Slavic Languages and Literatures | Stanford University

Contacts

Office: Building 240, Room 102
Mail Code: 94305- 2006
Phone: (650) 723-4438
Email: slavic@stanford.edu
Web Site: http://slavic.stanford.edu

Courses offered by the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures are listed on the Stanford Bulletin's ExploreCourses web site under the subject codes SLAVIC (Slavic Studies), and SLAVLANG (Slavic Language).

The department supports coordinated study of Russian language, literature, literary and cultural history, theory, and criticism. The department's programs may also be combined with the programs in Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies, Jewish Studies, Film Studies, Drama, International Relations, Stanford's Overseas Studies, and the Special Languages Program. The department is a part of the Division of Literatures, Cultures, and Languages.

A full undergraduate program provides a choice of several tracks leading to a B.A. (with a major or a minor) or to a B.A. with Honors. The department offers a full graduate program leading to an M.A. in Russian and a Ph.D. in Slavic Languages and Literatures. Stanford undergraduates are eligible to apply to the department for a coterminal B.A./M.A. degree. Students in the department's Ph.D. program are required to choose among minor programs in other national literatures, linguistics, Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies, Jewish Studies, art and music history, theater, or film studies; or they may design their own minor or choose the related field option.

The department runs a colloquium series, which brings distinguished speakers to Stanford; organizes international conferences and symposia; and since 1987 maintains a continuing publication series, Stanford Slavic Studies. Along with the Center for Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies, the department offers qualified undergraduates summer grants (on a competitive basis) for intensive Russian language instruction in accredited programs in Russia and the U.S.

Improving cultural understanding is a critical part of the department's mission, and the department offers a full range of courses at all levels devoted to Russian literature, music and visual arts that do not require specialized knowledge, as well as advanced research seminars for graduate students. The Slavic theme house, Slavianskii Dom, serves as an undergraduate residence for many students in the program and hosts program-related activities. Undergraduates may also choose to study in Moscow through the Stanford Overseas Studies Program. The undergraduate program has attracted students seeking careers in journalism, business, international relations, law, medicine, and human rights, as well as academia. Russian is still the lingua franca over the vast territory of the former Soviet Union, and a good command of this language offers a gateway to Eurasia's diverse cultures, ethnicities, economies, and religions.

Stanford students of Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies benefit from unmatched faculty resources. Green Library and the Hoover Institution libraries and archives hold world-renowned Russian and East European collections, which undergraduates and graduate students use in their research. Department students master a difficult language and a rich and challenging literature, and are rewarded by gaining entry into a unique, powerful, and diverse civilization that defined major trends in the past century and plays an increasingly significant role in the world today.

Mission of the Undergraduate Program in Slavic Languages and Literatures

The mission of the undergraduate program in Slavic Language and Literatures is to expose students to a variety of perspectives on Russian language, history, culture, literature, and philosophical thought. The program offers three tracks. Courses in the Russian Language and Literature track focus on the linguistic and philological study of literature, as well as the history of Russian literature. The Russian Language, Culture, and History track guides students through a comprehensive interdisciplinary study of Russian literature and culture in historic context. The Russian and Philosophy track provides students with a background in the Russian language and literary tradition with emphasis on philosophical thought.

Learning Outcomes (Undergraduate)

The department expects undergraduate majors in the program to be able to demonstrate the following learning outcomes. These learning outcomes are used in evaluating students and the department's undergraduate program. Students are expected to demonstrate:

oral proficiency in Russian or another Slavic language beyond the interpersonal level with presentational language abilities.
writing proficiency in Russian or another Slavic language beyond the interpersonal level with presentational language abilities.
close reading skills of authentic texts in Russian or another Slavic language.
the ability to develop effective and nuanced lines of interpretation.

Slavic Theme House

Slavianskii Dom, at 650 Mayfield Avenue, is an undergraduate residence that offers opportunities for students to expand their knowledge, understanding, and appreciation of Russia, Eastern Europe, and Eurasia. Assignment is made through the regular undergraduate housing draw.

Learning Outcomes (Graduate)

The purpose of the master's program is to further develop knowledge and skills in Slavic Languages and Literatures and to prepare students for a professional career or doctoral studies. This is achieved through completion of courses, in the primary field as well as related areas, and experience with independent work and specialization.

The Ph.D. is conferred upon candidates who have demonstrated substantial scholarship and the ability to conduct independent research and analysis in Slavic Languages and Literatures. Through completion of advanced course work and rigorous skills training, the doctoral program prepares students to make original contributions to the knowledge of Slavic Languages and Literatures and to interpret and present the results of their research.

Bachelor of Arts in Slavic Languages and Literatures

The major tracks in Russian Language and Literature and Russian Language, Culture, and History are declared on Axess and appear on the transcript but not on the diploma. The degree option in Russian and Philosophy is not declared on Axess and does not appear on the transcript or the diploma.

Writing in the Major

Undergraduates are required by the University to pass at least one writing-intensive course in their field of concentration in order to graduate. Majors in any Slavic track may satisfy the writing requirement in 2014-15 by passing SLAVIC 146 The Great Russian Novel: Tolstoy and Dostoevsky.

Russian Language and Literature

The Russian Language and Literature field of study is designed for those students who wish to gain command of the Russian language and to study the nation's literary tradition. Emphasis is placed on the linguistic and philological study of literature, as well as the history of Russian literature and related media in the broader context of Russian culture. This major also welcomes students with an interest in Russian and Slavic linguistics.

Majors who concentrate in Russian Language and Literature must earn a grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 (C) or better in order to receive credit toward the major.

Prerequisites

Completion of first year Russian, or the equivalent, as determined by the Language Center placement examination.

Degree Requirements

Candidates for the B.A. degree with a Russian Language and Literature field of study must complete an additional 56 units according to the following distribution:

Russian Language

A minimum of 12 units from:

		Units
SLAVLANG 111	Third-Year Russian, First Quarter	4
SLAVLANG 112	Third-Year Russian, Second Quarter	4
SLAVLANG 113	Third-Year Russian, Third Quarter	4
SLAVLANG 177	Fourth-Year Russian, First Quarter	3
SLAVLANG 178	Fourth-Year Russian, Second Quarter	3
SLAVLANG 179	Fourth-Year Russian, Third Quarter	3
SLAVLANG 181	Fifth-Year Russian, First Quarter	3
SLAVLANG 182	Fifth-Year Russian, Second Quarter	3
SLAVLANG 183	Fifth-Year Russian, Third Quarter	3

Russian Literature

12 units from the core literature sequence consisting of SLAVIC 145, SLAVIC 146, and either SLAVIC 147 or SLAVIC 148:

		Units
SLAVIC 145	Survey of Russian Literature: The Age of Experiment	5
SLAVIC 146	The Great Russian Novel: Tolstoy and Dostoevsky	5
SLAVIC 147	Modern Russian Literature and Culture: The Age of War and Revolution	3-5
or SLAVIC 148	Dissent and Disenchantment: Russian Literature and Culture since the Death of Stalin

Electives

Students must take 32 units of electives. These courses are chosen in consultation with the department's chair of undergraduate studies. With department consent, work in related academic fields may be applied toward the degree requirements. Students who have completed a Thinking Matters Course instructed by Slavic faculty, with a grade of 'B' or better may count up to 10 units towards elective courses required for the major, as may students who have completed the SLE sequence.

Russian courses for 2015-16 include:

		Units
SLAVIC 77Q	Russia's Weird Classic: Nikolai Gogol	3-4
SLAVIC 115	Between Europe and Asia: Introduction to Russian Culture	3
SLAVIC 129	Russian Versification: History and Theory	4
SLAVIC 145	Survey of Russian Literature: The Age of Experiment	3-5
SLAVIC 146	The Great Russian Novel: Tolstoy and Dostoevsky	3-5
SLAVIC 181	Philosophy and Literature	5
THINK 21	Folklore and Literature in Russia and Beyond: Vampires, Talking Cats, and Frog Princesses	4

Capstone

Students must designate a 300-level course taken in their junior or senior year as a capstone course. Before graduation, skills in writing, textual analysis, and discussion will be evaluated by the Chair of Undergraduate Studies based on work submitted for the capstone course.

Language Assessment

All Slavic Languages and Literature majors must complete an oral and written language assessment two quarters prior to their graduation. This is coordinated with the Chair of Undergraduate Studies and the Undergraduate Student Affairs Officer.

Russian Language, Culture, and History

The Russian Language, Culture, and History field of study is for students who want to obtain command of the Russian language and to pursue a broad, interdisciplinary study of Russian literature and culture in historical context. Emphasis is on the relation of the Russian literary tradition to other arts, including film, as well as the disciplines that have enriched the historical understanding of Russian literature: history, anthropology, art history, political science, and sociology. Majors in the Russian Language, Culture, and History must earn a GPA of 2.0 (C) or better in order to receive credit toward the major.

Prerequisites

Completion of first year Russian, or the equivalent, as determined by the Language Center placement examination.

Degree Requirements

Candidates for the B.A. degree with a Russian Language, Culture, and History field of study must complete an additional 56 units according to the following distribution.

