Class Schedules

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

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

This course examines the Russian empire (1689-1917) within a global historical narrative. We will explore the formation and collapse of the Russian empire, paying special attention to its role within larger world developments and the experience of the diverse peoples that populated its territory. Considering external and internal processes, we will examine the numerous challenges that the Russian Empire faced throughout two and a half centuries. Of particular significance are its relationship with the West, Russia's imperialism, and the issues of modernization. Can count towards History's "Europe" and "pre-1800" and "Race/Indigeneity" and "Colonization/Empire" fields.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA
Internationalism

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

Through the study of Russian films starting from the silent era up to the present day, the course will explore how storytelling in cinema differs from that in history and fiction, as well as how power relations, technology, and aesthetics shaped cinematic depictions of major historical events in Russia and the Soviet Union, from medieval times to post-Soviet era. Students will view and analyze films that are among the essential Russian contributions to world cinema, by directors including Eisenstein, Tarkovsky, Mikhalkov, and Sokurov. Course readings will draw upon film theory, history, fiction, and memoirs. We will use our readings to create a conceptual framework for examining the films as narratives about real events, as vehicles of propaganda, and as imaginative works of art. In addition to attending weekly film screenings and discussing the films and readings in class, students will give presentations on topics of their choice arranged in consultation with the instructor.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA
Internationalism

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

Arms race! Space race! Farm Race! Following the end of the Second World War, scientists found themselves at the center of the Cold War. Both national leaders and ordinary citizens relied on their expertise to generate new scientific knowledge and develop innovative technologies that would elevate their countries above their ideological adversaries. Yet, the Cold War was not solely a period of competition. While science became deeply entangled in international rivalries, this era also saw significant growth in transnational collaboration among scientists. This course will explore the history of Cold War scientific competition and cooperation, with a particular focus on the Soviet Union and the United States.

General Education Requirements:
Internationalism

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

Covering the period from pre-modern times to the twenty-first century, this course places food at the center of the world history narrative. It explores the transnational histories of food commodities such as rice, tomatoes, bananas, and corn while using food as a lens to examine political, economic, cultural, and gender history, as well as the history of science and foreign affairs. The course is based on the premise that food—from cultivation to consumption—permeates every aspect of human life and, therefore, serves as a valuable framework for understanding complex historical processes such as industrialization, globalization, and cross-cultural and transnational exchange. Ultimately, the course aims to introduce students to food as a powerful analytical tool for interpreting global historical developments.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WP
Internationalism

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

This course builds on the skills acquired in RUSS 204 to strengthen fluency, broaden vocabulary, and enhance reading and listening comprehension through authentic materials such as film, news media, and the textbook Etazhi. Emphasis is placed on real-world communication and the development of advanced writing and grammar skills. A key component of the course is a collaborative project to update and expand the online Twin Cities Guide for Russian Speakers, carried out in partnership with members of the local Russian-speaking community. Prerequisite(s): RUSS 204 or permission of instructor.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials