Introduces the performance of basic tasks in Standard Czech, highlights of Czech culture, and a worldview of a nation uniquely located on the threshold of western and eastern Europe. Emphasis on oral communication. CZCH 0200 includes readings of annotated literary texts on the Web. Five meetings per week and use of audio/visual materials. Enrollment limited to 18.

Introduction to Polish language and culture. This course is designed for curious minds who want to start their adventure with Polish. The course has two major objectives. First, you will learn how to hold basic yet confident real-life conversations in Polish on a variety of familiar topics (your interests, family, weather, dating, everyday activities etc). Second, you will acquire elementary knowledge of Polish grammar in the context of contemporary cultural topics like art, politics, and sports. The course will include audiovisual presentations, audio recordings as well as elements of project based learning. Students of all backgrounds are welcome.

Independent research project on topics related to Russian culture. Enrollment permitted only after the written proposal (instructions in the department office) is submitted to the Concentration Advisor and Chair of the department (deadline: the last day of Add a course without fee period during the semester when the project is undertaken). Please check Banner for the correct section number and CRN to use when registering for this course. Each section limited to 10 students; instructor permission required.

Only for graduate students. Independent research project on topics related to Russian culture. Enrollment permitted only after the written proposal (instructions in the department office) is submitted to the DGS and Chair of the department (deadline: the last day of Add a course without fee period during the semester when the project is undertaken). Please check Banner for the correct section number and CRN to use when registering for this course. Each section limited to 10 students; instructor permission required.

For graduate students who have met the tuition requirement and are paying the registration fee to continue active enrollment while preparing for a preliminary examination.

For graduate students who have met the residency requirement and are continuing research on a full time basis.

Introduction to Russian language and culture. Oral and written communication in Russian; emphasis on the literary and everyday culture of Russia and the former U.S.S.R., including the changes that have reshaped everyday life for citizens of Russia. Five meetings per week, plus use of audio, video, and web materials. Enrollment limited to 18.

Continues development of language proficiency while broadening understanding of contemporary Russian culture via readings in literature and history. Expansion of vocabulary for dealing with conversational topics and review of Russian grammar. Features literary and nonliterary readings in Russian, as well as video and computer resources. Five class meetings per week. Prerequisite: RUSS 0110 or RUSS 0200 or RUSS 0250 or placement by exam. Enrollment limited to 18.

An in depth analysis of Dostoevsky's last novel as the culmination of his art and thought. Central religious and philosophical themes of the novel, such as the relations of faith to morality, modes of transgression, retribution, and epiphany, the question of theodicy, and the nature of authority. Discussion of Dostoevsky's poetics and of his contribution to the genre of the novel. Readings from literary criticism and from other pertinent literary texts, such as the Bible, Schiller, and Voltaire will also be discussed. In English. Enrollment limited to 19 first year students.

Examines selected topics in Russian culture and history as depicted in readings, the media, and Russian and Soviet films. Language work emphasizes increasing facility with spoken Russian and developing writing skills. Includes work on advanced grammar and syntax. Five class meetings per week. Prerequisites: RUSS 0350 or RUSS 0400 or placement. Enrollment limited to 18.

An advanced course recommended for students who are either planning to go or are returning from abroad. Focus on Russian culture as seen through the prism of Russian poetry. Extensive classroom discussion and frequent writing assignments. Prerequisite: RUSS 0600 or written permission. May be repeated once with permission from the instructor. Enrollment limited to 18.

When one considers the impact of Russian literature on world literature, one thinks first of all of the novel. And indeed, since the late nineteenth century its readers all over the world could not resist its artistic powers. The course explores selected Russian novels form the nineteenth- to the twenty-first century. Our in-depth (slow) reading and discussions will be guided by the questions concerning the stylistic peculiarities of the novel, and its development in changing historical and cultural contexts. The course includes: Gogol’s Dead Souls, Goncharov’s Oblomov, Dostoevsky’s Idiot, Bely’s Petersburg, Nabokov’s Mary, Platonov’s Chevengur, among others.

This course explores the radical transformations of Russian cultural and political life after the end of the Soviet Union, with a specific focus on the Putin era. By combining the approaches of literary analysis and cultural anthropology, the course studies representations of social change, and attempts at producing social change, in Russian everyday life and language, as well as in contemporary art and literature. All readings and discussions in English, with Russian originals available for interested students.

Taught by Alexandar Mihailovic and Svetlana Evdokimova. An interdisciplinary exploration of Russian cultural history through its literature, art, religion, political thought, and film. This course seeks to encourage thinking in more integrative and interdisciplinary ways about history, arts, and society. We examine a wide range of cultural expressions: religion, civic rituals, values and practices, social customs and popular entertainment. Topics include conceptions of Russian nationhood; the myths of St. Petersburg and Moscow; the interaction among elites, intelligentsia, and the common people (narod); conflicting appeals of rationality, spirituality, nihilism, apocalyptic and utopian thinking. All of these themes and forms will be treated as interrelated, as connected to social and political life, and as part of a larger European culture

Independent research project on topics in Slavic Studies. Enrollment permitted only after the written proposal (instructions in the department office) is submitted to the Concentration Advisor and Chair of the department (deadline: the last day of Add a course without fee period during the semester when the project is undertaken). Please check Banner for the correct section number and CRN to use when registering for this course. Each section limited to 10 students; instructor permission required.

Independent research on various topics in Slavic cultures. Reading, discussion, research must be done in the chosen Slavic language (Czech/Russian). Close work with faculty on project is expected. Prerequisites: minimum RUSS0600/CZCH 0610 (3rd year-level) or placement evaluation by Russian or Czech language coordinator. Enrollment permitted only after the written proposal (instructions in the department office) is submitted to the Concentration Advisor and Chair of the department (deadline: the last day of Add a course without fee period during the semester when the project is undertaken). Each section limited to 10 students; instructor permission required.

Only for Slavic concentrators writing their senior theses. For requirements and schedule, contact the department. Each section limited to 10 senior Slavic Studies concentrators.

Only for graduate students. Independent research project on topics in Slavic Studies. Enrollment permitted only after the written proposal (instructions in the department office) is submitted to the DGS and Chair of the department (deadline: the last day of Add a course without fee period during the semester when the project is undertaken). Please check Banner for the correct section number and CRN to use when registering for this course. Each section limited to 10 students; instructor permission required.

For graduate students who have met the tuition requirement and are paying the registration fee to continue active enrollment while preparing for a preliminary examination.

For graduate students who have met the residency requirement and are continuing research on a full time basis.

This seminar course examines the relationship between language and society: e.g. gender and language, politeness, terms of address, conversational analysis, dialects and language, language variation and social class, language policies and their consequences, language and national/ethnic identity. Case-study readings cover (but are not limited to) linguistic situations in East Europe, Russia, and the former republics of the USSR. Knowledge of Slavic languages not required. Open to advanced undergraduate and graduate students. Freshmen and sophomores who demonstrate their knowledge of the basic notions in linguistics or their familiarity with the former USSR and East Europe may enroll with the instructor’s written permission. Enrollment limited to 20.