https://padlet.com/lucienobrien1/spring2022 List of Macalester Russian Studies courses for Spring 2022. en-us 2021-11-09 18:32:51 UTC 2023-04-12 16:44:35 UTC hello@padlet.com lucienobrien1 https://padlet.com/lucienobrien1/spring2022/wish/1879191482 M W F | 09:40 am-10:40 am | HUM 111 | Maria Fedorova

Continuation of RUSS 101; further development of the same skills. Russian language classes aim at perfecting all four linguistic skills: speaking, listening, reading, and writing. This course meets three times per week with two additional weekly sessions (labs) devoted specifically to oral proficiency. These conversation sessions are taught by Russian native speakers. Prerequisite(s): RUSS 101 with a grade of C- or better, or consent of instructor.]]> 2021-11-09 18:47:05 UTC https://padlet.com/lucienobrien1/spring2022/wish/1879191482 lucienobrien1 https://padlet.com/lucienobrien1/spring2022/wish/1879192719 M W F | 09:40 am-10:40 am | HUM 302 | Julia Chadaga

Continuation of RUSS 203; further development of the same skills; added emphasis on reading and discussing simple texts. Conversational skills needed on the telephone, public transport and other daily situations, listening and reading skills such as television, newspapers, and movies, and various modes of writing are studied. Russian language classes aim at perfecting all four linguistic skills: speaking, listening, reading, and writing. Intermediate and advanced courses are taught in Russian as much as possible. Students are usually prepared for study in Russia after they have completed Intermediate Russian II. This course meets three times per week with two additional weekly sessions (labs) devoted specifically to oral proficiency. These conversation sessions are taught by Russian native speakers. Prerequisite(s): RUSS 203 with a grade of C- or better, or consent of instructor.]]> 2021-11-09 18:47:37 UTC https://padlet.com/lucienobrien1/spring2022/wish/1879192719 lucienobrien1 https://padlet.com/lucienobrien1/spring2022/wish/1879194996 M W F | 01:10 pm-02:10 pm | HUM 302 | Julia Chadaga

Russia presents an excellent case study for the topic of political violence. Terrorism as a means of political persuasion originated in the land of the tsars; Russian history features an incendiary cycle of repressions, revolts, and reprisals. Studying the origins and depictions of these events in works of art reveals how culture mediates between the world of ideas and the sphere of action. We will consider the tactics and motives of revolutionary conspirators as well as the role that gender and religion played in specific acts of terror. We will explore the ways in which Russian revolutionary thought and action served as a model for radicals around the world. The Russian case will provide a framework for in-depth study of examples of terrorism from Algeria, Ireland, Germany, the U.S., and the Middle East. Texts will include novels, poems, manifestos, letters, journalistic accounts, and films, as well as readings in cultural history and political theory. Taught in English.

Cross-listed with INTL 250-01

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA
Internationalism

Distribution Requirements:
Fine Arts

]]> 2021-11-09 18:48:32 UTC https://padlet.com/lucienobrien1/spring2022/wish/1879194996 lucienobrien1 https://padlet.com/lucienobrien1/spring2022/wish/1879200797 M W F | 02:20 pm-03:20 pm | HUM 302 | Julia Chadaga

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

Cross-listed with ENGL 294-05

General Education Requirements:
Writing WP
Internationalism

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

]]> 2021-11-09 18:50:48 UTC https://padlet.com/lucienobrien1/spring2022/wish/1879200797 lucienobrien1 https://padlet.com/lucienobrien1/spring2022/wish/1879204733 M W F | 10:50 am-11:50 am | HUM 111 | Maria Fedorova

Nuclear arms race! Space race! Farms race! Scientists from around the world found themselves in a race against competing nations following the end of the Second World War. Leaders of nations and common citizens relied on their expertise to produce new scientific knowledge and create innovative technologies that would propel their countries above the despised ideological enemy. Yet, the Cold War was not only a period of competition. While science became entangled in international rivalries, this period also witnessed an immense growth of transnational collaboration among scientists. These interactions allowed them to more effectively tackle problems of health, hunger and other global issues.

Cross-listed with HIST 294-01

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

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