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Bryn Mawr College
Department of Russian
101 N. Merion Ave. Bryn Mawr, PA 19010
phone: 610-526-5187
fax: 610-526-5192

Courses offered

This page displays the schedule of Bryn Mawr courses in this department for this academic year. It also displays descriptions of courses offered by the department during the last four academic years.

For information about courses offered by other Bryn Mawr departments and programs or about courses offered by Haverford and Swarthmore Colleges, please consult the Course Guides page.

For information about the Academic Calendar, including the dates of first and second quarter courses, please visit the College's master calendar.

Spring 2013

COURSE	TITLE	SCHEDULE/ UNITS	MEETING TYPE TIMES/DAYS	LOCATION	INSTRUCTOR(S)
RUSS B002-001	Elementary Russian Intensive	Semester / 1.5	Lecture: 9:00 AM-10:00 AM MWF	Russian Center Conference Room	Bain,S., Hayes,N., Teaching Assistant,T.
			Lecture: 8:45 AM- 9:45 AM TTH	Russian Center Conference Room
			Drill: 1:00 PM- 2:00 PM TTH	Russian Center Conference Room
			Drill: 6:00 PM- 7:00 PM TTH	Russian Center Conference Room
RUSS B102-001	Intermediate Russian	Semester / 1	Lecture: 9:00 AM-10:00 AM MWF	Russian Center Seminar Room	Bain,S., Hayes,N.
			Lecture: 8:45 AM- 9:45 AM TTH	Russian Center Seminar Room
RUSS B202-001	Advanced Russian	Semester / 1	Lecture: 10:00 AM-11:00 AM MWF	Russian Center Conference Room	Rojavin,M.
			Lecture: 9:45 AM-10:45 AM TTH	Russian Center Conference Room
RUSS B243-001	The Art of Exile: Emigration in Fiction, Film, and Painting	Semester / 1	LEC: 10:00 AM-11:30 AM MW	Dalton Hall 2	Harte,T.
			Screening: 7:00 PM-10:00 PM T	Dalton Hall 119
RUSS B258-001	Soviet and Eastern European Cinema of the 1960s	Semester / 1	Lecture: 11:15 AM-12:45 PM TTH	Taylor Hall C	Harte,T.
			Screening: 7:00 PM- 9:00 PM M	Taylor Hall C
RUSS B380-001	Seminar in Russian Studies: Flagship Russian	Semester / 1	LEC: 11:15 AM-12:45 PM TTH	Russian Center Seminar Room	Hayes,N.
RUSS B391-001	Russian for Pre-Professionals II	Semester / 1	Lecture: 11:00 AM-12:00 PM MWF	Russian Center Seminar Room	Rojavin,M., Tarkhanova,E.
RUSS B399-001	Senior Conference	Semester / 1	Lecture: 2:00 PM- 4:00 PM W	Russian Center Conference Room	Dept. staff, TBA
RUSS B403-001	Supervised Work	Semester / 1			Dept. staff, TBA
RUSS B403-001	Supervised Work	Semester / 1			Dept. staff, TBA
RUSS B701-001	Supervised Work	Semester / 1

Fall 2013

COURSE	TITLE	SCHEDULE/ UNITS	MEETING TYPE TIMES/DAYS	LOCATION	INSTRUCTOR(S)
RUSS B001-001	Elementary Russian Intensive	Semester / 1.5	Lecture: 9:00 AM-10:00 AM MWF	Russian Center Conference Room	Davidson,D., Department staff,T., Teaching Assistant,T.
			Lecture: 8:45 AM- 9:45 AM TTH	Russian Center Conference Room
			Drill: Date/Time TBA	Russian Center Conference Room
			Lab/Lec: Date/Time TBA	Russian Center Conference Room
RUSS B101-001	Intermediate Russian	Semester / 1	Lecture: 9:00 AM-10:00 AM MWF	Russian Center Seminar Room	Bain,S., Teaching Assistant,T.
			Lecture: 8:45 AM- 9:45 AM TTH	Russian Center Seminar Room
RUSS B201-001	Advanced Russian	Semester / 1	Lecture: 10:00 AM-11:00 AM MWF	Russian Center Seminar Room	Rojavin,M.
			Lecture: 9:45 AM-10:45 AM TTH	Russian Center Seminar Room
RUSS B223-001	Russian and East European Folklore	Semester / 1	Lecture: 1:00 PM- 2:30 PM MW	Taylor Hall E	Bain,S.
RUSS B235-001	The Social Dynamics of Russian	Semester / 1	Lecture: 12:45 PM- 2:15 PM TTH	Russian Center Seminar Room	Dept. staff, TBA
RUSS B238-001	Topics: The History of Cinema 1895 to 1945: Silent Film: From U.S. to Soviet Russia & Beyond	Semester / 1	Lecture: 9:45 AM-11:15 AM TTH	Taylor Hall E	Harte,T.
			Film: 7:00 PM-10:00 PM M	Thomas Hall 224
RUSS B253-001	Theory in Practice:Critical Discourses in the Humanities: Rhetoric and Interpretation after Post-Modernism	Semester / 1	Lecture: 1:00 PM- 2:30 PM MW		Interim,R.
RUSS B271-001	Chekhov: His Short Stories and Plays in Translation	Semester / 1	Lecture: 2:15 PM- 3:45 PM TTH	Taylor Hall E	Harte,T.
RUSS B375-001	Language and Identity Politics of Language in Europe and Eurasia	Semester / 1	LEC: 2:00 PM- 4:00 PM W	Russian Center Seminar Room	Davidson,D.
RUSS B390-001	Russian for Pre-Professionals I	Semester / 1	Lecture: 11:00 AM-12:00 PM MWF	Russian Center Seminar Room	Rojavin,M.
RUSS B701-001	Supervised Work	Semester / 1	LEC: Date/Time TBA		Davidson,D.

