Slavic Languages and Literatures | Stanford University

Contacts

Office: Building 260, Rooms 127-128
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, the Special Languages Program, and other programs. 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. 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 Slavic, especially 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 Studies 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

Declaring the Major

Students declare the Slavic Languages and Literatures major and the major tracks (subplans) in Russian Language and Literature or Russian Studies in Axess. The major tracks (subplans) appear on the transcript, but not on the diploma, which displays the major Slavic Languages and Literatures. The major option in Russian and Philosophy is not declared on Axess and does not appear on the transcript or the diploma.

After declaring the major, students meet with the Chair of Undergraduate Studies to discuss appropriate courses and options within the major, and plan a course of study. The major is administered through the DLCL undergraduate student services office in Pigott Hall, Room 128.

Russian Language and Literature Subplan

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

Completion of a minimum of 56 units according to the following distribution:

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 2020-21 by taking and passing SLAVIC 145 Survey of Russian Literature: The Age of Experiment for 5 units and a letter grade.

Russian Language

A minimum of three courses from:

Course List
		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 Russian Literature major core classes, defined as follows:

Course List
		Units
SLAVIC 145	Survey of Russian Literature: The Age of Experiment	3-5
SLAVIC 146	The Great Russian Novel: Tolstoy and Dostoevsky	3-5

And choose at least one course from SLAVIC 147, 148, or 188:

Course List
		Units
SLAVIC 147	Modern Russian Literature and Culture: The Age of War and Revolution	3-5
SLAVIC 187	Classical Russian Poetry	3-5
SLAVIC 148	Slavic Literature and Culture since the Death of Stalin (not offered 2020-21)	3-5

Electives

Students must complete the unit requirement with 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 or PWR course instructed by Slavic faculty, with a grade of 'B' or better, may count up to 5 units towards elective courses required for the major, and students who have completed the SLE sequence may count up to 10 units.

Capstone

Students must designate a 300-level course taken in their junior or senior year as a capstone course or complete a substantial (20-30 page) independent writing project, advised by a Slavic Faculty member, 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

All Slavic Languages and Literature majors must complete an oral and written language assessment two quarters prior to their graduation. Appointments are made through the Stanford Language Center.

Russian Studies Subplan

The Russian Studies track 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 Studies 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

Completion of a minimum of 56 units according to the following distribution.

Writing in the Major

Russian Language

A minimum of three courses from:

Course List
		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 take one course from Slavic and one course from History.

Course List
		Units
SLAVIC 145	Survey of Russian Literature: The Age of Experiment	3-5
SLAVIC 146	The Great Russian Novel: Tolstoy and Dostoevsky (to fulfill WIM, take for 5 units and letter grade)	3-5
One History course approved by the Chair of Undergraduate Studies		3-5

20th-Century Russian Literature and History

A minimum of 8 units chosen from the following or the equivalent; students must take SLAVIC 147 (not offered 2019-20) or SLAVIC 148 and one course from History.

Course List
		Units
SLAVIC 147	Modern Russian Literature and Culture: The Age of War and Revolution	3-5
SLAVIC 148	Slavic Literature and Culture since the Death of Stalin (not offered 2020-21)	3-5
One HISTORY course approved by the Chair of Undergraduate Studies.		3-5

Electives

Students must take the 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 Thinking Matters or PWR courses instructed by Slavic faculty, with a grade of 'B' or better may count these 5 units towards elective courses required for the major, and students who have completed the SLE sequence may count up to ten units.

Capstone

Students must designate a 300-level course taken in their junior or senior year as a capstone course or complete a substantial (20-30 page) work of independent writing. 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

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 services officer.

Russian and Philosophy Subplan

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. Students interested in this option should review the Philosophy and Literature web site.

Substitutions and transfer credit are not normally permitted for the PHIL 170 series class or the PHIL 180 series class, and are never permitted for PHIL 80, SLAVIC 181, or the capstone seminar.

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. A student who has completed the SLE sequence (all three quarters) may count up to 10 units towards this major. The SLE units can replace one history of philosophy course and one upper-division Russian course.

Prerequisites

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

Degree Requirements

Completion of a minimum of 67 units according to the following distribution:

Russian Language

A minimum of three courses from:

Course List
		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 SLAVIC 145, 146, and 147, or 148.

Course List
		Units
SLAVIC 145	Survey of Russian Literature: The Age of Experiment	3-5
SLAVIC 146	The Great Russian Novel: Tolstoy and Dostoevsky (to fulfill WIM, take for 5 units and letter grade)	3-5
SLAVIC 147	Modern Russian Literature and Culture: The Age of War and Revolution	3-5
SLAVIC 148	Slavic Literature and Culture since the Death of Stalin (not offered 2020-21)	3-5
SLAVIC 187	Classical Russian Poetry	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

Course List
		Units
SLAVIC 181	Philosophy and Literature	3-5

Philosophy Writing in the Major

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

Philosophy Core

12 units from the following:

Course List
		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 the PHIL 100-139 series (history of philosophy)		4

Related Course

An upper-division course of special relevance to philosophy and literature.

