RUS 83First-Year Seminar in Russian

3 credits · Russian · Penn State

Russia's cultural past and present. RUS 083 First-Year Seminar in Russian (3) (GH; FYS; IL) (BA) Russia, the world's largest country stretching over eleven time zones in Europe and Asia, is currently undergoing a dramatic transformation. For the past hundred years, Russia has served as a laboratory of gigantic dimensions as various social ideals were implemented with unprecedented radicalism. At the same time, Russia's intellectuals raised 'ultimate questions' about social justice, the existence of God, and the meaning of human life with an unparalleled acuity and intensity. This course surveys Russia's cultural past and present and introduces students to the various attitudes of Russian thinkers and authors toward the questions of national identity and national destiny. It could be offered either as a broad overview of general trends and key ideas or as a theme-specific survey. With that said, while the thematic focus may vary from year to year, students will discuss examples of Russian high culture (philosophy, literature, art, music) alongside critical inquiries into daily life in imperial, communist, and post-communist Russia in each iteration of the course. Special emphasis will be placed on the in-depth study of a few seminal works of Russian literature and cinema. In addition to introducing students to the key topics in Russian history and culture, this course will help to prepare them for a variety of additional courses in the fields of literature and Russian/East European area studies. In addition to the academic topic and issues of this course, students can expect to gain a general introduction to the University as an academic community and to have the opportunity to explore their responsibilities as members of that community. Students will develop an understanding of the learning tools and resources available to them, including the opportunity to develop relationships with faculty and other students who share their academic interests. The course will be taught in English, and no prior knowledge of Russian culture and history is required. Each section of this course will be limited to twenty students who will be instructed by an experienced professor. The classwork will consist of a fusion of lectures, seminar-style discussions, group work, short writing assignments, collaborative group projects, student presentations, and a research project. This course can be used to fulfill the General Education or Bachelor of Arts Humanities requirement, the International Cultures requirement, and the first-year seminar requirement.