SYLLABUS ADVANCED TUTORIAL RUSS 392-01

LANGUAGE, LITERATURE, CULTURE: !

SEMESTER: Fall 2013
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ADVANCED COURSE DESCRIPTION:

This course is designed for the advanced student of Russian. Therefore Russian will be the
primary language spoken in class. The course provides extensive practice of oral performance
as well as enhances writing skills. In as much as it is a culture and literature as well as a
language course it is designed to help you acquire skills and knowledge essential to your
academic success.
! Composition of grades:
o Attendance and participation

20 %

o Homework

20 %

o Short essays (1 p., 2 pp., 2 pp.)

20 %

o Research paper (4 pp.)

20 %

o Oral midterm presentation

20 %

! Criteria for grading class participation:

A: Good preparation and eager and active participation;
B: Almost always good preparation and only sometimes eager and active participation;
C: Frequent lack of preparation, sluggish participation only when directly spoken at;
D: Almost persistent lack of preparation as well as reluctance to participate;
F: Unjustified absences, lack of preparation, lack of verve in participation, lack of discipline.
Participation in Russian events such as teas, parties and screenings organized by Natalia
will earn you extra credit!!!

WORK REQUIRED:

o Regular course attendance is important (failure to show up more than twice

will require a serious justification).
o All reading and writing assignments must be completed on time;
o Careful reading of all texts assigned in full;
o Classroom participation;
TOPICS DESCRIPTION
While Tolstoy and Dostoevsky are the two Russian names which are better known abroad
Alexander Pushkin is the central literary figure and cultural symbol within Russia itself.
Underappreciated in the West, in Russia Pushkin is the object of an authentic cult. The
downside of this cult is that it often bars Russians from true understanding or even basic
knowledge of Pushkins works. The popular clich ! is the emblem
of this ignorance, a true boundary of a spiritual province.
The students of this advanced language, literature, and culture course will find themselves in a
privileged position. Unaffected by the cult of Pushkin they will have a chance to read the poet
in the original and discover his charms which rarely survive translation. Reading the texts by
someone who is deemed to be the father of modern Russian is arguably the best way to
increase proficiency in the language. However, as Russian culture and language have evolved
from the times of Pushkin, we will not limit ourselves to the texts from his epoch, but will
work with texts, songs and multimedia materials stretching well into modern times, but which
in one way or another respond, echo, imitate or reflect on Pushkins work and legacy,
including humor and jokes.
Poetry:
Russian poetry is a relatively young affair a lot of it is still written in classical forms. As the
poet said, form in poetry is as intimately bound up with the meaning as the body is with the
soul. To be able to appreciate the interplay of form and meaning we will study the main
forms of Russian poetry such as main verse meters, rhyme pattern and stanzaic design.
In Russia the practice of poetry memorization is still widespread. Old-fashioned as it might
seem, memorization by heart is a very helpful tool when it comes to second language
acquisition. The structured rhythmical pattern of poems can help to get the accents right and
to practice automatism of enunciation so hard to achieve at first in a foreign language.
2

A rule of thumb: on Tuesdays we will have a poetry class, on Thursdays a prose class.
COURSE MATERIALS:
1. M.. 1890-1925- . ., .
. 1993. ( : XX : .
. ., . 2001.) (Excerpts from the book are available on
Moodle)
2. ,

, (: "", 2003). (Excerpts on

Moodle)
3. Michael Wachtel. The development of Russian verse : meter and its meanings.
(Cambridge ; New York : Cambridge University Press, 1998.) (Excerpts on Moodle)
4. Terence Wade, A Comprehensive Russian Grammar, newly updated and revised,
(Cambridge: John Wiley & Sons, 2010).
LEARNING GOALS:
-

approach complex poetic texts;

identify poetic forms;

participate in conversations on literary topics;

make thoughtful arguments;

read deeply;

conduct college-level research;

communicate with your peers;

share your work within the class;

learn through group and pair work;

LEARNING OUTCOMES:
-

Learn about the basic verse meters and main forms of Russian poetry;

Read poems aloud taking into account intonation and rhythm;

Present the results of a group work paying particular attention to such aspects of a live
presentation as accuracy and clarity of delivery;

Listen to the presentations of your peers and identify key points [of? Listed above?];

Develop your interpretative abilities;

3

Improve your reading and listening skills;

Improve your writing and speaking skills;

Expand your vocabulary;

Increase your imagination and emotional awareness;

THE USE OF ELECTRONIC DEVICES DURING CLASSES IS PROHIBITED

UNLESS USED FOR

EXPLICITLY DIDACTIC PURPOSES!

ACADEMIC HONESTY-POLICY

This course is based on the trust that the work you present is your own unless otherwise noted
and documented. The full statement of the College policy on academic honesty may be found
at: http://www.holycross.edu/catalog/academic-honesty-policy.pdf
! STUDY ABROAD:
Studying abroad is an excellent opportunity not only to improve your Russian but to
learn about another culture and yourself. Holy Cross provides an opportunity for all
students enrolled in Russian language classes to participate in our 6 week summer
school in Moscow RSUH/RGGU. Our Moscow program offers different levels of
Russian studies and participation in Holy Cross Study Abroad programs qualifies for
financial aid.
PROVISIONAL SCHEDULE:
:
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(on Moodle, pp. 43-46)
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2- , , September 3rd
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(on Moodle, 1 p.)
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvgxbhqAuMc

2- , , September 5th
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3- , , September 10th
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3- , , September 12th
, on Moodle, pp. 56-76.
4- , , September 17th
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1QxBYGyYMU

4- , , September 19th
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5- , , September 24th
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(On Moodle, pp. 136-139.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCMrGYNL3FM;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o93vs5uwC_k

5- , , September 26th
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6- , , October 1st

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... ... (2 pp.) . 416.
. (3pp.)
Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9w8I6_zmm1A
6- , , October 3rd
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(5 pp. electronic source)
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7- , , October 8th
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDnJ88PMqQE

, (Moodle, pp. 133-134)

7- , , October 10th
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8- , , October 22nd
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8- , , October 24th
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9- , , October 29th
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9- , , October 31th
(. 107-114, on Moodle)
10- , , November 5th
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10- , , November 7th

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11- , , November 12th
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11- , , November 14th
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12- , , November 19th
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12- , , November 21th
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13- , , November 26th
, Russian blank verse,
13- , , December 3rd
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14- , , December 8th
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