Class Schedules

A structured introduction to the basics of the Russian sound system and grammar, as well as speaking, reading, writing, and comprehension. Some exposure to Russian culture. For beginning students. No prerequisites. Russian language classes aim at perfecting all four linguistic skills: speaking, listening, reading, and writing. This course meets three times per week with two additional weekly sessions (labs) devoted specifically to oral proficiency. These conversation sessions are taught by Russian native speakers.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

A structured introduction to the basics of the Russian sound system and grammar, as well as speaking, reading, writing, and comprehension. Some exposure to Russian culture. For beginning students. No prerequisites. Russian language classes aim at perfecting all four linguistic skills: speaking, listening, reading, and writing. This course meets three times per week with two additional weekly sessions (labs) devoted specifically to oral proficiency. These conversation sessions are taught by Russian native speakers.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

A structured introduction to the basics of the Russian sound system and grammar, as well as speaking, reading, writing, and comprehension. Some exposure to Russian culture. For beginning students. No prerequisites. Russian language classes aim at perfecting all four linguistic skills: speaking, listening, reading, and writing. This course meets three times per week with two additional weekly sessions (labs) devoted specifically to oral proficiency. These conversation sessions are taught by Russian native speakers.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

In the second year of Russian, students learn to operate in basic social and cultural environments. Conversational skills needed on the telephone, public transport and other daily situations, listening and reading skills such as television, newspapers, and movies, and various modes of writing are studied. Russian language classes aim at perfecting all four linguistic skills: speaking, listening, reading, and writing. Intermediate and advanced courses are taught in Russian as much as possible. This course meets three times per week with two additional weekly sessions (labs) devoted specifically to oral proficiency. These conversation sessions are taught by Russian native speakers. Prerequisite(s): RUSS 102 with a grade of C- or better, or consent of the instructor.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

In the second year of Russian, students learn to operate in basic social and cultural environments. Conversational skills needed on the telephone, public transport and other daily situations, listening and reading skills such as television, newspapers, and movies, and various modes of writing are studied. Russian language classes aim at perfecting all four linguistic skills: speaking, listening, reading, and writing. Intermediate and advanced courses are taught in Russian as much as possible. This course meets three times per week with two additional weekly sessions (labs) devoted specifically to oral proficiency. These conversation sessions are taught by Russian native speakers. Prerequisite(s): RUSS 102 with a grade of C- or better, or consent of the instructor.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

In the second year of Russian, students learn to operate in basic social and cultural environments. Conversational skills needed on the telephone, public transport and other daily situations, listening and reading skills such as television, newspapers, and movies, and various modes of writing are studied. Russian language classes aim at perfecting all four linguistic skills: speaking, listening, reading, and writing. Intermediate and advanced courses are taught in Russian as much as possible. This course meets three times per week with two additional weekly sessions (labs) devoted specifically to oral proficiency. These conversation sessions are taught by Russian native speakers. Prerequisite(s): RUSS 102 with a grade of C- or better, or consent of the instructor.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

A survey of Russian, Soviet and post-Soviet history from the Russian Revolution to the present. Topics include the Bolshevik revolution of 1917, Bolshevik rule and its tsarist heritage, Soviet "monocratic" society under Lenin and Stalin, dissent in the USSR, the "command economy" in the collapse of Communist political power, and national consciousness as an operative idea in the Commonwealth of Independent States. Can count toward History's "Europe" and "post-1800" and "Colonization/Empire" fields.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WP
Internationalism

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

This course examines the relationship between empire and environment in the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union from the 18th to the 20th century. How did imperial expansion and socialist projects transform the livelihoods and landscapes of Northern Eurasia? Using primary and secondary sources, we will explore this question and consider how both the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union enacted policies that sought to tame and protect the environment of Northern Eurasia. Among the topics that we will discuss are the conquest of Siberia and the Far East; fur trade, hunting, and animal extinction; the Arctic environment; agricultural landscapes, famines, and food resources; the Virgin Land Campaign; Soviet industrialization; the exploitation of labor and nature in the Gulag; nuclear landscapes; environmental disasters and mysteries (Chornobyl, the Aral Sea, and the Tunguska meteorite).

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

'Us vs. Them: the Cold War and its Culture' explores the politics, cultural exchanges, and ideological battles that defined the Cold War era, 1945-1991. Perspectives on the decades-long standoff will include not only the superpowers in the East and the West but also the socialist bloc of nations and the peoples and states shaking off the chains of colonialism.Discover how the intense rivalry and the specter of nuclear annihilation shaped global politics, economics, and societies, from the space race and the arms race to proxy wars fought on foreign soils. This course delves into the fears, strategies, and motivations that drove the actions of the United States, the Soviet Union, their allies, and the newly independent nations, providing a nuanced understanding of their interrelations.However, the Cold War's legacy is not solely one of political and military maneuvers; it also sparked significant cultural exchanges that influenced music, literature, film, and art, leaving an indelible mark on contemporary culture. During this period, culture became a frontier for competing ideologies, and it shaped how individuals and communities across different political and ideological spectrums navigated this complex era of suspicion and cooperation.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

This course is designed to solidify confidence in speaking and conversing, deepen student vocabulary and reading skills through authentic readings, and strengthen listening and writing skills. A primary goal of the course is to facilitate the achievement of advanced proficiency while interacting with Russian speakers. The focus of the course in Fall 2024 will be on a group project that connects students with the Twin Cities Russian-speaking community. This year, Russian Studies majors will be able to count RUSS 305 toward their capstone requirement. Prerequisite: RUSS 204 or permission of instructor.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

