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Russian
Language Courses
Russian
Literature, Culture and History in English
Russian
Literature, Culture and History in Russian
Russian
For Russian Speaking Students
Russian
Language and Literature offered through CGS
Slavic
Courses
Graduate
Level Courses
Eastern
European
Russian
Language Courses
RUSS002
Elementary Russian II
prior language experience required
001 Oleinichenko MTWRF 10:00 am-11:00 pm
002 Staff MTWR 4-5 pm, F 3-4
A
continuation of RUSS 001
RUSS004
Intermediate Russian II
prior language experience required
Prerequisite: RUSS 003 or placement exam
001 Verkholantsev MTWR 12-1 pm
002 Oleinichenko MTWR 5-6 pm
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Russian
Literature, Culture, and History in English Translation
RUSS125 The Adultery Novel
in and out of Russia
Cross-listed COML 127 / WSTD 125
May be counted towards the General Requirement in Arts & Letters
All readings and lectures in English
401 Platt MWF 2-3 pm
The course examines a series of 19C and 20C novels (and
a few short stories) about adultery. Our reading will teach us about
novelistic traditions of the period in question and about the relationship
of Russian literature to the European models to which it responded.
Course readings include: de Laclo's Dangerous
Liaisons, Flaubert's Madame Bovary. Tolstoy's Anna Karenina,
Milan Kundera's The Unbearable Lightness
of Being, and other works. Students will apply various critical
approaches in order to place adultery into its social and cultural context,
including: sociological descriptions of modernity, Marxist examinations
of family as a social and economic institution, Freudian/ Psychoanalytic
interpretations of family life and transgressive
sexuality, and Feminist work on the construction
of gender.
RUSS155 Russian Literature after 1870
May be counted towards the General Requirement in Arts
& Letters
All readings and lectures in English
001 Steiner TR 3-4:30 pm
Major Russian writers in English translation: Tolstoy,
Dostoevsky, Pasternak, Babel, Solzhenitsyn, and others
RUSS165 Russian and Eastern European Film
Cross-listed FILM 166
May be counted towards the General Requirement in Arts & Letters
All readings and lectures in English
401 Vaingurt MW 4:30-6 pm
The purpose of this course is to present the Russian
and East European contribution to world cinema in terms of film theory,
experimentation with the cinematic language, and social and political
reflex. We discuss major themes and issues such as: the invention of
montage, the means of visual propaganda and the cinematic component
to the communist cultural revolutions, party ideology and practices
of social-engineering, cinematic response to the emergence of the totalitarian
state in Russia and its subsequent installation in Eastern Europe after
World War II; repression, resistance and conformity under such a system;
legal and illegal desires; the nature of the authoritarian personality,
the mind and the body of the homo sovieticos; sexual and political transgression; treason
and disgrace; public degradation and individual redemption; the profane
and the sublime ends of human suffering and humiliation; the unmasking
of the official "truth" as a general lie.
RUSS197 Madness and Madmen In
Russian Culture
Cross-listed COML 197
May be counted towards the General Requirement in Arts and Letters
All readings and lectures in English
401 Vinitsky TR 1:30-3 pm
Course website
This course will explore the theme of madness in Russian
literature and arts from the medieval period through the October Revolution
of 1917. The discussion will include formative masterpieces by Russian
writers (Pushkin, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Chekhov,
and Bulgakov), painters (Repin,
Vrubel, Filonov),
composers (Mussorgsky, Tchaikovsky, and Stravinsky), and film-directors
(Protazanov, Eisenstein), as well as non-fictional documents
such as Russian medical, judicial, political, and philosophical treatises
and essays on madness.
