RUSSIAN (RUSS)

Additional Resources 

Courses

RUSS 101.  Basic Russian Communication I.  4 Credits.  

Essential basics of Russian for everyday conversations. Lays foundation for development of four language skills (speaking, writing, listening, and reading) indispensable for communication on everyday topics in a variety of contexts. Fosters interaction through acquisition of essential communicative and conversational strategies. Introduces learners to structure of contemporary standard Russian through culturally relevant materials.

Rules & Requirements  
Making Connections Gen Ed: FL.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Global Language: Level 1.  
RUSS 102.  Basic Russian Communication II.  4 Credits.  

Further basics of Russian for everyday conversations. Continues to lay the foundation for development of four language skills (speaking, writing, listening, and reading) indispensable for communication on everyday topics in a variety of situational contexts. Fosters further interaction through acquisition of essential communicative and conversational strategies active in contemporary standard Russian through culturally relevant materials.

Rules & Requirements  
Making Connections Gen Ed: FL.  
Requisites: Prerequisite, RUSS 101; permission of the instructor for students lacking the prerequisite.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Global Language: Level 2.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoRUSS 203.  Intermediate Russian Communication I.  3 Credits.  

Transitional skills for fluent speaking, writing, listening, and reading for intermediate learners. Furthers learners' competency for communication on everyday topics. Prepares learners for communication on subjects beyond their immediate needs. Expands interactive skillset necessary to maintain conversations and present individual opinions using complex structures. Employs adapted and non-adapted learning materials to promote mastery of contemporary standard Russian.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: GLBL-LANG.
Making Connections Gen Ed: FL.  
Requisites: Prerequisite, RUSS 102; permission of the instructor for students lacking the prerequisite.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Global Language: Level 3.  
RUSS 204.  Intermediate Russian Communication II.  3 Credits.  

Skills for fluent speaking, writing, listening, and reading for intermediate-to-advanced learners. Develops and deepens learners' mastery of contemporary standard Russian. Stresses communication, individual expression, and fosters cultural sensitivity through systematic expansion of learners' ability to conduct conversations in contemporary standard Russian on a widening variety of culturally relevant subjects.

Rules & Requirements  
Making Connections Gen Ed: BN, CI, FL.  
Requisites: Prerequisite, RUSS 203; permission of the instructor for students lacking the prerequisite.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Global Language: Level 4.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoRUSS 270.  Crimes and Punishments: Russian Literature of the 19th Century.  3 Credits.  

Reading and discussion of great works of 19th century Russian literature (Pushkin, Gogol, Turgenev, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, and Chekhov). Readings and lectures in English.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FC-AESTH or FC-PAST.
Making Connections Gen Ed: LA, BN.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
RUSS 275.  Russian Fairy Tale.  3 Credits.  

An introduction to the Russian fairy tale with attention to its roots in Russian folklore, its influence on Russian culture, and its connections with American folk and popular culture. Lectures and readings in English.

Rules & Requirements  
Making Connections Gen Ed: LA, BN.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoRUSS 276.  Mystery and Suspense in Russian Literature.  3 Credits.  

The study of mystery and suspense in Russian literature of the 19th and 20th centuries. Readings and class discussions in English.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FC-AESTH.
Making Connections Gen Ed: LA, BN.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoRUSS 277.  Love, Sex, and Marriage in Soviet Culture.  3 Credits.  

A survey of the themes of love, sex, and marriage as they developed in Russian literature and culture from the Bolshevik Revolution to Perestroika. Readings and class discussions in English.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FC-AESTH or FC-PAST.
Making Connections Gen Ed: LA, BN.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoRUSS 278.  Russian and Soviet Science Fiction.  3 Credits.  

This course will focus on key works of Russian and Soviet science fiction. Readings and discussions in English.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FC-AESTH.
Making Connections Gen Ed: LA, BN.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoRUSS 279.  Sunstrokes in Dark Alleys: Russian Short Stories.  3 Credits.  

An introduction to the Russian short story, focusing on the topic of love in all its intriguing aspects. The readings include works from the 18th century to the 20th. Taught in English. Previously offered as RUSS 460.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FC-AESTH or FC-PAST.
Making Connections Gen Ed: LA, BN.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoRUSS 280.  Russian Villains, Western Screens: Ethno-Cultural Stereotypes on Page and Stage, in Movies and Minds.  3 Credits.  

A survey of fascinating history of Hollywood stereotypes of Russian villainy from Elizabethan England to Boris Badenov, Natasha Fatale, Ivan Drago, and Xenia Onnatop. What do these theatrical buffoons, cartoon-movie monsters, and cinematic seductresses tell us about Russia -- and about ourselves as consumers of stereotypes? Readings and discussions in English.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FC-AESTH or FC-GLOBAL.
Making Connections Gen Ed: VP, BN.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoRUSS 282.  Russian Literature in World Cinema.  3 Credits.  

