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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 Quick Reference to Courses RUSSIAN: EAST EUROPEAN AND EURASIAN STUDIES: Course DescriptionsSlavic 1 & 2 (5 units each) Elementary Russian 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.) 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) IF YOU BUY THE TEXTBOOK ON-LINE, 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 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) Intermediate Russian 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.) 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: IF YOU BUY THE TEXTBOOK ON-LINE, please make sure you get the SECOND EDITION. (Kudyma should be listed as one of the authors.) In addition, you must get 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 to determine the best placement for you. Prospective students must contact Lisa Little, our department’s Russian Language Coordinator, at: lclittle@berkeley.edu Slavic R5B, Section 1 (4 units)
Reading
and Composition Course Tirelessly toiling alongside us, keeping us warm, caring for our property and lives—animals have been our constant companions throughout recordable history. In literature as well, the figure of the animal serves as the long-suffering other against which we struggle to define our humanity. Whether complete subjects endowed with their own voices or objects of interrogation or misrepresentation, the figure of the animal in literature proves Claude Lévi-Strauss famous dictum: “animals are good to think with.” Thinking with, about, through, alongside ‘the animal’ might very well serve as the key to answering one of the most pressing questions of the twenty-first century: what is the human? In this class we will examine the creative, formal, and thematic role of animals in defining and destabilizing various categories of meaning-making. We will be looking at how authors define, use, categorize and write animals into a variety of texts: How is narrative voice constructed in these works? What does it mean to talk about a “first person narrator” when the narrator is a beast; is the traditional concept of “point of view” destabilized when such a ‘view’ is impossible? What happens when we im-personate the animal voice? And finally, we will look at the ethics of representation: is it possible—or desirable—to speak for the silent? This course satisfies the second half or the “B” portion of the Reading and Composition requirement. Texts (partial list): Prerequisite: Successful completion of the “A” portion of the Reading and Composition requirement or its equivalent. Slavic R5B, Section 2 (4 units) Reading
and Composition Course In this course we will read and write about botched, oppressive, and absurd—in other words dystopian—societies. We will take as its point of departure two fundamental works of dystopian fiction, Zamiatin’s We and Huxley’s Brave New World. From these texts featuring highly-regimented civilizations and radically new modes of human behavior and interaction we will transition to texts perhaps even more unsettling in that they represent realities not so distant or unthinkable to us. Over the course of our readings we will focus on the many problems posed by the representation of alternate, yet not wholly unreal realities: how does one narrate life in utopia/dystopia? how do fictional representations of reality intersect, reflect, or critique those realities, past and present, that we perceive as “real”? Furthermore, we will strive to understand what a dystopia is, lending special attention to each text’s portrayal of human relationships, gender roles, sexuality, government, individuality, language, science, technology, and religion. Students will participate in class discussions, compose essays drawing upon the rich array of topics mentioned above, and engage in the rigorous editing of their compositions. This course satisfies the second half or the “B” portion of the Reading and Composition requirement. Texts: (please note specific
editions, especially translations) Prerequisite: Successful completion of the “A” portion of the Reading and Composition requirement or its equivalent. Slavic R5B, Section 4 (4 units) Reading
and Composition Course The basic question motivating every murder story is not “Whodunnit?” but “Why?” To the careful reader, every element of a murder story reveals something about the killer... and the author. This course will read classic works of fiction to study how murder stories address questions of morality, criminal psychology, and narrative. We will compare murderers and detectives as protagonists, identify stylistic devices that portray violence’s emotional impact, trace the trope of carefully-planned murder versus crime of passion, delve into the minds of our fictional killers, and analyze the literary devices that grant us that access. Reading like literary detectives will train students in the reading, writing, and research skills necessary to write effective papers. Classes will combine reading discussions with writing workshop activities. We will examine various forms of college and professional writing, practice all of the stages of the writing process, and work on communicating ideas clearly. Students will write and revise brief response papers (1 page