Spring 2014

COURSE	TITLE	SCHEDULE/ UNITS	MEETING TYPE TIMES/DAYS	LOCATION	INSTRUCTOR(S)
RUSS B002-001	Elementary Russian Intensive	Semester / 1.5	Lecture: 9:00 AM-10:00 AM MWF	Russian Center Conference Room	Davidson,D., Department staff,T., Teaching Assistant,T.
			Lecture: 8:45 AM- 9:45 AM TTH	Russian Center Conference Room
			Drill: Date/Time TBA	Russian Center Conference Room
			Lab/Lec: Date/Time TBA	Russian Center Conference Room
RUSS B102-001	Intermediate Russian	Semester / 1	Lecture: 9:00 AM-10:00 AM MWF	Russian Center Seminar Room	Bain,S., Teaching Assistant,T.
			Lecture: 8:45 AM- 9:45 AM TTH	Russian Center Seminar Room
RUSS B120-001	Focus: Russian Memoirs: Seeking Freedom Within Boundaries	First Half / 0.5	Lecture: 12:45 PM- 2:15 PM TTH	Taylor Hall F	Bain,S.
RUSS B202-001	Advanced Russian	Semester / 1	Lecture: 10:00 AM-11:00 AM MWF	Russian Center Seminar Room	Rojavin,M.
			Lecture: 9:45 AM-10:45 AM TTH	Russian Center Seminar Room
RUSS B215-001	Russian Avant-Garde Art, Literature and Film	Semester / 1	Lecture: 1:00 PM- 2:30 PM MW	Taylor Hall G	Harte,T.
RUSS B277-001	Nabokov in Translation	Semester / 1	Lecture: 11:15 AM-12:45 PM TTH	Taylor Hall F	Harte,T.
RUSS B380-001	Seminar in Russian Studies	Semester / 1	Lecture: 2:00 PM- 4:00 PM W	Russian Center Seminar Room	Dept. staff, TBA
			Drill: Date/Time TBA	Russian Center Conference Room
RUSS B391-001	Russian for Pre-Professionals II	Semester / 1	Lecture: 11:00 AM-12:00 PM MWF	Russian Center Seminar Room	Rojavin,M.
RUSS B399-001	Senior Conference	Semester / 1	Lecture: 2:00 PM- 4:00 PM W	Russian Center Conference Room	Dept. staff, TBA
RUSS B701-001	Supervised Work	Semester / 1	LEC: Date/Time TBA		Davidson,D.

Haverford Fall 2012 Course List

COURSE	TITLE	SCHEDULE/UNITS	MEETING TYPE TIMES/DAYS	LOCATION	INSTRUCTOR(S)
RUSSH249A01	The Soviet System and Its Demise	Semester 1/1	TTh 2:30-4:00	Stokes 010	Vladimir Kontorovich
RUSSH356A01	Literature and Society in Modern Russia	Semester 1/1	Th 1:30-4:00	Stokes 207	Linda Gerstein

Haverford Spring 2013 Course List

COURSE	TITLE	SCHEDULE/UNITS	MEETING TYPE TIMES/DAYS	LOCATION	INSTRUCTOR(S)
RUSSH244A01	Russia from 1800-1917	Semester 1/1	TTh 1:00-2:30		Linda Gerstein

