RUSS 371 - Origins of Russian Literature: From Medieval to Romantic

How did Russian literature come into being? This course traces the complex, culturally diverse, and perpetually contested history of the Russian literary tradition from the late ninth century to the early nineteenth century. Although our primary focus will be on written texts produced in Kievan Rus’, Muscovy, and the Russian Empire (including chronicles, saints’ lives, autobiographies, travelogues, drama, poetry, and prose), we will also analyze oral tales, religious art and architecture, and a variety of ceremonial and decorative objects. Class discussions, readings, short written assignments, presentations, quizzes, and a multistep research paper are designed to provide students with contextual knowledge and systematic training in close reading and guided critical strategies. Upon successful completion of this course, students will have a working knowledge of the major cultural, historical, and intellectual currents that paved the way to the nineteenth century “Golden Age” of Pushkin, Gogol, Dostoevsky, and Tolstoy. Conducted in English. An additional weekly session will be scheduled for students taking the course for Russian credit.

Unit(s): 1
Group Distribution Requirement(s): Distribution Group I
Prerequisite(s): For Russian credit: RUSS 220
Instructional Method: Conference
Grading Mode: Letter grading (A-F)
Cross-listing(s): LIT 371
Group Distribution Learning Outcome(s):

Understand how arguments can be made, visions presented, or feelings or ideas conveyed through language or other modes of expression (symbols, movement, images, sounds, etc.).
Analyze and interpret texts, whether literary or philosophical, in English or a foreign language, or works of the visual or performing arts.
Evaluate arguments made in or about texts (whether literary or philosophical, in English or a foreign language, or works of the visual or performing arts).