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.

Czech animation has a long tradition and international reputation. Jiří Trnka beat Walt Disney at the post-war Cannes Film Festival. Karel Zeman is a pioneer in creating fantasy films with animation. Surrealist films by Jan Švankmajer continue to shock the audience. Younger animators such as Barta, Klimt, and Pospíšilová have been developing new modes of expression after the fall of socialism. This course explores a variety of Czech animated films from the 1960’s to the 21st century and its cross-cultural dialog, especially with the Japanese anime. Readings in English and films with English subtitles.

Introduction to Polish language and culture. Oral and written communication in Polish; emphasis on the literary and everyday culture of Poland. Five meetings per week, plus use of audio, video, and web materials.

This course is designed for students who have completed the Introductory Polish language sequence (PLSH 0150/0100, 0200 and 0300) or have otherwise acquired basic proficiency required for the second year sequence. In this course you will continue to develop and refine your speaking skills and will be able to carry on conversation on many topics from your daily life. You will continue developing reading and writing skills by reading increasingly more elaborate authentic texts and writing essays, and your listening skills will be cultivated by in-class interactions and listening to authentic Polish audio and video recordings.

In this course students will further develop their skills in speaking, reading, writing and understanding Polish. They will continue developing reading and writing skills by reading increasingly more elaborate authentic texts, writing essays, and learning about Polish stylistics, syntax, and grammar at the advanced level. Their listening skills will be cultivated by in-class interactions and listening to authentic Polish audio and video recordings. Emphasis in this course will be on mastering oral expression and vocabulary building, as well as comprehension of fiction and non-fiction texts of a moderate level of difficulty. The course will be conducted almost exclusively in Polish.

Intensively-paced introduction to Russian culture and language; completes one year of study in one semester (RUSS 0110 = RUSS 0100-0200). Comprehension and use of contemporary Russian; fundamentals of Russian grammar; vocabulary acquisition; focus on oral communication. Introduces aspects of everyday culture of Russia and the former U.S.S.R. Ten to fifteen hours weekly work outside the classroom. Enrollment limited to 18.

Introduction to Russian language and culture. Oral and written communication in Russian; emphasis on the 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. Prerequisite: RUSS 0100 or RUSS 0250. Enrollment limited to 18.

Continues development of language proficiency while broadening understanding of Russian culture via readings in literature and history. Includes 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 0300 or placement by exam. Enrollment limited to 18.

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. Four class meetings per week. Prerequisites: RUSS 0500 or placement. Enrollment limited to 18.

A continuation of Russian 1110. Examines aspects of Russian culture as manifested in Russian literature. Readings range from fairy tales to contemporary works. Extensive classroom discussion and frequent writing assignments. Prerequisite: RUSS 1110, 1700, or written permission. May be repeated once with permission of the instructor. Enrollment limited to 18.

Survey of Russian literature, from fairy tales, utopias, and dream sequences to science fiction, which depict altered states of reality. Readings in English, supplemented with films in March and April. Seminar with emphasis on discussion. Russian concentrators and graduate students expected to cover most of the readings in Russian. Familiarity with Russian literary history is not required.

This seminar course explores the meaning and significance of nationalism and national identity in modern culture and society, starting with the emergence of nation-states, up to the recent rise of nationalist and identitarian movements throughout the globe. We will study the main theories of nationalism, as well as some of the art and literary movements that this ideology inspired. By developing an open discussion about different incarnations of nationalism as an ideology and a social practice, we will retrace a cultural history of this concept, and shed light on its crucial role and impact on contemporary political processes.

This seminar will provide a chronological overview of Russian cinema from its beginning to the present. The films will be considered against the background of some historical, political, and theoretical readings. The students will also be encouraged to juxtapose Russian and non-Russian films in order to evaluate the place of Russian cinema within a global film culture. Enrollment limited to 20.

After the October Revolution of 1917, Soviet society became gradually split into official culture, dissidence, and the underground. Authors who did not conform to the limitations imposed by Soviet institutions often circulated their works illegally or published them abroad. Some of them were forced to emigrate. This course explores the complex intersections of propaganda, dissidence, and underground in Soviet literature, art, and film.

The course examines Russian nineteenth- and twentieth-century philosophical, political, and social thought through the analysis of its representative texts. The course focuses on the questions of political philosophy, social ethics, religion, metaphysics and politics of love and gender, wisdom and power, existence and life, religious and aesthetic values, and Russia’s relation to the West, the nation and nationalism, and social Revolution — all of which are central to Russian intellectual history and current political, social, cultural and philosophical debates. The authors included: Chaadaev, Gogol, Belinsky, Herzen, Chernyshevsky, Pisarev, Bakunin, Dostoevsky, Solovyov, Leontev, Fedorov, Rozanov, Shestov, Berdyaev, Plekhanov, Lenin. In English.

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.

Today's Russian poetry is important both from the aesthetical and social viewpoints. When the pressure of the state bureaucracy on culture and society is increasing, poetry becomes one of the very few spaces of cultural and anthropological innovation. Its major concern is how to learn to speak anew and to reimagine human relationships in the society conquered by populism and xenophobia. This course will explore main aesthetic, political, and social aspects of today’s Russian poetry in a wide comparative context, including theoretical texts on contemporary poetry and theory of poetry. No prior knowledge of Russian literature is required.

A study of the philosophical vein in Russian poetry about the meaning of the poetic and cultural heritage of the past, as well as reactions of the rising voices in Russian poetry in succeeding generations to the individual deaths of their immediate predecessors.

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.

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 residency requirement and are continuing research on a full time basis.

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.

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.

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 residency requirement and are continuing research on a full time basis.