2013-14 Catalog Data

RUSS B001 Elementary Russian Intensive Fall 2013 Study of basic grammar and syntax. Fundamental skills in speaking, reading, writing, and oral comprehension are developed. Eight hours a week including conversation sections and language laboratory work. Language Level 1

RUSS B002 Elementary Russian Intensive Spring 2014 Study of basic grammar and syntax. Fundamental skills in speaking, reading, writing, and oral comprehension are developed. Eight hours a week including conversation sections and language laboratory work. Language Level 1

RUSS B101 Intermediate Russian Fall 2013 Continuing development of fundamental skills with emphasis on vocabulary expansion in speaking and writing. Readings in Russian classics and contemporary works. Five hours a week Language Level 2

RUSS B102 Intermediate Russian Spring 2014 Continuing development of fundamental skills with emphasis on vocabulary expansion in speaking and writing. Readings in Russian classics and contemporary works. Five hours a week. Language Level 2

RUSS B112 The Great Questions of Russian Literature Not offered 2013-14 This course examines profound questions about the nature and purpose of human existence raised by preeminent 19th- and 20th-century Russian authors in major literary works, including Bulgakov's The Master and Margarita, Chekhov's The Seagull and The Cherry Orchard, Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov, Solzhenitsyn's One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, Tolstoy's War and Peace, and Turgenev's Sketches from a Hunter's Album. Discussions address the definition of good and evil, the meaning of freedom, the role of rationality and the irrational in human behavior, and the relationship of art to life. No knowledge of Russian is required. Division III: Humanities Critical Interpretation (CI)

RUSS B115 The Golden Age of Russian Literature Not offered 2013-14 An introduction to the great 19th Century Russian authors and some of their most famous, seminal works, including Pushkin's "The Queen of Spades" and Eugene Onegin, Gogol's The Inspector General and "The Overcoat", Turgenev's Fathers and Sons, Dostoevksy's "The Double" and "White Nights" and Tolstoy's Childhood, Boyhood and Youth. All readings, lectures, and discussions are conducted in English. Division III: Humanities Critical Interpretation (CI)

RUSS B120 Focus: Russian Memoirs: Seeking Freedom Within Boundaries Spring 2014 This course examines memoirs by Russian women who either have spent time as political or wartime prisoners or have challenged socially-constructed boundaries through their choice of profession. Students will explore the socio-historical contexts in which these women lived and the ways in which they created new norms in extraordinary circumstances. No knowledge of Russian is required. Division III: Humanities

RUSS B125 Monsters and Masterpieces: Russia's Age of Enlightenment Not offered 2013-14 This course explores Russia's first museums and research institutions, such as Peter I's Kunstkamera, the Academy of Sciences and the Hermitage. It examines the ways they transformed Russia's intellectual and cultural landscape by challenging deeply-rooted beliefs about God and the natural world during the Russian Enlightenment. Half semester Focus course. No knowledge of Russian is required. Division III: Humanities

RUSS B201 Advanced Russian Fall 2013 Intensive practice in speaking and writing skills using a variety of modern texts and contemporary films and television. Emphasis on self-expression and a deeper understanding of grammar and syntax. Five hours a week. Division III: Humanities

RUSS B202 Advanced Russian Spring 2014 Intensive practice in speaking and writing skills using a variety of modern texts and contemporary films and television. Emphasis on self-expression and a deeper understanding of grammar and syntax. Five hours a week. Division III: Humanities

RUSS B212 Russian Literature in Translation Not offered 2013-14 This is a topics course. Topics vary. All readings, lectures, and discussions in English. Division III: Humanities Critical Interpretation (CI)

RUSS B215 Russian Avant-Garde Art, Literature and Film Spring 2014 This course focuses on Russian avant-garde painting, literature and cinema at the start of the 20th century. Moving from Imperial Russian art to Stalinist aesthetics, we explore the rise of non-objective painting (Malevich, Kandinsky, etc.), ground-breaking literature (Bely, Mayakovsky), and revolutionary cinema (Vertov, Eisenstein). No knowledge of Russian required. Division III: Humanities Critical Interpretation (CI) Cross-listed as HART B215 Counts toward Film Studies

