultural production. 3 hrs. lect.

Terms Taught

Fall 2022, Spring 2025

Requirements

NOA, SOC

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Course Description

Russian Culture and Civilization I
This course offers a bilingual approach to the study of Russian culture . Works of literature, art, film, and music will be examined in their historical and political context. Particular emphasis will be devoted to the improvement of oral and written skills. As the course topics and emphasis change, depending on the levels of students enrolled, RUSS0311 may be taken a second time with instructor/chair approval. (RUSS 0202 or equivalent) 3 hrs. lect.

Terms Taught

Fall 2020, Fall 2021, Fall 2022, Fall 2023, Fall 2024

Requirements

EUR, LIT, LNG

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Course Description

Russian Culture and Civilization II
This course is a continuation of RUSS 0311 but may be taken independently with the approval of the instructor. It offers a bilingual approach to the study of Russian culture. Works of literature, art, film, and music will be examined in their historical and political context. Particular attention will be devoted to the improvement of oral and written skills. As the course topics and emphasis change, depending on the levels of students enrolled, RUSS0312 may be taken a second time with instructor/chair approval. (RUSS 0202 or by permission) 3 hrs. lect.

Terms Taught

Spring 2021, Spring 2022, Spring 2023, Spring 2024, Spring 2025

Requirements

EUR, LIT, LNG

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Course Description

Pushkin
In this course, we will explore the works of the Russian national poet, Aleksandr Pushkin. Primary readings will be drawn from Pushkin's prose, poetry, drama, and critical writings. Additional readings will include works from 20th and 21st century writers and cultural figures who respond to or challenge Pushkin's ongoing reception within Russian and world literature. No knowledge of Russian required. Open to first year students. 3 hrs. sem.

Terms Taught

Fall 2023

Requirements

LIT, NOA

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Course Description

Tolstoy (in English)
In this course we will focus on 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 War and Peace; 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. 3 hrs. lect.

Terms Taught

Spring 2021

Requirements

EUR, LIT

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Course Description

Gogol and Romantic Melancholy (In English)
In this course we will explore the corpus of one of the canonical figures of nineteenth-century Russian literature, Nikolai Gogol, and situate him within a broader tradition of romantic melancholy in Western, and later, Russian culture (e.g. writers such as Poe, Baudelaire, Benjamin, Dostoevsky, Platonov, filmmakers such as Tarkovsky and Zviagintsev). How does one describe a world where formerly familiar pathways to transcendence have been left in ruins by modernity? Can this loss be remedied in art, or only repeated? Twice weekly discussions of materials in English, though students are encouraged to engage with the original texts. 3 hrs. lect.

Terms Taught

Fall 2020

Requirements

CW, EUR, LIT

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Course Description

The Art of Vladimir Nabokov (in English)
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.

Terms Taught

Spring 2023

Requirements

AMR, LIT

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Course Description

Advanced Russian (in Russian)
Most of the course will focus on current events and developments in social, political, and cultural life in contemporary Russia. Readings will include a variety of authentic materials to further develop students’ ability to read, analyze and discuss complex issues and advance proficiency in reading, writing and oral comprehension. It is designed for students who have already spent a semester or more studying and living in Russia, or who have attained a high level of Russian language proficiency. (RUSS 0202, or by approval) 3 hrs. lect.

Terms Taught

Spring 2022, Spring 2023, Spring 2024, Spring 2025

Requirements

EUR, LNG

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Course Description

Advanced Reading and Discussion (in Russian)
This advanced course is for those students who could not study in Russia but have attained a high level of Russian language proficiency. The goal of this course is to help students improve their ability to read, write, and talk about politics, culture and literature in Russia. We will focus on recent events in Russia over domestic political situations, and international relations, read articles, literary works, and follow social media. 3 hrs. sem. (RUSS 0311 and RUSS 0312 or study at the summer school)

Terms Taught

Fall 2022

Requirements

EUR, LNG

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Course Description

Advanced Studies in Language and Literature
Supervised individual study for highly qualified students. (Approval required)

Terms Taught

Fall 2020, Winter 2021, Spring 2021, Fall 2021, Winter 2022, Spring 2022, Fall 2022, Winter 2023, Spring 2023, Fall 2023, Winter 2024, Spring 2024, Fall 2024, Winter 2025, Spring 2025

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Course Description

Advanced Studies in Language and Literature Supervised individual study for highly qualified students. (Approval required)

Terms Taught

Fall 2020, Fall 2021, Fall 2022, Fall 2023, Fall 2024

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Course Description

Senior Independent Study
(Approval required)

Terms Taught

Fall 2020, Winter 2021, Spring 2021, Fall 2021, Winter 2022, Spring 2022, Fall 2022, Winter 2023, Spring 2023, Fall 2023, Winter 2024, Spring 2024, Fall 2024, Winter 2025, Spring 2025

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Course Description

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.

Terms Taught

Fall 2020, Fall 2021, Fall 2022, Fall 2023, Fall 2024

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Course Description

Reflection of the modern Russian society on Soviet cinematography as nostalgia for social state
The USSR was an autocratic model of a social state. For all the shortcomings of this model, the Soviet people had social guarantees and standards of living that were lost in the 90s of the 20th century after the collapse of the country. Over the past two decades, Russians became nostalgic about Soviet cinematographic heritage, which displayed certain values of life in a state that proclaimed social support and equal rights and opportunities for all. We will watch Russian movies (available online) from the Soviet era, with English subtitles, and discuss why they have become so popular in 2000-s in Russia.

Terms Taught

Spring 2021

Requirements

EUR, SOC

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