Russian Language

A minimum of 12 units from:

		Units
SLAVLANG 111	Third-Year Russian, First Quarter	4
SLAVLANG 112	Third-Year Russian, Second Quarter	4
SLAVLANG 113	Third-Year Russian, Third Quarter	4
SLAVLANG 177	Fourth-Year Russian, First Quarter	3
SLAVLANG 178	Fourth-Year Russian, Second Quarter	3
SLAVLANG 179	Fourth-Year Russian, Third Quarter	3
SLAVLANG 181	Fifth-Year Russian, First Quarter	3
SLAVLANG 182	Fifth-Year Russian, Second Quarter	3
SLAVLANG 183	Fifth-Year Russian, Third Quarter	3

19th-Century Russian Literature and History

A minimum of 8 units chosen from the following or the equivalent; students must choose one course from Slavic and one course from History.

		Units
One of the following:
SLAVIC 145	Survey of Russian Literature: The Age of Experiment	5
or SLAVIC 146	The Great Russian Novel: Tolstoy and Dostoevsky
A pre-revolutionary Russian history course.		5

20th-Century Russian Literature and History

A minimum of 8 units chosen from the following or the equivalent; students must choose one course from Slavic and one course from History.

		Units

A post-revolutionary Russian history course.		5
SLAVIC 148	Dissent and Disenchantment: Russian Literature and Culture since the Death of Stalin	3-5

Electives

Students must take 32- additional units of course work in Russian language, literature, history, or other fields, chosen in consultation with the Chair of Undergraduate Studies. Students who have completed IHUM 28A/B. Poetic Justice: Order and Imagination in Russian Culture, or Thinking Matters Courses instructed by Slavic faculty, with a grade of 'B' or better may count these 10 units towards elective courses required for the major, as may students who have completed the SLE sequence.

Russian courses for 2015-16 include:

		Units
SLAVIC 77Q	Russia's Weird Classic: Nikolai Gogol	3-4
SLAVIC 115	Between Europe and Asia: Introduction to Russian Culture	3
SLAVIC 129	Russian Versification: History and Theory	4
SLAVIC 145	Survey of Russian Literature: The Age of Experiment	3-5
SLAVIC 146	The Great Russian Novel: Tolstoy and Dostoevsky	3-5
SLAVIC 181	Philosophy and Literature	5
THINK 21	Folklore and Literature in Russia and Beyond: Vampires, Talking Cats, and Frog Princesses	4

Capstone

Language Assessment

Russian and Philosophy

The Russian and Philosophy option offers students the opportunity to gain a command of the Russian language and literary tradition, while gaining a background in philosophical thought, broadly construed. They take courses alongside students in other departments participating in the program in Philosophical and Literary Thought, administered through the DLCL. This option is not declared on Axess, thus it does not it appear on the transcript or diploma. Majors who concentrate in Russian and Philosophy must earn a grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 (C) or better in order to receive credit toward the major.

Prerequisites

Completion of first year Russian, or the equivalent, as determined by the Language Center placement examination.

Degree Requirements

Candidates for the B.A. degree with a concentration in Russian and Philosophy must complete an additional 67 units according to the following distribution:

Russian Language

A minimum of 12 units from:

		Units
SLAVLANG 111	Third-Year Russian, First Quarter	4
SLAVLANG 112	Third-Year Russian, Second Quarter	4
SLAVLANG 113	Third-Year Russian, Third Quarter	4
SLAVLANG 177	Fourth-Year Russian, First Quarter	3
SLAVLANG 178	Fourth-Year Russian, Second Quarter	3
SLAVLANG 179	Fourth-Year Russian, Third Quarter	3
SLAVLANG 181	Fifth-Year Russian, First Quarter	3
SLAVLANG 182	Fifth-Year Russian, Second Quarter	3
SLAVLANG 183	Fifth-Year Russian, Third Quarter	3

Russian Literature

A minimum of 16 units of Russian literature, including the following:

		Units
SLAVIC 145	Survey of Russian Literature: The Age of Experiment	3-5
SLAVIC 146	The Great Russian Novel: Tolstoy and Dostoevsky	3-5
SLAVIC 148	Dissent and Disenchantment: Russian Literature and Culture since the Death of Stalin	3-5

Electives

At least 12 units of electives in Russian language and literature, chosen in consultation with the Chair of Undergraduate Studies.

Philosophy and Literature Gateway Course

		Units
SLAVIC 181	Philosophy and Literature	5

Philosophy Writing in the Major

		Units
PHIL 80	Mind, Matter, and Meaning (prerequisite: introductory philosophy course)	5

Philosophy Core

12 units of the following:

		Units
A course in the PHIL 170 series (value theory)		4
A course in the PHIL 180 series (theories of the mind, language, action)		4
A course in PHIL 100-139 series (history of philosophy)		4

Related Course

An upper-division course of special relevance to philosophy and literature. Major may choose from:

ENGLISH 106E	Dante and Aristotle	5
ENGLISH 113A	Desire, Identity, Modernity	5
COMPLIT 258A	Existentialism, from Moral Quest to Novelistic Form	3-5
RELIGST 271A	Dante's Spiritual Vision	4-5

Language Assessment

Capstone Seminar

One capstone seminar must be taken in the student's senior year. This year's capstone seminars are:

		Units
COMPLIT 199	Senior Seminar: The Pleasures of Reading	5

Honors Program

Slavic Languages and Literature majors with an overall grade point average (GPA) of 3.3 or above, and who maintain a 3.5 (GPA) in major courses, are eligible to participate in the DLCL's honors program. Prospective honors students must choose a senior thesis adviser from among their home department's regular faculty, in their junior year, preferably by March 1, but no later than May 1. During Spring Quarter of the junior year, a student interested in the honors program should consult with the Chair of Undergraduate Studies of their home department to submit a thesis proposal (2-5 pages), DLCL Honors application and an outline of planned course work for their senior year.

Honors papers vary considerably in length as a function of their topic, historical scope, and methodology. They may make use of previous work developed in seminars and courses, but display an enhanced comparative or theoretical scope. Quality rather than quantity is the key criterion. Honors theses range from 40-90 pages not including bibliography and notes. Please consult the DLCL Honors Handbook for more details on declaring and completing the honors thesis.

Honors students are encouraged to participate in the honors college hosted by Bing Honors College and coordinated by the Division of Literatures, Cultures, and Languages. The honors college is offered at the end of the summer, during the weeks directly preceding the start of the academic year, and is designed to help students develop their honors thesis projects. Applications must be submitted through the Bing program. For more information, view the Bing Honors website.

Enrollment: A minimum of 10 units total, described below, and a completed thesis is required. Honors essays are due to the thesis adviser no later than 5:00 p.m. on May 15th of the terminal year. If an essay is found deserving of a grade of 'A-' or better by the thesis adviser, honors are granted at the time of graduation.

Spring Quarter of the junior year (optional) DLCL 189C Honors Thesis Seminar (2-4 units S/NC) under the primary thesis adviser. Drafting or revision of the thesis proposal. The proposal is reviewed by the Chair of Undergraduate Studies and the Director of the department and will be approved or returned for submission.
Autumn Quarter of the senior year (required)DLCL 189A Honors Thesis Seminar (4 units S/NC) taught by a DLCL appointed faculty member. Course will focus on researching and writing the honors thesis.
Winter Quarter of the senior year (required) DLCL 189B Honors Thesis Seminar (2-4 units Letter grade) under the primary thesis adviser. Focus will be on writing under guidance of primary adviser. The letter grade will determine if honors is granted or not.
Spring Quarter of the senior year (option; mandatory if not taken during junior year) DLCL 189C Honors Thesis Seminar (2-4 units S/NC) under the primary thesis adviser. Honors essays are due to the thesis adviser and Student Service Officer no later than 5:00 p.m. on May 15th of the terminal year.
Spring Quarter of the senior year (required) DLCL 199 Honors Thesis Oral Presentation (1 unit S/NC). Enroll with primary thesis adviser.

Joint Major Program in Slavic Languages and Literatures and Computer Science

The joint major program (JMP), authorized by the Academic Senate for a pilot period of six years beginning in 2014-15, permits students to major in both Computer Science and one of ten Humanities majors. See the "Joint Major Program" section of this bulletin for a description of University requirements for the JMP. See also the Undergraduate Advising and Research JMP web site and its associated FAQs.

Students completing the JMP receive a B.A.S. (Bachelor of Arts and Science).

Because the JMP is new and experimental, changes to procedures may occur; students are advised to check the relevant section of the bulletin periodically.

Slavic Languages and Literatures Major Requirements in the Joint Major Program

The major tracks in Russian Language and Literature and Russian Language, Culture, and History are declared on Axess and appear on the transcript but not on the diploma.

Senior year, the student enrolls in a 2 unit independent study SLAVIC 199 Individual Work for Undergraduates with a DLCL faculty member. The faculty member advising this project must sign off on this description. In order to have it approved as their capstone Slavic Languages and Literatures and Computer Science project, the student must submit a description of their project to the Chair of Undergraduate Studies in Slavic.
Students must take the Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) two quarters prior to degree conferral. Students should contact the undergraduate student affairs officer for the major to begin the process.
The remaining units needed to reach 46 units could be completed through elective courses taken in Slavic, at the BOSP Center, or in other departments, as approved by the Chair of Undergraduate Studies.
Structured Liberal Education courses.
All courses taken at the BOSP Overseas campus may count toward the major electives.
Thinking Matters courses approved by the Chair of Undergraduate Studies may also be counted toward the electives.
Subject to approval by the Chair of Undergraduate Studies, courses from other fields may count if they contribute to the student's language skills, the ability to interpret literature and other cultural material, or the capacity to analyze societies.