each), two short analytical essays (3-5 pages) and one research paper (8-10 pages). This course satisfies the second half or the “B” portion of the Reading and Composition requirement. Texts: Course reader contains: Prerequisite: Successful completion of the “A” portion of the Reading & Composition requirement or its equivalent. DO YOU SPEAK (BUT NOT READ OR WRITE) FLUENT RUSSIAN? Slavic 6B (3 units) Introductory Russian for Heritage Speakers 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.) Prerequisite: Fluent speaking ability in Russian. For placement purposes, prospective students should contact Dr. Alexeev at: arkalexeev@yahoo.com Slavic 25B (5 units) Introductory Polish The 25B course, preceded by the fall 25A course, introduces 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 introductory 25A fall course, or students with equivalent skills in understanding and using Polish language. Class attendance as well as active participation in exercises and conversations is expected. Ability to work in 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: Set of 2 books (the same as for the
course 25A) “HURRA!!! POLISH 1” with CDs
(student’s book + workbook): Prerequisite: Slavic 25A or the permission of the instructor. Slavic 26B (5 units) Introductory Czech The course covers a broad range of communicative situations, the fundamentals of Czech grammar, and basic vocabulary. It also provides an introduction to Czech culture through films, music, and short readings in Czech including excerpts from Czech poetry and prose, history, social studies, and current events. Daily homework, midterms, final exam. Required Texts: Prerequisite: Slavic 26A or equivalent. Slavic 27B (5 units) Introductory Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian COURSE SEQUENCE BEGINS IN THE FALL. Continuation of 27A. Development of communication skills (listening, speaking, reading, writing). Consideration of linguistic and sociocultural differences and common grammatical core. Daily homework assignments, weekly quizzes, midterm and final. Required Text: Prerequisite: Slavic 27A or equivalent. Slavic 28B (5 units) Introductory Bulgarian COURSE SEQUENCE BEGINS IN THE FALL. Practical instruction in the Bulgarian language with a focus on intergrated skills (reading, grammar, conversation). Required Text: Prerequisite: Slavic 28A or equivalent. Slavic 36 (3 units) Great Books of Russian Literature L&S Breadth: Arts & Literature In this course, aimed at all students, regardless of whether or not they love literature or know Russian, we will read prominent works of Russian literature that have been significant events in literary and moral history. The three books, Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina, Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Idiot, and Boris Pasternak, Doctor Zhivago, are chosen to stimulate discussion of what is (and what may not be) a great book and how we can read books with benefit to our lives. The following query appears on an on-line literature forum: is “anna karenina“ the best novel ever or not? can’t have my own opinion since i havent read it yet, but i’ve heard so much about this book... is it really the most valuable book ever? opinions please. Vladimir Nabokov was of the opinion that Anna Karenina was “the greatest love story in world literature.” Tolstoy himself would disagree. He wrote to a friend (who was a literary critic): “I'm at work at the moment on that dreary, vulgar Anna Karenina and all I ask God is that he give me the strength to be rid of it as soon as possible to free some space for more important matters.” As for Dostoevsly’s The Idiot, a contemporary critic voiced praise for the hero, not the novel, deeming The Idiot to be “the most realistic character” that Russia could possess. Boris Pasternak received the Nobel Prize for Literature for Doctor Zhivago in 1958 (the Soviet government would not allow him to receive the award). Meanwhile, Nabokov famously maintained that Doctor Zhivago was a piece of muddled and sentimental pulp fiction written by a good poet. Students in this course are expected to read slowly and carefully, participate in discussion, and write papers. Prerequisite: None. Course and readings are in English. Slavic 39E (3 units) Lower Division Seminar: "Science Fiction" L&S Breadth: Arts & Literature This lower-division seminar examines some of the many ways problems of space and time have captured the imaginations of writers and filmmakers over the past hundred years. There is a long and honorable tradition of using tales of travel in space and time as a cover for the writer’s criticisms (sometimes veiled, sometimes quite direct) of his/her local social environment. In the first half of the course, we will pay particular attention to the way the revolutionary aspirations of Soviet (and pre-Soviet) Russia emerged in the form of science fiction. During the seminar’s second half, we will move beyond the geographical confines of Russia to sample a variety of twentieth-century mediations on the joys and perils of time travel. Texts: TBA Prerequisite: None. Slavic 46 (3 units) 20th-Century Russian Literature L&S Breadth: Arts & Literature This course will provide an overview of the history of Russian literature throughout the twentieth century. We will follow the rise and