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Home > courses > Fall 2007 Course Descriptions The Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures Quick reference to courses RUSSIAN: EAST EUROPEAN AND EURASIAN STUDIES:
Course DescriptionsSlavic 1 & 2 (5 units each) 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 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) 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: 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 with our department's Russian Language Coordinator 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 4 CANCELED! Slavic 3 (5 units each) Intermediate Russian L&S Breadth: Both Slavic 3 & 4 Count as International Breadth 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 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: Schaum's Russian Grammar by James S. Levine 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 A reevaluation of the idea of reality was a defining element of twentieth-century literature and culture. In this course, we will follow the meanderings of “the real” throughout the century’s upheavals in many fundamental aspects of daily life. Literary representations of reality found themselves at the mercy of shifting interpretations of the physical world, the mental world, the political world, and the artistic world. By focusing on a distinctly twentieth-century point of view, this course will attempt to understand better this era’s complex relationship with the perceived world. We will consider the roles of science, psychology, revolution, and modernity in twentieth-century Russian and European literature. From Bely’s manipulation of space and geography, to Socialist Realism’s mixture of the historical and the ideal, to Pelevin’s skewing of the boundaries between real and virtual, Russian literature grappled with the nature of reality throughout this turbulent epoch. The readings will therefore attempt to illuminate a variety of approaches for describing the experienced world and come to terms with new appreciations of what we understand as real. 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 Welcome to Slavic R5A, a freshmen literature and composition course that is designed to engage you in the reading and writing processes from different forms of prereading and prewriting processes, peer review to drafting of a final essay. By responding to ideas and issues in the stories, novellas, plays and novels we read, you will develop your logical reasoning, critical reading, expository skills and themes to explore in your papers. The above skills will be practiced through an exploration of works of literature in the context of two main thematic units—literature that examines authority, submission and power relationships and literature that deals with transformations. We will investigate institutional authority, the interplay of dominance and submission, revolt and reorientation of power dynamics in Franz Kafka’s The Trial and David Mamet’s Oleanna. We will also examine the rich tradition of literature of metamorphosis, physical transformations that suggest multiple readings, unpacking such works as Nikolai Gogol’s “The Nose”, Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis, and Philip Roth’s The Breast. When you have successfully completed this course, you should have the practical strategies necessary to read and analyze a variety of texts as well as, ideally, strategies which you can then apply to other reading and writing tasks you encounter in your academic and professional lives. 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 R5B, Section 1 (4 units) Reading
and Composition Course Since the founding of the tradition of modern European aesthetic theory in the 18th century, philosophers and critics have often argued that there is a fundamental difference between artistic and economic production. However, writers of literature have repeatedly incorporated economic themes, forms, and structures in their work. In this class, our reading of literary texts by William Shakespeare, Ivan Gundulic, Jane Austen, Nikolai Karamzin, Alexander Pushkin, Nikolai Gogol, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Mikhail Lermontov, Charles Baudelaire, and F. Scott Fitzgerald will facilitate an exploration of the ways that money appears in these works not as something other than art, but rather as a powerful tool and force of artistry. We will consider various paradigms of monetary use—such as exchange, investment, gambling, counterfeiting, shopping, hoarding, squandering, usury, and prostitution—as potential models for literary/aesthetic creation and experience. In addition to literary texts, the course syllabus will include films from the cinema’s early silent period as well as recent years. Four film screenings throughout the semester will be scheduled in addition to the regular class meeting times. While class discussions will be organized primarily around the role of money in literature (and film), emphasis will be placed on acquiring critical thinking, reading, and writing skills. Class participation and regular writing assignments and revisions will be essential to meeting these goals. This course satisfies the second half or the "B" portion of the Reading and Composition requirement. Texts: Films: Course Reader
will include the following texts: Prerequisite: Successful completion of the "A" portion of the Reading and Compostion requirement or its equivalent. Reading
and Composition Course Part of becoming modern in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries has involved the process of assimilation into a new model of nation, class, gender, religion, culture, or ideology. In the realm of literature, there has been an emergence of the protagonist who takes on assimilation as a project, with varying degrees of success. In this course, we will explore a selection of texts from the Russian, Anglo-American, and German literary traditions. We will follow protagonists as they attempt to transform themselves and the world around them, paying particular attention to the role of emotions in the relationship between the individual and his environment. We will also analyze affective language and its effect on the text—the moral map of the text and its orientation of good and evil; the literal and metaphorical journey of the protagonist; and the experience of reading. We will thus examine the artistic work as a crucible in which the tensions of modernity are being worked out. We will learn to read and write about works of various genres and styles, including novels, short stories, and poetry. We will be learning not only how to read literary texts critically, but also how to write about these texts analytically, focusing on how to construct a coherent and cohesive argument in an academic paper. A significant component of the course will be devoted to the development of writing skills, with regular writing exercises worked into the weekly syllabus. In addition to these short writing assignments, there will be four papers, the final paper being a revision of one of the previous three. The course will also focus on developing the skills for productive in-class discussion of literary texts. 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 Compostion requirement or its equivalent. Slavic R5B, Section 3 (4 units) Reading
and Composition Course The study of political rhetoric should not necessarily be thought of as an independent discipline. Rather, political speech is merely one of the many lenses through which we can study the human mind and cognition in general. Although often thought of as disconnected, politicians are still human beings using the same cognitive processes as the rest of us. Political discourse, in a variety of forms, is full of metaphor and serves as a fruitful case study for connecting deep cognitive processes to prefabricated oratory. This course will introduce students to the cognitive theory of metaphor analysis and use the theory as a tool for dissecting political discourse in both current American as well as Soviet and Russian politics. Background reading for this portion of the course will include Metaphors We Live By (Lakoff and Johnson) and Moral Politics (Lakoff). The basis for political analysis will come from in depth readings of literature pertaining to family structure in both cultures. To understand this structure students will read excerpted background historical sketches from Daily Life in the Soviet Union (Eaton), as well as several works of fiction depicting different eras of Russian and Soviet society including the novella Envy (Yuri Olesha) and short stories Matryona’s Home (Alexander Solzhenitsyn), Adam and Eve (Yuri Kazakov), Alyosha the Pot (Tolstoy), and My First Fee (Isaac Babel). Direct sources of political discourse will include State of the Union speeches from George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Ronald Reagan, writings from Joseph Stalin, public addresses by Mikhail Gorbackev and Vladimir Putin, and Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance, the memoir of Barack Obama. Specific instruction will address writing technique, and students will be asked to keep a bibliographic journal of their readings. The writing component of the course will be satisfied by three short papers and one longer research paper. This course satisfies the second half or the “B” portion of the Reading and Composition requirement. Texts:
Course Reader Includes:
Prerequisite: Successful completion of the "A" portion of the Reading and Compostion requirement or its equivalent. Slavic R5B, Section 4 (4 units) Reading
and Composition Course The end of the European nineteenth century, known as the fin de siècle, was met with a sense of impending doom. Humankind’s faith in civilization, progress, and moral righteousness was overtaken by uncertainty and pessimism. The tenets of nineteenth-century culture, society, and aesthetics underwent a drastic revaluation. The art and literature of the period were tinged with the notion of decline and decadence since, to many, the world seemed to be coming to an end. In this course we will explore works of literature produced in the last decade of the nineteenth century and the first decade of the twentieth century on both extremes of Europe - Russia and England. These works partake in the cultural atmosphere of the fin de siècle through the pervading parallel themes of exhausted bloodlines and declining civilizations. In reading them we will examine how they at once continue established literary traditions and introduce innovations particular to the period. We will employ these texts to develop a more subtle understanding of the connection between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and, in so doing, the notion of modernism in Russia and Western Europe. We will also focus on writing about this evocative period in a scholarly and informed manner. The overarching goal of this course is to recreate a significant historical and cultural moment in the development of modernity. This course satisfies the second half or the “B” portion of the Reading and Composition requirement. Texts: Film List: Prerequisite: Successful completion of the "A" portion of the Reading and Compostion requirement or its equivalent. DO YOU SPEAK (BUT NOT READ OR WRITE) RUSSIAN? Slavic 6 (3 units) Introductory Russian for Heritage Speakers Students who do not know the Russian alphabet and would like to get a head start learning it for Slavic 6 may contact Lisa Little, our department's Russian Language Coordinator, at lclittle@berkeley.edu. Pre-screening for this
course is mandatory. Contact Lisa Little, our department's
Russian Language Coordinator at lclittle@berkeley.edu. Text: Recommended: Prerequisites: Oral proficiency in Russian; placement test and consent of instructor. Slavic 24 (1 unit, P/NP only) Freshman Seminar L&S Breadth: Arts & Literature This seminar is a collective exploration of this great novel, seen both as a work of literary art and as a response to philosophical issues of its time. No knowledge of Russian is required, nor are there any special qualifications. No term paper. Grade will be based on class attendance and participation. Hugh McLean is a Professor Emeritus in the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures. He taught a wide range of courses on Russian literature at UC Berkeley 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: Prerequisites: Freshman standing. Slavic 25A (5 units) Introductory Polish THE 25A-25B COURSE SEQUENCE BEGINS IN THE FALL TERM ONLY.