Writing in the Major

Undergraduates are required by the University to pass at least one writing intensive course in their field of concentration in order to graduate. Majors in any Slavic track may satisfy the writing requirement in 2014-15 by passing SLAVIC 146 The Great Russian Novel: Tolstoy and Dostoevsky.

Russian Language and Literature

Majors who concentrate in Russian Language and Literature must earn a grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 (C) or better in order to receive credit toward the major.

Prerequisites

Completion of first year Russian, or the equivalent, as determined by the Language Center placement examination.

Degree Requirements

Candidates for the B.A.S. degree with a Russian Language and Literature field of study must complete an additional 46 units according to the following distribution:

Russian Language

A minimum of 12 units from:

		Units
SLAVLANG 111	Third-Year Russian, First Quarter	4
SLAVLANG 112	Third-Year Russian, Second Quarter	4
SLAVLANG 113	Third-Year Russian, Third Quarter	4
SLAVLANG 177	Fourth-Year Russian, First Quarter	3
SLAVLANG 178	Fourth-Year Russian, Second Quarter	3
SLAVLANG 179	Fourth-Year Russian, Third Quarter	3
SLAVLANG 181	Fifth-Year Russian, First Quarter	3
SLAVLANG 182	Fifth-Year Russian, Second Quarter	3
SLAVLANG 183	Fifth-Year Russian, Third Quarter	3

Russian Literature

The 12 units from the core literature sequence consisting of SLAVIC 145, SLAVIC 146, and either SLAVIC 147 or SLAVIC 148:

		Units
SLAVIC 145	Survey of Russian Literature: The Age of Experiment	5
SLAVIC 146	The Great Russian Novel: Tolstoy and Dostoevsky	5
SLAVIC 148	Dissent and Disenchantment: Russian Literature and Culture since the Death of Stalin	3-5

Electives

Students must take 22 units of electives. These courses are chosen in consultation with the department's chair of undergraduate studies. With department consent, work in related academic fields may be applied toward the degree requirements. Students who have completed a Thinking Matters Course instructed by Slavic faculty, with a grade of 'B' or better may count up to 10 units towards elective courses required for the major, as may students who have completed the SLE sequence.

Russian courses for 2015-16 include:

		Units
SLAVIC 77Q	Russia's Weird Classic: Nikolai Gogol	3-4
SLAVIC 115	Between Europe and Asia: Introduction to Russian Culture	3
SLAVIC 129	Russian Versification: History and Theory	4
SLAVIC 145	Survey of Russian Literature: The Age of Experiment	3-5
SLAVIC 146	The Great Russian Novel: Tolstoy and Dostoevsky	3-5
SLAVIC 181	Philosophy and Literature	5
THINK 21	Folklore and Literature in Russia and Beyond: Vampires, Talking Cats, and Frog Princesses	4

Capstone

The capstone for students majoring in the joint program in Slavic+CS should be completed in any 300-level Slavic course taken in the junior or senior year, in consultation with the professor of that class. Before graduation, skills in writing, textual analysis, and discussion are evaluated by the Chair of Undergraduate Studies based on work submitted for the capstone course.

Language Assessment

Russian Language, Culture, and History

Prerequisites

Completion of first year Russian, or the equivalent, as determined by the Language Center placement examination.

Degree Requirements

Candidates for the B.A.S. degree with a Russian Language, Culture, and History field of study must complete an additional 46 units according to the following distribution.

Russian Language

A minimum of 12 units from:

		Units
SLAVLANG 111	Third-Year Russian, First Quarter	4
SLAVLANG 112	Third-Year Russian, Second Quarter	4
SLAVLANG 113	Third-Year Russian, Third Quarter	4
SLAVLANG 177	Fourth-Year Russian, First Quarter	3
SLAVLANG 178	Fourth-Year Russian, Second Quarter	3
SLAVLANG 179	Fourth-Year Russian, Third Quarter	3
SLAVLANG 181	Fifth-Year Russian, First Quarter	3
SLAVLANG 182	Fifth-Year Russian, Second Quarter	3
SLAVLANG 183	Fifth-Year Russian, Third Quarter	3

19th-Century Russian Literature and History

A minimum of 8 units chosen from the following or the equivalent; students must choose one course from Slavic and one course from History.

		Units
One of the following:
SLAVIC 145	Survey of Russian Literature: The Age of Experiment	5
or SLAVIC 146	The Great Russian Novel: Tolstoy and Dostoevsky
A pre-revolutionary Russian history course.		5

20th-Century Russian Literature and History

A minimum of 10 units chosen from the following or the equivalent; students must choose one course from Slavic and one course from History.

		Units

A post-revolutionary Russian history course.		5
SLAVIC 148	Dissent and Disenchantment: Russian Literature and Culture since the Death of Stalin	3-5

Electives

Students must take 22 additional units of course work in Russian language, literature, history, or other fields, chosen in consultation with the Chair of Undergraduate Studies. Students who have completed IHUM 28A/B. Poetic Justice: Order and Imagination in Russian Culture, or Thinking Matters Courses instructed by Slavic faculty, with a grade of 'B' or better may count these 10 units towards elective courses required for the major, as may students who have completed the SLE sequence.

Russian courses for 2015-16 include:

		Units
SLAVIC 77Q	Russia's Weird Classic: Nikolai Gogol	3-4
SLAVIC 115	Between Europe and Asia: Introduction to Russian Culture	3
SLAVIC 129	Russian Versification: History and Theory	4
SLAVIC 145	Survey of Russian Literature: The Age of Experiment	3-5
SLAVIC 146	The Great Russian Novel: Tolstoy and Dostoevsky	3-5
SLAVIC 181	Philosophy and Literature	5
THINK 21	Folklore and Literature in Russia and Beyond: Vampires, Talking Cats, and Frog Princesses	4

Capstone

Language Assessment

Honors Program

Students have the option to complete the honors program for Computer Science and Slavic, by completing an honors thesis that is partially or fully integrated with Computer Science; such a thesis would fulfill both the capstone and honors requirements for this degree. Students also have the option to complete the honors program for Slavic only; such a thesis would not fulfill the capstone requirement for this degree.

Honors essays are due to the thesis adviser no later than 5:00 p.m. on May 15th of the terminal year. If an essay is found deserving of a grade of 'A-' or better by the thesis adviser, honors are granted at the time of graduation.

Declaring a Joint Major Program

To declare the joint major, students must first declare each major through Axess, and then submit the Declaration or Change of Undergraduate Major, Minor, Honors, or Degree Program. The Major-Minor and Multiple Major Course Approval Form is required for graduation for students with a joint major.

Dropping a Joint Major Program

To drop the joint major, students must submit the Declaration or Change of Undergraduate Major, Minor, Honors, or Degree Program. . Students may also consult the Student Services Center with questions concerning dropping the joint major.

Transcript and Diploma

Students completing a joint major graduate with a B.A.S. degree. The two majors are identified on one diploma separated by a hyphen. There will be a notation indicating that the student has completed a "Joint Major". The two majors are identified on the transcript with a notation indicating that the student has completed a "Joint Major".

Minors in Slavic Languages and Literatures

The Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures offers three undergraduate minor options.

The minor is designed for students who, while pursuing a major in another program, seek a comprehensive introduction to Russian culture through Russian language courses, a combination of minimal proficiency in Russian and courses in the history of Russian culture, or a multidisciplinary introduction to Russian, East European, and Eurasian studies. Students seeking a Slavic minor are encouraged to take advantage of the Bing Overseas Studies Program in Moscow. Students who have chosen one of the minor programs in Russian may use 5 units from a Thinking Matters course taught by a Slavic faculty member towards their electives with permission from their adviser.

Minor in Russian Language

Prerequisites

The minor option in Russian Language requires completion of second year Russian, or the equivalent, as determined by the results of the Language Center placement examination.

Requirements

Candidates for the B.A. degree with a minor option in Russian Language must complete 24 units of Russian language and literature courses according to the following distribution:

12 to 15 units of Russian language:

		Units
SLAVLANG 111	Third-Year Russian, First Quarter	4
SLAVLANG 112	Third-Year Russian, Second Quarter	4
SLAVLANG 113	Third-Year Russian, Third Quarter	4
SLAVLANG 177	Fourth-Year Russian, First Quarter	3
SLAVLANG 178	Fourth-Year Russian, Second Quarter	3
SLAVLANG 179	Fourth-Year Russian, Third Quarter	3

The remaining 9-12 units should be chosen from:

		Units
SLAVIC 145	Survey of Russian Literature: The Age of Experiment	3-5
SLAVIC 146	The Great Russian Novel: Tolstoy and Dostoevsky	3-5
SLAVIC 148	Dissent and Disenchantment: Russian Literature and Culture since the Death of Stalin	3-5
Other courses offered within the Slavic Languages and Literatures department.
Or, with the approval of the department's Chair of Undergraduate Studies, courses in history, politics, linguistics, or other relevant programs.
SLAVIC 187	History of 18th and 19th century Russian Poetry	3-4
SLAVIC 188	20th century Russian Poetry: From Aleksandr Blok to Joseph Brodsky	3-5

Minor in Russian Language, Literature, and Culture

Prerequisites

The minor option in Russian Language, Literature, and Culture requires completion of first year Russian, or the equivalent, as determined by the results of the Language Center placement examination.