fall of the century’s numerous dominant cultural models (modernism, early Soviet and émigré life, Stalinism, post-Stalinism, unofficial art and literature, glasnost’, and post-communism). Among the topics we will consider are the complex interaction of politics and aesthetics, the cultural status of Russian writers, the position of the intellectual, and the role of literature in the context of this era’s wildly divergent cultural and historical situation. Readings will consist of a representative variety of prose and poetry spanning the entire century. Texts: Prerequisites: None. Lectures and readings in English. Slavic 50 (3 units) Introduction to Slavic Peoples and Cultures L&S Breadth: International Studies OR Social and Behavioral Sciences OR Arts & Literature This course is designed to familiarize the student with the major topics and events of Slavic cultural history, from their pre-historic origins to 21st century issues of identity and socio-politics. Readings will come from a variety of sources including historical chronicles and saints' lives, fairy tales, poetry, short stories, excerpts from novels, mass media and scholarly articles. In addition, three subtitled films highlighting different aspects and eras of Slavic culture will be screened during the semester. Students will be graded on class preparation and participation, two short papers, a midterm, and a final exam. Class discussion and all readings will be in English. Students with no prior background in Slavic language, literature, or history are welcome and encouraged to enroll. Slavic 50 is required of majors in Russian/East European/Eurasian cultures. Texts: A reader. Prerequisites: None. Slavic 103B (4 units) Advanced Russian (Part II) This course covers three main aspects of an advanced Russian course: grammar, syntax, and reading. The grammar is reviewed. Syntax deals with practical aspects of simple and compound sentences. Readings introduce mostly contemporary 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 based on 30% quizzes, 30% midterm, and 40% final. Texts: Prerequisite: Slavic 103A or equivalent. Slavic 105B (4 units) Advanced Russian/English/Russian Translation Slavic 105B, being a continuation of Slavic 105A, will have both oral interpretation and written translation represented in it. This time, these two aspects will have equal emphasis in the course. Oral translation (interpretation) will be expanded to cover not only informal casual situations but also formal meetings using the methods of consecutive and simultaneous translation. The latter is an especially highly valued skill. Certified consecutive and simultaneous interpreters are in high demand in conferences and official meetings. The written translation part will build on the material studied in 105A by expanding its scope to included scientific, legal and economic texts. Literary translation, including poetic, will also be studied. Texts:Reader Prerequisite: Slavic 105A or consent of instructor. Slavic 106A (3 units) Advanced Russian for Heritage Speakers The course is aimed at "heritage speakers" of Russian, i.e., those who grew up speaking Russian in the family without a standard Russian educational background. The advanced course aims at building a sophisticated vocabulary and developing advanced reading ability, as well as fostering the students’ awareness of the Russian cultural canon and contemporary culture and society. Texts: To be announced in class. Prerequisites: Advanced speaking and reading proficiency in Russian, placement test, and/or consent of instructor. 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 have completed eighth-grade education (or higher) in the country of their birth - may enroll only with permission of the instructor. Such students are welcome, however, in literature and culture courses taught in the original language (Slavic 151-152, 161-162, 171-172). Slavic 115B (4 units) Advanced Polish The 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, and conversation about a variety of topics. The advanced 115B course, preceded by the fall 115A 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 115A 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 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. I addition your final grade will be impacted by your active participation and ability to cooperate with fellow students. Texts: Set of 2 books (the same as for the
course Slavic 115A) “HURRA!!! POLISH 2” with
CDs (student’s book + workbook): Prerequisite: Slavic 115A or permission of the instructor. Slavic 117B (4 units) Advanced Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian L&S Breadth: International Studies Spoken and written language; advanced grammar review; reading of texts from various authors and cultural sources on Bosnia, Croatia and Serbia; advanced writing and conversation; oral presentations. Grades based on class participation, completion of written and oral assignments, midterm and final exam. Texts: Prerequisites: Slavic 117A or equivalent. Slavic 120B (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). Text: All materials to be supplied by instructor during the course of the semester. Prerequisites: Slavic 4 or consent of instructor. Slavic 130 (4 units) The Culture of Medieval Rus' This Course is Cross-Listed with