Survey of masterpieces of Russian literature in the context of their transcultural cinematic adaptations. Lectures and readings in English.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FC-AESTH.
Making Connections Gen Ed: LA, BN.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: CMPL 282.  
RUSS 296.  Selected Readings in Russian.  1-12 Credits.  

Permission of the instructor. Directed readings in Russian on topics in literature and linguistics not normally covered in scheduled courses.

Rules & Requirements  
Repeat Rules: May be repeated for credit; may be repeated in the same term for different topics; 12 total credits. 4 total completions.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
RUSS 409.  Intermediate-to-Advanced Russian Communication, Conversation, and Composition in Context I.  3 Credits.  

Intermediate-to-advanced communication, conversation, composition, phonetics, and grammar in contemporary cultural context. Meets the needs of learners looking to expand their practical knowledge of contemporary standard Russian in the context of present-day culture, while developing active applied skills pertaining to comprehension, production of, and communication in Russian.

Rules & Requirements  
Making Connections Gen Ed: BN.  
Requisites: Prerequisite, RUSS 204; permission of the instructor for students lacking the prerequisite.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Global Language: Level 5.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoRUSS 410.  Intermediate-to-Advanced Russian Communication, Conversation, and Composition in Context II.  3 Credits.  

Hones skills necessary for advanced communication, conversation, and composition. Presents phonetics and grammar in contemporary cultural context. Learners expand their practical knowledge of contemporary standard Russian in the context of present-day culture, while developing applied skills pertaining to comprehension, production of, and communication in Russian actively using authentic cultural materials.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FC-GLOBAL.
Making Connections Gen Ed: BN.  
Requisites: Prerequisite, RUSS 409; permission of the instructor for students lacking the prerequisite.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Global Language: Level 6.  
RUSS 411.  Advanced Communication, Conversation, and Composition in Contemporary Standard Russian I.  3 Credits.  

Develops and maintains advanced skills for speaking, writing, listening, and reading in contemporary standard Russian in a variety of communicative situations. Assists advanced learners in solving a wide range of communicative tasks with the aid of unadapted authentic cultural materials.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisite, RUSS 410; permission of the instructor for students lacking the prerequisite.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Global Language: Level 6.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoRUSS 412.  Advanced Communication, Conversation, and Composition in Contemporary Standard Russian II.  3 Credits.  

Prepares advanced learners of contemporary standard Russian for communication with educated native speakers of the language in the area of their professional competence. Furthers interactive skills for speaking, writing, listening, and reading in a variety of communicative situations pertaining to the learners' professional expertise.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: COMMBEYOND.
Requisites: Prerequisite, RUSS 411; permission of the instructor for students lacking the prerequisite.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Global Language: Level 6.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoRUSS 415.  Introduction to Russian Literature.  3 Credits.  

Reading and discussion of selected authors in Russian aimed at improving reading skill and preparing the student for higher level work in Russian literature. Readings and class discussions in Russian. Course previously offered as RUSS 250.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FC-AESTH.
Making Connections Gen Ed: LA, BN.  
Requisites: Prerequisite, RUSS 410; permission of the instructor for students lacking the prerequisite.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Global Language: Level 6.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoRUSS 445.  19th Century Russian Literature and Culture.  3 Credits.  

A survey of the major novels and stories of 19th century Russian fiction, which have entered the canon of world classics and redefined the idea of literature. Taught in English; some readings in Russian for qualified students.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FC-AESTH or FC-PAST.
Making Connections Gen Ed: LA, BN.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
RUSS 450.  The Russian Absurd: Text, Stage, Screen.  3 Credits.  

Examines "The Absurd" in Russian literature and culture as it developed from 19th century to the present. Through works by important Russian writers and representative films students encounter facets of "The Russian Absurd" viewed as literary, cultural, and social phenomena. Taught in English; some readings in Russian for qualified students.

Rules & Requirements  
Making Connections Gen Ed: LA, BN.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoRUSS 455.  20th-Century Russian Literature and Culture.  3 Credits.  

As Russia became a laboratory for sociopolitical experiments of global significance, its culture reflected on the most spectacular of its aspirations and failures. Course surveys 20th-century literary, musical and cinematic artifacts that emerged to affect the world profoundly. Taught in English; some readings in Russian for qualified students.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FC-KNOWING.
Making Connections Gen Ed: LA, BN.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoRUSS 464.  Dostoevsky.  3 Credits.  

Study of major works of Dostoevsky and a survey of contemporary literary and cultural trends relevant to his creative career. Taught in English; some readings in Russian for qualified students.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FC-AESTH or FC-PAST.
Making Connections Gen Ed: LA, BN.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoRUSS 465.  Chekhov.  3 Credits.  