Requirements

Candidates for the B.A. degree with the minor option in Russian Language, Literature, and Culture must complete 28 units according to the following distribution:

A minimum of 12 units of courses on literature and culture including:

Option 1:
Two courses from the following:
SLAVIC 145	Survey of Russian Literature: The Age of Experiment	3-5
SLAVIC 146	The Great Russian Novel: Tolstoy and Dostoevsky	3-5
SLAVIC 148	Dissent and Disenchantment: Russian Literature and Culture since the Death of Stalin	3-5
Option 2:
One course from the following:
SLAVIC 145	Survey of Russian Literature: The Age of Experiment	3-5
SLAVIC 146	The Great Russian Novel: Tolstoy and Dostoevsky	3-5
SLAVIC 148	Dissent and Disenchantment: Russian Literature and Culture since the Death of Stalin	3-5
and one course from the following:
SLAVIC 187	History of 18th and 19th century Russian Poetry	3-4
SLAVIC 188	20th century Russian Poetry: From Aleksandr Blok to Joseph Brodsky	3-5

Minor in Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies

The minor in Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies offers students the opportunity to choose courses offered by the Center for Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies (subject code REES) in various departments for their minor.

Requirements

Candidates for the B.A. degree with the minor option in Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies must complete 28 units according to the following distribution:

Two core courses: one on Russia and one on Eastern Europe or Eurasia, to be chosen by the student from an annual list of qualifying courses issued by CREEES for their M.A. students.
At least four additional REES courses, totaling at least 20 units.
The student's core and additional courses must include 9 units of course work in the Slavic Department, either literature courses or Russian language in the third year or above. Courses must be distributed among at least three disciplines, such as Slavic, History, Political Science, Anthropology, Art and Art History, Economics, Religious Studies, and Sociology. The Slavic Chair of Undergraduate Studies determines which courses qualify for the minor.
A capstone experience in CREEES, including, but not limited to, one of the following:
1. a departmental seminar course for advanced undergraduates.
2. directed reading and research with a Stanford faculty member or a CREEES-approved resident or visiting scholar.
3. participation in the Stanford Overseas Studies Program in Berlin.

Foreign Language

The Slavic/REES minor has no language requirement, but students are strongly encouraged to attain working competence in Russian or another relevant language. Courses at the third-year level or above in Russian or another language of Central Asia, the Caucasus, or Eastern Europe may be counted towards the Slavic/REES minor, up to a maximum of 3 units per academic quarter, 9 units total.

Additional Information

Courses taken at Stanford overseas campuses may count towards the REES minor, with the approval of the Slavic Chair of Undergraduate Studies; at least three courses for the minor must be taken in residence at Stanford.

Students interested in pursuing the Slavic/REES minor should consult the Slavic Chair of Undergraduate Studies.

Minor in Modern Languages

The Division of Literatures, Cultures, and Languages offers a minor in Modern Languages. This minor draws on literature and language courses offered in this and other literature departments. See the "Literatures, Cultures, and Languages" section of this bulletin for further details about this minor and its requirements.

Coterminal Master's Program in Slavic Languages and Literatures

The department allows a limited number of undergraduates to work for the coterminal M.A. degree in Slavic Languages and Literatures with a concentration in Russian. In addition to University requirements for the B.A. degree, the student must:

Submit an application for admission by January 31 of the senior year. Applicants must meet the same general standards as those seeking admission to an M.A. program. Applicants must submit: an application for admission; a written statement of purpose; a transcript; and three letters of recommendation, at least two of which should be from members of the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures faculty.
Meet all requirements for both the B.A. and M.A. degrees. Applicants must complete 15 full-time quarters (or the equivalent), or three full-time quarters after completing 180 units, for a total of 225 units. During the senior year they may, with the consent of the instructors, register for as many as two graduate courses. In the final year of study, they must complete at least three graduate-level courses.

University Coterminal Requirements

Coterminal master’s degree candidates are expected to complete all master’s degree requirements as described in this bulletin. University requirements for the coterminal master’s degree are described in the “Coterminal Master’s Program” section. University requirements for the master’s degree are described in the "Graduate Degrees" section of this bulletin.

After accepting admission to this coterminal master’s degree program, students may request transfer of courses from the undergraduate to the graduate career to satisfy requirements for the master’s degree. Transfer of courses to the graduate career requires review and approval of both the undergraduate and graduate programs on a case by case basis.

In this master’s program, courses taken during or after the first quarter of the sophomore year are eligible for consideration for transfer to the graduate career; the timing of the first graduate quarter is not a factor. No courses taken prior to the first quarter of the sophomore year may be used to meet master’s degree requirements.

Course transfers are not possible after the bachelor’s degree has been conferred.

The University requires that the graduate adviser be assigned in the student’s first graduate quarter even though the undergraduate career may still be open. The University also requires that the Master’s Degree Program Proposal be completed by the student and approved by the department by the end of the student’s first graduate quarter.

Master of Arts in Slavic Languages and Literatures

The Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures offers a Master of Arts degree only to students concurrently enrolled in other Stanford degree programs.

University requirements for the M.A. degree are discussed in the "Graduate Degrees" section of this bulletin.

Admission

The requirements for admission to the master's degree program in Russian are:

A B.A. (or its equivalent) from an accredited college or university.
A command of the Russian language sufficient to permit the student to do satisfactory graduate work.
A familiarity with Russian literature sufficient to permit the student to perform adequately in courses at the graduate level.

The applicant's previous academic training in Russian language and literature normally serves as an indication of competence. Accordingly, the department does not ordinarily consider applications from students who have not had at least three years of college Russian and some undergraduate training in Russian literature of the 19th and 20th centuries. Before registering for the first quarter's work in the department, entering graduate students are required to take placement examinations in Russian. Students who fail to perform satisfactorily on such examinations must register for remedial courses in the areas in which they are deficient. Course work in third-year Russian and below carries no credit toward the M.A. degree.

Course Requirements

Candidates for the M.A. should plan course work that ensures adequate preparation for the M.A. final examination at the end of the third quarter of work. Course work should be planned in consultation with the graduate adviser, whose approval of the overall course load is required.

Candidates for the M.A. must complete a program of 45 units, of which 36 units must be selected from courses given by the department.

The Qualifying Paper

The Qualifying paper represents a complete article-length research paper (6,000-9,000 words) that, in both form and substance, qualifies for submission to English-language professional publications in the Slavic field. The Qualifying paper must be submitted to the thesis adviser no later than the eighth week of the final quarter of registration.

Final Examination

A final examination may substitute for the Qualifying paper requirement. The final examination requires a student to demonstrate in a written examination:

command of the phonology, morphology, syntax, and lexicology of contemporary standard Russian sufficient to teach beginning and intermediate courses at the college level
an ability to read contemporary Standard Russian sufficiently to assist students studying contemporary Russian poetry or literary prose
sufficient familiarity with Russian literature of either the 19th or 20th century to successfully handle survey courses dealing with the chosen period of specialization.

The examination should be taken at the end of the final quarter of required course work.

Doctor of Philosophy in Slavic Languages and Literatures

University requirements for the Ph.D. are discussed in the "Graduate Degrees" section of this bulletin.

Students enrolled in the Ph.D. program in Slavic Languages and Literatures are expected to fulfill the following requirements while meeting the program's deadlines in the course of their progress toward the degree:

Course Work, Breadth Requirements, and Overall Scheduling
In consultation with the Chair of Graduate Studies, students are expected to take 10 units of credit each quarter of their first year, 10 units each funded summer, and 10 units each quarter thereafter. They are expected to reach 135 units and attain TGR status in the spring of their fourth year. Entering graduate students must enroll in DLCL 369 Introduction to the Profession of "Literary Studies" for Graduate Students. For the Ph.D. degree students are free to select course work to suit their individual program of study. However, candidates must do so in consultation with their adviser (Chair of Graduate Studies or principal dissertation adviser) and are held responsible for all of the areas covered by the general examinations, regardless of whether they have registered for the department's offerings in a given field. For this reason, it is strongly recommended that before taking Ph.D. examinations, students complete seminar-level work directly related to the following broad areas:
1. Russian poetry
2. the Russian novel
3. 20th-century Russian literature
4. 19th-century Russian literature (the Age of Pushkin and after)
5. 18th-century Russian literature (the early 1700's to the Age of Pushkin)
6. medieval Russian literature
7. a monograph course on a major Russian author
8. theory of literature relevant to the major field

The candidate must have demonstrated commitment to graduate studies by completing a minimum of 21 content courses (not counting Summer Quarter) with a grade point average (GPA) of 3.3 or better in order to complete the requirements of the degree program. These must include 14 seminars in the Slavic Department.

