Trinity has six Russian and Eurasian specialists who teach courses in Russian and Eurasian human rights issues, film, theater, art, literature, politics, economics, mass media, sociology, Slavic linguistics, and history.

The Russian Language
Thinking of taking Russian? Believe it or not, you already know thousands of Russian words, among them are: radio, metro, taksi, restoran, kafe, artist, menedjer, biznes, and ekonomist. In the first year of Russian, students learn to speak about themselves, their family and friends, student life, and interests such as sports, film, and music. More advanced classes use literature, films, and the Russian media as a basis for conversation.

CURRENT LISTING OF RUSSIAN COURSES

Russian 101: Intensive Elementary Russian I
Russian 102: Intensive Elementary Russian II
Russian 201: Intermediate Russian I
Russian 202: Intermediate Russian II
Russian 210: Advanced Russian Conversation
Russian 221: Advanced Russian I: Russia through Russian Prose
Russian 222: Advanced Russian II: Literary Readings
Russian 233: Contemporary Russian and American Films: Cinema & Societies in Crisis
Russian 253: Fantasy and Realism in Russian Literature
Russian 254: Russia On Trial: Literature Speaks Out
Russian 301: Russian Through Literature and Film
Russian 302: Russian Prose Narrative
Russian 303: Russian Phonetics, Contemporary & Historical
Russian 304: Current Russian Media
Russian 305: Russian Culture and Civilization
Russian 357: Dostoevsky
Russian 399: Independent Study
Russian 401: Special Topics Russian
Russian 460: Tutorial
Russian 466: Teaching Assistant

COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

Russian 101: Intensive Elementary Russian I
Learn to speak, read, and write Russian in an interactive course. This course prepares students to hold simple conversations so that they can meet Russians, talk about themselves, and discuss topics including sports, movies, and student life. Students will observe contemporary Russian life through a series of video episodes, attune their ear to spoken Russian with audiocassettes, and practice correct grammar using the textbook and CD-ROM. Class meets five hours a week for 1.5 credits.

Russian 102: Intensive Elementary Russian II
Students continue to build their speaking and writing skills using the same interactive approach as in Russian 101. They will gain proficiency in fundamental grammar and acquire the conversational skills they need to interact with Russians in a wide range of situations. Class meets five hours a week for 1.5 credits.

Russian 201: Intermediate Russian I
In this course students will gain intermediate proficiency in understanding, speaking, reading and writing Russian. They will learn how to express themselves in Russian through regular conversation, practice on topics such as the world of Russian emotions, love and marriage, music and entertainment, and other practical subjects. They will read real Russian literary texts and learn to write about their thoughts and opinions. They will learn about Russian culture by direct experience, including working with the Russian Internet. Students who take this and the next course in the series, Russian 202, will be ready to go on a study abroad program in Russia.

Russian 202: Intermediate Russian II
A continuation of Russian 201 in which students will develop a proficiency in Russian that will be adequate for most practical purposes. They will continue to develop their ability to converse on topics such as computers and work, dating, talking about nature, and others. They will start reading and discussing more complex literary and journalistic texts, including works by classic Russian authors. Regular writing assignments will help reinforce what they are learning. Students will continue their examination of the many sides of Russian culture, including Russian etiquette, gesture, music, television, film, etc. Successful completion of this course gives students the Russian they need in order to go to Russia for work or study.

Russian 210: Advanced Russian Conversation
This course will provide training in Russian oral communication and self-expression. Students will lead and participate in class discussions and debates, and prepare oral reports, as well as listen to and watch Russian radio and television broadcasts. All work will be oral. The topics of conversations will include family problems and divorce, elections in the U.S. and in Russia, youth music and fashion in Russia, environmental issues, Russian beliefs in the world beyond (UFOs, ESP, etc.), and other current issues. By the end of the course students will be able to converse in Russian on an advanced level on the ACTFL scale.

Russian 221: Advanced Russian I: Russia through Russian Prose
Students improve conversational and compositional skills through close reading, analysis and discussion of Russian historical and journalistic texts. Conducted in Russian. Prerequisite: Russian 202 or equivalent.

Russian 222: Advanced Russian II: Literary Readings
Close readings from some major aspect of Russian literature. Emphasis will be on discussion of ideas and stylistic analysis. Conducted in Russian. Prerequisite: Russian 221 or equivalent.

Russian 233: Contemporary Russian and American Films: Cinema and Societies in Crisis
We will compare recent cinema of the U.S. and Russia, examining the cinematic treatment of social problems common to both cultures: national history and identity; youth culture; women, men, and family; race and ethnicity; the criminal underworld; and the chaotic turmoil of a changing present and an uncertain future. We will also be attentive to cinema as art, asking ourselves what technical devices are at the filmmaker's disposal and how he or she uses them to create an artistic piece. Can we define an "American" or a "Russian" style of filmmaking? Directors whose works will be studied may include, among others, Stephen Spielberg, Vyacheslav Krishtofovich, Spike Lee, Pavel Chukhrai, Nikita Mikhalkov, Alexei Balabanov, Martin Scorcese, and Oliver Stone.

