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The Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures LANGUAGE PLACEMENT EXAMS Students who have learned Russian or other Slavic languages elsewhere and those returning from study abroad will need to take a placement test at the beginning of the semester. Please review language placement criteria from the selections below. ~ Students starting with 1st or 2nd year Russian should consult with Lisa Little (lclittle@berkeley.edu, or during her office hours), Russian Language Coordinator, about placement in the lower-division language courses (Slavic 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6A-B). Whenever possible students should contact Ms. Little far in advance of the first week of classes for screening and placement. ~ Students needing placement screening for third-year Russian (Slavic 103A-B, etc.) or testing for the Letters and Science foreign language requirement for Russian should consult with Dr. Arkady Alexeev (arkalexeev@yahoo.com, or during his office hours). ~ Heritage speakers of Russian considering a major or minor track requiring Russian must make an appointment with the Undergraduate Staff or Major Adviser to obtain information specific to their individual language requirements and to be referred for the proficiency/placement exam. ~ Students of East European or Eurasian languages should consult with the appropriate Language Coordinator for proficiency testing and placement. See coordinators list below. Czech and Polish: Bulgarian and BCS (Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian): Eurasian Languages: ~ Transfer students and those enrolling in study abroad programs should consult with the Major Adviser regarding course equivalents accepted by the Department. Note: The language supervisors and teaching staff make the final determination regarding language level placement in language courses. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ANNOUNCEMENT FOR NATIVE OR HERITAGE SPEAKERS ENROLLING IN UPPER-DIVISION POLISH, CZECH, BCS, OR BULGARIAN LANGUAGE COURSES Enrollment in Slavic 115AB, 116AB, 117AB, 118AB
is limited to non-native and heritage speakers. Native speakers
- defined as those who Quick Reference to Courses RUSSIAN: EAST EUROPEAN AND EURASIAN STUDIES: Course DescriptionsSlavic 1 & 2 (5 units each) IF YOU SPEAK MOSTLY RUSSIAN AT HOME WITH YOUR PARENTS OR GRANDPARENTS (even if you cannot read and write in Russian and even if you make some mistakes in your spoken Russian or occasionally switch to English), YOU SHOULD ENROLL IN SLAVIC 6A in the Fall Semester, 6B in the Spring Semester by permission of instructor. This course was created specifically to fit the needs of “heritage” speakers, which are quite different from those of non-heritage second-language learners. (If you were born in Russia or one of the former Soviet republics and went to school there or if you have been speaking and reading Russian regularly in this country, you may want to consider Slavic 105A/B or 181, 182, or 190.) Elementary Russian Comprehensive program for the study of Russian language and culture. No knowledge of Russian is presumed for Slavic 1. Focus on proficiency in all four skills ("language in context" /listening, reading, speaking, writing/) and the fundamentals ("building blocks" /grammar and vocabulary/). Classes conducted primarily in Russian. By the end of Slavic 2, students will have most of the grammar, vocabulary, and cultural knowledge needed to begin functioning in Russian. Students who have completed this program have placed into the fourth and fifth semesters at Middlebury (a prestigious summer language immersion program). Grades based on participation, completion of homework assignments, oral tests, written compositions, chapter tests, and a final (a computerized standardized test that is weighted less than a chapter test and may be taken anytime during the last two weeks up to the scheduled final time). Required Texts: (Available Through ASUC's Cal Textbooks) Note: IF YOU BUY THE TEXTBOOK ONLINE, please make sure you get the SECOND EDITION. (McClellan should be listed as one of the authors.) In addition, you must buy the WORKBOOK/LAB MANUAL, which will be sold shrink-wrapped with the textbook at a slight discount at Cal Textbooks in the ASUC. The bookstore package will also include the CD that goes with the textbook, which is important when you are learning the alphabet, but not as essential as the other two parts. Slavic 1: Slavic 2: Optional: STUDENTS WHO WANT TO GET A HEAD START CAN BEGIN LEARNING THE RUSSIAN ALPHABET: If you have already purchased Nachalo, you can start learning the printed and cursive letters (and their sounds) in the textbook and workbook. If you haven't, or want more practice, you can go to the following sites and see which ones work best for you: http://masterrussian.com/blalphabet.shtml Alphabet in print and cursive. Pronunciation of all the letters of the Russian alphabet – scroll to bottom if you want to hear all the letters read quickly all at once instead of one by one. (You might also want to click on the “live cams” button – or any of the others - on the left for fun.) http://www.humnet.ucla.edu/russian/quickstart.html Simple Russian words with pictures and sound. http://community.middlebury.edu/~beyer/RT/pages/signs/signs.shtml Alphabet in print + Russian signs for practice. Also: http://community.middlebury.edu/~beyer/publications/rabc/RABC.shtml individual words pronounced. http://www.alphadictionary.com/rusgrammar/index.html The Cyrillic alphabet (lots of cognates to practice the alphabet) and the rules of pronunciation [also lots of information about grammar at this site]. http://langintro.com/rintro/first.htm “A different game”: practice with sound and words. http://www.auburn.edu/~mitrege/RWT/welcome.html Need to have Nachalo textbook for this one. Extra practice. Prerequisites: Slavic 1 has no prerequisites as it assumes no previous knowledge of Russian. SLAVIC 1 IS THE PREREQUISITE FOR SLAVIC 2. If you have not taken the previous semester here, SCREENING AND PLACEMENT IS MANDATORY with our department’s Russian Language Coordinator to determine the best placement for you. Prospective students must contact Lisa Little, our department’s Russian Language Coordinator, at: lclittle@berkeley.edu Slavic 3 & 4 (5 units each) L&S Breadth: Both Slavic 3 and 4 Count as International Breadth IF YOU SPEAK MOSTLY RUSSIAN AT HOME WITH YOUR PARENTS OR GRANDPARENTS (even if you cannot read and write in Russian and even if you make some mistakes in your spoken Russian or occasionally switch to English), YOU SHOULD ENROLL IN SLAVIC 6A in the Fall Semester, 6B in the Spring Semester with permission of the instructor. This course was created specifically to fit the needs of “heritage” speakers, which are quite different from those of non-heritage second-language learners. (If you were born in Russia or one of the former Soviet republics and went to school there or if you have been speaking and reading Russian regularly in this country, you may want to consider Slavic 105A/B or 181, 182, 190.) Intermediate Russian Comprehensive program for the study of Russian language and culture. Focus on proficiency in all four skills ("language in context" /listening, reading, speaking, writing/) and the fundamentals ("building blocks" /grammar and vocabulary/).Classes conducted in Russian. By the end of Slavic 4, students will have developed considerable control of the grammar, a fairly extensive vocabulary, and much of the functional and cultural knowledge needed to communicate effectively in Russian. Students who have completed this program have had great success in various summer programs in the U.S. and Russia and the Moscow EAP Advanced Program. Grades based on participation, completion of homework assignments, oral interviews, written compositions, chapter tests, and a final (a computerized standardized test that is weighted less than a chapter test and may be taken anytime during the last two weeks up to the scheduled final time). Required Texts: (Available Through ASUC's Cal Textbooks) Slavic 3 & 4: Note: IF YOU BUY THE TEXTBOOK ONLINE, please make sure you get the SECOND EDITION. (Kudyma should be listed as one of the authors.) In addition, you must buy the WORKBOOK/LAB MANUAL, which will be sold shrink-wrapped with the textbook at a slight discount at Cal Textbooks in the ASUC. Kagan, Miller, & Kudyma, V Puti: Russian Grammar in Context, Second Edition and workbook/lab manual. Recommended: Prerequisites: SLAVIC 2 IS THE PREREQUISITE FOR SLAVIC 3; SLAVIC 3 IS THE PREREQUISITE FOR SLAVIC 4. If you have not taken the previous semester here, SCREENING AND PLACEMENT IS MANDATORY with our department’s Russian Language Coordinator to determine the best placement for you. Prospective students must contact Lisa Little, our department’s Russian Language Coordinator, at: lclittle@berkeley.edu Slavic R5A, Section 1 (4 units)
Reading
and Composition Course This course will consider the ways in which nineteenth- and early twentieth-century European authors utilize the natural sciences, scientists and doctors, and scientific discourse in artistic texts. We will consider some of the themes and conflicts to which science readily lends itself (e.g. reason vs. faith, nature vs. culture, freedom vs. determinism, etc.); the use of scientists and practitioners of medicine as fictional protagonists; the typical plots engendered by questions of and anxieties about heredity and biology; and some literary and cultural responses to Charles Darwin's theory of evolution. In addition to close readings of literary texts, students will also be expected to write a series of papers and perform in-class writing exercises. As the ultimate purpose of the course is to improve students' analytical writing skills, we will dedicate time, both in and outside of class, to: grammar and sentence construction; style and technique; the development of persuasive arguments; and the reworking of drafts into well-written papers. This course satisfies the first half or the “A” portion of the Reading and Composition requirement. Texts: Prerequisite: Successful completion of the UC Entry Level Writing Requirement. Slavic R5A, Section 2 (4 units) Reading
and Composition Course We are taught that, by reading, we can both understand the world and increase our knowledge, yet what do we do when we are faced with literary works that obstruct and complicate this seemingly natural process? Confronted with unreliable narrators in whom we lack trust due to their possible madness and fragmented storytelling, how do we unlock the “secret” of the text and uncover meaning? In this course, we will examine a series of texts by Russian and American authors, investigating their mode of narration (first- vs. third-person and/or alternating perspectives), shifting time frames, use of delirium and paranoia, as well as the historical circumstances that inform them. The ultimate question that will guide our reading: Can we find stability in the unstable worlds that these works present, or will we fall prey to their narrative manipulation? The main goal of this course is to teach students how to write successful analytical and scholarly essays. This entails that students actively engage with the literature, and both prepare for and participate in class discussions. In addition to several full-length essays (5-8 pages) and one revision, there will be short writing assignments, several in-class writing workshops and one film screening (Akira Kurosawa's Rashomon, 1950) throughout the course of the semester. This course satisfies the first half or the “A” portion of the Reading and Composition requirement. Texts: Prerequisite: Successful completion of the UC Entry Level Writing Requirement. Slavic R5A, Section 3 (4 units) Reading
