Matthew Walker
Assistant Professor of Russian
- Office
- FIC 206
- Tel
- (802) 443-5588
- mpwalker@middlebury.edu
- Office Hours
- Spring 2025: Tuesday 5:00-6:00 p.m. & Wednesday 1:30-2:30 p.m. or by appointment.
Courses Taught
FYSE 1012
Intro to Russian Short Story
Course Description
Life is Short: Introduction to the Russian Short Story
Russian literature may be best known in the West for producing big lumbering novels, novels thicker than bricks—think War & Peace, Brothers Karamazov, or Gulag Archipelago—but from the beginning of the nineteenth century on, many of its greatest prose masterpieces emerge from a seemingly lesser, though nimbler genre—the short story. In this course we will read classic short works by Pushkin, Gogol, Tolstoy, Chekhov, Nabokov and others, and learn to analyze them in a sophisticated way; we will also learn about Russian culture, and, more broadly, what makes literature what it is. All readings in English.
Terms Taught
Requirements
IGST 0701
Current
Upcoming
REES Senior Thesis
Course Description
Russian and East European Studies Senior Thesis
(Approval Required)
Terms Taught
RUSS 0101
Beginning Russian
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
Requirements
RUSS 0102
Beginning Russian
Course Description
Beginning Russian
This course is a continuation of RUSS 0101. (RUSS 0101 or equivalent)
Terms Taught
Requirements
RUSS 0103
Current
Beginning Russian
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
Requirements
RUSS 0122
The Russian Mind (in English)
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
Requirements
RUSS 0241
Current
Putinism & Russian Culture
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
Requirements
RUSS 0312
Russ Cult and Civ II
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
Requirements
RUSS 0359
The Art Of Nabokov
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
Requirements
RUSS 0500
Current
Upcoming
Advanced Independent Study
Course Description
Advanced Studies in Language and Literature
Supervised individual study for highly qualified students. (Approval required)
Terms Taught
RUSS 0700
Current
Upcoming
Senior Independent Study
Course Description
Senior Independent Study
(Approval required)
Terms Taught
RUSS 0704
Senior Seminar
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