RUSS B221 The Serious Play of Pushkin and Gogol Not offered 2013-14 This course explores major contributions to the modern Russian literary tradition by its two founding fathers, Aleksander Pushkin and Nikolai Gogol. Comparing short stories, plays, novels, and letters written by these pioneering artists, the course addresses Pushkin's and Gogol's shared concerns about human freedom, individual will, social injustice, and artistic autonomy, which each author expressed through his own distinctive filter of humor and playfulness. No knowledge of Russian is required. Division III: Humanities Critical Interpretation (CI)

RUSS B223 Russian and East European Folklore Fall 2013 This interdisciplinary course introduces students to major issues in Russian and East European folklore including epic tales, fairy tales, calendar and life-cycle rituals, and folk beliefs. The course also presents different theoretical approaches to the interpretation of folk texts as well as emphasizes the influence of folklore on literature, music, and art. No knowledge of Russian is required. Division III: Humanities Cross-Cultural Analysis (CC) Critical Interpretation (CI)

RUSS B235 The Social Dynamics of Russian Fall 2013 An examination of the social factors that influence the language of Russian conversational speech, including contemporary Russian media (films, television, and the Internet). Basic social strategies that structure a conversation are studied, as well as the implications of gender and education on the form and style of discourse. Prerequisites: RUSS 201, 202, may be taken concurrently. Division I: Social Science Cross-Cultural Analysis (CC)

RUSS B238 Topics: The History of Cinema 1895 to 1945
Section 001 (Fall 2013): Silent Film: From U.S. to Soviet Russia & Beyond Fall 2013 This is a topics course. Course content varies. Division III: Humanities Inquiry into the Past (IP) Cross-listed as ENGL B238 Cross-listed as HART B238 Counts toward Film Studies

RUSS B243 The Art of Exile: Emigration in Fiction, Film, and Painting Not offered 2013-14 This course explores a diverse range of films (Akin, Fassbinder), paintings (Chagall, Rothko), and fictional prose works (Nabokov, Sebald) that probe the experience of exile and emigration. We will focus primarily on Russian émigré culture, 20th-century Jews, American immigrants, and the Turkish community in Hamburg, Germany. Division III: Humanities Critical Interpretation (CI)

RUSS B253 Theory in Practice:Critical Discourses in the Humanities
Section 001 (Fall 2013): Rhetoric and Interpretation after Post-Modernism Fall 2013 An examination in English of leading theories of interpretation from Classical Tradition to Modern and Post-Modern Time. This is a topics course. Course content varies. Division III: Humanities Critical Interpretation (CI) Cross-listed as ITAL B213 Cross-listed as PHIL B253

RUSS B254 Russian Culture and Civilization Not offered 2013-14 A history of Russian culture--its ideas, its value and belief systems--from the origins to the present that integrates the examination of works of literature, art, and music. Division I or Division III Cross-Cultural Analysis (CC) Inquiry into the Past (IP)

RUSS B258 Soviet and Eastern European Cinema of the 1960s Not offered 2013-14 This course examines 1960s Soviet and Eastern European "New Wave" cinema, which won worldwide acclaim through its treatment of war, gender, and aesthetics. Films from Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Poland, Russia, and Yugoslavia will be viewed and analyzed, accompanied by readings on film history and theory. All films shown with subtitles; no knowledge of Russian or previous study of film required. Division I or Division III Cross-Cultural Analysis (CC) Critical Interpretation (CI) Counts toward Film Studies

RUSS B261 The Russian Anti-Novel Not offered 2013-14 A study of 19th- and 20th-century Russian novels focusing on their strategies of opposing or circumventing European literary conventions. Works by Bulgakov, Dostoevsky, Nabokov, Pushkin, and Tolstoy, are compared to Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice and other exemplars of the Western novelistic tradition. All readings, lectures, and discussions in English. Division III: Humanities Critical Interpretation (CI) Cross-listed as COML B261

RUSS B271 Chekhov: His Short Stories and Plays in Translation Fall 2013 A study of the themes, structure and style of Chekhov's major short stories and plays. The course will also explore the significance of Chekhov's prose and drama in the English-speaking world, where this masterful Russian writer is the most staged playwright after Shakespeare. All readings and lectures in English. Division III: Humanities Critical Interpretation (CI)

RUSS B277 Nabokov in Translation Spring 2014 A study of Vladimir Nabokov's writings in various genres, focusing on his fiction and autobiographical works. The continuity between Nabokov's Russian and English works is considered in the context of the Russian and Western literary traditions. All readings and lectures in English. Division III: Humanities Critical Interpretation (CI) Cross-listed as ENGL B277

RUSS B309 Russian Language and Culture Through Interactive Learning Not offered 2013-14 A course in which Russian students of English and Tri-Co students of Russian learn from each other through guided discussions on topics chosen by the instructor. Tri-Co students are required to attend weekly meetings with the instructor.

