See also the list of past years' courses.
Jump to current courses in: BCSN CZEC EEUR SLAV POLI RUSS SOSL
Language
10100-10200-10300/31000-31100-31200. Elementary Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian I, II, III. Knowledge of a Slavic language and background in linguistics not required. The major objective of the course is to build a solid foundation in the basic grammatical patterns of written and spoken Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian, while simultaneously introducing both the Cyrillic and Latin alphabets. This course is complemented with cultural and historical media from the Balkans and is designed for students with a wide range of interests. Screenings of movies and other audio-visual materials are held in addition to scheduled class time. N. Petkovic. Autumn, Winter, Spring.
20100-20200-20300/32000-32100-32200. Intermediate Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian I, II, III. PQ: BCSN 10300 or consent of instructor. The first quarter is devoted to an overview of grammar, with emphasis on verbal morphology and syntax, through the reading of a series of literary texts in both the Latin and Cyrillic alphabets. The second and third quarters are devoted to further developing active mastery of Bosian/Croatian/Serbian through continued readings, grammar drills, compositions, and conversational practice. Study of word formation, nominal and adjectival morphology, and syntax are emphasized. Screenings of movies and other audio-visual materials are held in addition to scheduled class time. N. Petkovic. Autumn, Winter, Spring.
29700. Reading and Research Course. PQ: Consent of instructor and Departmental Adviser. Students are required to submit the College Reading and Research Course Form. Autumn, Winter, Spring.
30100-30200-30300. Advanced Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian I, II, III. PQ: BCSN 20300 or consent of instructor. This course is tailored to the needs of the students enrolled, depending on their concentration in the field. It enhances language acquisition with continuous reading and translation of essays, newspaper articles, literary excerpts, letters and other selected writings. Vocabulary building is emphasized by the systematic study of nominal and verbal roots, prefixes and suffixes, and word formation thereafter. Discussion follows each completed reading with a written composition assigned in relation to the topic. N. Petkovic. Autumn, Winter, Spring.
Language
10100-10200-10300. Elementary Czech I, II, III. This course is an introduction to the basic grammar of Czech with attention given to all four skills of speaking, listening, reading, and writing, as well as exposure to Czech culture. Winter and Spring Quarters include work with Czech film and literature. Students gain some familiarity with the major differences between literary and spoken Czech as they learn to use the language both as a means of communication and as a tool for reading and research. Autumn, Winter, Spring.
20100-20200-20300. Second-Year Czech I, II, III. PQ: CZEC 10300 or consent of instructor. The main goal of this course is to enable students to read Czech proficiently in their particular fields. Conversation practice is included. The program is flexible and may be adjusted according to the needs of the students. Autumn, Winter, Spring.
Literature and Linguistics
29700. Reading and Research Course. PQ: Consent of instructor and Departmental Adviser. Students are required to submit the College Reading and Research Course Form. Autumn, Winter, Spring.
29900. BA Paper. PQ: Open to fourth-year students who are majoring in Slavic Languages and Literatures with consent of instructor and Departmental Adviser. Students are required to submit the College Reading and Research Course Form. This course must be taken for a quality grade. Autumn, Winter, Spring.
Literature and Linguistics
21100-21200-21300/31100-31200-31300. Elementary Modern Armenian I, II, III. (=ARME 10101-10102-10103) This three-quarter sequence utilizes the most advanced computer technology and audio-visual aids to enable students to master a core vocabulary, the alphabet, and basic grammatical structures, as well as to achieve a reasonable level of proficiency in modern formal and spoken Armenian (one of the oldest Indo-European languages). Considerable amounts of historical/political and social/cultural issues about Armenia are built into this sequence to prepare students who intend to conduct research in Armenian studies or to pursue work in Armenia. H. Haroutunian. Autumn, Winter, Spring.
27600/37600. Milan Kundera. This course constitutes a survey of the work of the Franco-Czech author Milan Kundera. The primary readings consist of his novels and short stories, from Laughable Loves to the recent Slowness. In studying Kundera's essays (particularly those in The Art of the Novel and Testaments Betrayed) we examine the relation between his critical thought and his novelistic practice. Such topics as sexism/misogyny, national identity, and political ideology are taken up in our discussions of this controversial novelist and critic. In addition, film adaptations of his work are shown and discussed. Texts in English. M. Sternstein. Winter.