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 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. Tentative Text: 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 THE 27A-27B COURSE SEQUENCE BEGINS IN THE FALL TERM ONLY. Texts: Prerequisites: None for 27A; 27B presumes a knowledge of 27A or equivalent. Slavic 28A (5 units) Introductory Bulgarian THE 28A-28B COURSE SEQUENCE BEGINS IN THE FALL TERM ONLY. Text: Prerequisites: None for 28A; 28B presumes a knowledge of 28A or equivalent. Slavic 39K (3 units) Lower Division Seminar: "Boredom" "This book is so boring!" is a reaction that you might have often heard or even voiced yourself. What does boredom mean? In this seminar, we will read several interesting (not boring!) classic works of nineteenth-century Russian literature that consider the multiple meanings and consequences of boredom. As works of social criticism, these narratives treat boredom, a shared mental state, as a sign of society's corruption and decadence. As narrative experiments which are meant to offer diversion, they approach boredom as a challenge: how to make the bland and monotonous interesting to the reader, how to create a captivating plot that is initiated and propelled by its characters' boredom? Framing our readings of nineteenth-century Russian fiction with theoretical writings on the psychology and philosophy of boredom (from the reader), we will explore broader questions of realism, ordinariness, entertainment, narrative construction, and reader response. Texts: Prerequisites: Freshman or sophomore standing; consent of instructor. Slavic 45 (3 units) Nineteenth Century Russian Literature We will read some of the celebrated works of the Russian nineteenth century, from Pushkin through Gogol, Turgenev, Dostoevsky and Tolstoy 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. 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, 14D or equivalent. Slavic 105A (1, 2 or 3 units)
Russian-English, English-Russian Translation SLAVIC 105A OFFERED IN FALL; SLAVIC 105B IN SPRING. The course is intended for students who are interested in acquiring
translation skills that can be used in the growing field of Russian/American
commercial and cultural relations, diplomacy and journalism. Because
translation is studied from both Russian into English and from English
into Russian it can be useful for English speakers as well as Russian
native and heritage speakers. The course will consist of two parts,
A and B, offered respectively in the fall and spring semesters.
Both courses deal with the written and oral translation. However,
Slavic 105A has the main emphasis on the written translation, its
peculiarities and methods studied through practical translation
of authentic texts. The main focus will be on translating technical
texts. The oral part in Slavic 105A concentrates on acquiring basic
skills necessary for informal interpreting. Texts: Materials supplied in class. Prerequisites: Slavic 1, 2, 3, 4 or equivalent, or consent of instructor. Slavic 109 (3 units) Business Russian This course is designed for students with a good command of basic Russian who would like to gain the vocabulary of business transactions in Russian in order to be able to establish actual contacts with Russian businessmen and women, to participate in business negotiations, to compile business contracts in Russian, and to read Russian business magazines and newspapers. Elements of the business law of Russia will also be discussed. The students are offered a large selection of original texts on economics, business, trade (domestic and foreign), and natural resource development. In addition to practical exercises and discussions, guest speakers and video materials will be widely used in classwork. The workload will include regular written assignments, presentations, a midterm and a final exam. Texts: A reader compiled by the instructor as well as handouts and other materials. Prerequisites: Slavic 4 (2 years of Russian) or the equivalent. SLAVIC 114 CANCELED! Slavic 114 (1-6 units) Advanced Self-Paced Russian for Heritage Speakers The course is aimed at “heritage speakers” of Russian, i.e., those who grew up speaking Russian in the family or had a limited learning experience, without a native Russian’s full educational and cultural background. The advanced course aims at building a sophisticated vocabulary, developing advanced reading ability, grammatical awareness, and writing competency. The course is organized around students’ individual needs and abilities. Classes are held on a weekly basis as arranged during the first week of the semester. The course can be taken for two semesters not to exceed the maximum of 6 units. Prerequisites: Advanced speaking and reading ability in Russian; placement test, and consent of instructor. Students with no or rudimentary reading proficiency should consider Slavic 6 (Introductory Russian for Heritage Speakers). Class sections for students are arranged during the first week of classes. Please see the instructor during special office hours during the first week of classes to arrange tutorial schedules. The first week of classes office hours will be posted outside of the Slavic Department office at 6303 Dwinelle Hall