and Composition Course As a government-issued object people handle on a daily basis, money mediates between the public and the private spheres. Each time people spend money, their most private interests and desires enter into circulation in the international networks of exchange that connect people to one another and to corporations and governments around the globe. Conversely, money serves as the medium through which those broad networks of exchange impact the lives of ordinary individuals. This course will explore texts in which money helps to structure major aspects of private life such as the home, the emotions, and the body. We will consider how money’s role in private life changes in works of different genres, national literary traditions, and historical epochs, paying particular attention to how Russian literature imagines the relationship between the small-scale transactions of private citizens and large-scale economic institutions and processes. We will examine the poetics of spending, saving, gambling, giving, hoarding and hyperinflation in relation to the decline of the nobility, the end of serfdom, the Russian Revolution, the fall of the Soviet Union, and the rise of capitalist entrepreneurialism and consumerism. The purpose of this course is to teach students how to write successful analytical essays. The class discussions will focus on close analysis of the readings in order to help students develop ideas and theses for their papers. Class participation will be required of all students. In addition to analytical content, the course will emphasize stylistic and structural elements of writing. Students will complete writing exercises as well as three progressively longer papers of 2-3, 4-5, and 8-10 pages. The second and third papers will undergo substantial revision and peer editing. This course satisfies the first half or the “A” portion of the Reading and Composition requirement. Texts: Film screening: Prerequisite: Successful completion of the UC Entry Level Writing Requirement. Slavic R5B, Section 2 (4 units) Reading
and Composition Course Marxist theorist Guy Debord coined the term 'psychogeography' in 1955 to describe his revolutionary movement to liberate the city from the stifling culture of capitalism. In this ‘B’ level Reading and Composition course, we will expand on his term to consider the broader relationship of the human mind to urban geographies. How do literary production and the unique environment of the city bear on one another? We will consider not only formal problems of textual production, but will also explore chance crossings, multi-cultural environments, poverty, dystopia, utopia, sensory overload, and other phenomena associated with the city. Theoretical readings, films, and visual materials will accompany our literary readings. This course satisfies the second half or the “B” portion of the Reading and Composition requirement. Texts: Prerequisite: Successful completion of the “A” portion of the Reading and Composition requirement or its equivalent. Slavic R5B, Section 3 (4 units) Reading and
Composition Course Cold dark snow-swept streets, hunger, poverty, existential angst, duels, madness, suicide… Dare Russian literature ever be funny? By examining moments of absurdity, satire, irony, and even slap-stick humor in Russian and American literature of the nineteenth and twentieth century, we will explore those famous ‘big questions’ of life, death and inevitable bread lines from a slightly different angle. We will think about the different techniques authors deploy to create comic effects, learn to analyze humor on a textual, thematic and cultural level. What is the role of laughter in the cultural imagination: why and when do people laugh? What is the connection between laughter and horror, laughter and fear, laughter and the sublime? The concurrent aim of this course is to improve your writing skills; therefore, in addition to the four formal papers, a variety of writing exercises are integrated throughout. Expect response papers (in-class and out), close reading exercises, brainstorming and paper planning sessions, and even some creative assignments. The research component of this class aims to familiarize students with critical sources and theoretical approaches. To this end, we will read critical essays and literary criticism, conduct journal surveys, tour the library, etc. The aim of the final research paper is to place your work in dialogue with various critical approaches and analyses. This course satisfies the second half or the “B” portion of the Reading and Composition requirement. Texts: Films: Course reader includes selections from:
Prerequisite: Successful completion of the “A” portion of the Reading and Composition requirement or its equivalent. DO YOU SPEAK (BUT NOT READ OR WRITE) FLUENT RUSSIAN? Slavic 6A (3 units) Introductory Russian for Heritage Speakers This course is aimed at "heritage speakers" of Russian, i.e., those who grew up speaking Russian in the family without a native Russian's full educational and cultural background. Introductory course teaches basic skills of literacy, grammar, and reading. Students with advanced reading proficiency should consider Slavic 105A/B, 181, 182 or 190. Required Texts: Recommended: STUDENTS WHO CANNOT READ OR WRITE RUSSIAN MAY WANT TO START LEARNING THE ALPHABET FROM ONE OF THE FOLLOWING SITES OR THEIR PARENTS BEFORE THE BEGINNING OF THE SEMESTER: http://masterrussian.com/blalphabet.shtml Alphabet in print and cursive. Pronunciation of all the letters of the Russian alphabet – scroll to bottom if you want to hear all the letters read quickly all at once instead of one by one. (You might also want to click on the “live cams” button – or any of the others - on the left for fun.) http://www.lang.ourfamily.com/propisi/pr1-index.html Practice with cursive (you can ignore the pictures of animals, etc., but get a sense of how the letters are written as words). http://www.humnet.ucla.edu/russian/quickstart.html Simple Russian words with pictures and sound. http://community.middlebury.edu/~beyer/RT/pages/signs/signs.shtml Alphabet in print + Russian signs for practice. Also: http://community.middlebury.edu/~beyer/publications/rabc/RABC.shtml individual words pronounced. http://www.alphadictionary.com/rusgrammar/index.html The Cyrillic alphabet (lots of cognates to practice the alphabet) and the rules of pronunciation [also lots of information about grammar at this site]. http://langintro.com/rintro/first.htm “A different game”: practice with sound and words. Prerequisites: Fluent speaking ability in Russian. Consent of instructor. Prospective students may contact Dr. Alexeev for Russian language assessment and consent to participate in this course: arkalexeev@yahoo.com Slavic 24 (1 unit, Pass/Not
Pass ONLY) Freshman Seminar: "The Brothers Karamazov: Let's Read It Together" L&S Breadth:
Arts & Literature Hugh McLean is a Professor Emeritus of Slavic Languages and Literatures at UC Berkeley. He has taught a wide range of courses on Russian literature and was an active member of the faculty from 1967 to 1994. Since then he has been recalled to teach regular courses and more recently has taught Freshman-Sophomore and Freshman seminars. Text: Fedor Dostoevsky, The Brothers Karamazov Prerequisites: Freshman standing. Slavic 25A (5 units) Introductory Polish The introductory fall 25A course, followed by the spring 25B course, introduces the modern standard Polish language, and is taught in Polish with explanations in English if necessary. The course is designed for beginners with no or introductory skills in understanding and using Polish language. Class attendance as well as active participation in exercises and conversations is expected. Ability to work in a team is a desired and especially valued skill. All assignments shall be completed on time. All missed assignments and exams have to be made up for. Your final grade will be based on your accumulation of points gained through attendance, completion of homework assignments, midterm exams and the final exam. In addition your final grade will be impacted by your active participation and ability to cooperate with fellow students. Texts: Prerequisites: None for 25A; 25B presumes a knowledge of 25A or equivalent. Slavic 26A (5 units) Introductory Czech THE 26A-26B COURSE SEQUENCE BEGINS IN THE FALL TERM ONLY. Texts: Prerequisites: None for 26A; 26B presumes a knowledge of 26A or equivalent. Slavic 27A (5 units) Introductory Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian Texts: Prerequisites: None for 27A; 27B presumes a knowledge of 27A or equivalent. Nineteenth-Century Russian Literature L&S Breadth: Arts & Literature During the semester we will be reading some of the celebrated works of the Russian nineteenth-century, from Pushkin through Gogol, Turgenev, Dostoevskii and Tolstoi to Chekhov. It is the nineteenth century that poses the decisive questions of Russian modernity: the quest for an identity for the nation and its language, the problem of literary realism, the responsibilities of literature as an agent for social change, the status of the writer within changing social hierarchies, the correlation of the personal and the collective, the political and the metaphysical. These are decades of formal exploration and cultural anxiety, existential doubt and political denunciation. To define the nineteenth century and its questions and make them speak to us will be our goal this semester. Our interest will focus primarily on the novel, but will also touch on related genres such as the novel-in-verse, and the short story. The course is a prerequisite for admission to the Slavic major and is recommended for prospective graduate students in Slavic. No knowledge of Russian is required; the classes are conducted in English. Texts: Prerequisites: None. Slavic 103A (4 units) Advanced Russian (Part I) This course covers three main aspects of an advanced Russian course: grammar, syntax, and readings. The grammar is reviewed. Syntax deals with the practical aspects of simple and compound sentences. Readings introduce the best Russian authors. The course is taught in Russian. There are weekly quizzes on grammar, syntax, and reading, one midterm and the final exam. Weekly discussion or conversation section. Grades are based on: quizzes 30%, midterm 30%, final 40%. Texts: Prerequisites: Slavic 4 or equivalent. Slavic 105A (3 units) Advanced Russian-English/English-Russian Translation A practical study of the grammatical, lexical, stylistic difficulties and challenges peculiar to the English-Russian and Russian-English translation. The course will be based on a close analysis and written translation of a broad range of authentic English and Russian materials, such as literary texts and public documents, official correspondence and publications in the press. The emphasis will be on idiomatic patterns of speech and expression, and cross-cultural communication. This course will be offered Fall 2010 as a non-variable unit course for 3 units. The course is intended for students with an advanced knowledge of Russian, including heritage speakers. Workload: There will be weekly written assignments and a final project. Texts: all materials supplied in class. Prerequisites: Slavic 1, 2, 3 and 4 or equivalent, or consent of instructor. Slavic 115A (4 units) Advanced Polish This course gives you an opportunity to broaden your knowledge about Polish grammar and how to use it in active communication. The goal of the course is to improve the fluency of your oral and written communication skills in Polish. You will learn through classroom exercises based on a modern textbook, completion of individual and group assignments, work with various audio materials, and some supplementary readings as