Continuation of RUSS 101; further development of the same skills. Russian language classes aim at perfecting all four linguistic skills: speaking, listening, reading, and writing. This course meets three times per week with two additional weekly sessions (labs) devoted specifically to oral proficiency. These conversation sessions are taught by Russian native speakers. Prerequisite(s): RUSS 101 with a grade of C- or better, or consent of instructor.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

Continuation of RUSS 101; further development of the same skills. Russian language classes aim at perfecting all four linguistic skills: speaking, listening, reading, and writing. This course meets three times per week with two additional weekly sessions (labs) devoted specifically to oral proficiency. These conversation sessions are taught by Russian native speakers. Prerequisite(s): RUSS 101 with a grade of C- or better, or consent of instructor.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

Continuation of RUSS 101; further development of the same skills. Russian language classes aim at perfecting all four linguistic skills: speaking, listening, reading, and writing. This course meets three times per week with two additional weekly sessions (labs) devoted specifically to oral proficiency. These conversation sessions are taught by Russian native speakers. Prerequisite(s): RUSS 101 with a grade of C- or better, or consent of instructor.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

Continuation of RUSS 203; further development of the same skills; added emphasis on reading and discussing simple texts. Conversational skills needed on the telephone, public transport and other daily situations, listening and reading skills such as television, newspapers, and movies, and various modes of writing are studied. Russian language classes aim at perfecting all four linguistic skills: speaking, listening, reading, and writing. Intermediate and advanced courses are taught in Russian as much as possible. Students are usually prepared for study in Russia after they have completed Intermediate Russian II. This course meets three times per week with two additional weekly sessions (labs) devoted specifically to oral proficiency. These conversation sessions are taught by Russian native speakers. Prerequisite(s): RUSS 203 with a grade of C- or better, or consent of instructor.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

Continuation of RUSS 203; further development of the same skills; added emphasis on reading and discussing simple texts. Conversational skills needed on the telephone, public transport and other daily situations, listening and reading skills such as television, newspapers, and movies, and various modes of writing are studied. Russian language classes aim at perfecting all four linguistic skills: speaking, listening, reading, and writing. Intermediate and advanced courses are taught in Russian as much as possible. Students are usually prepared for study in Russia after they have completed Intermediate Russian II. This course meets three times per week with two additional weekly sessions (labs) devoted specifically to oral proficiency. These conversation sessions are taught by Russian native speakers. Prerequisite(s): RUSS 203 with a grade of C- or better, or consent of instructor.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

Continuation of RUSS 203; further development of the same skills; added emphasis on reading and discussing simple texts. Conversational skills needed on the telephone, public transport and other daily situations, listening and reading skills such as television, newspapers, and movies, and various modes of writing are studied. Russian language classes aim at perfecting all four linguistic skills: speaking, listening, reading, and writing. Intermediate and advanced courses are taught in Russian as much as possible. Students are usually prepared for study in Russia after they have completed Intermediate Russian II. This course meets three times per week with two additional weekly sessions (labs) devoted specifically to oral proficiency. These conversation sessions are taught by Russian native speakers. Prerequisite(s): RUSS 203 with a grade of C- or better, or consent of instructor.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

How can literature help readers find meaning and purpose in times of crisis? In this course, we will study well-crafted narratives serving as windows into the conditions that led to dissent, social strife, and a thirst for liberation in imperial Russia, culminating in the Bolshevik revolution. Under autocracy in Russia, literature was the only public forum for debates about the things that mattered most. In the lead-up to the revolution, Russian literature had a tangible effect on the world by building compassion and sparking indignation, inspiring questions about how things could be otherwise, and by driving readers to action. In the first half of the semester, we will read short stories by authors such as Gogol and Chekhov who left an indelible impression on world literature, and a selection from a novel that served as a bible for revolutionaries. In the second half, we will focus on Dostoevsky's novel The Brothers Karamazov, a story of rebellion against fathers in every sense, written in response to the rise of revolutionary terrorism in Russia. We will conclude with a novella by Tolstoy, Hadji Murat, about the resistance that the Russian state met in its attempt to subjugate the peoples of the Caucasus. We will consider these texts as works of art and as sources of understanding and impact feeding into the Bolshevik Revolution. These narratives about people caught up in unjust systems of power raise questions about how one can and should act under oppressive circumstances. The characters we will encounter grapple with issues of agency and responsibility, as well as the crucial question of who gets to decide what is right and what is wrong in a secular world. As such, these stories bear witness not only to their times, but to ours as well. No previous knowledge of Russian literature or history is required. For our readings we will use English translations that preserve the pleasures of the original texts.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WP
Internationalism

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

This class will examine the origins, nature, and legacies of mass terror and the Gulag in the Soviet Union. We will examine the everyday experiences of victims, perpetrators, and bystanders in prisons, camps, and exile settlements. We will also consider how the Gulag fits into the global histories of concentration camps and mass incarceration.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA
Internationalism

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

The USSR was a peculiar type of state: an empire that promoted selective forms of national expression and some national groups. Through case studies, this course will examine how the Soviet Union was shaped by seemingly contradictory policies and practices, including the establishment of ethnic homelands, the forced deportations of "enemy" ethnic groups, labor migration, and inter-ethnic conflicts.

General Education Requirements:
Internationalism

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials