Russian - RUSS

The information below lists courses approved in this subject area effective Fall 2015. Not all courses will necessarily be offered these terms. Please consult the Schedule of Classes for a listing of courses offered for a specific term.

500-level courses require graduate standing.

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101 Elementary Russian I
4 hours. Phonetics, introductory grammar, and reading. Four additional half hours each week in the language laboratory. Prerequisite(s): For students who have had no formal work in Russian.

102 Elementary Russian II
4 hours. Continues RUSS 101. Four additional half hours each week in the language laboratory. Prerequisite(s): RUSS 101 or the equivalent.

103 Intermediate Russian I
4 hours. Continues RUSS 102. Four additional half hours each week in the language laboratory. Prerequisite(s): RUSS 102 or the equivalent.

104 Intermediate Russian II
4 hours. Continues RUSS 103. Prerequisite(s): RUSS 103 or the equivalent.

115 Russian Culture Before the Revolution
3 hours. The main trends of Russian thought and manners from the beginning to the Revolution: literature, philosophy, religion, art, architecture, intellectual life. Audio-visual emphasis. World Cultures course.

116 Russian Culture: The Soviet Period
3 hours. The transformation of Russian culture after 1917: literature, art, architecture, philosophy, intellectual trends; emphasis on the ideology of Socialist Realism. Audio-visual emphasis. World Cultures course.

120 The Russian Short Story in Translation
3 hours. Introduction to important Russian short stories of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries; the elements of fiction; close analysis of literary texts. Creative Arts, and World Cultures course.

130 Masterpieces of Russian Literature in Translation
3 hours. Introduction to Russian novellas and novels of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Creative Arts, and World Cultures course.

150 Introduction to Russian Cinema
3 hours. Introduction to major themes, trends, and techniques of Russian/Soviet cinema. Explores film as an expression of social reality and political ideology. Comparisons drawn with American cinema. Taught in English. Films screened with English subtitles. Creative Arts, and World Cultures course.

201 Russian Composition and Conversation I
3 hours. Composition and conversation, systematic grammar, vocabulary development, and aural comprehension. Previously listed as RUSS 301. Prerequisite(s): RUSS 104 or the equivalent.

202 Russian Composition and Conversation II
3 hours. Continues RUSS 201.Previously listed as RUSS 302. Prerequisite(s): RUSS 201 or the equivalent.

241 Dostoyevsky
3 hours. Selected short stories and novels. Taught in English. Creative Arts course.

242 Tolstoy
3 hours. Discussion of selected short stories and plays. Taught in English. Creative Arts course.

244 Women in Russian Literature
3 hours. Major works by and about women in Russian literature: experiences of women and societal attitudes toward them. Same as GWS 244. Taught in English. Creative Arts, and World Cultures course.

246 Revolution in Arts: Russian and European Avant-Garde
3 hours. Major movements of the avant-garde, including Cubism, Futurism, Suprematism, Dada, Surrealism, and Constructivism, as manifested in Russia and the larger European context. Taught in English. Prerequisite(s): Sophomore standing or above; or consent of the instructor. Creative Arts course.

247 Literature and Fantasy in Russia
3 hours. Fantasy as a literary genre. Comparison of the artistic strategies employed by works of literature and film into which the fantastic intrudes in the form of alternate states of consciousness such as dream, inebriation, and madness. Taught in English. Prerequisite(s): Sophomore standing or above; or consent of the instructor. Creative Arts course.

248 Russian Visual and Material Culture
3 hours. Non-textual manifestations of Russian culture such as painting, sculpture, architecture, design and decorative arts in a way that emphasizes how an object's compositional medium relates to its aesthetic and functional purposes. Same as RUSS 248. Taught in English. Prerequisite(s): Completion of ENGL 160; or any 100-level RUSS or AH course. Creative Arts course.

321 Great Russian 19th-Century Novels and the European Tradition
3 hours. Reading and interpretation of various 19th-century novels, including, but not limited to, the works of Pushkin, Lermontov, Gogol, Turgenev, Dostoevsky, and Tolstoy. Emphasis on the socio-historic and intellectual context of these works. Taught in English. Prerequisite(s): Junior standing or above; or consent of the instructor.

330 Art and Politics: Soviet and Post-Soviet Literature
3 hours. An examination of various Russian literary and aesthetic practices with a focus on how writers defined their art vis-à-vis its contribution to or autonomy from the ideological goals of the Soviet state. Taught in English. Prerequisite(s): RUSS 321.

399 Independent Study
1 TO 3 hours. Investigation of special problems under the general direction of a staff member. May be repeated to a maximum of 6 hours. Prerequisite(s): Junior standing, consent of the instructor and the head of the department.