History 100, Sec. 5 L&S Breadth: Historical Studies OR Arts & Literature The course presents an introduction to the medieval culture of East Slavic peoples, precursors of the Russians, Ukrainians, and Belorusians. The formation of the specific Russian worldview well known from the writings of Dostoevsky and Tolstoy is analyzed from a historical perspective, extending from the pagan prehistory through the slow advance of Christian civilization up to the turmoil of the reign of Ivan the Terrible in the sixteenth century. Particular attention is paid to the Orthodox spirituality and its Byzantine background. The repercussions of Christianization for cultural and political practices are described in the framework of political and intellectual history. Icon painting, rituals, folklore, and literature are discussed in their cultural and social context. All readings are in English. There will be one midterm paper of 4-6 pages, based on one of the topics discussed in the class (or another topic chosen by the students in consultation with the instructor), and one final examination. The final grade will be determined according to the following distribution: midterm paper 33%, class participation 17%, final examination 50%. Texts: Prerequisites: None. Course and readings are in English. Slavic 134C (4 units) Dostoevsky L&S Breadth: Philosophy & Values OR Arts & Literature Fyodor Dostoevsky's fiction reflects the crisis in traditional values experienced by young Russian intellectuals in the middle of the 19th century. Influenced by modern European thought, they espoused atheism, a Western identity, and radical politics. What makes Dostoevsky’s representation of the intellectual and social climate of his time so compelling is that he also examines it in a broad religious and ethical context. He transforms the Russian crisis of modernity in the 1860s into the modern dilemma of the individual’s relation to God. The central moral question to which Dostoevsky’s characters seek an answer is whether moral nihilism, or moral relativism, is the inexorable consequence of atheism. Yet despite the profoundly moral aspect of his novelistic world, Dostoevsky does not offer a single authoritative message, leaving the reading of his works open to various interpretations. We will read the major novels as great works of literature, looking closely at the ways Dostoevsky develops ideas, characters, and plot. The main issues that we will consider are the ethical and religious dilemmas of the characters and their radical social utopianism. We will also look at the ways he interrogates the psychology of his characters and represents the city, national identity, class, and gender. These will be discussed against the background of the reception of Western ideas and Russian literature's moral and social role in developing a blueprint for restructuring society. Texts: Prerequisites: None. Classes and readings in English. Slavic 134R (1 unit) Option: Research in Russian Literature for 134C This course is designed to support a research project coordinated with Slavic 134C supervised by the instructor. Individual consultation with the instructor. Final research paper of 10-15 pages required. Prerequisites: Enrollment in Slavic 134C; consent of instructor. Slavic 134E (4 units) Chekhov This Course is Cross-Listed with Theater 166, Section 4 L&S Breadth: Arts & Literature The course is devoted to Chekhov’s narrative fiction and dramatic art, and the inner connections between his two major modes of writing. We will read closely his short stories and plays, and situate Chekhov’s work both in its contemporary literary and cultural context, and in a larger historical continuum. We will discuss Chekhov’s collaboration with the Moscow Art Theater, Konstantin Stanislavsky, and other leading artists of the day. In a larger trans-national perspective, we will follow the evolution of the concept and cultural myth of the ‘Chekhovian,’ and discuss the lasting impact of Chekhov’s art and artistic persona on modern imagination. The course will include classroom screenings and discussions. There will be several quizzes checking your textual knowledge, a mid-term examination, and a course paper. Texts: Prerequisites: None. Readings are in English. Slavic C139 (4 units) Language Spread This Course is Cross-Listed
with Linguistics C139
L&S Breadth: Social & Behavioral Sciences Linguistic background and the general principles of language spread. Mechanisms of language spread, including creolization-decreolization, language planning, and the role of bilingualism. Case studies in language spread, including Slavic and other Indo-European, Austronesian, Amerindian, Uralic, African, Sinitic, and Australian languages. Relationship of language spread to migration and culture spreads. The goal of this course is to introduce concepts related to language contact that result in language spread. Linguistics has long been interested in language change, but because of the language internal view that is the legacy of descriptive linguistics, the larger ecology of language interaction has for the most part gone unnoticed. At a time in which the linguistic community as a whole is concerned with endangered languages, it is important to present the kind of overview that this course will provide. The course is concerned with what happens when languages spread, why it is that some languages have large ranges and many speakers while others are much smaller. Texts: TBA Prerequisites: Upper division standing or permission of instructor. Slavic 158 (4 units) Topics in Russian/East European/Eurasian Cultures: "A Cultural History of Poland-Lithuania" This Course is Cross-Listed
with History 174A, Sec. 1
L&S Breadth: Historical Studies OR Social & Behavioral Sciences This course will focus on the development of identities within the constantly shifting borders of Polish-Lithuanian and Polish states. Among the topics: competing definitions—ethnic, confessional, linguistic, political—of Polishness; continuities and discontinuities in Polish history and historiography; Poland between East and West; the development of Polish self-perceptions; Jewish, Lithuanian, and Ukrainian identities in the Polish context; the Polish chapter in the events leading to the end of Communist hegemony in Eastern Europe. Readings will be drawn from three groups of sources: a) the textbook for the course Jerzy Lukowski’s A Concise History of Poland, plus b) related critical essays and c) primary sources (in English translation) ranging from religion and politics to belles lettres. The course’s format will combine lectures and discussion. Course requirements: readings; attendance in class and participation in discussion; two midterms and a final exam. Option for graduate students: instead of the midterms and final, a research paper on a topic to be discussed with the professor. Texts: Slavic 158 is a Cultural Topics requirement for majors in the East European or Eurasian cultures track in the Slavic department. Slavic 170 (3 units) Survey of Yugoslav Literatures L&S Breadth: Arts & Literature The class will consist of four components, labeled roughly Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian and "European". Within each component we will read one book-length text written during the time of Yugoslavia (defined broadly as 1918-1991) and one written during the post-Yugoslav period (1991 to the present). Lectures will consider these works both as literary creations and as component parts of the complex historical phenomenon of Yugoslavia (both as a successful state and then as an arena of war). No prior knowledge of Yugoslav history is assumed, and all readings are in English. Requirements: two essays, one book report, final examination. Texts: Prerequisites: None. Course and readings are in English. Slavic 182 (4 units) "Pushkin and Others" L&S Breadth: Arts & Literature A survey of Alexander Pushkin's principal works, treated in relation to his life and his place in Russian and European literary culture. The course will also briefly consider the reception of Pushkin’s work by later Russian writers. In addition to familiarizing students with Pushkin’s work, the course intends to develop their fluency in academic Russian and equip them with stylistic and rhetorical tools for analyzing literature in Russian. To that end, all readings, discussions and assignments are in Russian. Texts: A reader. Prerequisites: Slavic 103B or 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: Restricted to graduate students in the Slavic department. Slavic 201 (4 units) Advanced Russian Proficiency Maintenance Russian language course for graduate students from various disciplines. May be taken for 2-3 credits, with consent of instructor. Focus on advanced idiomatic vocabulary, stylistic awareness, advanced/academic conversation. Texts: None. Prerequisites: Graduate standing; consent of instructor. Slavic 234 (4 units) South Slavic Linguistics Selected issues in the history, structure, and dialectology of South Slavic languages: Slovene, BCS (comprising Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian and the evolving Montenegrin standard), Macedonian, and Bulgarian. Most reading will be in English, some also in Russian, French and/or German. Knowledge of BCS or Bulgarian highly desirable but not essential. Some practical exercises and/or short papers; final research paper. Texts: Class reader. Prerequisites: Slavic 220 or permission of instructor. Slavic 242 (4 units) History of the 18th Century Russian Literature The course encompasses the literary development of the early modern period (from the second half of the seventeenth century to the end of the eighteenth century) treating in an essentially chronological order the main figures of the literary canon (Feofan Prokopovich, Antiokh Kantemir, Trediakovskii, Lomonosov, Sumarokov, Fonvizin, Cathrine the Great, Derzhavin, Radishchev, Karamzin). The process of literary development will be analyzed as an interaction between literature as such and its cultural and social contexts. During the period under discussion, literature was conceptualized as an “European” institution, as an innovation produced by the process of “europeanization” and modernization of the Russian society. Literary activity can be regarded as one of the rhetoric strategies connected with the formation of a new “European” imperial elite, as a social experiment of sorts. The innovative nature of literature turns literary activity into a social adventure, into a search for a future social status of this activity. Due to the fact that literature was perceived as a European