Russian Courses

An introduction to the fundamentals of the language and culture with emphasis on communicative proficiency, clarity of pronunciation and basic skills in reading, writing, and conversation. Use of language laboratory required. Four hours of class each week, plus an additional conversation meeting with a native speaker. (Credit, full course.) Staff

Intensive language study completed as an essential part of the Sewanee Summer in Russia program. Emphasis in the course is on speaking and writing. With departmental approval, a student who completes this course may be eligible for higher level placement in Russian language, or, in the case of a student who has already completed Rusn 301, may count the course toward the Russian major. NOTE: It is understood that students from other institutions, including U.S. institutions, may be participating in the same classroom instruction at St. Petersburg State University. Co-requisite: Rusn 309. (Credit, full course.) Skomp

Continued study of grammar and review of basic grammatical structures; readings in Russian with emphasis on acquisition of vocabulary and continued development of conversational and writing skills. Prerequisite: Russian 104 or placement by the department. Four hours of class each week, plus an additional conversation meeting with a native speaker. (Credit, full course.) Staff

Completion of grammar; intensive readings from authentic materials in Russian with emphasis on continued development of conversational and writing skills. Required weekly conversation meeting with a native speaker. Normally the terminal course for the language requirement. Prerequisite: Russian 203 or placement by the department. (Credit, full course.) Staff

Short literary and cultural readings from various authors, periods, and genres. Relevant grammatical structures and stylistics are studied along with the readings. Prerequisite: Russian 301 or placement by the department. (Credit, full course.) Staff

An introduction to Russian verse with emphasis on further development of vocabulary and grammatical skills. Close readings of the texts are augmented by lectures and supplementary material concerning the creative context that gave birth to them. Attention is also given to poetic translation in theory and practice and to varying approaches to literary scholarship. All readings are in Russian. Prerequisite: Russian 302 or equivalent. (Credit, full course.) Staff

Students engage in advanced study of contemporary standard Russian by examining issues relevant to current Russian society. Special attention is devoted to post-Soviet Russian culture through analysis of newspapers and television news, selections of recent prose fiction, and cinema. The course emphasizes problems of syntax and idiomatic Russian. Prerequisite: Rusn 301 or Placement exam. (Credit, full course.) Skomp

Selected topics in Russian culture: architecture, film, fine arts, literature, music, theatre, and dance. The course is conducted in English and does not fulfill the language requirement. (Credit, full course.) Preslar

An historical, cultural, and linguistic survey of Russian civilization and culture from its ancient proto-Slavic beginnings to the present. The course is conducted in English and does not fulfill the language requirement. (Credit, full course.) Preslar

Emphasis on communicative ability in contemporary written and spoken Russian. Intensive practice in conversation to develop language skills appropriate to various spheres of academic, business, and social life. Audio-visual materials are used extensively. Prerequisite: Russian 301 or equivalent. (Credit, full course.) Preslar

A study of the emergence and development of the Russian literary tradition in the nineteenth century, with special attention to the intersection of Russian history and literature. Novels, novellas and short stories by Pushkin, Karamzin, Lermontov, Dostoevsky, Durova, Leskov, Tolstoy, Turgenev, Chekhov and others feature as the center of the course. This course is taught in English and does not satisfy the language requirement. (Credit, full course.) Staff

During the twentieth century, Russian literature transformed itself many times, evolving through prescriptive literary norms, a renewed interest in “truth-telling," and experimentation with form and subject matter. Students analyze examples of the avant-garde, Socialist Realism, experimental prose, the literature of emigration, youth prose, urban prose, Gulag literature, and dystopian literature. This course is taught in English and does not satisfy the language requirement. (Credit, full course.) Staff

An exploration of the contentious topic of gender in a Russian context through the examination of an array of representations of masculinity and femininity in Russian prose, poetry and film of the twentieth century. Students assess what it means and has meant to be a Russian man or woman; in the process, they may challenge some Western assumptions about gender constructs. Through analyzing and identifying the characteristics of ideal/real men and women, the course considers how and whether gender stereotypes are reinforced in the works of contemporary authors. This course does not meet the general distribution requirement in foreign language. This course has the attribute of Women’s Studies. (Credit, full course.) Skomp

A survey of Russian cinema from the 1920’s to the present day. The course approaches the analysis of film from the perspective of technique and methods, form, content, and cultural context. Students acquire a cinematic vocabulary while studying the genesis of Russian cinema, montage, propaganda films and socialist realism, nationalism, Stalinism, thaw and stagnation, glasnost, the post-Soviet period, and the enormous Russian and Soviet impact on world cinema. Films by Vertov, Eisenstein, Tarkovsky, Mikhalkov, Muratova, and others are studied. The course is taught in English and does not satisfy the language requirement. (Credit, full course.) Staff

A study of the major novels and selected short prose fiction, poetry, and literary criticism of Vladimir Nabokov. As a means to developing understanding of Nabokov’s aesthetics and to situating him in the context of world literature, students investigate the author's approaches to such themes as "reality," the construction of the author within the text, literary translation, emigration and transformation, identity, totalitarianism, and American popular culture. This course is taught in English and does not satisfy the language requirement. (Credit, full course.) Skomp

The course surveys Tolstoy’s two masterworks, Anna Karenina and War and Peace; shorter novellas such as The Death of Ivan Ilyich, The Kreutzer Sonata, and Master and Man; and provides an introduction to the author’s writings on topics such as education and art. Students move toward an understanding of Tolstoy as a novelist and thinker and situate him within broader literary, social and intellectual traditions. This course is taught in English and does not satisfy the language requirement. (Credit, full course.) Staff

The course surveys the major novels of Fyodor Dostoevsky, including Crime and Punishment, Notes from Underground, The Brothers Karamazov, and others. In examining Dostoevsky’s reputation and legacy as a psychological novelist, the course explores the author’s treatment of politics, religion, philosophy, and ethics. This course is taught in English and does not satisfy the language requirement. (Credit, full course.) Staff

A study of short prose in Russian from the 19th century. Authors studied may include (but are not limited to) Pushkin, Lermontov, Gogol, Turgenev, Tolstoy, and Chekhov. Prerequisite: a Russian course at the 300 level or above or placement by the department. (Credit, full course.) Staff

A study of short prose in Russian from the 20th century. Authors studied may include (but are not limited to) Babel, Zamyatin, Olesha, Zoshchenko, Nabokov, Solzhenitsyn, and Petrushevskaia. Prerequisite: a Russian course at the 300 level or above. (Credit, full course.) Staff

Variable topics for students who need to complete reading in a particular area. Open only to Russian majors. May be repeated for credit. Instructor approval required. (Credit, half to full course.) Staff

For selected students. May be repeated for credit. Instructor approval required. (Credit, half to full course.) Staff