L39 Russ 101D Elementary Russian I

Interactive multimedia course designed to emphasize spoken language; includes the very latest video materials geared toward situations in contemporary post-Soviet Russian life. Also provides thorough understanding of fundamental grammar and develops reading and writing skills. Five class hours per week, plus an additional hour for conversation, review and testing.

Credit 5 units. A&S IQ: LCD, LS BU: HUM EN: H

L39 Russ 102D Elementary Russian II

Continuation of Russ 101D. This is an interactive multimedia course designed to emphasize spoken language. It includes the very latest video materials geared toward situations in contemporary Russian life, it provides a thorough understanding of fundamental grammar, and it develops reading and writing skills. Five class hours per week are required, plus an additional hour for conversation, review, and testing. Prerequisite: Russian 101D or equivalent.

Credit 5 units. A&S IQ: LCD, LS BU: HUM EN: H

L39 Russ 211D Intermediate Russian I

Designed to solidify students' command of Russian grammar and advance conversational, reading and writing skills. Includes video materials produced in Russia and conveying an up-to-the-minute picture of contemporary Russian life.

Credit 4 units. A&S IQ: LCD, LS BU: HUM EN: H

L39 Russ 212D Intermediate Russian II

Continuation of 211D, completes comprehensive review of Russian grammar and further advances conversational, reading, writing and listening skills. Revised textbook with new audio and video materials that convey an up-to-the-minute picture of contemporary Russian life.

Credit 4 units. A&S IQ: LCD, LS BU: HUM EN: H

L39 Russ 322D Third-Year Russian I

Designed to develop students' abilities in the contemporary spoken language. Conversational practice is combined with a review of grammatical concepts. Students also work with newspapers, read literary texts and write compositions. Prerequisite: Russ 212D or equivalent.

Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: LCD, LS BU: HUM EN: H

L39 Russ 324D Third-Year Russian II

Designed to develop students' abilities in the contemporary spoken language. Conversational practice is combined with a review of grammatical concepts. Students also work with newspapers, read literary texts and write compositions. Prerequisite: Russ 322D or equivalent.

Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: LCD, LS BU: HUM EN: H

L39 Russ 332 Russian Theater, Drama and Performance: From Swan Lake to Punk Prayer

This course explores performance in Russia from the wandering minstrels of medieval times to protest art of the present day. Genres include tragedy and comedy (Griboedov, Pushkin Gogol), drama (Ostrovsky, Turgenev, Chekhov), experimental theater (Stanislavsky, Evreinov, Meyerhold), ballet (Imperial, Soviet, Ballets Russes), opera (Tchaikovsky, Mussorgsky, Shostakovich), and performance art (Futurists, Pussy Riot, Pavlensky). We also consider performativity in rituals, public events, and everyday life. Our discussions center on the analysis of short and full-length plays, critical theory, specific productions and performers, and the role that performance has played in shaping Russian culture. All readings are in English translation. No prerequisites.

Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD Arch: HUM Art: HUM BU: IS EN: H

L39 Russ 350C The 19th-Century Russian Novel (Writing Intensive)

The 19th-cenutury "realistic" novel elevated Russian literature to world literary significance. In this course we do close readings of three major Russian novels: Nikolai Gogol's Dead Souls, Ivan Turgenev's Fathers and Sons, and Leo Tolstoy's Anna Karenina. While we consider a variety of formal and thematic concerns, special emphasis is placed on the social context and on questions of Russian cultural identity. Readings and discussions are supplemented by critical articles and film. This is a Writing Intensive course: workshops are required. All readings are in English translation. No prerequisites.

Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD, SD, WI Arch: HUM Art: HUM BU: HUM EN: H

L39 Russ 3559 Socialist and Secular? A Social History of the Soviet Union

This class explores daily life and cultural developments in the Soviet Union, 1917 to 1999. Focusing on the everyday experience of Soviet citizens during these years, students learn about the effects of large-scale social and political transformation on the private lives of people. To explore daily life in the Soviet Union, this class uses a variety of sources and media, including scholarly analysis, contemporaneous portrayals, literary representations and films. Students receive a foundation in Soviet political, social and cultural history with deeper insights into select aspects of life in Soviet society.
Same as L22 History 3559

Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD, SD Arch: HUM Art: HUM BU: HUM, IS EN: H

L39 Russ 364 Anarchism: History, Theory, and Praxis

This course analyzes the genesis, historical evolution, and current iterations of global anarchism. It examines anarchist beliefs, ethics, aims, countercultural expressions, organizations, emancipatory practices, and intersectional modes of struggle in different temporal, geographic, and cultural contexts. Special attention will be given to anarchism in the global south, cross-fertilization and relations between anarchists and the Marxist Left, anarcho-feminism, green anarchism, and anarcho-pacifism.
Same as L97 GS 364

Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: LCD, SSC, SD Arch: SSC Art: SSC BU: BA EN: S

L39 Russ 372 Dostoevsky's Novels

In this discussion-based course we focus on two of Dostoevsky's major novels: Demons (also translated as The Possessed and Devils) and The Brothers Karamazov. Our close readings of the novels are enriched by literary theory and primary documents providing socio-historical context. All readings are in English translation. No prerequisites.

Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD, WI BU: IS EN: H

L39 Russ 375 Topics in Russian Lit and Culture (WI)

In this course we explore Russia's experiment with communism (1917-1991) and its aftermath through the lens of one literary genre: the novel. Works we read might include Zamyatin's We, Olesha's Envy, Bulgakov's The Heart of a Dog, Platonov's The Foundation Pit, and Ulitskaya's The Funeral Party. We will end by questioning the limits of the novel as genre through a reading of a few of Svetlana Alexievich's works of oral history, probably Chernobyl Prayer and excerpts from Second-Hand Time. All readings are in English translation. No prerequisites. All students welcome.
Same as L97 GS 3750

Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD, WI Arch: HUM Art: HUM BU: IS EN: H

L39 Russ 3866 Interrogating "Crime and Punishment"

Whether read as psychological thriller, spiritual journey, or social polemic, Dostoevsky's 1866 novel Crime and Punishment has inspired diverse artistic responses around the world. From the 19th century to the present day, writers and filmmakers have revisited (and often subverted) questions that Dostoevsky's novel poses: What internal and external forces cause someone to "step over" into crime? What are the implications of a confession? To what extent can the legal system provide a just punishment? Are forgiveness and redemption possible, or even relevant? What role does grace — or luck — play in the entire process? This course begins with our close reading of Dostoevsky's novel and then moves on to short stories, novels, literary essays and movies that engage in dialogue with the Russian predecessor. A central concern of our intertextual approach is to explore the interplay between specific socio-historical contexts and universal questions. All readings are in English. No prerequisites.
Same as L97 GS 3866

Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD, SD Arch: HUM Art: HUM BU: BA EN: H

L39 Russ 396 Comintern: The Communist International's Global Impact

The Communist International was the third of the global left-wing organizations aimed to develop communist organizations around the globe to aid the development of a proletarian revolution. Begun in 1919, hosted in Moscow, and closely tied to the developing USSR, the Comintern hosted seven World Congresses and 13 Enlarged Plenums before Stalin dissolved it in 1943. This course examines the history of the nearly 25 years of the Comintern, paying particular attention to engagement with countries outside of the Soviet sphere. Class texts provide a general historical overview and interrogate central ideological arguments/debates across several countries and political systems. Course materials look at the Comintern's engagement with Fascism and the Spanish Civil War, ideas of Nationalism and Internationalism, and Self-Determination in the Colonial World. Class units are designed to highlight regional similarities and differences, taking a global approach to the study of Communism. Students gain an understanding of the global political complexities developing after World War I and leading to World War II. Reflecting on the critique of imperialist capitalism offered by the Comintern, students explore liberation struggles and ideological dictatorships around the globe.
Same as L97 GS 396

Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM EN: H

L39 Russ 4442 The Jewish Experience in Eastern Europe

A study of Jewish culture, society and politics in Poland-Lithuania, Hungary, the Czech lands, Russia, Romania and the Ukraine, from the 16th century through the 20th century. Among the topics covered are: economic, social and political relations in Poland-Lithuania; varieties of Jewish religious culture; Russian and Habsburg imperial policies toward the Jews; nationality struggles and anti-Semitism; Jewish national and revolutionary responses; Jewish experience in war and revolution; the mass destruction of East European Jewish life; and the transition from Cold War to democratic revolution.
Same as L22 History 4442

Credit 3 units.

L39 Russ 4869 Reading War and Peace

What is it like to enter into a fictional world for a semester? In this course we read Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace in its entirety. Set during the Napoleonic wars (1805-1812), War and Peace takes the reader on a panoramic journey from the battlefield to the hay field, from the war room to the ballroom. It is a vivid portrayal of 19th-century Russian society as well as a penetrating examination of the causes and consequences of violence and the nature of love and family dynamics. In our discussions, we explore philosophies of history, issues of social injustice and gender inequality, the psychology of human suffering and joy, questions of literary form and genre, and the very experience of reading a long work of fiction. We begin with a selection of Tolstoy's early works that laid the foundation for War and Peace and conclude with a few of Tolstoy's late works that had an enormous influence on, among others, Mahatma Gandhi. Primary texts are supplemented with literary theory and film. All readings are in English.
Same as L97 GS 4869

Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD, SD Arch: HUM Art: HUM EN: H