The problem of madness has preoccupied Russian minds
since the very beginning of Russia's troubled history. This subject has been dealt with
repeatedly in medieval vitae and modern stories, plays, paintings,
films, and operas, as well as medical, political and philosophical
essays. This issue has been treated by a number of brilliant Russian
authors and artists not only as a medical or psychological matter,
but also as a metaphysical one, touching the deepest levels of human
consciousness, encompassing problems of suffering, imagination,
history, sex, social and world order, evil, retribution, death,
and the after-life. Therefore it is illuminating for a deeper understanding
of Russian culture to examine how major Russian authors have depicted
madness and madmen in their works, how these works reflected the
authors' psychological, aesthetic and ideological views, as well
as historical and cultural processes in Russia.
RUSS202 TOLSTOY: At War - Writing As Fighting in Tolstoy
May be counted towards the Distributional Requirement
in Arts & Letters
All Readings and Lectures in English
001 TR 10:30am-12:00pm
Vinitsky
This course explores Tolstoy's provocative visions of
life, death, war, gender, sex, social institutions, and religion. The
emphasis is placed on the role of a written word in Tolstoy's search
for truth and power.
RUSS230 Balkan Slavs CANCELED
Cross-listed: Slav 230 / HIST 230
All readings and lectures in English
401 Pinson MW 4:30-6 pm
This course traces the development of the Balkan Slavs
from their beginnings in the Middle Ages up through the Cold War. Since
their story is inextricably bound up with the neighboring Greeks, Romanians
and Turks, parts
of their story are also included. No background in its history or geography
is expected. In many Balkan courses the focus is on Great Power diplomacy
in the region. Here the focus is on local Balkan developments, with
only passing mentions of Great Power involvement. The Balkan peoples
created national or semi-national states in the medieval period. It
was the traditions which were then created which held the ethnic groups
together during the centuries when they were under foreign domination
and contributed to shaping of national states and some of the policies
of the revived national states in the modern period, which can only
be fully understood with this earlier background.
RUSS299 Independent Study
000 Staff TBA
Permission needed from the Department
RUSS399 Supervised Work
000 Staff TBA
Permission needed from the Department
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Russian
Literature, Culture and History in Russian
RUSS413 Advanced Russian II: Utopia, Revolution and
Dissent in 20th Century Literature, Film and Culture
Prerequisite: RUSS 311 or placement exam
Conducted in Russian
001 Bourlatskaya TR 1:30-3 pm
A continuation of Russian 412. This course will continue to develop advanced language
skills in Russian, turning attention to the study of the major movements,
figures and works of twentieth-century Russian literature and culture.
Works studied will include poetry, prose and film by well-known
Russian masters: Akhmatova, Mayakovsky,
Eisenstein, Zoshchenko, Zamiatin,
Tvardovsky, and others. Language development
will focus on advanced composition and expansion of vocabulary and
expressive capability in spoken Russian. The course is primarily
intended for students who speak no Russian at home.
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Russian
For Russian Speaking Students
RUSS361
Russian for Russian Speakers II: “The 12 Chairs”
401 Verkholantsev MW 3-4:30 pm
Prerequisites: Russian 360 or at least three and no more than six years
of Russian formal schooling, or consent of instructor.
Successful completion of this course fulfils the Penn Language Requirement
This course
is intended for students who have spoken Russian at home and seek to
improve literacy in the language. Students will improve reading and
writing skills, increase vocabulary, and develop academic speaking skills
and listening comprehension. The course is based on Il’f and Petrov’s
classic novel “The 12 Chairs,” which became a sort of a
Bible for the Russian intelligentsia of the 60-ies and 70-ies and is
still a living classic. In addition, students will watch screen adaptations
of the novel and learn about early 20th-century Soviet Civilization.
If you have questions about your language abilities, please contact
the instructor.
RUSS465 SINGING IN THE SNOW: HISTORY OF RUSSIAN SONG
May be counted towards the Distributional Requirement
in Arts & Letters
001 Verkholantsev TR 3-4:30pm
Class prerequisites: Russian 361 (at the minimum,
concurrent enrollment in 361 is acceptable); or advanced reading and
writing competence (roughly equivalent to six years of Russian formal
schooling), or consent of instructor.