Minor or Related Fields
During the course of study, students must develop substantial expertise in a field contiguous to the area of specialization. A candidate may elect to present a full minor or, in consultation with the graduate adviser, develop a special program in a related field, preferably no later than the second quarter of enrollment.
1. Related Field—A student is required to complete a sequence of basic courses in a chosen discipline outside the department of Slavic Languages and Literatures. The choice of patterns is one of the following:
  1. a sequence of three courses in another literature, selected in consultation with the adviser, or
  2. three basic courses in comparative literature chosen in consultation with the Chair of Graduate Studies (CGS), or
  3. a sequence of three courses in another department selected in consultation with the CGS.
2. Minor—Students electing a minor fulfill the Ph.D. minor requirements established by that department. Students considering minors should consult with their adviser, the CGS, the Chair of Slavic Languages and Literatures, and the Chair of the minor department.
Admission to Candidacy
Admission to candidacy is an important decision grounded in an overall assessment of a student’s ability to successfully complete the Ph.D. program. Per University policy, students are expected to complete department qualifying procedures and apply for candidacy by the end of the second year in residence. In reviewing a student for admission to candidacy, the faculty considers a student’s academic progress including but not limited to: advanced language proficiency, course work, performance on the Qualifying Exam, and successful completion of teaching and research assistantships. Additionally, a student must have completed at least one class with each of 4 Stanford faculty members prior to consideration for candidacy. In addition to successful completion of department prerequisites, a student is only admitted to candidacy if the faculty makes the judgment that the student has the potential to successfully complete the requirements of the degree program. Candidacy is determined by faculty vote. Failure to advance to candidacy results in the dismissal of the student from the doctoral program. Candidacy is valid for five years and students are required to maintain active candidacy through conferral of the doctoral degree. All requirements for the degree must be completed before candidacy expires. The Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures conducts regular reviews of each student’s academic performance, both prior to and following successful admission to candidacy. Failure to make satisfactory progress to degree may result in dismissal from the doctoral program. Additional information about University candidacy policy is available in the Bulletin and GAP.
Qualifying Paper
The candidate must submit a complete draft of a qualifying paper approved by the thesis adviser. The qualifying paper represents a complete article-length research paper (6,000-9,000 words) that qualifies in both form and substance for submission to an English language professional publication in the Slavic field. The deadline for the qualifying paper approval is the eighth week of the sixth quarter of registration. Failure to meet these requirements results in termination of enrollment from the Ph.D. program. Following such termination, the student who has fulfilled all of the M.A. requirements may be given the opportunity to take the M.A. written examination in the history of Russian literature. If successful, the student is then awarded the terminal M.A. degree. In exceptional cases, the written examination requirement may be waived at the discretion of the Chair of Graduate Studies and the Chair of the department.
Proficiency Test
Administered to all entering graduate students, this test determines whether the student's knowledge of Russian language and literature falls below the department's standard (Advanced Low on the OPI test). Students who fail are required to complete appropriate courses in the first year of graduate study. Courses required to meet the language proficiency are not counted towards the Course Work requirement of the Ph.D. degree.
Foreign Languages
A candidate must demonstrate reading knowledge of French or German, plus another language useful for the student's area of concentration, by passing written examinations, or receiving a grade of 'A-' or better in a qualifying class with consent of the CGS. The reading examination in German or French must be passed by the end of the first year of study. The reading examination in the second language of choice must be passed by the end of the second year of study.
Examinations
A candidate must pass the departmental general qualifying examinations. The comprehensive exam covers the history of Russian literature from the medieval period through the twenty-first century and is divided into six chronological sections. Two of these are taken early in the fourth quarter of enrollment and the remainder are taken in the seventh quarter of enrollment (preferably a day or two before the beginning of academic instruction). One section of the comprehensive exam is taken orally in Russian. The departmental oral qualifying examination follows no later than two weeks after completion of the comprehensive exams. The oral examination committee consists of four faculty members and may include one member representing the student's minor or related field; the rest must be drawn from among the Slavic Department faculty. The student makes a 20-minute presentation, following an academic conference format, and based possibly on the student's qualifying paper. Each examiner questions the student on the presentation and related topics in the history of Russian literature and the minor related field. Following the departmental examinations, a candidate must pass a University Oral examination, consisting of a defense of a doctoral dissertation prospectus and covering content relevant to the area of study, rationale for the proposed investigation, and strategy to be employed in the dissertation research. The prospectus defense is expected to be scheduled no later than the beginning of the tenth quarter of registration. Note: Ph.D. examinations are scheduled by the graduate student in consultation with the CGS.

Teaching

Students are required to complete five quarters of teaching within the funding period, including three quarters of first-year Russian and two quarters as a teaching assistant of literature for a faculty member, usually in the survey courses in translation:

		Units
SLAVIC 145	Survey of Russian Literature: The Age of Experiment	3-5
SLAVIC 146	The Great Russian Novel: Tolstoy and Dostoevsky	3-5
SLAVIC 147	Modern Russian Literature and Culture: The Age of War and Revolution	3-5
SLAVIC 148	Dissent and Disenchantment: Russian Literature and Culture since the Death of Stalin	3-5

Students are required to take in preparation for teaching.

Yearly Review

The faculty must provide students with timely and constructive feedback on their progress toward the Ph.D. In order to evaluate students' progress and to identify potential problem areas, the department's faculty reviews the academic progress of each student at the end of the academic year. The yearly reviews are primarily intended to identify developing problems that could impede progress. In most cases, students are simply given constructive feedback, but if more serious concerns warrant, a student may be placed on probation with specific guidelines for addressing the problems detected. Possible outcomes of the yearly review include:
1. continuation of the student in good standing
2. placing the student on probation, with specific guidelines for the period on probation and the steps to be taken in order to be returned to good standing.
  1. For students on probation at this point (or at any other subsequent points), possible outcomes of a review include:
    1. restoration to good standing
    2. continued probation, again with guidelines for necessary remedial steps
    3. termination from the program. Students leaving the program at the end of the first or second year are usually allowed to complete the requirements to receive an M.A. degree, if this does not involve additional residency or financial support.
Continuation
Continuation in the Ph.D. program is contingent on fulfilling the following criteria: for first-year students, a high quality of performance in course work (decided by department evaluation); for second-year students, satisfactory academic progress and approval of the qualifying paper as described above. The principal conditions for continued registration of a graduate student are the timely and satisfactory completion of the university, department, and program requirements for the degree, and fulfillment of minimum progress requirements. Failure to meet these requirements will result in corrective measures, which may include a written warning, academic probation, and/or release from the program.

Ph.D. Minor in Slavic Languages and Literatures

The department offers a Ph.D. Minor in Slavic Languages and Literatures. The requirement for the Ph.D. minor is completion of 25 units of graduate course work in Slavic Literature and Culture classes. Interested students should consult the Chair of Graduate Studies.

Faculty in Slavic Languages and Literatures

Emeriti: Gregory Freidin, Richard D. Schupbach, Joseph A. Van Campen

Director:Russell Berman (interim)

Chair of Graduate Studies: Monika Greenleaf (autumn and winter), Lazar Fleishman (spring)

Chair of Undergraduate Studies: Nariman Skakov

Professors: Lazar Fleishman, Gabriella Safran (on leave 2015-2016)

Associate Professor: Monika Greenleaf

Assistant Professor: Nariman Skakov, Yuliya Ilchuk

Lecturer:Jessica Merrill

Courtesy Professor: Nancy Ruttenburg

Overseas Studies Courses in Slavic Languages and Literatures

The Bing Overseas Studies Program manages Stanford study abroad programs for Stanford undergraduates. Students should consult their department or program's student services office for applicability of Overseas Studies courses to a major or minor program.

The Bing Overseas Studies course search site displays courses, locations, and quarters relevant to specific majors.

For course descriptions and additional offerings, see the listings in the Stanford Bulletin's ExploreCourses or Bing Overseas Studies.

		Units
OSPMOSC 44		5
OSPMOSC 45		5
OSPMOSC 46		5
OSPMOSC 68		5
OSPMOSC 72		5

Slavic Languages and Literatures Courses

SLAVIC 77Q. Russia's Weird Classic: Nikolai Gogol. 3-4 Units.

This seminar investigates the work and life of Nikolai Gogol, the most eccentric of Russian authors, the founder of what was dubbed Fantastic (or Magic) Realism. Our investigation will be based on close reading of the works written in various genres and created in various stages of Gogol's literary career. This study provides a perspective on the relationship between Romanticism and Realism in Russian literature (the so-called "Natural School" of the 1830-1840s), and between the popular Ukrainian culture and "high" Russian and West European traditions in Gogol's oeuvre. The seminar traces Gogol's influences on subsequent Russian literature (Dostoevsky in particular) and investigates the impact of his work on XX century modernist literature, theatre, music, and painting (Vladimir Nabokov, literature of the absurd, Dmitry Shostakovich, Marc Chagall). The seminar is intended for students interested in literature and literary studies.

SLAVIC 78N. Poetry to Prose: The Birth of the Great Russian Novel in Alexander Pushkin's Eugene Onegin. 3-4 Units.

Devoted to a close reading and detailed discussion of Alexander Pushkin's masterpiece in the context of XIX century Russian and continental literary history. Pushkin (1799-1837) is the founder of modern Russian literature; his place in it is comparable to that of Shakespeare in Britain. Taught in English.

SLAVIC 88N. UKRAINE AT A CROSSROADS. 3-4 Units.

Literally meaning ¿borderland,¿ Ukraine has embodied in-betweeness in all possible ways. In the course, we will consider the historical permeability of its territorial, linguistic, and ethnic borders as an opportunity to explore the multiple dimensions of Ukraine¿s relations its neighbors. The reading materials for the course include the earliest records of Herodotus about the prehistoric Ukrainian civilizations, the cultural legacy of Kyivan Rus¿ and baroque, as well as artistic works created during romanticism, realism, modernism, and postmodernism. In addition to learning how to interpret literary texts, we will examine the works of visual and performative arts which shape modern Ukraine and create several cartographic projects with the use of GIS tools. All required texts are in English. No knowledge of Ukrainian is required.

SLAVIC 103Q. Subversive Acts: Invention and Convention in the 20th Century. 2-4 Units.

