The Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures



The Department of Slavic

Languages & Literatures

Course Offerings in English for Fall Term 2004

Slavic Listings

150 First Year Seminar -- Shtetl, Krutikov, Humanities, TTh 10-11.30

Shtetl — a Yiddish word for a small town — served as the setting of Jewish life in East Europe and left a lasting impact on Jewish memory and imagination. We will explore interactions between reality and fiction by examining a variety of historical sources and works of fiction, as well as visual representations in art and film. We will also touch upon more general issues such as formation of collective memory and mythology, preservation and transmission of cultural legacy.

225 Arts and Cultures of Central Europe, Carpenter, Eagle, Toman, Humanities, R&E,

MWF 2-3

The course is an introduction to the rich cultures of the peoples of Central Europe (Croats, Czechs, Hungarians, Jews, Poles, Serbs, and Slovaks) seen against the background of two world wars, communism and its recent disintegration. Culturally vibrant, Central Europe reveals the tragic destiny of twentieth-century civilization which gave rise to two totalitarian systems: fascism and communism. The course will outline the ethnic complexities of the region, with special attention to Jewish culture and its tragic destruction during the Holocaust. The trauma of the war on the civilian population will be documented by contemporary films. The course will examine the fate of culture under totalitarianism and study subterfuges used by novelists, dramatists, and artists to circumvent political control and censorship. Students will read works by Kafka, Milosz, Kundera, and Havel; see movies by Wajda and others; become acquainted with Czech and Polish avant-garde art and music and the unique cultural atmosphere of Central European cities: Vienna, Prague, Budapest, and Warsaw.

240 Introduction to Slavic Folklore: From Vampires to Urban Tales --

Slavic Folklore and Modern Society. Makin, Humanities, R&E, MW11.30-1.00.

This course aims to introduce the folklore of the Slavic peoples to a general student audience, and also to examine how various forms of folklore (including tales, songs, historical narratives, chants, spells, schismatic religious works, etc) have been treated by modern “high culture”. How have painters, dramatists, film-makers, poets, writers of fiction and others treated folklore; what ideological impulses have led people to collect and study it (and sometimes to misrepresent it); what sort of “living folklore” can be found in the countryside of the Slavic world today? In addition, the course looks at the new forms of folklore which have emerged in the modern, urban world, and seeks to explore the ways in which these new forms may be compared with “traditional” folklore. Informal lectures with discussions. Two short papers, three in-class examinations. No background in the subject required; all readings in English. Class materials will include visual, audio, and print media, plus folk art objects and other manifestations of the intersection of folklore with everyday life and with high culture.

250 Cultural Diversity in Russia, Eastern Europe, and Eurasia Shevoroshkin, R&E, TTh 1.00–2.30.

This course will explore firsthand the extraordinary cultural diversity of Eastern Europe, Russia and Eurasia, where European and Asian cultures met and often clashed, and whose culture is a unique blend of Western and Oriental influences. One paper and short reviews of films, stories, and articles.

313 Russian Cinema, Eagle, lecture TTh 2–3; laboratory M 7-9; discussion sections Th 3–4, F 12-1, F 1-2 Humanities. Upper-level Writing Requirement satisfied by section 3 (Th 3-4) only.

In the 1920’s Soviet film makers armed with bold new ideas about cinematic art and with a revolutionary political ideology created the theory of film montage and through it a decade of acknowledged masterpieces. In the 1930’s experimentation gave way to an officially sanctioned “socialist realist” art, ideologically dogmatic and oriented toward the regime’s specific political and social goals. However, after Stalin’s death experimentation and diversity re-emerged in Soviet cinema. Although “socialist realism” remained the officially sanctioned style, directors were able to reintroduce personal themes and, more subtly, religious and philosophical issues. The 1980’s saw the re-emergence of a variety of approaches (from documentary to the grotesque) and open political and social criticism in the spirit of glasnost’ With the end of the Soviet Union, sexuality, gender, and ethnicity became important issues as well. The course will examine this rich history in terms of both themes and styles. Evaluation will be based on contributions to class discussion and three short (6-8 pages) critical papers.

481 East European Jewish Writing, Krutikov, TTh 1.00-2.30

This course will focus on the literary representations of Jewish identity in the multilingual and multicultural contexts of Eastern and Central Europe in the 20th century. More specifically, the course will address the challenges that the choice of a language and cultural orientation posed for a European writer of Jewish origin. Readings will include novels, short stories and memoirs, writings in German, Hebrew, Hungarian, Polish, Russian, and Yiddish (all texts are available in English translation). Every text on the reading list occupies a prominent place in the respective national literary canon; taken together, they represent a complex and diverse picture of the vibrant European Jewish civilization in the most critical moment of its history. Readings will be complemented by a selection of films.

483 Fundamentals of Slavic Linguistics, Toman, MW 4.00-5.30

A comprehensive overview of the field of linguistics as it relates to Slavic Languages. Starting from the question, What does it mean to know a Slavic language?, the course reviews the areas of phonology, morphology, syntax, pragmatics, semantics, applied linguistics, and sociolinguistics. The main goal is to develop students' skills in analyzing data, forming and testing hypotheses, and arguing for the correctness of solutions.