assigned. The course will contain the following major components: grammar, pronunciation, reading, writing short essays and other short texts, some translation of short texts, some dictations, and conversation about a variety of topics. The advanced fall 115A course, followed by the spring 115B course, focuses on the modern standard Polish language and is taught in Polish with explanations in English if necessary. The course is designed for students who have completed the 25B course and students with intermediate and advanced skills in understanding and using Polish language. Class attendance as well as active participation in exercises and conversations is expected. Ability to work in a team is a desired and especially valued skill. All assignments shall be completed on time. All missed assignments and exams have to be made up for. Your final grade will be based on your accumulation of points through class attendance, completion of homework assignments, midterm exams and final exam. In addition your final grade will be impacted by your active participation and ability to cooperate with fellow students. Tentative Texts: Prerequisites: Slavic 25B or permission of the instructor. Slavic 116A (4 units) Advanced Czech Grammar review, advanced grammar topics, vocabulary development,
improvement of reading, writing, listening, and speaking competence/confidence.
Readings consisting of literary texts and short readings in history,
music, art; grammar notes and exercises to be handed out in class.
Students will read in a variety of subject areas to develop a well-rounded
vocabulary and historical and cultural framework. Weekly writing
assignments such as journal-keeping and short essays or dialogs. Texts (subject to change):
Prerequisites: Slavic 26B or consent of instructor. Slavic 117A (4 units) Advanced Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian Spoken and written language; advanced grammar review. Some discussion of the contemporary sociolinguistic situation as it relates to language use. Short oral reports and writing practice. Grades based on class participation, midterm and final exam. Texts: Prerequisites: Slavic 27B or permission of instructor. Slavic 118A (4 units) Advanced Bulgarian Review of grammar covered in Introductory Bulgarian 28A-B. Thorough presentation of the complex verbal tense-mood system. Readings in contemporary Bulgarian prose and poetry. The course will be conducted partially in Bulgarian. Workload will include reading, translations, preparation of oral reports; midterm; final. Texts: Prerequisites: Slavic 28B or permission of instructor. Slavic 120A (2 or 3 units)
Advanced Russian Conversation and Communication This course focuses on oral communication skills. The goal is to help students develop confidence and begin to feel comfortable conversing in Russian on various topics beyond routine social and survival needs. Since communication often breaks down when comprehension is poor, part of the class will be devoted to improving listening skills and building vocabulary. The course may be taken for two or three credits. Those students taking the course for two credits will come to class on Mondays and Wednesdays and do the assignments for those days. Students who choose to take the course for three credits will attend on Fridays as well. Together they will decide on a project (or projects) for the semester. It might be publishing a newspaper, writing and staging a play, filming a movie... or, judging by previous semesters, students may prefer to each take a turn planning and directing an interactive class based on their own interests (in consultation with the instructor). The Monday/Wednesday students will have regular home assignments to prepare for the next day’s class. There will be an oral test (one-on-one with the instructor) every 3 weeks or so. At the end of the semester there will be a final oral interview (with a less formal one at the beginning of the semester as a point of comparison). Texts: All materials to be supplied by instructor during the course of the semester. Prerequisites: Slavic 4 or consent of instructor. Slavic 134D (4 units) Leo Tolstoy L&S Breadth: Philosophy & Values OR Arts & Literature As Leo Tolstoy lay dying, in the early days of November, 1910, at a remote railway station, Astapovo, the whole world seemed to watch. A hundred years later, his writings and his image have retained enormous power. A great novelist, Tolstoy has been also known as a moral philosopher, innovative psychologist, aspiring historian, religious reformer, and social activist. The questions "How to live?" and "How to die?" were a no less important part of Tolstoy's creative endeavors. One critic called him "not a man, but an institute for the study of himself." At the time of his death, Tolstoy's authority in Russian society was immense. A contemporary journalist called him a "second Tsar"; many others considered him a "saint." Tolstoy's influence was acknowledged by Mahatma Gandhi in India and Martin Luther King in America. How did this come to be? The course will offer a study of Leo Tolstoy's works, life, and death treated from this perspective. Workload: substantial and intense weekly readings; regular reading quizzes; a midterm essay and a final examination (focused on close reading of the texts). Texts include: Childhood; War and Peace (the Pevear and Volokhonsky translation), Anna Karenina (the Pevear and Volokhonsky translation); Confession; selections from the diaries, religious writings, and essays. With concurrent enrollment in Slavic 134R (1 unit), students can write a research paper (10-15 pages) on a topic of individual choice (enrollment in the research unit, upon instructor's approval, will be open in the Fall). Prerequisites: None. Required readings and lectures in English. Students with advanced knowledge of Russian are encouraged to do at least some reading in Russian.