and on the Department’s web site. Slavic 115A (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, 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 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 Text: Prerequisites: Slavic 25B or consent of the instructor. Slavic 116A (4 units) Advanced Czech The course combines a review of Czech grammar (along with discussion of problem areas of grammar) and reading of Czech literature. Texts: 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 consent 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 topics beyond routine social and survival needs. The course is loosely based on the textbook, Let’s Talk About Life!, which contains readings, vocabulary lists, speaking activities, and taped interviews on various topics related to life in Russia and the United States. We will also supplement the listening (no less important than speaking since communication breaks down completely when comprehension is poor) with documentary and other film clips, songs, newscasts, guest speakers, etc. Speaking activities might include discussing a reading from the textbook in small groups, giving an oral report, taking part in a focus group, or participating in a debate, among other things. There will be regular home assignments (mostly fluency writing, listening, or reading to prepare for speaking in class the next day and vocabulary-building exercises); both a written vocabulary and an oral speaking test (one-on-one with the instructor) for each of the four chapters covered during the semester; and a final (oral interview). 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 be expected to attend on Fridays as well. Together they will decide on a project (or projects) for the semester. The grade will be determined as follows: (The grading percentages for the students who sign up for 3 units may be modified to include the special project/s.) Prerequisites: Slavic 4 or consent of instructor. Students may take A and/or B depending on their level of proficiency and goals. Slavic 134D (4 units) Leo Tolstoy L&S Breadth: Philosophy & Values OR Arts & Literature The writings, and the image, of Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910) have retained an enormous power to this day. A great writer, he has also been considered a moral philosopher, innovative psychologist, aspiring historian, and religious reformer. Cultivating one's personality was a no less important part of Tolstoy's creative endeavor, especially in his youth. Once critic called him "not a man, but an institute for the study of himself." The late Tolstoy was, first and foremost, a social activist, and his authority in the Russian society was immense (a contemporary journalist called him a "second Tsar"). His influence was acknowledged by Mahatma Gandhi in India and Martin Luther King in America. The course will offer a study of Leo Tolstoy's works and life treated in this framework. Focused on Tolstoy the writer as well as on his philosophy of history, his ethics of non-participation in evil and politics of non-violence, his writings on sexual morality, and his efforts as a religious reformer, this course falls into two categories of the breadth requirements: Arts & Literature and Philosophy & Values. Workload: Substantial weekly readings; participation in class discussions; two take-home midterm essays; in-class final examination (short essays). Texts: Prerequisites: None. Required readings and lectures in English. Students with advanced knowledge of Russian are encouraged to do at least some reading in Russian. Slavic 134R (1 unit) Research in Russian Literature: Tolstoy Not that with concurrent enrollment in 134R, a student can write a research paper (10-15 pages) on a topic of individual choice supervised by the instructor in individual consultations. Prerequisites: Enrollment in Slavic 134D; consent of instructor. Slavic 140 (4 units) Performing Arts in Russia in the 20th Century (1900-1940) This course is Cross-Listed with Theater Arts 126, Section 1 L&S Breadth: Arts & Literature A survey of major trends, ideas, and practices which had defined the most fertile period in Russian artistic history. The course will consider the work of such influential 20th century artists as Chekhov, Stanislavsky, Meyerhold, Shostakovich, and others in its immediate cultural and political context, and address the particular tensions, ruptures, and continuity in the Russian/Soviet art. The achievement of Russian and Soviet directors, playwrights, and stage designers will also be discussed from the point of view of its larger impact on modernist and modern art. Texts: A selection of plays, theoretical writings, and critical essays (available in a reader). Prerequisites: None. Course and readings in English. Slavic 147A (3 units)
