Courses in Russian
Note: This page contains all of the regular courses taught by this department. Not all courses are offered every year. Check the searchable schedule to see which courses are being offered in the upcoming semester.
RUSS 111Y Intensive Introductory Russian
Credit: 0.75
This course is an introductory language course that emphasizes language proficiency in all four skills: speaking, reading, listening, and writing. After the first year, students will be able to discuss most everyday topics; they will learn essentials of Russian grammar and vocabulary. The course will also introduce students to facts about Russian life, culture, history, and geography. The class will meet nine hours per week: five hours with the master teacher and four hours with the apprentice teacher. Offered every year.
Instructor: Staff
RUSS 112Y Intensive Introductory Russian
Credit: 0.75
See course description for RUSS 111Y. RUSS 112Y will meet seven hours per week: four hours with the master teacher and three hours with the apprentice teacher.
Instructor: Staff
RUSS 213Y Intermediate Russian
Credit: 0.5
In this course, students continue the study of the language, concentrating on the development of oral communication and writing skills. Work for the course will involve regular study of new vocabulary, extensive reading, and writing. In class, we will review some important aspects of grammar, focusing on communication within a variety of contexts. The skills of listening and comprehension, speaking, and participating in discussion will be further developed. Students will be introduced to more facts about Russian culture. They will read excerpts from Russian literature and learn some poetry. The class meets three times a week with the master teacher and twice a week with the apprentice teacher. Attendance at Russian Table is required.
Instructor: Staff
RUSS 214Y Intermediate Russian
Credit: 0.5
This course is a continuation of the first semester of Intermediate Russian. Please see the description of RUSS 213Y.
Instructor: Staff
RUSS 321 Advanced Russian
Credit: 0.5
This course provides beginning advanced students of Russian the opportunity to continue their study of the language, concentrating on the development of the four skills: reading, writing, speaking and listening. To strengthen their writing, students will be required to write several essays during the course of the semester. Work for the course will involve regular study of new vocabulary, reading a variety of texts, and writing essays. A main focus of this course is communication within a variety of contexts while trying to enhance listening, reading comprehension, and oral proficiency. One additional practice session, conducted by an apprentice teacher, may be required.
RUSS 322 Advanced Russian Language and Literature
Credit: 0.5
This course is designed to provide advanced students the opportunity to refine and increase their abilities to write, read, and speak Russian. Students will review grammatical structures and work on developing their written and oral proficiency. Readings and class discussions will center on cultural and literary material, Russian print media, and occasional films. A strong emphasis will be placed on a comprehensive grammar review, with special attention to typical topics of difficulty. One additional fifty-minute practice session, conducted by an apprentice teacher, may be required.
RUSS 340 Russian Culture through Film
Credit: 0.5
This course provides an overview of the most significant trends and periods in the development of Russian cinema, and introduces students to main cinematic genres and styles. It will concentrate on three major aspects of cinema as an essential part of Russian culture: (1) cinema as art: major directors and productions; (2) myths of the nation: politics and history in Russian cinema; and (3) self and the other: gender, race, ethnicity. New trends in Russian culture will also be considered. No prerequisites. The course will be taught in English. Normally offered every three years.
Instructor: Olshanskaya
RUSS 350 Survey of Russian Literature
Credit: 0.5
The central aim of this course is to introduce students to classic and modern works in prose and poetry of nineteenth- and twentieth-century Russian literature, and to develop their ability to discuss and analyze various genres and individual styles. Lectures and discussions will focus on works by Pushkin, Gogol, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Chekhov, Pasternak, Nabokov, Solzhenitsyn, and others. While our emphasis will be on close readings and analysis of individual texts, we will pay special attention to the development of realist aesthetics and to the special role played by literature in Russian, Soviet, and post-Soviet society. Though centered on the novel, this course examines various genres and their boundaries: short story, drama, and film. No prerequisite. The course will be conducted in English. Normally offered every three years.
Instructor: Staff
RUSS 352 Russian Twentieth-Century Literature
Credit: 0.5
This course introduces students to twentieth-century Russian literature. Lectures and discussions will focus on works by Chekhov, Zamyatin, Gorky, Nabokov, Bunin, Pasternak, and Solzhenitsyn, among others. While our emphasis will be on close readings and analysis of individual texts, we will pay special attention to the artistic conflict resulting from the imposition by the Soviet government of socialist realism. This course examines various genres and their boundaries: novel, drama, and short story. No prerequisite. The course will be conducted in English. Normally offered every other year.
Instructor: Staff
RUSS 354 Masterpieces of Russian Nineteenth-Century Literature
Credit: 0.5
The aim of this course is to introduce students to major literary movements and cultural institutions of nineteenth-century Russia through works which are recognized as the "canon" in Russian literature. The course will be devoted to readings, discussions, and close analysis of selected texts by major Russian writers (Pushkin, Gogol, Dostoyevsky, Tolstoy, Turgenev, Chekhov). An important aspect of the course will be a comparative study of cross-cultural interpretations of the masterpieces of Russian literature on film. No prerequisites. Normally offered every other year.