410 Structure of Modern Russian
3 OR 4 hours. Introduction to Russian morphology and phonology. Examination of the Russian language as a system with particular attention to verb conjugation and noun declension, with the goal of improving students? practical language skills. 3 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours. Prerequisite(s): RUSS 201; and credit or concurrent registration in RUSS 202; or consent of the instructor.

411 Reading Russian Literature in the Original I
3 OR 4 hours. Reading some of the highlights of 19th-century Russian short prose and poetry in the original. 3 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours. Taught in Russian, all readings in Russian. Prerequisite(s): RUSS 202; or consent of the instructor.

412 Reading Russian Literature in the Original II
3 OR 4 hours. Continuation of RUSS 411. Reading some of the highlights of 20th- and 21st-century Russian short prose and poetry in the original. 3 undergraduate hours; 4 graduate hours.Taught in Russian, all readings in Russian. Prerequisite(s): RUSS 411; or consent of the instructor.

440 Topics in Russian Culture and Cultural Studies
3 OR 4 hours. Exploration of various topics in Russian culture through an interdisciplinary prism, addressing intersections between visual and verbal arts as well as high and popular culture. Content varies.3 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours. May be repeated to a maximum of 6 hours for undergraduate students or 8 hours for graduate students, if topics vary, and with consent of the instructor. Taught in English. All texts are available in English. Students pursuing a major or minor in Russian, or an MA or PhD in Slavic Studies, will be required to read primary texts in the target language. Prerequisite(s): Junior standing or above; or consent of the instructor.

460 Studies in Russian Literature
3 OR 4 hours. Study of a major author, movement, genre, or special topic. Content varies. 3 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours. May be repeated up to 2 time(s). Prerequisite(s): 24 hours of Russian or consent of the instructor.

499 Independent Study
1 TO 4 hours. Investigation of special problems under the general direction of a staff member. May be repeated to a maximum of 8 hours. Graduate students may register for more than one section per term. Prerequisite(s): Senior or graduate standing, consent of the instructor and the head of the department.

525 Studies in the Russian Novel
4 hours. Extensive reading and independent critical analysis of the nineteenth-century classic Russian novels. Authors may include, but are not limited to, Pushkin, Lermontov, Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Turgenev, and Gogol. Topics may vary. May be repeated to a maximum of 8 hours, if topics vary and with consent of instructor. Taught in English. Recommended background: RUSS 411 and RUSS 412.

530 Studies in Russian Poetry
4 hours. The development of Russian poetry from the 18th century to the present. Contemporary theories on poetry. Topics may vary. May be repeated to a maximum of 8 hours, if topics vary and with consent of instructor. Taught in English. Recommended background: RUSS 411 and RUSS 412.

535 Experimental Prose and Metafiction
4 hours. In-depth exploration of six metafictional novels dealing with defining aesthetics and rethinking the place of the writer vis-a-vis his age, his reader, and his self. Topics may vary. May be repeated to a maximum of 8 hours, if topics vary and with consent of instructor. Taught in English. Recommended background: RUSS 411 and RUSS 412.

540 Imitation and Originality in Russian Literature
4 hours. Practices of imitation and parody in Russian literature, the role of those practices in Russian literary history, and their relationship to literary evolution and ideological change. Topics may vary. May be repeated to a maximum of 8 hours, if topics vary and with consent of instructor. Taught in Russian. Recommended background: RUSS 411 and RUSS 412.

560 Russian Modernism and the Avant-Garde
4 hours. In-depth exploration of various theories of the avant-garde and of avant-garde practices in literature, film, architecture, visual and performing arts. Topics may vary. May be repeated to a maximum of 8 hours, if topics vary, and with consent of the instructor. Taught in English.

575 Workshops in Translation
4 hours. Focuses on the translation of literary and non-literary texts. Various theoretical approaches to translation and trace the evolution of notions of conveying from one language to another. Topics may vary. May be repeated to a maximum of 8 hours, if topics vary, and with consent of the instructor. Taught in English. Recommended Background: RUSS 411 and RUSS 412.

596 Independent Study
1 TO 4 hours. Investigation of special problems under the general direction of a staff member. May be repeated to a maximum of 8 hours. Students may register in more than one section per term. Prerequisite(s): Consent of the instructor and the head of the department.

Information provided by the Office of Programs and Academic Assessment.

This listing is for informational purposes only and does not constitute a contract. Every attempt is made to provide the most current and correct information. Courses listed here are subject to change without advance notice. Courses are not necessarily offered every term or year. Individual departments or units should be consulted for information regarding frequency of course offerings.