Course List
		Units
COMPLIT 283A	Modern Notions of 'The Holy'	3-5
GERMAN 222	Myth and Modernity	3-5

Language Assessment

All Slavic Languages and Literature majors must complete an oral and written language assessment two quarters prior to their graduation. Assessments are scheduled through the Stanford Language Center.

Capstone Seminar

One capstone seminar must be taken in the student's senior year.

Course List
		Units
PHIL 194W	Capstone Seminar: Imagination in Fiction and Philosophy	4
PHIL 194Z	Capstone: Living a Meaningful Literary Life	4
COMPLIT 283A	Modern Notions of 'The Holy'	3-5
GERMAN 125	Nietzsche: Life as Performance	3-5

Honors Program

Students majoring in any DLCL department (i.e., Comparative Literature, French and Italian, German Studies, Iberian and Latin American Cultures, and Slavic Languages and Literatures) who have an overall grade point average (GPA) of 3.3 or above and who maintain a 3.5 (GPA) in their major courses, are eligible to participate in the DLCL's honors program.

Declaring Honors

Prospective honors students must choose a senior thesis adviser from among their home department's regular faculty in their junior year by 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. When their applications are approved by their home department, students will request honors through Axess.

Honors theses 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 to 90 pages not including bibliography and notes.

Honors students are encouraged to participate in the DLCL program hosted by Bing Honors College. This DLCL Honors College is designed to help students develop their projects and is offered at the end of the summer before senior year. Applications must be submitted through the Bing program. For more information, view the Bing Honors web site.

Program Requirements

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 15, 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 focuses on researching and writing the honors thesis.
Winter Quarter of the senior year (required): DLCL 189B Honors Thesis Seminar, 2-4 units S/NC, under the primary thesis adviser. Focus is on writing under guidance of primary adviser.
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 services officer no later than 5:00 p.m. on May 15 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.

The honors thesis in the DLCL embodies Stanford's excellence in course work and research. It is simultaneously one element of the student’s intellectual legacy and part of the University's official history. The faculty considers the honors thesis to be far more than a final paper; rather, it is the product of solid research that contributes to conversations taking place within a larger scholarly community and representative of the intellectual vitality of the discipline. For all of these reasons, DLCL honors theses will be visible to future scholars researching similar questions through full online access through the Stanford Digital Repository (SDR) and may be used as course materials for future Stanford honors preparatory courses. For similar purposes, a printed copy may also be kept in DLCL spaces. Students who wish to limit the availability or formats in which the thesis may be shared may do so by filling out the appropriate form with the DLCL student affairs officer.

Minors in Slavic Languages and Literatures

The Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures offers three minor subplans:

Russian Language
Russian Language, Literature, and Culture
Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies

The minors are 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 who have chosen one of the minor programs in Russian may use 5 units from a Thinking Matters or PWR course taught by a Slavic faculty member towards their electives with permission from their adviser. Up to 5 units may count from SLE towards all Slavic Languages and Literatures minors.

Russian Language Subplan

Prerequisites

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

Requirements

A minimum of 6 courses of 3 units or more for a total of 24 units of Russian language and literature courses according to the following distribution:

1. At least three Russian language courses chosen from the below:

Course List
		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 179	Fourth-Year Russian, Third Quarter	3
SLAVLANG 178	Fourth-Year Russian, Second 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

2. The remaining units should be chosen from Slavic Department courses. Consult the Chair for Undergraduate Studies for recommendations. Options include:

Course List
		Units
SLAVIC 145	Survey of Russian Literature: The Age of Experiment	3-5
SLAVIC 146	The Great Russian Novel: Tolstoy and Dostoevsky	3-5

3. Or, with the approval of the department's Chair of Undergraduate Studies, courses in history, politics, linguistics, or other relevant programs.

Russian Language, Literature, and Culture Subplan

Prerequisites

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

Requirements

A minimum of 6 courses at 3 units or more and total 28 units, including:

a minimum of 12 units of courses on literature and culture, including:

Course List
		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	Slavic Literature and Culture since the Death of Stalin (not offered 2020-21)	3-5

Remaining units should be chosen from courses offered by the Slavic Department, or, with the approval of the chair of Undergraduate Studies, relevant courses in other departments.

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

A minimum of 6 courses at 3 units or more and total 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 an undergraduate minor in Modern Languages that permits students to demonstrate strength in two distinct modern languages and their literatures. See the “Division of 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 advisor 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). 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:

1. Course Work, Breadth Requirements, and Overall Scheduling

In consultation with the Director of Graduate Studies, students are expected to take 18 units of credit each quarter of their first year and may be required to enroll in independent study units during summer. In the second year and until reaching TGR status, students are required to enroll in 10 units during Autumn, Winter, and Spring and may be required to enroll in independent study units during summer. They are expected to reach 135 units and attain TGR status in the Spring of their fourth year. All courses counted towards the 135-unit requirement for the Ph.D. must be at the graduate level. Excess course work can be taken at the undergraduate level but may not be used towards the Ph.D. requirements. Students should take all courses for letter grades, when the option is available. Entering graduate students must enroll in DLCL 369 Introduction to the Profession of Literary Studies. 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 (Director 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:

Russian poetry
the Russian novel
20th-century Russian literature
19th-century Russian literature (the Age of Pushkin and after)
18th-century Russian literature (the early 1700's to the Age of Pushkin)
medieval Russian literature
a monograph course on a major Russian author
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 Languages and Literatures Department. Unless they have taken such courses elsewhere, students are expected to take the departmental course on medieval literature, 18th-century literature, and Old Church Slavonic.