Russian 253: Fantasy and Realism in Russian Literature
All readings and discussion will be in English. Through the enduring traditions of fantasy and realism, Russian literature has probed human dilemmas and invited self-examination. We shall read these works as art and entertainment, and also for what they help us learn about ourselves. A disturbing world of the uncanny, populated by murderous doubles, human snakes, talking dogs, ghosts, and other diabolical creatures will open up to us and haunt our imaginations. As we consider the realist and fantastic streams, we shall ultimately ask the question: can we really define the difference between them? Authors to be read include Gogol, Dostoevsky, Chekhov, and others. This course will introduce the students to some of the greatest works in the Russian literary canon. (Same as Modern Languages 233-36.)

Russian 254: Russia On Trial: Literature Speaks Out
All readings and class sessions will be in English. For two hundred years, Russian literature served as the conscience of a nation in the grip of tyranny. In a country where the government depended upon the institutionalized violation of human rights, literature offered readers an alternative space in which they could turn inward and explore the human and moral implications of a wide range of human actions. How have Russian writers used their art to respond to this assault on human dignity and human life? The course will focus on the time from the Russian Revolution of 1917 up to the present day. Assignments will cover fiction, memoirs, and film.

Russian 301: Russian Through Literature and Film
This course contains two segments. In one segment students strengthen their grammar and vocabulary through reading authentic literary texts. The other segment improves listening comprehension through the viewing of a Russian film. Students will view the film in installments, using video technology to replay scenes as often as necessary to achieve comprehension. Homework assignments will include film viewing in the video lab. Prerequisite: Russian 222 or permission of the instructor.

Russian 302: Russian Prose Narrative
Intensive study of traditional or contemporary Russian texts. Weekly reading assignments will be supplemented by oral reports, literary analysis, and exercises in translation. Students will play a significant role in leading class discussion. All readings and discussion in Russian. Prerequisite: Russian 222.

Russian 303: Russian Phonetics, Contemporary & Historical
A course covering the basic structures of Russian phonetics, intonation and word order. Important moments in the history of the Russian sound system will be surveyed as well. The study of contemporary Russian will progress from the sound systems of Russian consonants and vowels to the sound structures of natural dialogue, poetry, literary prose and journalism. Students will be expected to achieve technical proficiency as well as understand the topics presented. The study of the history of the sound system will include readings of original medieval, renaissance and baroque texts. Prerequisite: Russian 222 or permission of the instructor.

Russian 304: Current Russian Media
A survey of current Russian newspaper and magazine articles, radio and television broadcasts, and the Internet. Subjects covered will include popular culture, home and family life, environmental issues, economics, and politics. Students will strive to master the special type of Russian used in the media as well as describe how these media reflect or distort the state of Russian society. Prerequisite: Russian 222 or permission of the instructor.

Russian 305: Russian Culture and Civilization
An exploration of recurring themes in Russian culture through the examination of prose fiction, poetry, theater, film and the visual arts. Emphasis will be placed on canonical works to give students a foundation in the Russian tradition. Since cultural continuity needs to be studied in the context of cultural change, we will simultaneously do an overview of important moments in Russian history from the eighteenth through the twentieth centuries. Students will write a paper every week about an aspect of Russian culture as it appears in the works we are examining. All reading, writing and discussion will be in Russian. Prerequisite: Russian 222 or permission of the instructor.

Russian 357: Dostoevsky
Reading and discussing Dosteovsky's literary works, we will try to answer the social, psychological, philosophical, and religious questions that tortured him. We will examine Dostoevsky's reaction to social problems he saw in 19th century Russia: family breakdown, alienation and powerlessness in the workplace, and the daily humiliations of living in a system that ranks people according to their salary. We will try to answer the underlying question: how can people connect with each other in the modern age? Modernity's preference for science and social science also troubled Dostoevsky. If human actions are scientifically predictable, can people ever be free? We will examine the unsavory solutions Dostoevsky offered: spite, game-playing, crime, radical nihilism, and others. Do religions, with all their glaring contradictions, offer a viable answer? The search for answers to these and other questions will open up new vistas and will educate students about one of the most influential world writers, the author of such classics as Notes from Underground, Crime and Punishment, and The Brothers Karamozov.

Russian 399: Independent Study
Submission of the special registration form, available in the Registrar's Office, and the approval of the instructor and chairperson are required for enrollment.

Russian 401: Special Topics Russian
Intensive study of a selected author, genre, movement or theme. Senior majors required to write an integrating project will do so in conjunction with this course; the course is therefore required of all Plan A majors and Plan B majors with a primary focus in Russian.

Russian 460: Tutorial
Submission of the special registration form, available in the Registrar's Office, and the approval of the instructor and chairperson are required for enrollment.

Russian 466: Teaching Assistant
Submission of the special registration form, available in the Registrar's Office, and the approval of the instructor and chairperson are required for enrollment.