Course investigates a range of artistic, social, and political meanings of the term avant garde in the 20th century. Several major international avant-garde artifacts, texts, and films will be explored through the prism of artistic and political subversion. This course traces a wide range of aesthetic case studies, which offer unique visions of how art influences and subverts established social practices and challenges political ideologies.

SLAVIC 115. Between Europe and Asia: Introduction to Russian Culture. 3 Units.

The course investigates the main stages of Russian history and civilization. Taught in Russian.

SLAVIC 129. Russian Versification: History and Theory. 3-4 Units.

A survey of metric forms, rhyming principles and stanzaic patterns in the Russian poetry of the 18th - 21st centuries. Taught in Russian. Prerequisite: Two years of Russian.
Same as: SLAVIC 329

SLAVIC 145. Survey of Russian Literature: The Age of Experiment. 3-5 Units.

This course discusses the transition from predominantly poetic to predominantly prosaic creativity in the Russian literature of the first half of the 19th century Russian literature and the birth of the great Russian novel. It covers three major Russian writers -- Alexander Pushkin, Mikhail Lermontov and Nikolai Gogol -- and examines the changes in the Russian literary scene affected by their work. An emphasis is placed on close reading of literary texts and analysis of literary techniques employed in them. Taught in English.
Same as: SLAVIC 345

SLAVIC 146. The Great Russian Novel: Tolstoy and Dostoevsky. 3-5 Units.

The development of 19th-century Russian novel through close reading and broad cultural examination of three masterpieces: Ivan Goncharov's Oblomov (1859), Fyodor Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment (1866), and Leo Tolstoy¿s Anna Karenina (1877) - the novels which have been part of the European literary canon long before Oprah Winfrey put them in her reading list. Through the analysis of the novels and their adaptations, students will study the aesthetic contours of Russian Realism and its intermedial capacities. Special attention will be paid to the questions of genre, discource, medium and itermediality, relationship between artist, audience, and critic.
Same as: SLAVIC 346

SLAVIC 147. Modern Russian Literature and Culture: The Age of War and Revolution. 3-5 Units.

The Age of Revolution: Readings in Russian Modernist Prose of the 1920-30s: What makes Russian modernist prose special? Or is there anything special about Russian modernist prose? This course aims to answer these questions through close readings of works by Babel, Mandelstam, Zoshchenko, Platonov, Olesha and Bulgakov. Aesthetic issues such as hero, plot, and narrative devices will be addressed with the aid of contemporaneous literary theory (Shklovsky, Tynianov, Eikhenbaum, Bakhtin). Novels and theory will be read in English.
Same as: SLAVIC 347

SLAVIC 148. Dissent and Disenchantment: Russian Literature and Culture since the Death of Stalin. 3-5 Units.

Russian culture and society since 1953 through literature (in English translation). Topics: opposition and dissent; generational conflict; modernization; everyday life, gender, ethnicity, class, citizenship, exit from communism. Literature of the "Thaw," state-published and samizdat, "village" and "cosmopolitan," the new emigration, Sots-Art, and the Russian "post-modern." Solzhenistyn, Shalamov, Trifonov, Siniavsky-Tertz, Erofeev, Dovlatov, Brodsky, Petrushevskaya, Pelevin, Ulitskaya, Sorokin. Requirements: three reaction papers and final exam (UG); research paper for graduate credit.
Same as: SLAVIC 348

SLAVIC 156. Nabokov in the Transnational Context. 3-5 Units.

Nabokov's techniques of migration and camouflage as he inhabits the literary and historical contexts of St. Petersburg, Berlin, Paris, America, and Switzerland. His early and late stories, last Russian novel "The Gift," "Lolita" (the novel and screenplay), and "Pale Fire." Readings in English. Russian speakers will be encouraged to read Russian texts in original.
Same as: COMPLIT 115, COMPLIT 315, SLAVIC 356

SLAVIC 179. Literature from Old Rus' and Medieval Russia. 2-4 Units.

From earliest times through the 17th century. The development of literary and historical genres, and links among literature and art, architecture, and religious culture. Readings in English; graduate students read in original.
Same as: SLAVIC 379

SLAVIC 181. Philosophy and Literature. 5 Units.

Required gateway course for Philosophical and Literary Thought; crosslisted in departments sponsoring the Philosophy and Literature track. Majors should register in their home department; non-majors may register in any sponsoring department. Introduction to major problems at the intersection of philosophy and literature, with particular focus on the question of value: what, if anything, does engagement with literary works do for our lives? Issues include aesthetic self-fashioning, the paradox of tragedy, the paradox of caring, the truth-value of fiction, metaphor, authorship, irony, make-believe, expression, edification, clarification, and training. Readings are drawn from literature and film, philosophical theories of art, and stylistically interesting works of philosophy. Authors may include Sophocles, Chaucer, Dickinson, Proust, Woolf, Borges, Beckett, Kundera, Charlie Kaufman; Barthes, Foucault, Nussbaum, Walton, Nehamas; Plato, Montaigne, Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, and Sartre. Taught in English.
Same as: CLASSICS 42, COMPLIT 181, ENGLISH 81, FRENCH 181, GERMAN 181, ITALIAN 181, PHIL 81

SLAVIC 185. Cinemato-graph. 3-5 Units.

The term cinematography, which literally means "inscribing motion," tends to lose the "graphic" part in modern use. However, several influential film-makers not only practiced the art of "inscribing motion" but also wrote texts discussing the aesthetic premises of cinematographic art. This course explores theories of cinema as propagated by the following film-makers: Vertov, Eisenstein, Godard, Bresson, Antonioni, Pasolini, Tarkovsky, Greenaway, and Lynch. Selected key texts will be supplemented by screenings of classic films, indicative of each director's work.
Same as: FILMSTUD 131, FILMSTUD 331, SLAVIC 285

SLAVIC 187. History of 18th and 19th century Russian Poetry. 3-4 Units.

Close analysis of lyrical poems of Russian classical poets from Mikhail Lomonosov to Vladimir Soloviev. Taught in Russian. Prerequisite: Two years of Russian.
Same as: SLAVIC 387

SLAVIC 188. 20th century Russian Poetry: From Aleksandr Blok to Joseph Brodsky. 3-5 Units.

Developments in and 20th-century Russian poetry including symbolism, acmeism, futurism, and literature of the absurd. Emphasis is on close readings of individual poems. Taught in Russian.
Same as: SLAVIC 388

SLAVIC 190. Tolstoy's Anna Karenina in Dialogue with Contemporary Philosophical, Social, and Ethical Thought. 3-5 Units.

Anna Karenina, the novel as a case study in the contest between "modernity" and "tradition," their ethical order, ideology, cultural codes, and philosophies. Images of society, women and men in Tolstoy v. those of his contemporaries: Marx, Mill, Nietzsche, Weber, Durkheim, Freud. Open to juniors, seniors and graduate students. Requirements: three interpretive essays (500-1000 words each). Analysis of a passage from the novel; AK refracted through a "philosophical" prism and vice versa (30% each); class discussion and Forum (10%).
Same as: COMPLIT 190, COMPLIT 390, SLAVIC 390

SLAVIC 194. Russia: Literature, Film, Identity, Alterity. 3-5 Units.

How do Russian literature and film imagine Russian identity ¿ and, in contrast, the ethnic or national Other? Does political and literary theory analyzing national identity and the literary imagination elsewhere hold true in the Russian context? Texts include works by Pushkin, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Blok, Mayakovsky, Platonov; Soviet and post-Soviet films; theory and history. Recommended for returnees from Moscow, Slavic majors, and CREEES MA students. Accepted for IR credit. Readings in English and films subtitled; additional section for Russian readers. Taught in English.
Same as: SLAVIC 394

SLAVIC 195. Russian and East European Theater. 3-5 Units.

Evolution of modernist Russian/EEur. dramaturgy, theatrical practices, landmark productions from Chekhov-Meyerhold-Grotowski to present; re-performance of classics; techniques of embodiment. Taught in English.
Same as: SLAVIC 395

SLAVIC 198. Writing Between Languages: The Case of Eastern European Jewish Literature. 3-5 Units.

Eastern European Jews spoke and read Hebrew, Yiddish, and their co-territorial languages (Russian, Polish, etc.). In the modern period they developed secular literatures in all of them, and their writing reflected their own multilinguality and evolving language ideologies. We focus on major literary and sociolinguistic texts. Reading and discussion in English; students should have some reading knowledge of at least one relevant language as well.
Same as: JEWISHST 148, JEWISHST 348, SLAVIC 398

SLAVIC 199. Individual Work for Undergraduates. 1-5 Unit.

Open to Russian majors or students working on special projects. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite: consent of instructor.

SLAVIC 200. Proseminar in Literary Theory and Study of Russian Literature. 3-5 Units.

Introduction to advance study of Russian literature and culture: profession, discipline, theoretical perspectives. Variety of approaches, from semiological to psychoanalytic, phenomenological, historical, and sociological; practical exercises in the analysis of verse, narrative, and visual representation in literature and art. Three short essays (800 words) and a review of a recent monograph on Russian literature and culture. Required for graduate students and honors seniors in Russian; first-year graduate students must enroll during their first quarter. Prerequisites: Knowledge of Russian language and literature.

SLAVIC 218. Modernist Journeys. 2-5 Units.

