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Go to: Czech and Slovak
Go to: General Slavic
Go to: Polish
Go to: Russian

Russian and Other Slavic Languages and Literatures Courses

Many 300-level courses are open to qualified College students (concentrators and nonconcentrators) with the consent of the instructor. A complete listing of courses offered by the department is given in the graduate Announcements and the quarterly Time Schedules.

Czech and Slovak

201-202-203. Elementary Czech. Pronunciation and basic grammatical structures are studied with the main emphasis on giving students proficiency in reading Czech in their particular fields. Conversation practice is included. The program is flexible and may be adjusted according to the needs of the students. Staff. Autumn, Winter, Spring.

255/355. Introduction to Czech Literature I. A survey of Czech literature from the ninth century to the last quarter of the eighteenth century. Readings are in both Czech and English and depend somewhat on the interests and preparation of the students. N. Ingham. Autumn.

256/356. Introduction to Czech Literature II. A survey of Czech prose and poetry, in their cultural and historical contexts, during the period known as the National Revival, 1774-1918. Readings in English and Czech. D. Powelstock. Winter.

257/357. Introduction to Czech Literature III. Czech literature of the twentieth century. Staff. Spring.

General Slavic

201/301. Introduction to Slavic Linguistics. A survey of principles of general synchronic and diachronic linguistics as applied to the Slavic languages. H. Aronson. Autumn.

220/320. Old Church Slavonic. V. Friedman. Winter.

230/330. Language, Power, and Identity in Southeastern Europe: A Linguistic View of the Balkan Crisis (=Anthro 274, Hum 274, LngLin 230). Language is a key issue in the articulation of ethnicity and the struggle for power in southeastern Europe. This course familiarizes students with the linguistic histories and structures that have served as bases for the formation of modern Balkan ethnic identities and that are being manipulated to shape current and future events. The course is informed by the instructor's experience as an adviser for the United Nations Protection Forces in the former Yugoslavia, as well as his twenty years of linguistic fieldwork in the Balkans. V. Friedman. Autumn.

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288-289/388-389. Twentieth-Century Slavic Literary Theory (=ComLit 311-312). The primary goal in the first quarter of this two-quarter sequence is to outline the major trends in Slavic literary theory in the twentieth century, especially Russian Formalism, Structuralism (Prague School and its diaspora), and Cultural Semiotics. Attention is paid both to the cultural contexts in which these ideas arose and to their applicability to literary texts. The second quarter of the course is designed to bring Slavic and non-Slavic theoretical traditions into dialogue with one another. It examines the most recent developments (or discoveries) in Slavic literary theory (including Bakhtin, Lotman, theories of the private sphere, and models of cultural mythology) in comparison with developments in Western Post-Structural theory (especially psychoanalytic theory, sociology of culture, New Historicism, and deconstruction). Readings in English. D. Powelstock. Winter, Spring.

Polish

201-202-203. Elementary Polish I, II, III. This course sequence fulfills the Common Core foreign language requirement. Students are introduced to the grammatical and phonetic basis of the language and are taught to read appropriate texts. Attention is also given to pronunciation and conversation. Staff. Autumn, Winter, Spring.

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204-205-206. Second-Year Polish I, II, III. PQ: Polish 203 or equivalent. Students write in Polish and read selected important texts of Polish literature. Attention is also given to problems of Polish syntax and to improving students' spoken Polish. Work is adjusted to each student's level of preparation. Staff. Autumn, Winter, Spring.

260/360. Introduction to Polish Literature I: From the Beginnings to the Eighteenth Century. Staff. Autumn.

261/361. Introduction to Polish Literature II: Nineteenth Century. Staff. Winter.

262/362. Introduction to Polish Literature III: Twentieth Century. Staff. Spring.

Russian

Language

101-102-103. First-Year Russian I, II, III. This course sequence fulfills the Common Core foreign language requirement. This course introduces basic grammar and practice in the elements of spoken and written modern Russian. All four aspects of language skill (reading, writing, listening comprehension, and speaking) are included. The course is designed to introduce students to using Russian both as a means of communication and as a tool for reading and research. Staff. Autumn, Winter, Spring.

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201-202-203. Second-Year Russian I, II, III. PQ: Russ 103 or consent of instructor. This course continues Russ 101-102-103; it includes review and amplification of grammar, practice in reading, elementary composition, and speaking and comprehension. Systematic study of word formation and other strategies are taught to help free students from excessive dependence on the dictionary and develop confidence in reading rather than translating. Readings are selected to help provide historical and cultural background. Two of the five class hours per week are devoted to conversational practice in small groups with a native speaker. Staff. Autumn, Winter, Spring.

204-205-206. Third-Year Russian I, II, III. PQ: Russ 203 or equivalent. This course, conducted entirely in Russian, has three major objectives: (1) a thorough study of Russian syntax; (2) vocabulary building based on a study of Russian roots, prefixes, and suffixes; and (3) improvement of reading and communication skills. Two hours of Russian conversation with a native speaker are scheduled each week. I. Zauber. Autumn, Winter, Spring.

207-208-209. Fourth-Year Russian I, II, III. PQ: Russ 206 or equivalent. This course, taught in Russian, treats difficult grammar problems as well as questions of syntax and stylistics. It includes extensive readings representative of different periods of Russian literature and various literary styles. These texts are discussed in class and analyzed by the students in written compositions. Vocabulary building and oral expression are also emphasized. Supplementary conversation practice is scheduled twice per week. Staff. Autumn, Winter, Spring.

301-302-303. Advanced Russian I, II, III. PQ: Russ 209 and consent of instructor. I. Zauber. Autumn, Winter, Spring.

Literature and Linguistics

216/316. Russian through Its Poetry. P. Friedrich, C. O'Neil. Autumn.

221/321. History of Russian II: Morphology and Syntax. PQ: GnSlav 220, or consent of instructor. B. Darden. Spring.

255/355. Introduction to Russian Literature I: From the Beginnings to 1850. A survey of Russian literature in translation from the Igor Tale to the middle of the nineteenth century. Major figures covered are Pushkin, Lermontov, Gogol, Goncharov, and Turgenev. Readings in English. A. L. Crone. Autumn.

256/356. Introduction to Russian Literature II: 1850-1900 (=Hum 240). This is a survey covering the second half of the nineteenth century. Major figures studied are Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Leskov, Saltykov-Shchedrin, and Chekhov. Representative works are read for their literary value and against their historical, cultural, and intellectual background. Class discussion is encouraged. Readings in English. N. Ingham. Winter.

276/376. Tolstoy (=Hum 242). A close reading of Tolstoy's principal works, seen as aesthetic wholes and in the development of his ideological, moral, and aesthetic views. Readings in English. E. Wasiolek. Spring.

277/377. Chekhov. This introduction to the principal works of Chekhov includes close analysis of texts and an examination of their historical background. Readings in English. M. Ehre. Autumn.

290/390. Russian Drama I. Major Russian plays from Aleksandr Sumarokov to Aleksandr Ostrovsky are studied against their literary and cultural background. Class discussion is encouraged. Readings in English and Russian. N. Ingham. Winter.

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