Slavic Courses Fall 2024

(4 credits)

• Lecture 1: MTWRF 9:55 – 10:45 am
• Lecture 2: MTWRF 11:00 – 11:50 am
• Lecture 3: MTWRF 12:05 – 12:55 pm
• Lecture 4: MTWRF 1:20 – 2:10 pm

Course Description: Five hours a week focusing on speaking, listening, reading and writing Russian, with an introduction to Russian culture. No previous knowledge of Russian expected.

Prerequisites: None.

(4 credits)

MTWR 11:00 – 11:50 am

Instructor: Krzysztof Borowski

Course Description: Introduction to Polish language focusing on speaking, listening, reading and writing with an introduction to Polish culture.

Prerequisites: None.

(4 credits)

• Lecture 1: MTWRF 11:00 – 11:50 am
• Lecture 2: MTWRF 1:20 – 2:10 pm 

Course Description: Five hours a week focusing on speaking, listening, reading and writing Russian, with continued study of Russian culture.

Prerequisites: SLAVIC 102.

(4 credits)

MTWR 12:05 – 12:55 pm

Instructor: Krzysztof Borowski

Course Description: Development of speaking, listening, reading and writing skills in Polish, with continued study of Polish culture.

Prerequisites: SLAVIC 112.

(Meets with GNS 370)

(3 credits)

TR 1:00 – 2:15 pm

Instructor: Łukasz Wodzyński

Course Description: What constitutes heroism in the absence of universally shared moral frameworks? Who are we as individuals? What responsibility do we have for the way we represent reality to ourselves and to others? What constitutes “good life”? Engage with these questions and examine Polish cinematic tradition from the Polish Film School to the present. Explore key works, themes, and creators of Polish cinema, and probe the ethical and existential dimensions these films open up.

Prerequisites: None

(3 credits)

MWF 1:20 – 2:10 pm

Instructor: Maksim Hanukai

Course Description: This course, situated between literary, political, cultural, and art studies, will address Putin’s authoritarian Russia and the symbolic patterns that govern its erratic and seemingly irrational policies. We will draw on investigative journalism as well as contemporary Russian film, fiction, and art in order to explore the peculiar, yet not unprecedented cult of violence that underlies Putin’s authoritarian regime.  We will examine the origins of this cult in Russian imperial and Soviet culture and its implications for our understanding of current events.

(3 credits)

MWF 9:55 – 10:45 am

Instructor: Alexandra Walter

Course Description: A thorough review of several major aspects of Russian grammar, focusing on the use of complex syntax in speech and writing. Read and discuss literary works and other Russian-language texts. Students will develop writing proficiency through compositions on a variety of topics.

Prerequisites: SLAVIC 118 or 204.

(3 credits)

MWF 12:05 – 12:55 pm

Instructor: Ewa Miernowska

Course Description: In this course, students explore both traditional and evolving notions of culture in Poland, review grammar, and build vocabulary related to the cultural topics studied. The course places a strong emphasis on speaking and reading. Reading assignments include short stories, press articles, poetry, and a novel. Additionally, the program incorporates films, music, and visual arts.

Open to Freshmen

Contact Dr. Ewa Miernowska (miernows@wisc.edu) ), with any questions about the course or appropriate placement.

Prerequisites: Slavic 208 or a placement test. Contact Dr. Ewa Miernowska (miernows@wisc.edu) for placement test

(3 credits)

MWF 12:05 – 12:55 pm

Instructor: Ewa Miernowska

Course Description: The aim of the course is to help students to extend their knowledge of the language, as well as to enhance their literacy skills, and cultural awareness. Class activities are largely based on contemporary Polish prose and on articles from the Polish press related to contemporary Polish society. Students expend their vocabulary by engaging with texts from different genres, historical periods and perspectives. The syllabus includes working on grammar with written exercises and compositions. The course has a strong emphasis on speaking. Students work in groups, make presentations, and debate different issues in class discussions. A study of Polish culture is offered also through films, music and media.

Prerequisites: Slavic 204 OR placement test for other students including Freshmen.

(L&S Credit – Counts as Liberal Arts and Science credit in L&S. Counts for the Slavic Certificate)

(3 credits)

MWF 12:05 – 12:55 pm

Instructor: Ewa Miernowska

Course Description: In this course, students explore both traditional and evolving notions of culture in Poland, review grammar, and build vocabulary related to the cultural topics studied. The course has a strong emphasis on reading and speaking. The reading assignments are based on short stories, press articles, poetry, and a novel. Assignments will contain discussion questions, reading/listening comprehension activities, lexical, and grammar exercises.