Research in Russian Literature: Tolstoy With concurrent enrollment in Slavic 134R (1 unit), students can write a research paper (10-15 pages) on a topic of individual choice (enrollment in the research unit, upon instructor's approval, will be open in the Fall). Prerequisites: Enrollment in Slavic 134D; consent of instructor. Slavic 134F (4 units) The Works of Vladimir Nabokov This course is cross-listed with English 166, Section 2 L&S Breadth: Arts & Literature We will study the work of Nabokov as a novelist on two continents over a period of nearly sixty years. The course will be structured (more or less) chronologically and evenly divided between novels translated from Russian and written in English. After beginning with Nabokov’s third novel and two short stories, we will examine some of the fiction of his European period, before turning our attention to Lolita and Pnin. Competing interpretations of Nabokov will be considered, but our emphasis will be on metafiction, the theme of perversity and Nabokov's cultivation of a perverse reader. Since Nabokov was prolific and this course is comprehensive, students should expect to devote a considerable amount of time to reading and should come to class prepared to discuss the assigned texts. Participants in the class should anticipate reading 200 pages per week. Written work will consist of two papers (5 to 10 pages) on topics to be chosen in consultation with the professor. Penalties will be assessed for late papers. There will be a midterm and a final examination. Texts: Required Prerequisites: None. Slavic 140 (4 units) The Performing Arts in Russia in the 20th Century Cross-listed with Theater Arts 166, Section 4 L&S Breadth: Arts & Literature The course is devoted to major works of Russian dramatic literature of the 19th-20th centuries and their stage representations. Its dual focus will be on contemporary implications of dramatic texts and on their theatrical life in and through time, in various historical, political, and national frameworks. We will read ten plays central to the Russian literary and dramatic tradition and also associated with the idea of the Russian theater in the West. The course will address their contemporary historical and cultural subtexts, thematic and conceptual properties, and formal idiom. We will then follow stage history of these dramatic texts and discuss most significant interpretations of Russian classics by leading artists of the 20th century theater and film. The course will include the plays by Nikolai Gogol, Ivan Turgenev,
Anton Chekhov, Vladimir Mayakovsky, as well as some of the most
recent work of Russian playwrights; and discuss the work of such
directors as Konstantin Stanislavsky, Vsevolod Meyerhold, Aleksandr
Tairov, as well as important Western interpretations of Russian
drama. Slavic 151 (4 units) Readings in Polish Literature L&S Breadth: Arts & Literature The course will contain the following major components: readings, conversation, grammatical and stylistic analysis, and translation. Readings introduce the best Polish authors (novelists, poets, and play writers). Students will also have an opportunity to learn about Polish art and culture. The course is designed for students with intermediate and advanced skills in understanding and using the Polish language. The course is taught in Polish with explanations in English if necessary. Class attendance as well as active participation in exercises and conversations is expected. Ability to work as a team is a desired and especially valued skill. All assignments shall be completed on time. Grades are based on class attendance, participation, completion of reading and writing assignments and a final project from the following: a translation project, a research paper or a group presentation performed in the classroom; the topics of which to be established in consultation with the instructor. Prerequisites: Slavic 115B or permission of the instructor. Slavic 158 (4 units) Topics in Russian/East European/Eurasian Cultures: L&S Breadth: Historical Studies OR Social and Behavioral Sciences This course will consider the phenomenon of Yugoslavia (1918 - 1991) primarily from the cultural viewpoint, but with considerable attention to history and politics as well. Throughout Eastern Europe, but especially in the former Yugoslavia, culture and politics have been so interconnected that it is impossible to understand the one without some understanding of the other. Literature and other artistic expression take as their primary topics historical and current politically charged events, and major political actions are often precipitated by, or at least closely tied up with, literary events or figures. Within Yugoslavia, the issue of language has also been highly politicized, and much of the ethnic/national conflict between Serbs, Croats, Bosnian Muslims (and even Montenegrins) is connected with the question of whether they all speak the same language or not. In addition to readings from literary and historical sources, the course will include films by and about Yugoslavs. Texts: Prerequisites: None. ALL COURSE READINGS IN ENGLISH. Slavic 158 is a Cultural Topics requirement for majors in the East European or Eurasian cultures track in the Slavic department. Slavic 190 (4 units) Russian Culture Taught in Russian: “Basics of Soviet and Post-Soviet Russian History and Culture” L&S Breadth: Historical Studies OR Social and Behavioral Sciences The course deals with important events in Soviet and Post-Soviet Russian history and culture from the 1917 Bolshevik revolution until nowadays. The main emphasis of the course is on the