Fall 2023

  • RUSS 100: From Underground Man to Invisible Man

    In 1864 Fyodor Dostoevsky created an unnamed character whose response to his own alienation was to retreat to a life under the floorboards, where he mused on the imperfectability of human society and the nature of free will. A century later, African-American writer Ralph Ellison, author of the novel Invisible Man, called Dostoevsky his “literary ancestor.” In this course we will study Notes from Underground in its original cultural context and then turn to how the book was adapted, contested, and reinterpreted by Dostoevsky’s literary descendants around the world, each in their own way investigating what it means to be human.

     6 credits; Argument and Inquiry Seminar, International Studies, Writing Requirement; offered Fall 2023 · Laura Goering

  • RUSS 101: Elementary Russian

    For students with no previous training in or minimal knowledge of Russian. Simultaneous development of skills in speaking, reading, aural comprehension, writing. Students with prior instruction or who speak Russian at home should consult the department for placement information. Class meets five days a week. 6 credits; Does not fulfill a curricular exploration requirement; offered Fall 2023 · Anna Dotlibova, Laura Goering

  • RUSS 244: The Rise of the Russian Novel

    From the terse elegance of Pushkin to the psychological probing of Dostoevsky to the finely wrought realism of Tolstoy, this course examines the evolution of the genre over the course of the nineteenth century, ending with a glimpse of things to come on the eve of the Russian Revolution. Close textual analysis of the works will be combined with exploration of their historical and cultural context. No prior knowledge of Russian or Russian history is required. 6 credits; International Studies, Literary/Artistic Analysis, Writing Requirement; offered Fall 2023 · Victoria Thorstensson

  • RUSS 342: Post-Soviet Film

    This course focuses on the question of collective identity in post-Soviet cinema. Topics include the marginalization of “the other,” whether disabled, gay, hipster, migrant or elderly; the breaking down of the boundary between civil society and the criminal world; and the transformation of former “brothers” into outsiders. In light of current events in Ukraine, particular emphasis will be placed on films dealing with war. Conducted in Russian.

     Prerequisites: Russian 205 or instructor consent 6 credits; International Studies, Literary/Artistic Analysis; offered Fall 2023 · Anna Dotlibova

  • RUSS 400: Integrative Exercise

    1-6 credit; S/NC; offered Fall 2023, Winter 2024, Spring 2024 · Laura Goering

Winter 2024

  • RUSS 102: Elementary Russian

    Continues Russian 101. Prerequisites: Russian 101 or equivalent 6 credits; Does not fulfill a curricular exploration requirement; offered Winter 2024, Winter 2024 · Anna Dotlibova, Laura Goering

  • RUSS 102: Elementary Russian

    Continues Russian 101. Prerequisites: Russian 101 or equivalent 6 credits; Does not fulfill a curricular exploration requirement; offered Winter 2024, Winter 2024 · Anna Dotlibova, Laura Goering

  • RUSS 204: Intermediate Russian

    Continued four-skill development using texts and resources from a variety of sources. Emphasis on communicative skills. Prerequisites: Russian 103 or equivalent 6 credits; Does not fulfill a curricular exploration requirement; offered Winter 2024 · Victoria Thorstensson

  • RUSS 263: Madness and Madmen in Russian Culture

    This course explores the theme of madness in Russian literature and arts from the medieval period to the present. Madness is a basic but controversial aspect of world culture that has preoccupied Russian minds since medieval times. It is reflected in numerous stories, plays, paintings, films, and operas, as well as in medical, political, and philosophical essays. Madness has been treated by great Russian authors and artists not only as a medical or psychological matter, but also as a metaphysical one, touching the deepest levels of human consciousness, encompassing problems of suffering, imagination, history, sex, social and world order, evil, retribution, death, and the afterlife. Taught in English. No knowledge of Russian is required.

     6 credits; Humanistic Inquiry, International Studies; offered Winter 2024 · Victoria Thorstensson

  • RUSS 400: Integrative Exercise

    1-6 credit; S/NC; offered Fall 2023, Winter 2024, Spring 2024 · Laura Goering

Spring 2024

  • RUSS 103: Elementary Russian

    Concludes introductory method of Russian 101-102. Prerequisites: Russian 102 or equivalent 6 credits; Does not fulfill a curricular exploration requirement; offered Spring 2024 · Victoria Thorstensson

  • RUSS 335: Oral History of Russian-Speaking America

    Students will study the history of Russian-speaking immigration to America through readings and discussions of cultural texts which situate it at the intersection of history, memory, and life story narratives. They will listen to Russian-language oral histories and research archival materials that present personal life stories against the background of traumatic experiences of recent history: in the context of historical events and transformations, such as wars, revolutions, repressions, the Soviet era, and its collapse. We will also collaborate with a local community partner to record and preserve the oral history of Russian-speaking Minnesotans. Students will learn basic interviewing skills, and practice transcribing and translating oral texts. Taught in Russian.

     Prerequisites: Russian 205 or permission of the instructor 6 credits; International Studies, Literary/Artistic Analysis; offered Spring 2024 · Victoria Thorstensson

  • RUSS 400: Integrative Exercise

    1-6 credit; S/NC; offered Fall 2023, Winter 2024, Spring 2024 · Laura Goering