2. 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.

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 Director of Graduate Studies (DGS), or
3. a sequence of three courses in another department selected in consultation with the DGS.
Minor—Students electing a minor fulfill the Ph.D. minor requirements established by that department. Students considering minors should consult with their adviser, the DGS, the Director of Slavic Languages and Literatures, and the Chair of the minor department.

3. 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 paper, and successful completion of teaching and research assistantships. Additionally, a student must have completed at least one class with each of four Slavic Languages and Literatures department 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 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.

4. 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). 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.

5. 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.

6. 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 DGS. The reading examination in one of these languages must be passed by the end of the first year of study. The reading examination in the second language must be passed by the end of the second year of study.

7. Examinations

Comprehensive Exam: 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 Autumn quarter of year 2 and the remainder are taken in the Autumn quarter of year 3 (preferably a day or two before the beginning of academic instruction). For students who are not native speakers of Russian, the section of the comprehensive exam is taken orally in Russian.
Departmental Qualifying Exam: The hour-long departmental oral qualifying examination follows no later than four 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 Languages and Literatures 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.
University Oral Exam: 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 Autumn quarter of year 4. Note: Ph.D. examinations are scheduled by the graduate student in consultation with the CGS.

8. Teaching

Students are required to complete five quarters of teaching within the funding period, including three quarters of Russian language and at least one quarter as a teaching assistant of literature for a faculty member, usually in the survey courses in translation SLAVIC 145, 146, 147, and 148:
Students are required to take in preparation for teaching: DLCL 301 The Learning and Teaching of Second Languages.

9. 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:

continuation of the student in good standing
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.

10. 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 results 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 to create a plan of study.

COVID-19 Policies

On July 30, the Academic Senate adopted grading policies effective for all undergraduate and graduate programs, excepting the professional Graduate School of Business, School of Law, and the School of Medicine M.D. Program. For a complete list of those and other academic policies relating to the pandemic, see the "COVID-19 and Academic Continuity" section of this bulletin.

The Senate decided that all undergraduate and graduate courses offered for a letter grade must also offer students the option of taking the course for a “credit” or “no credit” grade and recommended that deans, departments, and programs consider adopting local policies to count courses taken for a “credit” or “satisfactory” grade toward the fulfillment of degree-program requirements and/or alter program requirements as appropriate.

Undergraduate Degree Requirements

Grading

The Slavic Department counts all courses taken in academic year 2020-21 with a grade of 'CR' (credit) or 'S' (satisfactory) towards satisfaction of undergraduate degree requirements that otherwise require a letter grade.

Required Courses Policy

In academic year 2020-21, as Stanford operates on a four quarter system, students may opt not to be enrolled in one of the four quarters of the year. Students may therefore be unable to take a Slavic Studies course required by a major or minor program (SLAVIC 145, 146, 147, 187). In these cases, the Chair of Undergraduate studies will suggest appropriate substitute classes and approve one of them.

Graduate Degree Requirements

Grading

Doctoral students in the department must take required courses for a letter grade and are expected to earn a grade of 'B' or better in each required course. In other courses, doctoral students are expected to earn a grade of 'B' or better in each course taken for a letter grade in AY 2020-21 that will count towards their degree requirement. Any grade of 'B-' or below is considered to be less than satisfactory. Grades of 'B' or below are reviewed by faculty: while the grade will stand, the student may be required to revise and resubmit the work associated with that course. For courses taken for CR/NC, instructors will be asked to submit written assessment to the student and the department of what would be the equivalent letter grade to allow for review of satisfactory academic achievement by the DGS and department.

Graduate Advising Expectations

The Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures is committed to providing academic advising in support of graduate student scholarly and professional development. The overall goal of advising, both in the DLCL and the department, is to help graduate students make academic and career choices wisely, and think ahead, in order to craft a long-term plan for their graduate student career and beyond. When most effective, the advising relationship entails collaborative and sustained engagement by both the advisor and the advisee. As a best practice, advising expectations should be periodically discussed and reviewed to ensure mutual understanding. Both the advisor and the advisee are expected to maintain professionalism and integrity. Advising is both an academically invaluable form for the transmission of expertise, as well as a key aspect of creating a strong departmental and Stanford community.

Faculty Advisors

Faculty advisors guide students in key areas such as selecting courses, designing and conducting research, developing of teaching pedagogy, navigating policies and degree requirements, and exploring academic opportunities and professional pathways.