The Unbelievable Came True: Magical realism in the Other Europe. Malynne Sternstein, A. Ilieva. Spring.
Literature and Linguistics
22000/32000. Old Church Slavonic. (=LGLN 25100/35100) PQ: Knowledge of another Slavic language or good knowledge of one or two other old Indo-European languages required; SLAV 20100/30100 recommended. This course introduces the language of the oldest Slavic texts. It begins with a brief historical overview of the relationship of Old Church Slavonic to Common Slavic and the other Slavic languages. This is followed by a short outline of Old Church Slavonic inflectional morphology. The remainder of the course is spent in the reading and grammatical analysis of original texts. Texts in Cyrillic or Cyrillic transcription of the original Glagolitic. Y. Gorbachov. Winter.
25900/35900. Word and Image: Reassessing Interdisciplinarity. This course discusses the recent revisions of the verbal-visual interrelationship in the works of Ernst van Alphen, Mieke Bal, W.J.T. Mitchell and others. B. Shallcross. Spring.
27200/37200. Modern Central European Novel. (=GRMN 28900/38900, ISHU 28102) This course conducts a close study of the major novels of Central European origin from the twentieth century. We read and discuss Witold Gombrowicz's Trans-Atlantyk, Milan Kundera's Book of Laughter and Forgetting, Hermann Broch's Sleepwalkers, Franz Kafka's Amerika, Robert Musil's Young Törless, and recent works by Peter Esterhazy and Dubravka Ugresic, with emphasis on the aesthetic construction, ethical attitude, and cultural context of the novels cited. One main concern is what constitutes the "national" and "regional" character of these novels/novelists and to what extent grouping these novels under the rubric of "Central European" is feasible. M. Sternstein. Autumn.
29700. Reading and Research Course. PQ: Consent of instructor and Departmental Adviser. Students are required to submit the College Reading and Research Course Form. Autumn, Winter, Spring.
29900. BA Paper. PQ: Open to fourth-year students who are majoring in Slavic Languages and Literatures with consent of instructor and Departmental Adviser. Students are required to submit the College Reading and Research Course Form. This course must be taken for a quality grade. Autumn, Winter, Spring.
Language
10100-10200-10300. Elementary Polish I, II, III. This course teaches students to speak, read, and write in Polish, as well as familiarizes them with Polish culture. It employs the most up-to-date techniques of language teaching (e.g., communicative and accelerated learning, and learning based on students' native language skills), as well as multileveled target-language exposure. Autumn, Winter, Spring.
20100-20200-20300. Second-Year Polish I, II, III. PQ: POLI 10300 or equivalent. This course includes instruction in grammar, writing, and translation, as well as watching selected Polish movies. Selected readings are drawn from the course textbook, and students also read Polish short stories and press articles. In addition, the independent reading of students is emphasized and reinforced by class discussions. Work is adjusted to each student's level of preparation. Autumn, Winter, Spring.
30100-30200-30300. Advanced Polish I, II, III. PQ: POLI 20300 or equivalent. Students in this course discuss selected readings (primarily short stories chosen by the instructor) in Polish during the week. The level of work is adjusted to each student's level of preparation. All work in Polish. Autumn, Winter, Spring.
Literature and Linguistics
22300. Poland after Communism.The last two decades after the fall of Communism brought about significant changes in all areas of life in Poland. The course focuses on several aspects of the transformation such as everyday life under capitalism; the role of religion and art in society; nationalism, and a revision of the 20th century Polish history. The source materials entail feature and documentary films and visual arts. Dr. Tomasz Łysak. Spring 2012.
29100/39100, Representing the Holocaust. Drawing on the vast resources from the Holocaust memorial sites, archives, and literatures, this course discusses the role of material objects during the Holocaust juxtaposed to the post-Holocaust materialities to reveal both rupture and continuity between them. In this course, we discuss how the concept of happiness, as represented in several utopian, dystopian and epiphanic narratives, was determined, (dis)placed and fragmented. B. Shallcross. Autumn.
History of Polish. Y. Gorbachov. Autumn.
29700. Reading and Research Course. PQ: Consent of instructor and Departmental Adviser. Students are required to submit the College Reading and Research Course Form. Autumn, Winter, Spring.
29900. BA Paper. PQ: Consent of instructor and Departmental Adviser. Students are required to submit the College Reading and Research Course Form. Open only to fourth-year students who are majoring in Slavic Languages and Literature. This course must be taken for a quality grade. Autumn, Winter, Spring.