political, social and psychological developments of the period and their world-wide repercussions. Such topics as the use of the Marxist doctrine in Soviet Russia, power struggles, political police, Soviet propaganda, living standards, military achievements and losses, personal characteristics of Soviet leaders, socialist realism in art, censorship and free press, foreign policy, the Gulag, and the recent terms like "glasnost" and "perestroika" will be discussed in as great detail as possible. It is obvious that the crucial moments in the life of Soviet Russia will be dealt with much more comprehensively than the less critical times. The course consists of classroom discussions, presentations by the instructor (including video, samples of art, excerpts from literature, etc.). The students will use a textbook, handouts, write short essays, and will be able to exchange ideas and opinions with other students. This course will have a midterm (oral), and final (oral with a short composition). The material is taught in Russian with some explanation of historical terms and analysis in English. The class is aimed at students with advanced knowledge of Russian, including heritage speakers. Course may be repeated for credit as topic varies or equivalent with consent of instructor. Texts: Course reader of a book. Prerequisites: Slavic 103A or its equivalent, (at least three years of college level or equivalent), and consent of instructor. Slavic 200 (0 units) Graduate Colloquium Reports on current scholarly work by faculty and graduate students. Must be taken on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory basis. Graduate students must enroll in this course every semester in residence. Prerequisites: Restriced to graduate students in the Slavic department. Slavic 204 (4 units) Russian Composition and Style: "Discourse Analysis" This course is a practical study of different discourses of literary Russian. Paying attention to lexical, grammatical, stylistic and narrative characteristics of a few select and representative texts, we will analyze and imitate 19th-century narrative techniques (e.g., Gogol’s skaz, Dostoevsky’s polyphony, Chekhov’s free indirect discourse), oral and folklore patterns, the languages of Imperial and Soviet power, discourses of Stalinist and post-perestroika subjectivity and rhetorical strategies of contemporary Russian scholarly prose. The class is conducted in Russian. Required of all beginning (first- and second-year) graduate students in the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures, the course might be also of use for graduate students in history and social sciences. Requirements: weekly readings and participation in discussions; written homework assignments; take-home final exam. Texts: Xeroxed reader Prerequisite: Graduate standing or consent of instructor; advanced knowledge of Russian, both reading knowledge and oral fluency. Slavic 245A (4 units) Readings in Russian Romanticism This course will attempt to survey Russian literary activity in the first forty years of the nineteenth century, during which most of the first great classics of poetry and prose were written. This is the period associated with the figures of Karamzin and Pushkin, and subsequently with Lermontov, Gogol, and the naturalist school. The overarching models derive from European sentimentalism and romanticism, whose importation to Russia raises difficult questions about cultural translation even as they insist in new and important ways on authenticity of affect and national specificity. Topics for exploration include the modalities of translation between Russia and western Europe, romantic lyric genres such as the ballad, problems of sentiment and private life, travel narratives, the romantic short story and problems of narrative and authorship, philosophies of history, and the relationship of realism to history and the fantastic. Texts: Include works by Karamzin,
Zhukovskii, Pushkin and Lermontov, Viazemskii, Kiukhel'beker,
Bestuzhev-Marlinskii, Gogol and Dostoevskii. Attention will be
paid to contemporary Russian and European critical debates as
well as subsequent Prerequisites: Graduate standing; consent of instructor. Adequate knowledge of Russian. Slavic 246A (4 units) Russian Modernism (1890s-1920s) Russian Modernist literature will be studied in the context of Russian and European philosophy and literature. Russian Symbolism and Futurism will be the focus of the course. We will trace the culture wars between the representatives of Russian Modernism and their opponents from the pre-revolutionary 1890s through the Soviet 1920s. Some of the topics to be covered are the anti-nature impulse of the Decadence, especially in the spheres of sex and gender; the religious revival of the beginning of the twentieth century called the “Russian Religious Renaissance;” the anti-historical tendency of Symbolist and avant-garde ideology in conjuring the “new man;” aesthetic experimentation in literature, especially in relation to Bely’s Petersburg, and film; interdependence of literature and criticism, especially between Futurism and Formalism. We will read late Tolstoy, Merezhkovsky, Solov’ev, Nordau, Nietzsche, Sologub, Blok, Bely, and other selections of Symbolist poetry, Mayakovsky, and late Kuzmin and Akhmatova. Texts: Prerequisite: Graduate standing or consent of instructor; reading knowledge of Russian. Slavic 280, Section
1 (4 units) Graduate Literature Seminar: "Film and Architecture" This course is cross-listed with Film 240, Section 2 A detailed description with texts is forthcoming. Students may contact Professors Nesbet or Sandberg via email regarding topic and content. Texts: TBA Prerequisites: Graduate standing; consent of instructor. Slavic 280, Section 2 (4 units)