Study of major works of Chekhov and survey of contemporary literary and cultural trends relevant to his creative career. Taught in English; some readings in Russian for qualified students.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FC-AESTH or FC-PAST.
Making Connections Gen Ed: LA, BN.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
RUSS 471.  Gogol.  3 Credits.  

Study of major works of N. V. Gogol and a survey of contemporary authors and literary trends relevant to his creative career. Lectures and seminar discussions. Taught in English; some readings in Russian for qualified students.

Rules & Requirements  
Making Connections Gen Ed: LA, BN.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoRUSS 477.  Wicked Desire: Vladimir Nabokov, Lolita, on Page and Screen.  3 Credits.  

Vladimir Nabokov's novel Lolita (1955) became a global phenomenon due to its unflinching portrayal of pedophilia. This course will delve deeper into the novel's moral complexity, its international context, and its reflection in mass culture, including movies by Stanley Kubrick (1962) and Adrian Lyne (1997). Taught in English; some readings in Russian for qualified students.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FC-AESTH.
Making Connections Gen Ed: LA, NA.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: CMPL 477.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoRUSS 479.  Tolstoy.  3 Credits.  

Study of the major works of Tolstoy and a survey of contemporary authors and literary trends relevant to his creative career. Taught in English; some readings in Russian for qualified students.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FC-AESTH or FC-PAST.
Making Connections Gen Ed: LA, BN.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoRUSS 480.  Russian-Soviet Jewish Culture: Lofty Dreams and Stark Realities.  3 Credits.  

This course delves into the scintillating literary, visual, musical, and cinematic culture created by Jewish universalists seeking to build their new secular identity under the aegis of the Soviet Communist experiment in the aftermath of the 1917 Bolshevik coup. Surveys the works of Isaac Babel, Eduard Bagritsky, Marc Chagall, Sergey Eisenstein, Ilya Ehrenburg, Masha Gessen, Vasily Grossman, Osip Mandelshtam, and others. Taught in English; some readings in Russian for qualified students; films with English subtitles. Honors version available.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FC-GLOBAL or FC-PAST.
Making Connections Gen Ed: LA, BN.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: JWST 480.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoRUSS 486.  Exploration of Russian "Women's Prose" and Svetlana Alexievich (Nobel Prize in Literature 2015).  3 Credits.  

Using Alexievich as our beacon, we will explore the writers behind the term "Russian Women's Prose": Valeria Narbikova, Lyudmila Petrushevskaya, Tatyana Tolstaya, and Lyudmila Ulitskaya. The course will delve into gender identity and body politics as they manifest themselves in the literary texts of lasting aesthetic quality and social relevance. Taught in English; some readings in Russian for qualified students.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FC-AESTH or FC-GLOBAL.
Making Connections Gen Ed: LA, BN.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: WGST 486, EURO 486.  
RUSS 490.  Topics in Russian Culture.  3 Credits.  

Study of topics in Russian literature and culture not currently covered in any other course. The specific topic will be announced in advance. Taught in English. Some readings in Russian for qualified students.

Rules & Requirements  
Repeat Rules: May be repeated for credit; may be repeated in the same term for different topics; 12 total credits. 4 total completions.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoRUSS 515.  Advanced Russian Communication, Composition and Grammar in the Professions I.  3 Credits.  

RUSS 515 provides advanced learners with opportunities to develop linguo-cultural skills necessary to practice their profession in Russian. While engaged in academic discourse in contemporary standard Russian, learners research topics in their academic majors, prepare and give presentations and lead discussions focusing on their areas of professional competence. In addition to student-centered segments, the course comprises instructor-led discussions of current affairs and academic subjects. Readings, viewing materials, and discussions in Russian.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: RESEARCH, COMMBEYOND.
Making Connections Gen Ed: BN, EE- Mentored Research.  
Requisites: Prerequisites, RUSS 412 or permission of the instructor for students lacking the prerequisite.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoRUSS 516.  Advanced Russian Communication, Composition and Grammar in the Professions II.  3 Credits.  

A continuation of RUSS 515, RUSS 516 develops and maintains the linguo-cultural skills of advanced-to-professional learners by preparing them for professional study-abroad experiences at Russophone institutions of higher learning. A seminar-style course with rotating instructors, it engages learners in contemplation, research, and discussion of subjects within the instructor's professional expertise. Readings, viewing materials, and discussions in Russian.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: RESEARCH, COMMBEYOND.
Making Connections Gen Ed: BN, EE- Mentored Research.  
Requisites: Prerequisites, RUSS 515 or permission of the instructor for students lacking the prerequisite.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
RUSS 562.  Structure of Russian.  3 Credits.  

Examines Russian from the perspective of linguistic analysis. How do sounds, words, and sentences pattern in Russian? How do these compare with patterns in other languages? Also considers the influence of evidence from Russian on the development of linguistic theory.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisite, LING 101 or RUSS 102; permission of the instructor for students lacking the prerequisite.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: LING 562.