Language
10100-10200-10300. First-Year Russian I, II, III. This course introduces modern Russian to students who would like to speak Russian or to use the language for reading and research. All four major communicative skills (i.e., reading, writing, listening comprehension, speaking) are stressed. Students are also introduced to Russian culture through readings, videos, and class discussions. This yearlong course prepares students for the College Language Competency Exam, for continued study of Russian in second-year courses, and for study or travel abroad in Russian-speaking countries. Conversation practice is held twice a week. Autumn, Winter, Spring.
10400-10500-10600. Russian through Pushkin I, II, III. Not open to students who have taken RUSS 10100-10200-10300. This literary and linguistic approach to Russian allows students to learn the language by engaging classic Russian poetic texts (e.g., Pushkin's The Bronze Horseman), as well as excerpts from Eugene Onegin and selections from Pushkin's shorter poems and prose works. Although the focus is on reading Russian, all four major communicative skills (i.e., reading, writing, listening comprehension, speaking) are stressed, preparing students for the College Language Competency Exam and for continued study of Russian in second-year courses. Conversation practice is held twice a week. Autumn, Winter, Spring.
20100-20200-20300. Second-Year Russian I, II, III. PQ: RUSS 10300 or consent of instructor. This course continues RUSS 10100-10200-10300; it includes review and amplification of grammar, practice in reading, elementary composition, and speaking and comprehension. Systematic study of word formation and other strategies are taught to help free students from excessive dependence on the dictionary and develop confidence in reading rather than translating. Readings are selected to help provide historical and cultural background. Conversation practice is held twice a week. Autumn, Winter, Spring.
20400-20500-20600. Russian through Literary Readings: Second Year I, II, III. PQ: RUSS 10600. This course is a continuation of Russian through Pushkin. Second-year grammar, as well as oral and reading skills, are strengthened through intensive reading of important poetic and prose texts from the Russian classics. Conversation practice is held twice a week. Autumn, Winter, Spring.
20702-20802-20902. Third-Year Russian through Culture I, II, III. PQ: RUSS 20300 (two years of Russian) or equivalent. This course, which is intended for third-year students of Russian, covers various aspects of Russian grammar in context and emphasizes the four communicative skills (i.e., reading, writing, listening comprehension, speaking) in a culturally authentic context. Excerpts from popular Soviet/Russian films and clips from Russian television news reports are shown and discussed in class. Classes conducted in Russian; some aspects of grammar explained in English. Drill practice is held twice a week. V. Pichugin. Autumn, Winter, Spring.
21002-21102-21202. Fourth-Year Russian through Short Story I, II, III. PQ: Three years of Russian or equivalent. This course treats some difficult issues of grammar, syntax, and stylistics through reading and discussing contemporary Russian short stories. This kind of reading exposes students to contemporary Russian culture, society, and language. Vocabulary building is also emphasized. Classes conducted in Russian. Conversation practice is held twice a week. Autumn, Winter, Spring.
21302-21402-21502. Advanced Russian through Media I, II, III. PQ: RUSS 21200 or consent of instructor. This course, which is designed for fifth-year students of Russian, covers various aspects of Russian stylistics and discourse grammar in context. It emphasizes the four communicative skills (i.e., reading, writing, listening comprehension, speaking) in culturally authentic context. Clips from Russian/Soviet films and television news reports are shown and discussed in class. Classes conducted in Russian. Conversation practice is held twice a week. V. Pichugin. Autumn, Winter, Spring.
21600. Russian for Heritage Learners. PQ: Ability to speak Russian fluently required; formal training in Russian not required. This course examines the major aspects of Russian grammar and stylistics essential for heritage learners. Students engage in close readings and discussions of short stories by classic and contemporary Russian authors (e.g., Pushkin, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Chekhov, Platonov, Bulgakov, Erofeev, Tolstaya), with special emphasis on their linguistic and stylistic differences. All work in Russian. Autumn.
Literature and Linguistics
23900. Lolita. (=FNDL 25300, ISHU 24901) "Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins. My sin, my soul, Lolita: the tip of the tongue taking a trip of three steps down the palate, to tap at three on the teeth." Popular as Nabokov's "all-American" novel is, it is rarely discussed beyond its psychosexual profile. This intensive text-centered and discussion-based course attempts to supersede the univocal obsession with the novel's pedophiliac plot as such by concerning itself above all with the novel's language: language as failure, as mania, and as conjuration.M. Sternstein. Winter.
25500/35500. Russian Literature from Classicism to Romanticism. This course offers a survey of the main literary movements, schools, and genres during the period from the 1760s to the 1830s. We will explore the main works of Russian new-classical, pre-romantic and romantic authors, including Mikhail Lomonossov, Gavriil Derzhavin, Denis Fonvizin, Nikolai Novikov, Anns Labzina, Nikolai Karamzin, Aleksandr Radischev, Vassilii Pushkin, Denis Davydov, Vassilii Zhukovskii, Alexandr Pushkin, Mikhail Lermontov and Vladimir Odoevskii. Most texts are available in Russian as well as in translation. However, students are encouraged to read all texts in Russian. The prerequisite for the course: two years of the Russian language. L. Steiner. Autumn.
25600/35600. Realism in Russia. From the 1830s to the 1890s, most Russian prose writers and playwrights were either engaged in the European-wide cultural movement known as "realistic school," which set for itself the task of engaging with social processes from the standpoint of political ideologies. The ultimate goal of this course is to distill more precise meanings of "realism," "critical realism," and "naturalism" in nineteenth-century Russian through analysis of works by Gogol, Turgenev, Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Aleksandr Ostrovsky, Goncharov, Saltykov-Shchedrin, and Kuprin. Texts in English and the original. Optional Russian-intensive section offered. W. Nickell. Winter.
25700/35700. Russian Literature from Modernism to Post-Modernism. Given the importance of the written word in Russian culture, it is no surprise that writers were full-blooded participants in Russia's tumultuous recent history, which has lurched from war to war, and from revolution to revolution. The change of political regimes has only been outpaced by the change of aesthetic regimes, from realism to symbolism, and then from socialist realism to post-modernism. We sample the major writers, texts, and literary doctrines, paying close attention to the way they responded and contributed to historical events. This course counts as the third part of the survey of Russian literature. Texts in English. W. Nickell. Spring.
28904/38904. Russian Lyric Poetry: From the 'Golden Age' to the Dawn of the 'Silver Age.' This course will explore the development of the Russian poetic tradition from the so-called 'Golden Age,' when lyric poetry flourished in the atmosphere of the aristocratic salons, through the 1840, 50s and 60s, the period marked by the rise of several conflicting schools of poetry, including philosophical poetry (Tiutchev), "civic' poetry (Nekrasov) and "art for art's sake" movement (Fet), and to the emergence of early symbolism in the fin-de-siècle atmosphere of Russian culture at the turn of the twentieth century. The poets whose work will be studied in depth are Vassilii Zhukovskii, Alexander Pushkin, Evgenii Boratynskii, Mikhail Lermontov, Fyodor Tiutchev, Afanasii Fet, Nikolai Nekrasov, Apollon Grigor'ev and Alexander Blok. The course is open to all Russian majors who have completed at least three years of Russian and to heritage speakers. L. Steiner. Winter.
27505/37505. Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment. We will engage in a rigorous quarter-long close reading of Dostoevsky's 1867 novel with the intention of unfolding as fully as possibly its significance in the history of literary form, philosophical thought, and social critique. To this purpose we will also read selected texts from such contemporaries as Friedrich Nietzsche and Karl Marx, as well as a sampling of critical responses to Dostoevsky's novel and its adaptations in other media. Slavic and Fundamentals majors get first priority. R. Bird. Winter.
29700. Reading and Research Course. PQ: Consent of instructor and Departmental Adviser. Students are required to submit the College Reading and Research Course Form. Autumn, Winter, Spring.
29900. BA Paper. PQ: Open to fourth-year students who are majoring in Slavic Languages and Literature with consent of instructor and Departmental Adviser. Students are required to submit the College Reading and Research Course Form. This course must be taken for a quality grade. Autumn, Winter, Spring.
Literature and Linguistics
26610/36610. The Brighter Side of the Balkans: Humor and Satire in Balkan Literature. A. Ilieva., V. Friedman. Spring.
26800/36800. Balkan Folklore. (=CMLT 23301/33301, NEHC 20568/30568) This course is an overview of Balkan folklore from ethnographic, anthropological, historical/political, and performative perspectives. We become acquainted with folk tales, lyric and epic songs, music, and dance. The work of Milman Parry and Albert Lord, who developed their theory of oral composition through work among epic singers in the Balkans, help us understand folk tradition as a dynamic process. We also consider the function of different folklore genres in the imagining and maintenance of community and the socialization of the individual. We also experience this living tradition first hand through our visit to the classes and rehearsals of the Chicago-based ensemble "Balkanske igre." A. Ilieva. Winter.
27200-27300/37200-37300. The Other within the Self: Identity in Balkan Literature and Film. This two-course sequence examines discursive practices in a number of literary and cinematic works from the South East corner of Europe through which identities in the region become defined by two distinct others: the "barbaric, demonic" Ottoman and the "civilized" Western European.
27200/37200. Returning the Gaze: The Balkans and Western Europe. (=CMLT 23201/33201, NEHC 20885/30885) This course investigates the complex relationship between South East European self-representations and the imagined Western "gaze" for whose benefit the nations stage their quest for identity and their aspirations for recognition. We also think about differing models of masculinity, the figure of the gypsy as a metaphor for the national self in relation to the West, and the myths Balkans tell about themselves. We conclude by considering the role that the imperative to belong to Western Europe played in the Yugoslav wars of succession. Some possible texts/films are Ivo Andric, Bosnian Chronicle; Aleko Konstantinov, Baj Ganyo; Emir Kusturica, Underground; and Milcho Manchevski, Before the Rain. A. Ilieva. Autumn.
27300/37300. The Burden of History: A Nation and Its Lost Paradise. (=CMLT 23401/33401, NEHC 20573/30573) This course begins by defining the nation both historically and conceptually, with attention to Romantic nationalism and its flourishing in Southeastern Europe. We then look at the narrative of original wholeness, loss, and redemption through which Balkan countries retell their Ottoman past. With the help of Freud's analysis of masochistic desire and Žižek's theory of the subject as constituted by trauma, we contemplate the national fixation on the trauma of loss and the dynamic between victimhood and sublimity. The figure of the Janissary highlights the significance of the other in the definition of the self. Some possible texts are Petar Njegoš's Mountain Wreath; Ismail Kadare's The Castle; and Anton Donchev's Time of Parting. A. Ilieva. Spring.
27400/37400. Magic Realist and Fantastic Writings from the Balkans. (=CMLT 22201/32201) In this course, we ask whether there is such a thing as a "Balkan" type of magic realism and think about the differences between the genres of magic realism and the fantastic, while reading some of the most interesting writing to have come out of the Balkans. We also look at the similarities of the works from different countries (e.g., lyricism of expression, eroticism, nostalgia) and argue for and against considering such similarities constitutive of an overall Balkan sensibility. A. Ilieva. Spring.
27600/37600. Cinema from the Balkans. (=CMLT 22601/32601) This course is designed as an overview of major cinematic works from Bulgaria, Albania, Greece, Rumania, former Yugoslavia and Turkey. While the main criterion for selection is the artistic quality of the work, the main issues under consideration are those of identity, gender, the poignant relation with the "Western World," memories of conflict and violence, and socialism and its disintegration and subsequent emigration. We compare the conceptual categories through which these films make sense of the world, especially the sense of humor with which they come to terms with that world. Directors whose work we examine include Vulchanov and Andonova (Bulgaria); Kusturica, Makavejev, and Grlic (Former Yugoslavia); Guney (Turkey); Boulmetis (Greece); and Manchevski (Macedonia). A. Ilieva. Autumn.
27610/37610. Gender in the Balkans through Literature and Film. (=CMLT 23901/33901, GNDR 27702/37700) This introductory course examines the poetics of femininity and masculinity in some of the best works of the Balkan region. We contemplate how the experiences of masculinity and femininity are constituted and the issues of socialization related to these modes of being. Topics include the traditional family model, the challenges of modernization and urbanization, the socialist paradigm, and the post-socialist changes. Finally, we consider the relation between gender and nation, especially in the context of the dissolution of Yugoslavia. All work in English. A. Ilieva. Winter.
29700. Reading and Research Course. PQ: Consent of instructor and Departmental Adviser. Students are required to submit the College Reading and Research Course Form. Autumn, Winter, Spring.
29900. BA Paper. PQ: Open to fourth-year students who are majoring in Slavic Languages and Literature with consent of instructor and Departmental Adviser. Students are required to submit the College Reading and Research Course Form. This course must be taken for a quality grade. Autumn, Winter, Spring.