Song is an essential and exciting component of Russian
culture and social life, and an important language learning tool. The
course offers a general introduction to the history of Russian song
and an advanced study of the Russian language for students who speak
Russian at home and wish to improve their language proficiency to the
academic level.
Students will explore the historical trajectory
of Russian song and its various genres (from folk to the modern
Estrada), examine the poetic and literary principles of song, discuss
its aesthetic properties, and analyze the educational, community-building
and ideological roles of song in Russian society. Among the wide-ranging
topics and genres that we will discuss and work with are lyrics
of folk songs (byliny, chastushki, plachi, choir song,
Cossack song), romances (gypsy romance, urban romance, cabaret,
literary romance), Soviet and patriotic songs (war, pioneer and
revolutionary song), Anti-Soviet songs (song of the White Guard),
film and theater songs, children's songs, Soviet and Russian Rock
and Pop. Classes will be practically oriented and will center around
presentations and discussions conducted in Russian, and weekly writing
assignments.
If you are not sure about your language qualifications please contact
the instructor at juliaver@sas.upenn.edu.
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Russian
Language and Literature Offered Through the College of General Studies
RUSS002 Elementary Russian II
Prior language experience required
601 Staff M 5-7 pm W 5-8 pm
A continuation of RUSS 001
RUSS004 Intermediate Russian II
Prior language experience required
Prerequisite: RUSS 003 or placement exam
601 Oleinichenko MW 5-7 pm
A continuation of RUSS 003.
RUSS432 Fate and Chance in Literature and Film
Cross-listed: FILM 432
All readings and lectures in English
601 Zubarev T 5:30-8:30 pm
Be a winner -- manage all your situations and don't
let pure chance govern your life! With a chain of literary characters
as a vivid illustration, you will explore a mysterious world of fate
and chance and learn about various interpretations of the forces ruling
human life. Slavic and Greek mythology, as well as folklore and modern
literary works of Russian and Western writers and cinematographers will
assist you in your journey to the world of the supernatural. Screenings
will include Tarkovsky's Mirror and
Zeffirelli's and Luhrman's Romeo and Juliet. For those wishing to
bring their own interpretations of fate and chance to the stage, literary
and theatrical analyses will culminate in the opportunity to direct
and perform excerpts from literary works in class. Don't miss this chance
to choose your fate!
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Slavic Courses
SLAV230 Balkan Slavs CANCELED
Cross-listed: RUSS 230 / HIST 230
All readings and lectures in English
401 Pinson MW 4:30-6 pm
See RUSS 230 for description.
SLAV504 Intermediate Polish II
Prerequisite(s): SLAV 503 or placement.
Offered through the Penn Language Center
680 Sachs MW 6-8 pm
SLAV533 Intermediate Czech II
Prerequisite(s): SLAV 532 or Placement.
Offered through the Penn Language Center.
A continuation of SLAV 532.
680 Stejskal TR 6:30-8 pm
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Graduate
Level Courses
SLAV651 Theories of Representation
Cross-listed: COML 650
301 Steiner W 2-5
The course will examine major Western theories of sign
and representation from Socrates to Derrida. Primary focus will
be on the 20th century trends including phenomenology, structuralism,
and marxism. Readings will include: Plato, St. Augustine, Pierce, Husserl, Jakobson, Bakhtin, Voloshinov, Eco, Derrida and others.
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Eastern
European
EEUR122
Elementary Hungarian II
Prerequisite: EEUR 121 or placement
Offered through the Penn Language Center
680 Mizsei TR 5:30-7 pm
A
continuation of EEUR 121
EEUR124 Intermediate Hungarian II
Prerequisite: EEUR 121-123 of placement
Offered through the Penn Language Center
680 Mizsei TR 4-5:30 pm
A
continuation of EEUR 123
EEUR126
Advanced Hungarian II
Prerequisite: EEUR 121-124 or placement
Offered through the Penn Language Center
680 Mizsei TR 9-10:30 am
A continuation
of EEUR 125
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