Upon enrolling, students plan their work under the direction of the Chair of Graduate Studies or a faculty member designated by the program. When the student selects a more specialized advisor, the transition should involve oral or written communication between both advisors and the student concerning the student's progress, goals, and expectations. It is possible for doctoral students to choose two main advisors at the dissertation stage, provided all agree this is academically sound.
Faculty advisors should meet with assigned students to discuss their selection of courses and to plan from a broader, longer-term perspective, including discussion of Program milestones and a basic timeline; an overview of Department and DLCL offerings beyond courses; student goals and interests and DLCL or Stanford programs that may be relevant; and (for doctoral students) how to transfer previous graduate coursework.
Faculty advisors and graduate students should meet at least once per quarter to assess the advisee's course of study, performance over the past quarter, and plans for the next quarter, as well as longer term plans. If a student has two advisors, the student should meet at least once per quarter with each advisor and at least once per year with both advisors at the same time.
For doctoral students, faculty should help their advisees plan for exams, research grant applications, develop research projects, and plan ahead for both the academic job market and the job search beyond academia.
Faculty advisors should provide feedback about the student's progress to the department during the Annual Review process. For more information about the Annual Review, see the Graduate Handbook.

Graduate Students

Graduate students are active contributors to the advising relationship, proactively seeking academic and professional guidance and taking responsibility for informing themselves of policies and degree requirements for their graduate program.

Upon enrolling, students plan their work under the direction of the Chair of Graduate Studies or a faculty member designated by the program. As the student develops a field of expertise, the student will choose a program advisor to replace the Chair of Graduate Studies role. The transition should involve oral or written communication between both advisors and the student concerning the student's progress, goals, and expectations.
Graduate students and faculty advisors and should meet at least once per quarter to assess the advisee's course of study, performance over the past quarter, and plans for the next quarter, as well as longer term plans. If a student has two advisors, the student should meet at least once per quarter with each advisor and at least once per year with both advisors at the same time.
Students should consult with their advisors on all academic matters, including coursework, conference presentations and publications, research travel, and teaching plans.
Students should provide a thorough self-evaluation each year for the annual review. For more information about the Annual Review, see the Graduate Handbook.

For a statement of University policy on graduate advising, see the "Graduate Advising" section of this bulletin.

Faculty in Slavic Languages and Literatures

Director: Gabriella Safran

Chair of Graduate Studies: Monika Greenleaf

Chair of Undergraduate Studies: Yuliya Ilchuk

Professors: Lazar Fleishman, Gabriella Safran

Associate Professor: Monika Greenleaf

Assistant Professors: Yuliya Ilchuk

Lecturer: Nicholas Mayhew (Mellon Fellow)

Courtesy Professor: Nancy Ruttenburg

Emeriti (Professors): Gregory Freidin, Richard D. Schupbach

Overseas Studies Courses in Slavic Languages and Literatures

The Bing Overseas Studies Program (BOSP) manages Stanford international and domestic study away 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 BOSP 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.

Due to COVID-19, all BOSP programs have been suspended for Autumn Quarter 2020-21. All courses and quarters of operation are subject to change.

Slavic Languages & Literatures Courses

SLAVIC 15N. "My Life Had Stood - A Loaded Gun": Dostoevsky, Dickinson, and the Question of Freedom.. 3-5 Units.

As far apart as Dickinson and Dostoevsky are in terms of national contexts, gendered possibilities of life, and their choice of minimalist or maximalist forms, their experiences of constriction and freedom bore significant similarities. Dostoevsky penned his vow to love life on the day that he was manacled as a political prisoner and marched off to thirteen years of forced labor and exile in Siberia. He exploded back on the Petersburg literary scene in the early 1860's with three block-busters, Notes from the Underground, Memoirs from the House of the Dead, and Crime and Punishment, establishing himself forever as Russia's most controversial explorer of the violence of human thought. In these same years Emily Dickinson was sequestering herself in her family's Amherst house for the remainder of her life, yet she announced her rebel's credo in these enigmatic lines: "My Life Had Stood, a Loaded Gun - until the Day..." In this class we will explore the idea that Emily Dickinson and Fyodor Dostoevsky may be seen as original shifters of modern literary art and philosophy. We will unpack the agonizing relationship of freedom, action, and language that both authors explore. Classes will be organized around presentations, debates in pairs, the exploration of "scandalous scenes," and finally a symposium in which students will present and contribute to each other's paper projects. There are no prerequisites for this course apart from a desire to read poems and novels closely and in tandem.

SLAVIC 36. Dangerous Ideas. 1 Unit.

Ideas matter. Concepts such as revolution, tradition, and hell have inspired social movements, shaped political systems, and dramatically influenced the lives of individuals. Others, like immigration, universal basic income, and youth play an important role in contemporary debates in the United States. All of these ideas are contested, and they have a real power to change lives, for better and for worse. In this one-unit class we will examine these "dangerous" ideas. Each week, a faculty member from a different department in the humanities and arts will explore a concept that has shaped human experience across time and space. Some weeks will have short reading assignments, but you are not required to purchase any materials.
Same as: ARTHIST 36, COMPLIT 36A, EALC 36, ENGLISH 71, ETHICSOC 36X, FRENCH 36, HISTORY 3D, MUSIC 36H, PHIL 36, POLISCI 70, RELIGST 36X

SLAVIC 70N. Socialism vs. Capitalism: Russian and American Writers' Responses. 3-4 Units.