Polish Listings

325 Polish Literature in English, from its beginnings to 1890, Carpenter, MWF 1-2, Humanities.

The course surveys the development of Polish literature in terms of individual authors and major literary movements from the beginning until 1890. Individual critical analysis of texts required. A knowledge of Polish is NOT required. All readings in English translation An historical survey of Polish literature from its origin to 1900.

432 Topics in Polish Literature: The Power of Drama and the Drama of Power – Polish Drama in a Comparative context, Carpenter, W 3-5.

It is the purpose of this course to examine different manifestations of power as they are reflected in Polish drama. Drama and power are united by mutual affinity; just as power implies a clash of opposing forces, the structure of drama is determine by agon. Power is a fundamental trait of interhuman relations including love and friendship, but its most obvious playground is politics. Ever since the Renaissance, power and politics have been central to Polish drama. Poland's tangled and tragic history found an often twisted reflection in its literature, and Polish drama offers a unique and fascinating response to history and politics. The presentation of power in Polish drama will be examined within different and changing historical and political context, as well as within different, dramatic styles and conventions. Emphasis will be on Polish 20th-century authors: Witkiewicz, Gombrowicz, Mrozek, Rozewicz, but some older authors, such as Kochanowski and Krasinski, will provide a template against which to examine modern playwrights. Readings will also include non-Polish playwrights such as Beckett, Ionesco, and Havel. A knowledge of Polish is not required.

Russian Listings

231 Russian Culture and Society, Maiorova, MW, 1.00-2.30, Humanities.

This interdisciplinary course provides an introduction to Russian culture and seeks to acquaint students with the major achievements of Russian art, music, literature, architecture, and cinema. Students will be introduced to the most interesting aspects of Russian history, religious mind, social consciousness, and daily life. Examining the evolution of Russian culture from the 10th century to the present day, we study major masterpieces of Russian fiction and Russian primary chronicles (in excerpts), Russian icons and architecture, the so called 'Russian style' in fine arts, the basic writings of the Slavophiles and the Westernizers, as well as classics of Russian cinema. We will trace how the most important social, intellectual, and religious issues of Russian culture have been changing throughout Russian history. The course is taught with the aid of multimedia visual and audio presentations. Topics include reform and stagnation, violence and repentance, utopia and modernity. The course is designed to appeal to students with no background in Russian studies, and to those thinking about becoming Russian concentrators. No knowledge of Russian is required. Participation in class discussions, four quizzes, and final.

347 19th-Century Russian Fiction and Drama, Schönle, MW 11.30-1.00, Upper-level Writing Requirement, Humanities.

This course focuses on the masterpieces of Russian fiction written between 1820 and 1870, including such classics of world literature as Tolstoy's War and Peace and Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment. Evolving fast from Romanticism to High Realism, this period marks a blossoming of Russian culture, despite strained relations with political authorities. We will trace how writers treated the political, social, intellectual, and religious issues dividing their contemporaries, creating a unique kind of literature that claimed authority over society in settling these problems. Topics include romantic self-fashioning and posturing (including such risky aristocratic games as dueling and gambling), gender relations, the fate of the educated in society, violence and repentance, reform and stagnation, history and the private self, Russia and the West. No knowledge of Russian literature or history is presupposed. Participation in class discussion, two short papers, and a final.

449 Twentieth-century Russian Literature, Ronen, TTH 1.00-2.30.

This historical survey of Russian literature from 1890 to 1921 covers the final achievements of realism and the response to modernism in the later works of Tolstoy and Chekhov, the art of symbolism, the post-symbolic currents in poetry and prose, and the major literary events of the first post-revolutionary decade both in the USSR and in exile. The required reading includes English translations of representative poems by Solov’ev, Briusov, Bal’mont, Merezhkovsky, Hippius, Sologub, Blok, Belyi, Viacheslav Ivanov, Annensky, Kuzmin, Khodasevich, Gumilev, Akhmatova, Mandel’stam, Khlebnikov, Maiakovsky, Pasternak, Tsvetaeva, Esenin, and Kliuev. Students select their own readings in prose and drama out of an extensive list of titles ranging from Solov’ev’s Three Conversations through Belyi’s Petersburg to Zamiatin’s We. Midterm and a final take-home examination.

463 Chekhov, Makin, MW 1.00-2.30

A detailed examination of the literary career of Anton Chekhov: his prose and drama are analyzed and assessed in the context of the literary, social, and political currents of his time, and as masterpieces of Russian literature. An informal lecture course, with contributions and discussion from students encouraged. This course should appeal to anyone interested in short story or in modern drama. It is taught in English, and all readings may be done in English. Two papers, three one-hour, in-class examinations.

Contact Names and Numbers

Concentration and minors advisors:

Michael Makin, Russian concentration and minor mlmakin@umich.edu

Bogdana Carpenter, Polish minor bogdana@umich.edu

Jindrich Toman, Czech minor ptydepe@umich.edu

Herb Eagle, CREES undergraduate advisor hjeagle@umich.edu

For more information visit the following web pages:

Russian Concentration lsa.umich.edu/saa/publications/leaflets/slavic.html

lsa.umich.edu/saa/publications/bulletin/slavic/russian.html

Russian Studies Concentration umich.edu/~iinet/crees/academics/reesminors.html

Russian, Polish and Czech Minors lsa.umich.edu/saa/minors.html

Polish and Czech Studies umich.edu/~iinet/crees

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download