innovation any notion of a national literary past was rejected from the start; it was partly substituted by a generalized reception of the West European literary tradition. This rejection, nevertheless, did not exclude the inevitable continuity of the literary process. Attitudes and ideas which had been formed in the preceding epochs left their mark on the reception of West European literary theories and models, on the making of the hierarchy of genres, and on their functioning. This process of reception and radical transformation will be one of the focal topics of the course. Lectures will be read in Russian, readings and discussion will be both in Russian and English. Prerequisite: Graduate standing; consent of instructor. Slavic 281 (4 units) Proseminar: Aims and Methods of Literary Scholarship This class has three aims. First, it seeks to explore the notion of professional standards. How should scholarship be done? How does literary "science" evolve and what is the role of the individual author in both literature and scholarship? Second, we will examine a number of approaches to literary texts, all of which raise the question of scholarly contextualization. Finally we will engage in a sustained collective analysis of Bulgakov's Master i Margarita. We will use Bulgakov's novel as a proving ground for various scholarly methodologies. In many respects, our exercise will be one of importation. How well do methodologies developed in the reading of English literature and scholarship "work" when applied to an important work of twentieth-century Russian prose? Our seminars will be divided between discussion of theoretical works and close reading of Master i Margarita. Participants will be responsible for presentations that will initiate discussion of specific chapters of Bulgakov's novel. Those taking the course for a letter grade should write a paper on some aspect of that book. In addition to Master i Margarita you might
want to purchase the following books: Prerequisites: Graduate standing; consent of instructor. Slavic 287 (4 units) Russian Poetry: “The Russian Poetic Tradition, 1780-1870” This course introduces students to the Russian poetic tradition, from late Classicism through Romanticism to the poetic contemporaries of the Russian realist prose. Through close readings of selected texts, we will explore the evolution of Russian poetic language and genres, the shifting identity of the Russian lyric subjects, and the changing stakes in the encounter between the lyrical and the social, the personal and the historical. Proceeding in a roughly chronological order, the course will examine the works of such poets as Derzhavin, Karamzin, Zhukovskii, Batiushkov, Pushkin, Boratynskii, Lermontov, Tiutchev, Nekrasov and Fet. Prerequisites: Graduate standing; consent of instructor. Slavic 301, Section 1 (3 units) Slavic Teaching Methods: Slavic 1-4 This course is required of all Graduate Student Instructors of Slavic 1-4. 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 R5A and R5B. 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 301, Section 4 (3 units) Teaching Methodology: Czech and Polish This course is required of all Graduate Student Instructors of Czech and Polish: Slavic 25A-B, 26A-B, 115A-B and 116A-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 1B (3 or 4 units) Elementary Hungarian Texts: East European Studies 2B (3 units) Introductory Romanian Texts: 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. Prerequisite: East European Studies 1A-lB or consent of instructor. EURASIAN STUDIES COURSES ARMENIAN LANGUAGE Eurasian Studies 1B (3 units) Beginning Armenian Eurasian Studies 1B is a continuation of 1A. This course is for students who have little previous knowledge of Armenian, or who have successfully completed part A. Proficiency in the four language skills, listening, speaking, reading and writing is developed. Modern Western Armenian is taught primarily, but students who would like to learn Eastern Armenian are also accommodated. Armenian is taught as one language. Commonalities are highlighted and the differences recognized and taught. Among the requirements are oral participation in class, homework, weekly quizzes, two small midterm projects, a final project with presentation, two midterm tests, and a final test. Required Text: Prerequisites: Eurasian Studies 1A; consent of instructor. Eurasian Studies 101B (3 units) Continuing Armenian This is part B of Continuing Armenian, which is a two semester sequence. Eurasian Studies 101B is a continuation of 101A. The purpose of this course is to further develop students' Armenian proficiency in all four language skills, using discussion, oral presentations, written assignments and a variety of readings (literature, non-fiction, folklore, newspaper articles, etc.) chosen partly for their cultural significance and partly based on student needs and interests. Particular skills e.g. (reading), are emphasized, depending on student needs and interests. Three hours of class per week. Course may be repeated for credit. Among the requirements are participation in class,
homework assignments, two small midterm projects, and a final
project with a final presentation. Recommended Text: Prerequisites: Eurasian Studies 101A; 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: |