The turn of the 20th century was marked with turbulent political events and heated discussions about the future of Russian and American societies. Many writers and intellectuals responded to the burning issues of social justice, inequality, egalitarianism, and exploitation associated with capitalism and socialism. Through close reading, critical thinking, and analytical writing, we will engage in the critical discussions of class struggle, individual interest versus collective values, race, and social equality, and identify points of convergence and divergence between the two systems. To what extent was the opposition between capitalism and socialism fueled by the artistic vision of the great Russian and American writers? What was these thinkers' ideal of society and what impact did it have on shaping emerging socialism? Readings for the class include the fundamental works of Fyodor Dostoevsky, Leo Tolstoy, Jack London, W.E.B. Du Bois and Sholem Aleichem. The course will culminate in a digital mapping project visualizing intellectual connections between ideas and writers.

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

Preference to sophomores. An investigation of the works and life of Nikolai Gogol, the most eccentric of Russian authors and the founder of what is dubbed Fantastic Realism. Our investigation will be based on close reading of works written in various genres and created in various stages of Gogol's literary career. Taught in English.

SLAVIC 116. Literature and the Dream of Agriculture in Russia and Beyond. 3-5 Units.

Why do city people think if they started farming, they could heal themselves and their society? How do writers make agriculture seem exciting, or farms seem beautiful? While agriculture is ancient and world-wide, literature and political movements that posited it as a way for urbanites to be happier and more virtuous and societies to reach utopia thrived especially in the 19th-century Russian Empire. These movements influenced Soviet Communism, nationalisms (including Zionism), and American communes in the 1970s. In this class, we read fiction, poetry, memoirs, and essays about city people's embrace of farming. We compare the Eastern European case to the United States in the 20th century and we look at 21st-century back-to-the-land writing and films. This class is offered in partnership with the Stanford Farm, where we will spend a few days working (assuming pandemic restrictions permit).

SLAVIC 118N. Other People's Words: Folklore and Literature. 4 Units.

What happens when you collect and use other people's words? This class considers folklore and literature based on it, focusing on the theme of objects that come to life and threaten their makers or owners. We read Russian fairy tales and Nikolai Gogol's stories, the Golem legend and Ovid's and Shaw's Pygmalion, and Svetlana Aleksievich's Voices from Chernobyl, a collection of the words of survivors who reflect on life after a human invention has destroyed many of its keepers. We read essays by Jacob Grimm, Roman Jakobson, Vladimir Propp, Lenore Keeshig-Tobias, and others, to understand what folklore can mean and how the oral and the recorded word can interact. Students collect living folklore from a group of their choosing and analyze it using the theories we study in class (or other theories, if you want); wherever you are, you will tailor your research to the communities to which you have access. This course fulfills the second-level Writing and Rhetoric Requirement (WRITE 2) and emphasizes oral and multimedia presentation. You will develop skills to produce shorter and longer prerecorded presentations.

SLAVIC 121. Ukraine at a Crossroads. 3-5 Units.

Literally meaning "borderland," Ukraine has embodied in-betweenness in all possible ways. What is the mission of Ukraine in Europe and in Eurasia? How can Ukraine become an agent of democracy, stability, and unity? What does Ukraine's case of multiple identities and loyalties offer to our understanding of the global crisis of national identity? In this course, we will consider the historical permeability of Ukraine's territorial, cultural, and ethnic borders as an opportunity to explore the multiple dimensions of its relations with its neighbors. In addition to studying historical, literary, and cinematic texts, we discuss nationalism, global capitalism, memory politics, and propaganda in order to understand post-Euromaidan society. All required texts are in English. No knowledge of Ukrainian is required. NOTE: To satisfy a WAYS requirement, this course must be taken for at least 3 units. In AY 2020-21, a `CR¿ grade will satisfy the WAYS requirement.
Same as: SLAVIC 221

SLAVIC 128. Literature of the former Yugoslavia. 3-5 Units.

What do Slavoj Zizek, Novak Djokovic, Marina Abramovic, Melania Trump, Emir Kusturica, and the captain of the Croatian national football team have in common? All were born in a country that no longer exists, the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (1945-1992). This course will introduce masterpieces of Yugoslav literature and film, examining the social and political complexities of a multicultural society that collapsed into civil war (i.e. Bosnia, Kosovo) in the 1990s. In English with material available in Serbo-Croatian and Slovenian.
Same as: COMPLIT 128, REES 128

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. This course meets the Slavic Department Writing-in-the-Major (WIM) requirement. Taught in English.
Same as: SLAVIC 345

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

The two giant novels we will read and discuss closely were above all urgent actions taken in the heat of present crisis. War and Peace (1865-1869), Leo Tolstoy's epic family saga of Russia's historic resistance to Napoleon and the modern "will-to-power," and The Brothers Karamazov (1878-1880), Dostoevsky's tragicomic investigation into the roots of familial perversion, crimes of individual thought and collective performance, fascinate us with the striking contrasts of their novels' aesthetic responses and innovations. The final focus of the course will be on several of Anton Chekhov's short stories that re-play the themes of the Russian novel with compressed indirectness, pushing the great realist novel's dominance firmly into "history.".
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. NOTE: This course must be taken for a minimum of 3 units and a letter grade to be eligible for Ways credit.
Same as: SLAVIC 347

SLAVIC 148. Slavic Literature and Culture since the Death of Stalin. 3-5 Units.

