Throughout this course we will focus on the manner in which authors create literary works in response to such historical events. The authors we will be reading include Bulgakov, Zoshchenko, Solzhenitsyn, Voinovich, and Aitmatov. All reading is in English translation. Open to Freshmen. These courses are designed as the initial courses students take after qualification in Russian, and are conducted mainly in Russian.
Considerable guidance is provided, however, and there is no presumption of fluency.
The goals of the courses are to introduce students to Russian literature in the original, to sample differing literary styles, and to accomplish both with minimal recourse to English in class. Several short papers in Russian and English will be assigned. It includes within its scope various aspects of Russian culture such as literature, art, music, religion, philosophy, and social thought from its very beginnings through the eighteenth century. The course is designed to give undergraduates a broad familiarity with the cultural traditions of the country which plays a major role in the world today. Russian culture will be presented as part of Western civilization with attention given to its distinctive character.