Prerequisites: Slavic 305.

(3 credits)

TR 1:00 – 2:15 pm

Instructor: Anna Tumarkin

Course Description: Emphasizes speaking and listening skills, helping students to converse on different stylistic levels, with varying degrees of formality, according to the rules of Russian speech etiquette.

Prerequisites: SLAVIC 118  or SLAVIC 204.

(3 credits)

MWF 1:20 – 2:10 pm

Instructor: Sara Karpukhin

Course Description: This course will focus on development of all four skills (reading, writing, speaking, and listening) in the interpretative (interpreting written and audio/video materials), interpersonal (speaking with others), and presentational (oral presentations to the class and written compositions) modes. The title of the textbook we will be using, Kagan et al.’s Russian: from Intermediate to Advanced, reflects the course goal: to enable students to progress in language proficiency from the Intermediate to the Advanced level in reading and listening, and to the Intermediate High level in speaking and writing. In addition, the course will enrich students’ cultural knowledge through reading and discussion of classical literary texts from Rosengrant’s The Golden Age.

Prerequisites: SLAVIC 276.

(3 credits)

TR 2:30 – 3:45 pm

Instructor: Łukasz Wodzyński

Course Description: Course description to come!

(3 credits)

MWF 12:05 – 12:55 pm

Instructor: Sara Karpukhin

Course Description: The primary aim of the course, the first one in a two-course sequence, is to offer an overview of those aspects of Russian history and culture which are most relevant in Russia today. The course will include a survey of the most important historical events of Russian history up to the end of the 18th century. The goal is to introduce you to the discussion of Russian culture in Russian, but the instructor will only occasionally correct your grammar in conversation, when your meaning is not communicative. We will continually practice all four skills (listening, reading, speaking, writing), but always in application to historical and cultural knowledge.

Prerequisites: SLAVIC 321.

(3 credits)

TR 2:30 – 3:45 pm

Instructor: Karen Evans-Romaine

Course Description: This course, designed as a senior capstone course for advanced students of Russian and conducted in Russian, is devoted to in-depth reading of Mikhail Bulgakov’s novel The Master and Margarita and to studying its literary, cultural, and historical context.

Prerequisites: Slavic 321-322 or equivalent (fourth-year Russian) and one 400-level Russian course, or by consent of instructor.

(3 credits)

M 2:30 – 5:00 pm

Instructor: Irina Shevelenko

Course Description: This course introduces graduate students to key writers and themes in Soviet, Émigré, and Post-Soviet Russian literature. It examines the movements and conceptual issues shaping and influencing the production of literary texts from 1917 until the present day: e.g., realism, socialist realism, exile (internal and external), dissidence, postmodernism. Students will acquire a solid foundation in the literary, historical, and philosophical groundings of post-1917 Russian literature, and will develop skills in textual analysis and interpretation. This course is lecture based and reading intensive. It prepares Slavic graduate students to meet the expectations for a written qualifying exam (PhD prelim) on the period of history of Russian literature covered by the course. This exam is offered at the end of the semester as part of course requirements.

SLAVIC 709 is a 3-credit course. It meets for one 150-minute class period each week over the fall semester and carries the expectation that students will work on course learning activities for about 6 hours out of the classroom for every class period.  Students are expected to spend additional time during the preceding summer to cover the large amounts of reading required for this course.

Prerequisites: Graduate student or professional standing.

(2 credits)

MF 2:25 – 3:15 pm

Instructor: Karen Evans-Romaine

Course Description: This course will address some models of adult second language acquisition and language instruction, methods for teaching Russian, lesson and course design, language proficiency assessment, formative and summative assessments, and criteria for the selection of pedagogical materials.

Prerequisites: Graduate-level course; graduate standing.

(This course is required for graduate student TAs teaching Russian language courses.)

(1 credit)

R 2:30 – 4:00 pm

Instructor: Anna Tumarkin

Course Description: This course is designed and required for current Slavic Department Russian-language Teaching Assistants and provides important professional development in course design, lesson planning, and assessment. Course participants work cooperatively to develop course activities and assessment instruments, and will learn how to identify and solve problems in the classroom.

Prerequisites: Consent of instructor.

(1 credit)

F 2:30 – 5:00 pm

Instructor: Irina Shevelenko

Course Description: A 1-credit course that serves as a seminar add-on for SLAVIC 709 – Soviet, Émigré, and Post-Soviet Literature. It meets five times a semester in 150-minute class periods.

Prerequisites: Graduate or professional student.