The course offers a survey of Soviet and post-Soviet literary texts and films created by Russian, Ukrainian and Belarusian artists and marginalized or repressed by the Soviet regime. The first part of the course will focus on the topics of opposition and dissent, generational conflict, modernization, Soviet everyday life, gender, citizenship and national identity, state-published and samizdat literature, "village" and "cosmopolitan" culture, etc. The second part of it will be devoted to the postmodernist aesthetics and ideology in the dismantlement of totalitarian society, as well in the process of shaping post-Soviet identities. The reading materials range from the fictional, poetic, and publicistic works written by Noble-prize (Solzhenitsyn, Brodsky, Alexievich) and other major writers of the period to the drama, film, and popular culture.
Same as: REES 348, SLAVIC 348

SLAVIC 155. St. Petersburg: Imagining a City, Building a City. 1-2 Unit.

St. Petersburg, the world's most beautiful city, was designed to display an 18th-century autocrat's power and to foster ties between Russia and the West - on the tsar's terms. It went through devastating floods and a deadly siege; it birthed the "Petersburg myth," poems and prose that explore the force of the state and the individual's ability to resist. This class addresses the struggle between the authorities and the inhabitants; the treacherous natural environment; the city as a node in national and international networks of communication; the development of urban transportation networks; and the supply of goods. NOTE: This course is required of students attending the overseas seminar to St. Petersburg in September 2018.Class times to be determined upon the availability of all enrolled students. Please contact instructor(s) via email if you have any questions.
Same as: URBANST 156

SLAVIC 156. Vladimir Nabokov: Displacement and the Liberated Eye. 3-5 Units.

How did the triumphant author of "the great American novel" Lolita evolve from the young author writing at white heat for the tiny sad Russian emigration in Berlin? We will read his short stories and the novels The Luzhin Defense, Invitation to a Beheading, Lolita, Lolita the film, and Pale Fire, to see how Nabokov generated his sinister-playful forms as a buoyant answer to the "hypermodern" visual and film culture of pre-WWII Berlin, and then to America's all-pervading postwar "normalcy" in his pathological comic masterpieces Lolita and Pale Fire. Buy texts in translation at the Bookstore; Slavic grad students will supplement with reading and extra sessions in original Russian.
Same as: COMPLIT 115, COMPLIT 315, SLAVIC 356

SLAVIC 160. Cultural Hybridity in Central-Eastern Europe. 2-5 Units.

Historically shaped by shifting borders and mixing of various cultures and languages, identities in-between have been in abundance in Central-Eastern Europe. This course offers a comprehensive study of the oeuvre of several major Central-European authors of modernity: the Ukrainian-Russian Nikolai Gogol (1809-1852), the Czech-German-Jewish Franz Kafka (1883-1924), the Austrian-Galician-Jewish Leopold von Sacher-Masoch (1836-1895), the Ukrainian-Galician Olha Kobylyans¿ka (1863-1942), the Russian-German Lou Andreas-Salomé (1861-1937), the Jewish-Polish-Galician Bruno Schulz (1892-1942), and the Polish-Argentinean Witold Gombrowicz (1904-1969). Performing their selves in two or more cultures, these writers were engaged in identity games and produced hybrid texts with which they intervened into the major culture as others. In the course, we will apply post-structuralist and post-colonial concepts such as minor language, heterotopia, in-betweenness, mimicry, indeterminacy, exile, displacement, and transnationalism to the study of the writers oeuvres. We will also master the sociolinguistic analysis of such multi-lingual phenomena as self-translation, code-switching, and calquing and examine various versions of the same text to uncover the palimpsest of hybrid identities.
Same as: COMPLIT 231B, SLAVIC 360

SLAVIC 179. Literature from Medieval Rus' and Early Modern Russia. 3-5 Units.

This course traces the history of Russian literature before the eighteenth century. It is divided into two sections. The first section examines literature from Kyivan Rus' (up to the thirteenth century), the medieval conglomerate to which Belarus, Russia and Ukraine all trace their cultural heritage. The second section examines old Russian literature specifically, from the fourteenth to seventeenth centuries. We pay close attention to the development of literary genres, moral/religious and aesthetic features and their relationship, and the beginnings of Russian belles lettres. Our approach to the texts will be two-fold. On the one hand, we will spend some time situating the sources within their historical contexts. On the other hand, we will explore the interpretive possibilities of premodern literature using formal analysis and critical theory. Knowledge of an East Slavic language is required.
Same as: SLAVIC 379

SLAVIC 181. Philosophy and Literature. 3-5 Units.