East Slavic Folklore: "Russian and Ukrainian Folklore" L&S Breadth: Social & Behavioral Sciences OR Arts & Literature A survey of Russian and Ukrainian folk tales and epic songs, and of Russian folk religion and customs, with discussion of the uniquely Russian dvoeverie, or "double faith," and of the fate (and use) of folklore during the Soviet period, especiall under Stalin. The importance of folklore in East Slavic (especially Russian) culture. Texts: Prerequisites: None. Slavic 147R (1 units) Research in Slavic Folklore Note that with concurrent enrollment in 147R, a student can write a research paper (10-15 pages) on a topic of individual choice supervised by the instructor in individual consultations. Prerequisites: Enrollment in Slavic 147A; consent of instructor. Slavic 151 (4 units) Readings in Polish Literature L&S Breadth: Arts & Literature The course will contain the following major components: readings; viewing of films related to some of the readings; conversation; grammatical and stylistic analysis; translation. Readings will be chosen from relatively short Polish novels, from literary texts that have served as the basis for Polish films, and from texts related to the students’ academic interests. The course is designed for students with intermediate and advanced skills in understanding and using 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 in team is a desired and especially valued skill. All assignments shall be completed on time. Grades are based on your class attendance, participation, completion of reading and writing assignments and a final project to choose from: 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 consent of instructor. Slavic 160 (3 units) Survey of Czech Literature and Film L&S Breadth: Arts & Literature This course explores dualities of Czech life in the 19th century and 20th century through the media of literature and film: rural/urban, independent/subjugated, Slavic/Central European, past/present. The question "How does a small people maintain its identity and morality" merges with the questions of what constitute identity and morality for the individual. Czech New Wave cinema is heavily represented. Classes will integrate lecture and discussion. Films will be available for individual or group viewing in the Media Center in Moffitt. Clips will be shown in class. Midterms and final exam. Students with reading knowledge of Czech may read
any or all texts in Czech. Texts: Films: (these and other films in
Moffitt Media Resource Center) Prerequisites: None. Slavic 181 (4 units) Readings in Russian Literature L&S Breadth: Arts & Literature This course is intended to introduce the student of Russian to elements of the literary tradition chiefly in the genres of the short story and poetry. Our method will be close reading, the analysis of the text for what it tells us about the evolution of language and culture as they have evolved from Pushkin's time to our own. Some attention will also be given to Russian critical debates over literature and cultural politics where they throw light on texts being read. Students will slowly be encouraged to read, write and discuss in Russian, and class time will be divided equally between discussion in English and the development of Russian fluency. Texts: Xeroxed reader. Prerequisites: Ability to read and understand Russian at least at the third year level (Slavic 103A). Class can be taken concurrently with 103A. NEW, FALL 2007 Slavic 190 (4 units) Russian Culture Taught in Russian: Country, Identity, and Language L&S Breadth: Historical Studies OR Social & Behavioral Sciences The course will focus on the stages in the historical shaping of Russian cultural identity, including the formation of the national literary language, role of the state in cultural life, national cultural canon. Readings will include 19th- and 20th-century works of fiction and critical literature, essays, contemporary documentary sources and some works of visual art. All readings, lectures, and discussions in Russian. 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: Will be available in a reader. Prerequisites: Advanced Russian, at least three years of college level, e.g. completion of Slavic 103B and consent of instructor. Fluent reading ability required. 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. Slavic 201 (2 or 3 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 246B (4 units) Contemporary Literature The course treats post-Stalin and post-Soviet Russian literature and culture. Although it focuses on literature, it includes the visual arts and film. Since most of the works that we will read or view were either controversial or forbidden in the Soviet Union, we will consider them in relation to key political concerns of the time (destalinization, publication abroad, or tamizdat, emigration, and so on). In the case of works published at home, we will try to identify the characteristics of so-called Aesopian language deployed to pass the censorship. We will also examine the works in relation to their Soviet and post-Soviet reception with the purpose of establishing some of the real differences between "old" and "new" Russian cultural politics. The works that we will consider in these ways are B. Pasternak's Doktor Zhivago, selections from A. Solzhenitsyn's Gulag Arkhipelag, A. Tertz's Chto takoe sotsialisticheskii realizm, V. Aksenov's Zvezdnyi bilet, Iu. Trifonov's Dom na naberezhnoi, V. Erofeev's Moskva-Petushki, S. Sokolov's Shkola dlia durakov, and E. Limonov's Eto ia - Edichka. We will also read some works of more contemporary writers: L. Petrushevskaia's Kvartira Kolombiny, V. Sorokin's Tridsataia