Graduate Seminar: "Balkan Linguistics" Selected issues in Balkan linguistics, with special attention to phenomena of language contact (in general and in the Balkans); to the “Balkanisms” seen in the lexicon, morphosyntax, and phonology of the Balkan languages; and to the appropriateness of the concept “Balkan Sprachbund” today. Preqrequisites: Graduate standing; consent of instructor. Slavic 280, Section 3 (4 units)
Graduate Linguistics Seminar A detailed description with texts is forthcoming. Students may contact Prof. Nichols via email regarding topic and content. Texts: TBA Prerequisites: Graduate standing; consent of instructor. Slavic 301, Section
1 (3 units) Teaching Methodology: Slavic 1-4, 25A This course is required of all Graduate Student Instructors of Slavic 1-4 and 25A Course to be repeated for credit each semester of employment as graduate student instructor. Course on practical teaching methods, grading, testing, and design of supplementary course materials. Must be taken on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory basis. Slavic 301, Section 2
(3 units) Teaching Methodology: Reading & Composition This course is required of all Graduate Student Instructors teaching Reading & Composition courses in the Slavic Department. Course to be repeated for credit each semester of employment as graduate student instructor. The purpose of this course is to introduce new GSIs to teaching Slavic 5A and 5B. It will focus on preparation of teaching materials, including syllabi, and discussion of questions of pedagogy (teaching literature and writing, lecturing, leading class discussions, designing writing assignments, grading and formulating responses to student papers, working with students individually and in small groups). The course will help you prepare for a career as a college teacher of literature and for the teaching component of job applications. Must be taken on a satisfactory/ unsatisfactory basis. Slavic 301, Section 3 (3 units)
Teaching Methodology: BCS and Bulgarian This course is required of all Graduate Student Instructors of Bulgarian and BCS: Slavic 27A-B, 28A-B, 117A-B and 118A-B. Course to be repeated for credit each semester of employment as graduate student instructor. Course on practical teaching methods, grading, testing, and design of supplementary course materials. Must be taken on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory basis. Slavic 310 (2
units) Internship in the Teaching of Literature/Linguistics Weekly meetings with the instructor of the designated course. Discussion of course aims, syllabus preparation, lecture and assignment planning, grading and related matters. Students may prepare a representative portion of the work for such a course (e.g. lecture outline and assignments for a course segment) and may participate in presentation of the material and in evaluation of samples of student work. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisites: Slavic graduate student status and consent of instructor. EAST EUROPEAN STUDIES COURSES HUNGARIAN AND ROMANIAN LANGUAGES East European Studies 1A (3
or 4 units) Elementary Hungarian Text: Colloquial Hungarian by Erika Solyom
and Carol Rounds, Routledge East European Studies 2A (3 units)
Introductory Romanian Among the requirements are attendance and participation, written homework, chapter quizes, and final examination. Required Texts: Reference Materials: East European Studies 100 (2
units) Advanced Hungarian Readings This class requires prior knowledge of the Hungarian language. The purpose of the class is to further develop the students' level of language proficiency in speech as well as in writing. A major component of the curriculum is based on student presentation of a topic chosen by each student in the class. Each student is to give two oral presentations during the semester. Materials for reading are selected by the instructor as well as by the students for home reading. Workload will include a reasonable amount of reading and writing assignments. Midterm and final exams, and the student's attendance and participation will provide the basis for grading. Texts: Various photocopied and internet materials, and readings chosen by the students. Prerequisites: East European Studies 1A-lB or consent of instructor. NEW COURSE FALL 2010! East European Studies 102A (3 units) Continuing Romanian THE 102A-102B COURSE SEQUENCE BEGINS IN
THE FALL TERM ONLY. Texts: Prerequisites: East European Studies 2B; consent of instructor. EURASIAN STUDIES COURSES ARMENIAN LANGUAGE OFFERINGS Eurasian Studies 1A (4 units) Beginning Armenian THE 1A-1B COURSE SEQUENCE BEGINS IN THE FALL TERM ONLY. Among the requirements are attendance and participation, oral and written homework, two midterm projects, and a term project with presentation. Text: Required A good Armenian/English and English/Armenian dictionary Prerequisites: Consent of instructor. Eurasian Studies 101A
(3 units) Continuing Armenian THE 101A-101B COURSE SEQUENCE BEGINS IN THE FALL TERM ONLY. Among the requirements are attendance and participation, oral and written homework, two midterm projects, and a term project with presentation. Texts: Materials will be provided by the teacher.
No textbooks are required. Prerequisites: Eurasian Studies 1A-1B or consent of instructor. |
Courses by numbers Russian: Other Slavic Languages: Reading And Composition Courses: Literature And Culture Courses: Graduate Courses: Courses In Pedagogy: East European & Eurasian Studies: |