What, if anything, does reading literature do for our lives? What can literature offer that other forms of writing cannot? Can fictions teach us anything? Can they make people more moral? Why do we take pleasure in tragic stories? This course introduces students to major problems at the intersection of philosophy and literature. It addresses key questions about the value of literature, philosophical puzzles about the nature of fiction and literary language, and ways that philosophy and literature interact. Readings span literature, film, and philosophical theories of art. Authors may include Sophocles, Dickinson, Toni Morrison, Proust, Woolf, Walton, Nietzsche, and Sartre. Students master close reading techniques and philosophical analysis, and write papers combining the two. This is the required gateway course for the Philosophy and Literature major tracks. Majors should register in their home department.
Same as: CLASSICS 42, COMPLIT 181, ENGLISH 81, FRENCH 181, GERMAN 181, ILAC 181, ITALIAN 181, PHIL 81

SLAVIC 183. Jews in the Contemporary World: The American Jewish Present & Past in Popular Culture, Film, & TV. 4-5 Units.

(HISTORY 185B is 5 units; HISTORY 85B IS 3 units.) Who are American Jews as depicted in popular media -- film, television, etc. -- since the Second World War? How are their religion, politics, mores, and practices represented and what ways, if at all, do such portraits reflect historical trends among Jews and society in general? What can be learned from film or tv about Jewish identity, notions of Jewish power and powerlessness, communal cohesiveness and assimilation, sexuality and the wages of intermarriage or race?.
Same as: CSRE 185B, HISTORY 185B, HISTORY 385C, JEWISHST 185B, REES 185B

SLAVIC 187. Classical Russian Poetry. 3-5 Units.

A survey of Russian poetry from Lomonosov to Vladinmir Solov'ev. Close reading of lyrical poems. Prerequisite: 3rd Year Russian Language.
Same as: SLAVIC 387

SLAVIC 188. 20th century Russian Poetry: From Aleksandr Blok to Joseph Brodsky. 3-4 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 195. Russian and East European Theater. 3-5 Units.

Evolution of modernist Russian/Eur. 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 196. Readings in Yiddish Literature 1. 2-4 Units.

Yiddish literature, at a second-year language level. Readings chosen based on student interest; contact instructor with questions.
Same as: SLAVIC 396

SLAVIC 197. Readings in Yiddish Literature 2. 2-4 Units.

Yiddish literature, at a second-year language level. Continuation of SLAVIC 196. Readings chosen based on student interest; contact instructor with questions.
Same as: SLAVIC 397

SLAVIC 198. Writing Between Languages: The Case of Eastern European Jewish Literature. 1-5 Unit.

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. ***This course must be taken for a minimum of 3 units and a letter grade to be eligible for Ways credit***.
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 221. Ukraine at a Crossroads. 3-5 Units.

SLAVIC 222. Andrei Platonov's "Chevengur": Text and Contexts. 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. The graduate course examines Andrei Platonov's ultimate novel "Chevengur" together with political and cultural discourses that framed its production. Primary and secondary readings are in Russian.

SLAVIC 225. Communist and Capitalist Fantasies: Science Fiction in the Soviet Union and the United States. 3-5 Units.

What can science fiction tell us about life and art in the 20th century, in the Soviet Union and the United States? Speculative fiction (including sci-fi, fantasy, utopia, dystopia) combines irony and idealism, belief in science and skepticism about it. It appealed to people living under communism and capitalism. The course will relate fiction to the specific culture and politics in both countries, while also drawing transnational connections. We ask why writers and readers, filmmakers and viewers loved this art so much, despite living in what seemed to be very different places. Soviet and Eastern-European writers and filmmakers will include Mikhail Bulgakov, Stanis¿aw Lem, and Andrei Tarkovsky. The Americans may include Kurt Vonnegut, Philip K. Dick, Isaac Asimov, and Octavia Butler. Additional readings in Marx, Lenin, and H.G. Wells.

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. 3-4 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 231. Tarkovsky. 3-5 Units.

The relatively slim body of work produced by the great Russian director Andrei Tarkovsky helped redefine the possibilities of the art of cinema. Older and younger generations of directors continue to be inspired by his trademark long shot, unconventional narrative techniques, everence for landscape and nature, and by general spatio-temporal discontinuity. The course provides a systematic examination of the director's complete oeuvre (seven feature films and his works for radio and opera) along with his main theoretical treatise Sculpting in Time.

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.
Same as: REES 210

SLAVIC 327. Boris Pasternak and the Poetry of the Russian Avant-garde. 3-4 Units.

An emphasis is made on close reading of the poetry of Boris Pasternak, Marina Tsvetaeva and Vladimir Mayakovsky. Taught in Russian. Prerequisite: 3rd Year Russian Language.

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 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. Slavic Literature and Culture since the Death of Stalin. 3-5 Units.

SLAVIC 356. Vladimir Nabokov: Displacement and the Liberated Eye. 3-5 Units.

SLAVIC 360. Cultural Hybridity in Central-Eastern Europe. 2-5 Units.

SLAVIC 370. Pushkin. 3-5 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 379. Literature from Medieval Rus' and Early Modern Russia. 3-5 Units.

SLAVIC 387. Classical Russian Poetry. 3-5 Units.