liubov' Mariny, V. Pelevin's Chapaev i pustota, and short stories by S. Dovlatov and A. Kharitonov. The films we will view are A. Tarkovsky's Zerkalo, Vl. Motyl's Beloe solntse pustyni (Soviet Eastern), and A. Balabanovs post-Soviet Brat. We will not always follow strict chronology, moving back and forth in time with the purpose of examining some of the important clusters of meaning that define the post-Stalin and post-Soviet eras. The discovery of suppressed history and revision of the past was perhaps the most fundamental. In regard to the formal sphere, the most fundamental post-Stalin artistic revision was the rereading of socialist realism initiated by Chto takoe sotsialisticheskii realizm? We will consider D. Prigov's parodic poetry, Komar and Melamid's sots-art, and B. Groys's rereading of the relationship between the avant-garde and socialist realism as subsequent developments of the process begun by the essay. Another instance was the post-Soviet rewriting of Soviet mythology, which we will pursue by reading Chapaev i pustota against the socialist realist Chapaev by D. Furmanov and the eponymous film by G. & S. Vasi'lev. Prerequisites: Graduate standing or consent of instructor. NEW COURSE FALL 2007! Slavic 256 (4 units) Topics in Slavic Folklore: "Slavic Folklore Theory" The Slavic lands – especially Russia and in the Balkans – are particularly rich in folklore materials, and scholars working on these materials have made major theoretical contributions to the general discipline of folklore. This course, intended both for students of general folklore and students of Russian literature, will survey these contributions both in terms of the folklore materials themselves and the theoretical advances made on the basis of these materials. Readings on theory will be in Russian, English and German. The folklore materials themselves are in the original languages (Russian, Ukrainian, Serbian, Bosnian); English translations are available of most of these materials. Students in Slavic should be reading in the original to the extent possible; students of general folklore will do readings in English (and occasionally in German). Texts: Slavic 280, Section 2 (4
units) Graduate Linguistics Seminar Major and/or current issues in Slavic linguistics. Exact coverage to be determined at the first meeting and depending in part on student needs and research interests. Texts: TBA Slavic 301, Section 1 (3 units) Teaching Methodology: Russian and Slavic Languages This course is required of all Graduate Student Instructors of Russian, Bulgarian, Czech, Polish, and Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian. 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.
Required of all graduate student instructors in Slavic.
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. East European Studies 1A (3 or
4 units) Elementary Hungarian THIS 1A-1B COURSE SEQUENCE BEGINS IN THE FALL TERM ONLY. 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: Photocopied material and reading chosen by student Prerequisites: East European Studies 1A-lB or consent of instructor. EURASIAN STUDIES COURSES Eurasian Studies 1A (4 units) Beginning Armenian EURASIAN STUDIES 1A IS A TWO-SEMESTER SEQUENCE. 1B IS OFFERED
IN THE SPRING. Among the requirements are oral participation in class, written homework, weekly assignments, a midterm project, and a term project with a final presentation. Texts: Prerequisites: Consent of instructor. COURSE CANCELED 8/22/07 Eurasian Studies 2A (4 units) Beginning Georgian: "Georgian Language and Culture" EURASIAN STUDIES 2A IS A TWO-SEMESTER SEQUENCE. 2B IS OFFERED
IN THE SPRING. Texts: Prerequisites: Consent of instructor. Eurasian Studies 101A
(3 units) Continuing Armenian The purpose of this course is to further develop students’ Armenian proficiency in all four language skills, using discussions, oral presentations, written assignments and a variety of readings (literature, non-fiction, folklore, newspaper articles, etc.) chosen for their cultural significance and based on student needs and interests. Particular skills (e.g. reading) are emphasized. Three hours of class per week. Course may be repeated for credit. Among the requirements are participation in class, homework, weekly assignments, a midterm project, and a term project with a final presentation. Texts: Materials will be provided by the teacher.
No textbooks are required. Prerequisites: Eurasian Studies 1A-1B or consent of instructor. Eurasian Studies 102A (3 units) Continuing Georgian This is part A of Continuing Georgian which is a two semester sequence. Continuing course of Georgian Language focuses on using the learned essentials of Georgian grammar through reading, writing and conversation. Readings include Georgian folk tales, historical and ethnographic texts, literary pieces and poetry. Previous experience and knowledge of the essentials of Georgian grammar is required. The more detailed information on this course is available at the following web page: http://webdisk.berkeley.edu/~shorena/. Grades are based on class participation, exercises, home assignment tests and a final. Texts: Prerequisites: Eurasian Studies 2B; 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: |