RUSS B321 The Serious Play of Pushkin and Gogol Not offered 2013-14 This course explores major contributions to the modern Russian literary tradition by its two founding fathers, Aleksander Pushkin and Nikolai Gogol. Comparing short stories, plays, novels, and letters written by these pioneering artists, the course addresses Pushkin's and Gogol's shared concerns about human freedom, individual will, social injustice, and artistic autonomy, which each author expressed through his own distinctive filter of humor and playfulness. The course is taught jointly with Russian 221; students enrolled in 321 will meet with the instructor for an additional hour to study texts in the original Russian. Division III: Humanities

RUSS B343 Russian Avant-Garde Culture: 1890 - 1935 Not offered 2013-14 This seminar focuses on the radical, "avant-garde" transformations that occurred in Russian culture at the beginning of the 20th century. Particular emphasis will be placed on how the interaction of artists in a variety of media resulted in one of Russian culture's most innovative periods. Seminar discussion will cover the painting, poetry, prose, music, ballet and film produced in Russia between 1890 and 1932. Topics include Russia's reevaluation of its cultural heritage through neo-primitive art; the Russian avant-garde's mystical, Eastern underpinnings; the primacy of music for avant-garde artists; and the emergence of abstract, dynamic art.

RUSS B375 Language and Identity Politics of Language in Europe and Eurasia Fall 2013 A brief general introduction to the study of language policy and planning with special emphasis on the Russophone world, the newly independent states of the former Soviet Union. Surveys current theoretical approaches to bilingualism and language shift. Analyzes Soviet language and nationality policy using published census data for the Soviet period through 1989. Focus on the current "language situation" and policy challenges for the renewal of functioning native languages and cultures and maintenance of essential language competencies, lingua franca, both within the Russian Federation and in the "Near Abroad." Division III: Humanities

RUSS B380 Seminar in Russian Studies
Section 001 (Spring 2013): Flagship Russian Spring 2014 An examination of a focused topic in Russian literature such as a particular author, genre, theme, or decade. Introduces students to close reading and detailed critical analysis of Russian literature in the original language. Readings in Russian. Some discussions and lectures in Russian. Prerequisites: RUSS 201 and one 200-level Russian literature course. Division III: Humanities

RUSS B390 Russian for Pre-Professionals I Fall 2013 This capstone to the overall language course sequence is designed to develop linguistic and cultural proficiency in Russian to the advanced level or higher, preparing students to carry out academic study or research in Russian in a professional field. Prerequisite: study abroad in Russia for at least one summer, preferably one semester; and/or certified proficiency levels of 'advanced-low' or 'advanced-mid' in two skills, one of which must be oral proficiency. Division III: Humanities

RUSS B391 Russian for Pre-Professionals II Spring 2014 Second part of year long capstone language sequence designed to develop linguistic and cultural proficiency to the "advanced level," preparing students to carry out advanced academic study or research in Russian in a professional field. Prerequisite: RUSS 390 or equivalent. Division III: Humanities

RUSS B398 Senior Essay Independent research project designed and conducted under the supervision of a departmental faculty member. May be undertaken in either fall or spring semester of senior year.

RUSS B399 Senior Conference Exploration of an interdisciplinary topic in Russian culture. Topic varies from year to year. Requirements may include short papers, oral presentations, and examinations.

RUSS B403 Supervised Work

RUSS B701 Supervised Work Fall 2013, Spring 2014

Haverford College Russian Course Offerings

RUSS H244Russia from 1800-1917 Spring 2013Cross-listed in History
Topics considered include the culture of serfdom, Westernization, reforms, modernization, national identities, and Revolution.

RUSS H249The Soviet System and Its Demise Fall 2012Cross-listed in Economics and Political Science
Prerequisite: Two one-sem courses in Econ, Pols, or Hist.
The Soviet system was inspired by some of the loftiest ideals of humanity. The entire society was redesigned so as to pursue common goals, rather than conflicting private objectives. The economy was run for people, not profits. The Soviet system is no more, but the ideas on which it was founded will probably always be with us. What does the largest social and economic experiment in history teach us? The course is 1/3 political science and 2/3 economics.

RUSS H356Literature and Society in Modern Russia Fall 2012Cross-listed in History
Russian Literature and Russian Society (Anna Karenina, Crime and Punishment, Quiet Flows the Don, Dr. Zhivago, Master and Margarita, and The First Circle.)