Radical displacements took place in the Soviet Union of the 1920-30s: immigration, war, forced relocation, labor camps, and, in very rare cases, travel for leisure. In spite of these sweeping movements of dislocation, this was the time when the Soviet subjectivity was formed. Modernist Journeys explores theoretical, biographic and artistic texts by key writers and artists of the period who contributed to the formation (or disintegration) of the Soviet man: Sergei Tretiakov, Evgenii Zamiatin, Osip Mandelstam, Andrei Platonov, Aleksandr Rodchenko, Dziga Vertov, among others.

SLAVIC 224. The Russian Postmodern Text. 2-4 Units.

What is the place of postmodernism in Russia? The course aims to answer the question by engaging with theories of postmodernity (Baudrillard, Barthes, Derrida) and through close reading of several gems of Russian postmodern literature and art: Venedikt Erofeeva¿s Moscow-Petushki, Sasha Sokolov's School for Fools, Vladimir Sorokin's Norma, Dmitrii Prigova¿s selected poems, and Ilya Kabakov texts. Texts read in Russian. Taught in Russian.

SLAVIC 226. BAKHTIN AND HIS LEGACY. 3-5 Units.

"Quests for my own word are in fact quests for a word that is not my own, a word that is more than myself," writes Mikhail Bakhtin towards the end of his life. It was this ceaseless pursuit of another word that allowed Bakhtin, one of the most distinguished literary critics of the twentieth century, to author several influential literary theory concepts, many of which deal with the ideas of multiplicity, diversity and unfinalizability. The seminar explores these core concepts through close reading of key texts in English and investigates their reverberations in the writings of other thinkers such as Kristeva, de Man and Derrida.

SLAVIC 230. 18th Century Russian Literature. 5 Units.

For graduate students and upper-level undergraduates. Russian literature of the long 18th century, from the late 1600s to 1800. Readings in the Baroque, Neoclassicism and Sentimentalism. Major works are examined in their literary and historical context and also in relation to the principal subcultures of the period, including the court, academy, church and Old Believer diaspora.

SLAVIC 235. Late and Post-Soviet Literature. 3-5 Units.

This course will cover major trends and in Russian literature of the late and post-Soviet periods. We will give some consideration of related developments in art and cinema. Readings will be in Russian, and course discussions will be in English.

SLAVIC 236. The Russian Long Take. 3-5 Units.

"Time flows in a film not by virtue but in defiance of montage-cuts," wrote the great Russian filmmaker Andrei Tarkovsky. An exploration of the phenomenon of long take (a single continuous shot which presents `a vision of time') and its aesthetic and philosophical significance to the art of cinema. Key films by cult Russian/Soviet auteurs such as Andrei Tarkovsky, Sergei Paradzhanov and Aleksandr Sokurov will be used as case studies and read through the prism of film theory (Gilles Deleuze, Andre Bazin and Jean Epstein). Taught in English.

SLAVIC 242. Artists and Power: Eastern European Literature and Film from 1945 to 1991. 2-5 Units.

During the Cold War, the highly diverse region of Eastern Europe was largely united by a common political allegiance to the USSR. The oppressive politics of the Eastern Bloc regimes meant that artists were frequently compelled to respond to political pressure in their works. This situation has been interpreted according to the logic of the Cold War: artists were either courageous dissidents who opposed the regime or brainwashed conformists. In this course we will consider examples that conform to this frame--literature and film of political reform as well as models of Socialist Realism. In addition, however, we will also consider works of self-reflection, escapism, and every-day life under Socialism, in order to arrive at a more complete understanding of the cultural history of the era. The course will include literature and film produced by artists from Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, Poland, the Soviet Union, and Yugoslavia. All readings will be in English.

SLAVIC 245. Slavic Literary Theory: Formalism Structuralism Semiotics, Formalism and Structuralism. 2-4 Units.

Introduction to seminal Slavic contributions to 20th c. literary theory (formalism, structuralism, semiotics) considered in broader intellectual historical context. First half of course to focus on central concepts of Russian formalism (material and device, defamiliarization, poetic language, narrative structure, literary evolution) through writings of Shklovsky, Eikhenbaum, Tynianov, Jakobson and others. Second half to look at subsequent developments in Czech and French structuralism (Mukarovsky, Levi-Strauss, Barthes) and Soviet semiotics (Lotman).

SLAVIC 251. Dostoevsky: Narrative Performance and Literary Theory. 3-5 Units.

In-depth engagement with a range of Dostoevsky's genres: early works (epistolary novella Poor Folk and experimental Double), major novels (Crime and Punishment, The Idiot), less-read shorter works ("A Faint Heart," "Bobok," and "The Meek One"), and genre-bending House of the Dead and Diary of a Writer. Course applies recent theory of autobiography, performance, repetition and narrative gaps, to Dostoevsky's transformations of genre, philosophical and dramatic discourse, and narrative performance. Slavic students read primary texts in Russian, other participants in translation. Course conducted in English. For graduate students; undergraduates with advanced linguistic and critical competence may enroll with consent of instructor.
Same as: COMPLIT 219

SLAVIC 285. Cinemato-graph. 3-5 Units.

SLAVIC 300B. Research Tools and Professionalization Workshop. 1 Unit.

This course introduces graduate students in Slavic Studies to library, archival, and web resources for research, grant opportunities, publication strategies, and professional timelines. Open to PhD students in the Slavic Department and other departments and to MA students in CREEES.

SLAVIC 311. Introduction to Old Church Slavic. 2-4 Units.

The first written language of the Slavic people. Grammar. Primarily a skills course, with attention to the historical context of Old Church Slavic.

SLAVIC 315. Isaac Babel and His Worlds. 3-4 Units.

Isaac Babel, his ouevre, literary, theatrical, and cinematic; his milieu; cultural and historical setting; literary and cultural legacy. Taught in English, knowledge of Russian language and literature strongly recommended.

SLAVIC 325. Readings in Russian Realism. 3-5 Units.

For graduate students or upper-level undergraduates. What did Realism mean for late imperial Russian writers? What has it meant for twentieth-century literary theory? As we seek to answer these questions, we read Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Turgenev, and Chekhov, alongside their brilliant but less often taught contemporaries such as Goncharov, Saltykov-Shchedrin, Leskov, Garshin, Korolenko, Gorky, Andreev, and Bunin. Taught in English; readings in Russian. Prerequisite: Three years of Russian.

SLAVIC 327. Boris Pasternak and 20th century Russian Modernist Poetry. 3-5 Units.

An emphasis is made on close reading of the poetry of Boris Pasternak, Marina Tsvetaeva and Vladimir Mayakovsky. Taught in Russian.

SLAVIC 329. Russian Versification: History and Theory. 3-4 Units.

A survey of metric forms, rhyming principles and stanzaic patterns in the Russian poetry of the 18th - 21st centuries. Taught in Russian. Prerequisite: Two years of Russian.
Same as: SLAVIC 129

SLAVIC 340. Russia's Castaway Classic: Andrei Platonov. 3-5 Units.

"The power of devastation [Platonov's texts] inflict upon their subject matter exceeds by far any demands of social criticism and should be measured in units that have very little to do with literature as such," wrote Joseph Brodsky. Explores key texts of Andrei Platonov, who is frequently considered the greatest Russian prose writer of the twentieth century, and covers major critical approaches to his "devastating" oeuvre. The texts will be read in Russian, discussion in English.

SLAVIC 345. Survey of Russian Literature: The Age of Experiment. 3-5 Units.

SLAVIC 346. The Great Russian Novel: Tolstoy and Dostoevsky. 3-5 Units.

SLAVIC 347. Modern Russian Literature and Culture: The Age of War and Revolution. 3-5 Units.

SLAVIC 348. Dissent and Disenchantment: Russian Literature and Culture since the Death of Stalin. 3-5 Units.

SLAVIC 356. Nabokov in the Transnational Context. 3-5 Units.

SLAVIC 369. Folklore Theory and Slavic Folklore. 1-3 Unit.

Why do educated elites care about popular or folk culture, and how do they use it? An intellectual history of two centuries of folklore theory, with examples drawn from Eastern European (Slavic and Jewish) lore; students collect other folklore themselves and analyze it. Separate section for Russian readers.

SLAVIC 370. Pushkin. 2 Units.

Pushkin's poems, prose, and drafts in dialogue with contemporaries and cultural milieu. Emphasis on innovation and controversy in genre, lyrical form and personal idiom, shaping a public discourse. Taught in English.

SLAVIC 372. Osip Mandelstam In Context and the Russian Experience: 1891-1991. 1-4 Unit.

Osip Mandelstam from Symbolism to Acmeism, to Post-Modernism: poetry, thought, culture, politics, reception. Russian Symbolism (Baudelaire, Mallarme, Ivanov, Bely, Blok, Annensky, Kuzmin); Acmeism/Futurism; reception; Mandelstam in Soviet civilization; poet's social function; memory, biography and cultural theory; Acmeist paradigm in the late Soviet/post-Soviet poetry: Sots-Art, Kibirov, Gandlevsky, Rubinshtein, et al. Prerequisite: Advanced Russian strongly recommended.

SLAVIC 379. Literature from Old Rus' and Medieval Russia. 2-4 Units.

SLAVIC 387. History of 18th and 19th century Russian Poetry. 3-4 Units.

Close analysis of lyrical poems of Russian classical poets from Mikhail Lomonosov to Vladimir Soloviev. Taught in Russian. Prerequisite: Two years of Russian.
Same as: SLAVIC 187

SLAVIC 388. 20th century Russian Poetry: From Aleksandr Blok to Joseph Brodsky. 3-5 Units.

SLAVIC 390. Tolstoy's Anna Karenina in Dialogue with Contemporary Philosophical, Social, and Ethical Thought. 3-5 Units.

SLAVIC 394. Russia: Literature, Film, Identity, Alterity. 3-5 Units.

SLAVIC 395. Russian and East European Theater. 3-5 Units.

SLAVIC 398. Writing Between Languages: The Case of Eastern European Jewish Literature. 3-5 Units.

SLAVIC 399. INDIVIDUAL WORK. 1-15 Unit.

Open to Russian majors or students working on special projects. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite: consent of instructor.

SLAVIC 801. TGR PROJECT. 0 Units.

SLAVIC 802. TGR Dissertation. 0 Units.

Slavic Language Courses

SLAVLANG 1. First-Year Russian, First Quarter. 5 Units.

Functionally-based communicative approach, including essential Russian grammar. Discussions of Russian culture and the Russian view of reality.

SLAVLANG 1A. Accelerated First-Year Russian, Part 1. 5 Units.

First quarter of the two-quarter accelerated sequence. For students with little or no prior experience studying Russian. Students acquire beginning proficiency in Russian at an accelerated pace through intensive studying of basic Russian grammar and functional vocabulary. The course emphasis is put on practice in speaking, reading, and writing Russian with special insight into Russian culture. Completion of 2A fulfills the University Language Requirement.

SLAVLANG 2. First-Year Russian, Second Quarter. 5 Units.

Continuation of SLAVLANG 1. Functionally-based communicative approach, including essential Russian grammar. Discussions of Russian culture and the Russian view of reality. Prerequisite: Placement Test or SLAVLANG 1.

SLAVLANG 2A. Accelerated First-Year Russian, part 2. 5 Units.

Continuation of SLAVLANG 1A. Completes the first-year sequence in two rather than three quarters. Students develop first-year proficiency in Russian at an accelerated pace through intensive studying of basic Russian grammar and functional vocabulary and active language use. The course emphasis is put on practice in speaking, reading, and writing Russian through diverse materials and appropriate cultural contexts. The course fulfills the University foreign language requirement. nPrerequisite: SLAVLANG 1A or consent of instructor.

SLAVLANG 3. First-Year Russian, Third Quarter. 5 Units.

Continuation of SLAVLANG 2. Functionally-based communicative approach, including essential Russian grammar. Discussions of Russian culture and the Russian view of reality. Prerequisite: Placement Test or SLAVLANG 2.

SLAVLANG 6. Russian for Native Speakers, Second Quarter. 2 Units.

Self-paced. Reading and writing skills and communicating in formal and informal settings. Does not fulfill the University foreign language requirement. Prerequisite: SLAVLANG 5.

SLAVLANG 7. Russian for Native Speakers, Third Quarter. 2 Units.

Continuation of SLAVLANG 6. Self-paced. Reading and writing skills and communicating in formal and informal settings. Does not fulfill the University foreign language requirement. Prerequisite: SLAVLANG 6.

SLAVLANG 51. Second-Year Russian, First Quarter. 5 Units.

Proficiency development at the intermediate level, including more difficult grammar such as numbers, verb conjugation, and aspect. Vocabulary, speaking skills. Prerequisite: Placement Test, SLAVLANG 3.

SLAVLANG 52. Second-Year Russian, Second Quarter. 5 Units.

Continuation of 51. Proficiency development at the intermediate level, including mMore difficult grammar such as numbers, verb conjugation, and aspect. Vocabulary, speaking skills. Prerequisite: placement test or 51.

SLAVLANG 53. Second-Year Russian, Third Quarter. 5 Units.

Continuation of 52. Proficiency development at the intermediate level, including mMore difficult grammar such as numbers, verb conjugation, and aspect. Vocabulary, speaking skills. Prerequisite: placement test or 52.

SLAVLANG 55. Intermediate Russian Conversation. 2 Units.

May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite: SLAVLANG 3 or equivalent placement.

SLAVLANG 60A. Beginning Russian Conversation. 1 Unit.

SLAVLANG 60B. Intermediate Russian Conversation. 1 Unit.

SLAVLANG 60C. Advanced Russian Conversation. 1 Unit.

SLAVLANG 60E. The Sensuality of Slavic Sustenance. 1 Unit.

SLAVLANG 60F. Perspectives on Slavic Culture and History through Film. 1 Unit.

SLAVLANG 60H. Culture and Politics of Russian Athleticism through the lens of Sochi 2014. 1 Unit.

SLAVLANG 60M. Songs and Poems of Comrades, Cossacks, Gypsies, and Peasants. 1 Unit.

SLAVLANG 60P. Slav Dom Theme Projects. 1 Unit.

SLAVLANG 60T. Teaching Slavic Conversation. 1 Unit.

SLAVLANG 70. Reading in Russian. 2 Units.

The course is designed to develop reading competence in Russian. This is not a traditional language course that takes an integrated four-skill approach. The goal of the course is to reach proficiency of advanced level in reading Russian authentic materials pertinent to history and culture. The emphasis is on vocabulary building, reading comprehension, and translation. nIntermediate level of Russian is required.

SLAVLANG 99. Language Specials. 1-5 Unit.

Prerequisite: consent of instructor.

SLAVLANG 111. Third-Year Russian, First Quarter. 4 Units.

Continuation of SLAVLANG 53. A snapshot of Russian life. Reading comprehension, conversational competence, grammatical accuracy, and cultural sophistication. Prerequisite: Placement Test or SLAVLANG 53.

SLAVLANG 112. Third-Year Russian, Second Quarter. 4 Units.

Continuation of SLAVLANG 111. A snapshot of Russian life. Reading comprehension, conversational competence, grammatical accuracy, and cultural sophistication. Prerequisite: Placement Test or SLAVLANG 111.

SLAVLANG 113. Third-Year Russian, Third Quarter. 4 Units.

Continuation of SLAVLANG 112. A snapshot of Russian life. Reading comprehension, conversational competence, grammatical accuracy, and cultural sophistication. Prerequisite: Placement Test or SLAVLANG 112.

SLAVLANG 177. Fourth-Year Russian, First Quarter. 3 Units.

Continuation of SLAVLANG 113. Culture, history, and current events. Films, classical and contemporary writers, newspaper articles, documentaries, radio and TV programs, and music. Review and fine-tuning of grammar and idiomatic usage. Prerequisite: Placement Ttest, SLAVLANG 113.

SLAVLANG 178. Fourth-Year Russian, Second Quarter. 3 Units.

Continuation of SLAVLANG 177. Culture, history, and current events. Films, classical and contemporary writers, newspaper articles, documentaries, radio and TV programs, and music. Review and fine-tuning of grammar and idiomatic usage. Prerequisite: Placement Test, SLAVLANG 177.

SLAVLANG 179. Fourth-Year Russian, Third Quarter. 3 Units.

Continuation of SLAVLANG 178. Culture, history, and current events. Films, classical and contemporary writers, newspaper articles, documentaries, radio and TV programs, and music. Review and fine-tuning of grammar and idiomatic usage. Prerequisite: Placement Test, SLAVLANG 178.

SLAVLANG 181. Fifth-Year Russian, First Quarter. 3 Units.

Continuation of SLAVLANG 179. Language proficiency maintenance; appropriate for majors and non-majors with significant language experience overseas. Discussions, oral presentations, and writing essays on contemporary Russia. Prerequisite: Placement Test, or SLAVLANG 179.

SLAVLANG 182. Fifth-Year Russian, Second Quarter. 3 Units.

Continuation of SLAVLANG 181. Language proficiency maintenance; appropriate for majors and non-majors with significant language experience overseas. Discussions, oral presentations, and writing essays on contemporary Russia. Prerequisite: Placement Test or SLAVLANG 181.

SLAVLANG 183. Fifth-Year Russian, Third Quarter. 3 Units.

Continuation of SLAVLANG 182. Language proficiency maintenance; appropriate for majors and non-majors with significant language experience overseas. Discussions, oral presentations, and writing essays on contemporary Russia. Prerequisite: Placement Test or SLAVLANG 182.

SLAVLANG 184A. Russian Reading Conversation and Composition. 2-3 Units.

Proficiency in reading, spoken and written Russian through literary and non-literary texts, movies, and contemporary media. Emphasis is on debate, oral presentations, and essay writing.

SLAVLANG 184B. Russian Advanced Conversation and Composition. 2-3 Units.

Proficiency in spoken and written Russian through literary and non-literary texts, movies, and contemporary media. Emphasis is on debate, oral presentations, and essay writing.

SLAVLANG 184C. Russian Advanced Conversation and Composition. 2-3 Units.

Proficiency in spoken and written Russian through literary and non-literary texts, movies, and contemporary media. Emphasis is on debate, oral presentations, and essay writing.

SLAVLANG 199. Individual Work. 1-5 Unit.

Prerequisite: consent of instructor.

SLAVLANG 220. Russian for Slavic PhD Students. 1-3 Unit.

For DLCL graduate students who will teach Russian language and literature. nCourse objective is to improve spoken Russian on literary and pedagogical topics. Prerequisite: consent of instructor.

SLAVLANG 299. Independent Study. 1-5 Unit.

SLAVLANG 394. Graduate Studies in Russian Conversation. 1-3 Unit.

SLAVLANG 395. Graduate Studies in Russian. 1-5 Unit.

Prerequisite: consent of instructor.n (Staff).