A survey of Russian poetry from Lomonosov to Vladinmir Solov'ev. Close reading of lyrical poems. Prerequisite: 3rd Year Russian Language.
Same as: SLAVIC 187

SLAVIC 388. 20th century Russian Poetry: From Aleksandr Blok to Joseph Brodsky. 3-4 Units.

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

SLAVIC 396. Readings in Yiddish Literature 1. 2-4 Units.

Yiddish literature, at a second-year language level. Readings chosen based on student interest; contact instructor with questions.
Same as: SLAVIC 196

SLAVIC 397. Readings in Yiddish Literature 2. 2-4 Units.

Yiddish literature, at a second-year language level. Continuation of SLAVIC 196. Readings chosen based on student interest; contact instructor with questions.
Same as: SLAVIC 197

SLAVIC 398. Writing Between Languages: The Case of Eastern European Jewish Literature. 1-5 Unit.

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 680. Curricular Practical Training. 1-3 Unit.

CPT course required for international students completing degree. Prerequisite: Slavic Languages and Literatures Ph.D. candidate.

SLAVIC 801. TGR PROJECT. 0 Units.

SLAVIC 802. TGR Dissertation. 0 Units.

Slavic Language Courses

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

A beginning Russian course. Proficiency based communicative approach. Introduction to essential vocabulary and grammar, 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.A beginning Russian course.Proficiency based communicative approach. Introduction to essential vocabulary and grammar, Russian culture and the Russian view of reality.Active practice in speaking, reading and writing Russian. Prerequisite: Placement Test or SLAVLANG 1.

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

Continuation of SLAVLANG 1A. Continuation of SLAVLANG1A. Completes the first-year sequence in two rather than three quarters. Students develop basic level proficiency in Russian at an accelerated pace through intensive studying of essential Russian grammar, functional vocabulary and active language practice. Speaking, reading and writing skills in Russian are developed through diverse materials in appropriate cultural contexts. The course fulfills the University foreign language requirement. Prerequisite: SLAVLANG 1A or placement Test.

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

Continuation of SLAVLANG 2.A beginning Russian course. Proficiency based communicative approach. Introduction to essential vocabulary and grammar, Russian culture and the Russian view of reality.Active practice in speaking, reading and writing Russian. The course fulfills the University foreign language requirement. Prerequisite: Placement Test or SLAVLANG 2.

SLAVLANG 5. Russian for Heritage Speakers, First Quarter. 2 Units.

Self-paced.Emphasis on reading and writing skills in Russian. Developing communication in formal and informal settings. Does not fulfill the University foreign language requirement. Prerequisite: placement test.

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

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

SLAVLANG 10. Old Church Slavonic. 2 Units.

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

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

Developing Russian language communicative proficiency from beginning to intermediate level. The course is based on active practice of speaking, writing reading and listening skills in a variety of situations through multiple texts and cultural materials. Intensive grammar review and vocabulary build up. Prerequisite: Placement Test, SLAVLANG 3.

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

Continuation of 51. Developing Russian language communicative proficiency from beginning to intermediate level. The course is based on active practice of speaking, writing reading and listening skills in a variety of situations through multiple texts and cultural materials. Intensive grammar review and vocabulary build up. Prerequisite: placement test or 51.

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

Continuation of 52. Developing Russian language communicative proficiency from beginning to intermediate level. The course is based on active practice of speaking, writing reading and listening skills in a variety of situations through multiple texts and cultural materials. Intensive grammar review and vocabulary build up.Increased level of self-confidence and fluency Prerequisite: placement test or 52.

SLAVLANG 55. Intermediate Russian Conversation. 2 Units.

Russian conversation practice at intermediate level. Based on developing Russian speaking skills through multiple situations and a variety of contexts.May be repeated twice for credit. Prerequisite: SLAVLANG3 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 60F. Perspectives on Slavic Culture and History through Film. 1 Unit.

SLAVLANG 60G. Slavic History. 1 Unit.

This course examines the history of the World War II and contemporary Russia's memory of it. World War II has been arguably the most important struggle in Russia's history and memory. In this course, we will study the history of the war and how that history is told in Russia today. We will approach the war chronologically and thematically. We will ask how this war impacted the Soviet project, the mentality of Russians, and contemporary Russia's polices.

SLAVLANG 60H. Culture and Politics of Russian Athleticism through the lens of Sochi 2014. 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. Intermediate level of Russian is required. Placement test or consent of Instructor.

SLAVLANG 99. Language Specials. 1-5 Unit.

Prerequisite: consent of instructor.

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

A snapshot of Russian life. Reading comprehension, conversational competence, grammatical accuracy, and cultural sophistication. Prerequisite: Placement Test or SLAVLANG53. 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.

Language proficiency maintenance; appropriate for majors and non-majors with significant language experience. 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 SLAVLANG181. Language proficiency maintenance; appropriate for majors and non-majors with significant language experience. 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. Discussions, oral presentations, and writing essays on contemporary Russia. Prerequisite: Placement Test or SLAVLANG 182.

SLAVLANG 184A. Russian Reading Conversation and Composition. 2 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. Course objective is to improve spoken Russian on literary and pedagogical topics. Prerequisite: consent of instructor. May be repeated for credit.

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. (Staff).