Previous Semesters

Russian Courses

    Language
    Literature

Polish Courses

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Read more about majoring or minoring in Russian.

860 - Russian

Language Courses

This 1 credit course supplements work in the regular 860:101 or 107 course. It utilizes the audiovisual and digital capabilities of the newly renovated Language Lab on College Avenue. Work on pronunciation, intonation, and comprehension. IT IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED THAT ALL STUDENTS TAKE THIS COURSE.

For students who have completed 860:107 or placed into this course. This course is not for students who have taken 860:102. This section is intended for students who have some prior knowledge of Russian at home.

Advanced course with emphasis on morphology, difficult points of grammar. Theory and extensive drill work. Prerequisite: 01:860:202, 205, 208, or permission of instructor.

Literature Courses

Conmen, Gamblers and Radicals: The Russian 19th Century
01:860:259:01
Emma Lieber
MTh3 - 11:30 - 12:50pm - Scott Hall 104

Murderers, thieves, tricksters, adulterers, prostitutes, saints: these are the characters that populate Russian texts of the nineteenth-century and that give Russian literature its reputation as being one of the most exciting, profound, and provocative literary traditions. This course serves as an introduction to this "Golden Age" of Russian literature, and it aims to give students a panoramic vision of the Russian canon during this important and exciting period of its development. We will examine some of the classics of Pushkin, Gogol, Lermontov, Turgenev, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, and Chekhov, concentrating on the development of the characteristic thematic concerns of nineteenth-century Russian literature—insanity; crime; death and violence; spirituality; political radicalism; romantic love and sexuality—as well as the cultural and historical factors that contributed to its development. All texts and readings in English; no previous knowledge of Russian literature required. Fulfills SAS core goal AHp.

Special Topics in Russian Literature: Animals, Aliens, and Machines
01:860:320:01
cross-listed with Comparative Literature 01:195:359:01
Giorgio DiMauro
TTh4 - 1:10 - 2:30pm - Scott Hall 202

What does it mean to imagine the world from a non-human perspective, such as that of a bug, a horse, a robot, or a plant-like alien masquerading as a human?  To what extent is this even possible? Is there a hierarchy of more or less human?  And what do such perspectives reveal about ourselves and our societies?  The course will explore these questions in works of Russian and East European literature.  Authors include Tolstoy, Kafka, Schulz, Olesha, Mayakovsky, Čapek, Lem, Bulgakov, and Pelevin. All readings and discussions in English.

Love and Death in the Russian Short Story
01:860:322:01
Emily Van Buskirk
MW5 - 2:50 - 4:10pm - Murray Hall 213

A brilliant counterpart to the expansive Russian novel, the Russian short story has long been recognized by connoisseurs and practitioners of the genre, from James Joyce to Raymond Carver.  In this course we read both the classics and the hidden gems of the Russian short-story tradition from the 19th century to today. We focus on the themes of love and death and explore the rich narrative possibilities that these themes have offered the Russian masters.  Meanwhile, we make use of the short form to refine our techniques of close textual analysis, treating in detail and depth the components of narrative structure and style.  Our authors include Pushkin, Gogol, Turgenev, Dostoevsky, Leskov, Tolstoy, Chekhov, Bunin, Babel, Nabokov, Platonov, Tolstaya, Petrushevskaya, and Pelevin.  Readings are organized in units according to theme, narrative technique, and intertextual relationship.   Since the readings cover most major modern Russian writers and movements, the course will appeal to those who wish to get an overview of modern Russian literature. All readings and discussions in English.  No prerequisites.  Fulfills SAS core goals AH o, p, WC s-1, t, v

The Varieties of Nonconformism: Art and Power:  Political Propaganda in the Visual Arts, Architecture, Theater, and Film in the Soviet Era, 1917-1991
01:860:336:01
cross-listed with Comparative Literature 01:195:316:01, and Art History 01:082:292:01
Alla Rosenfeld
TTh5 - 2:50 - 4:10pm - Zimmerli Museum, Greenwall Classroom

Russian art of the Soviet era affords a unique vantage point from which to explore the intersection of art and politics, the changing dynamics of Soviet power, and artists’ responses to—and reactions against—the notion of art as an instrument of political propaganda. Art and Power will address the interplay between changing cultural policy and the shifts in the styles, imagery, and content of Russian/Soviet art during this period. The course will touch on a broad spectrum of artistic media, including painting, sculpture, posters, children’s book design, architecture, mass festivals, theater, and film. It will consider issues such as the cult of personality, art-world debates on realism versus abstraction, and developments like Lenin’s Plan for Monumental Propaganda. The course will also address the movement known as “unofficial art” or “nonconformist art,” which encompassed a wide range of forms of artistic expression of the mid-1950s–1980s that developed in opposition to Socialist Realism, the official style of Soviet art from the mid-1930s on.  All readings and discussions in English.

787 - Polish

First Year Polish
01:787:101:01
Wanda Mandecki
MTTh4 - 1:10 - 2:30pm - Scott Hall 207

For students who have never studied Polish. Basic grammar, simple dialogues, and vocabulary building. Some elements of Polish culture and tradition. 

Second Year Polish
01:787:201:01
Wanda Mandecki
MTTh5 - 2:50 - 4:10pm - M Frelinghuysen Hall A4, TTh Scott Hall 116

A continuation of 787:102  More complex grammar.  An incorporation of some topics in Polish history and literature. Short pieces of text to be translated from English to Polish. Prerequisite: 01:787:102 or a placement test. (Need to take a placement test? Click here!)

Lydia Masterkova (Russian, 1929-2008)
Composition, 1969
Oil on canvas 89.5 x 69.5 cm (35 1/4 x 27 3/8 in.)
Collection Zimmerli Art Museum at Rutgers University, Norton and Nancy Dodge Collection of Nonconformist Art from the Soviet Union
D06658, Photo by Peter Jacobs