Slavic Courses Spring 2023

(4 credits)

MTWRF 9:55 – 10:45 am

Course Description: 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.

(4 credits)

• SEC 001: MTWRF 9:55 – 10:45 am
  
• SEC 002: MTWRF 11:00 – 11:50am
  
• SEC 003: MTWRF 1:20 – 2:10 pm

Course Description: Continuation of SLAVIC 101.

Prerequisites: SLAVIC 101. Open to first-year students.

(4 credits)

MTWR 11:00 – 11:50 am          Instructor: Krzysztof Borowski

Course Description: Continuation of SLAVIC 111 — First Semester Polish.

(4 credits)

MTWR 12:05 – 12:55 pm         Instructor: David Danaher

Course Description: The course is designed to develop communicative skills in Czech: speaking, reading, listening, and writing. It is thematically organized based on units 5-8 in the online textbook Reality Czech, which is keyed to our Canvas site. The themes in these units include: body and health, personality, daily life/schedule, sports, hobbies and chores, university studies. Grammatical topics that support these themes include: the dative case, the locative case, past tense, verbal aspect (imperfective and perfective), comparatives, days of the week, clock time, dates, time expressions, verbs of motion. By the end of the course, students should be able to:

(1) Hold conversations in Czech that reflect comfort with the communicative themes that we have treated.

(2) Understand texts on these themes by applying what they have learned (vocabulary and grammatical structures) to the reading and also by bringing to bear their own knowledge of the world to make educated guesses about words and structures with which they are not yet familiar.

(3) Exhibit familiarity with aspects of Czech culture relating to these themes as well as to certain authors, works, and films.

Students in 115 will have the option of completing a scene-by-scene analysis of the Czech film Tmavomodrý svět (Dark-Blue World), which will be a semester-long collective project (students in 351 must do the film work).

(3) Exhibit familiarity with aspects of Czech culture relating to these themes as well as to certain authors, works, and films.
Students in 115 will have the option of completing a scene-by-scene analysis of the Czech film Tmavomodrý svět (Dark-Blue World), which will be a semester-long collective project (students in 351 must do the film work).

(352 is the meets-with course for students with existing knowledge of another Slavic language, and these students will complete extra work designed to develop receptive knowledge of the language.)

Prerequisites: Slavic 115/351 or the equivalent (with instructor’s permission).

(4 credits)

• SEC 001: MTWRF 1:20 – 2:10 pm
• SEC 002: MTWRF 11:00 – 11:50 am
  

Course Description: Continuation of SLAVIC 203.

Prerequisites: SLAVIC 203. Open to first-year students.

(This course is also offered to graduate students as SLAVIC 304.)

(4 credits)

MTWR 12:05 – 12:55 pm          Instructor: Krzysztof Borowski

Course Description: Continuation of SLAVIC 207 — Third Semester Polish.

(3 credits)

TR 2:30 – 3:45 pm          Instructor: Maksim Hanukai

Course Description: What does it mean “to perform” and what does performance do? How does performance help impose or challenge oppressive structures of power? We will attempt to answer these and related questions by examining a range of performance theories and practices from Russia, Europe, and the United States. Focusing on artists and authors like Sergei Eisenstein, Bertold Brecht, Marina Abramovic, and Pussy Riot, we will learn about political theater in the 20th and 21st centuries, the emergence and evolution of performance art and art actionism, the aesthetic and juridical functions of documentary theater and film, and the recent performative turn in New Left poetry. We will also extend our inquiry beyond art to examine performative practices in modern political and everyday life: show trials, historical reenactment festivals, protests movements, gender performances, collective memory rituals, etc. This course is open to students at all levels. All readings and materials will be available in English.

Prerequisites: None. Open to first-year students.

(3 credits)

SEC 001: MW 2:30-3:45pm          Instructor: Oksana Stoychuk

Course Description: Description to come.

(3 credits)

SEC 002: TR 4:00-5:15pm          Instructor: Krzysztof Borowski

Course Description: Get CREDIT for watching and discussing MOVIES! No final paper, no final exam, no prior knowledge required — instead, a multimedia final project and a series of video assignments. All course content and materials provided by the instructor and in English or with English subtitles.

What makes comedy a powerful political tool? Can laughter become a weapon against totalitarian regimes? How do comedy and humor help subvert power relations in society?

We explore these and similar questions by analyzing political comedy in various formats (film, television, literature, music, internet memes, etc.) using examples from modern Polish culture.

Due to its strong tradition of political comedy amidst a turbulent history — wars, communism, totalitarian rule, and social protests — Poland is uniquely positioned to serve as a cultural case study of how individuals and societies can embrace and survive change, political turmoil, and an uncertain future.

This course is open to students at all levels. All reading and materials will be available in English. No purchase of textbooks or other learning materials required.

No background in Polish or Slavic studies, or languages necessary — everyone interested in comedy and/or politics is welcome!

(3 credits)

SEC 003: MW 2:30-3:45pm          Instructor: Lukasz Wodzynski

Course Description: Poland and Europe 1914-1945.  Even as we emerge from a devastating global health crisis and face the uncertain future, we find that the traumas, issues, and concepts engendered by two World Wars continue to haunt us, even a century later. We once again find ourselves in difficult times, marked by social, cultural, religious, and economic tensions. In this course, we will examine how cultural texts – including literature, film, theatre, painting and sculpture – produced during, between, and after the two wars – deal with the extreme and everyday experiences, with shattered worlds of individuals, ethnicities, and nations. 

(4 credits)

TR 2:30-3:45 pm         Instructor: Irina Shevelenko

Course Description: This course is designed as an interdisciplinary introduction to Russian civilization whose formation began in the northern part of Eurasia in the medieval period. From early on, Russian culture became connected in myriad ways with the multiethnic and multicultural space of the vast part of present-day Eurasia, and we will explore and analyze these ties. This course examines Russian history and Russia of the present day, relying on a variety of disciplinary perspectives and drawing on the expertise of guest speakers from UW-Madison and other institutions. This course aims to impart a basic knowledge of Russian history, geography, literature, art, religious traditions, philosophy, economy, and politics, to provide students with the tools to begin to grasp the complex issues with which Russian culture and society present us.

(3 credits)

SEC 001: TR 11:00 am – 12:15 pm          Instructor: Kirill Ospoavat

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 political theory and 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)

SEC 002: MWF 1:20-2:10 pm          Instructor: Sara Karpukhin

Course Description: Description to come.

(3 credits)

MWF 9:55-10:45 am          Instructor: Alexandra Walter

Course Description: A 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. The goals of this course are to improve students’ reading fluency, writing skills, and command of Russian grammar and structure. We will focus on the use of complex syntax and undertake a thorough review of several major aspects of Russian grammar (including the imperative, verbal aspect, participles, comparatives and verbs of motion). Grammar topics will be presented and practiced using the textbook Panorama. In addition, grammatical forms will be contextualized by reading literary works as well as songs and articles. While the development of speaking skills is not a primary goal of this course (as it is in Slavic 315/316), class discussion of grammar, lexicon, and texts will be largely conducted in Russian.

(4 credits)

MTWR 12:05-12:55 pm          Instructor: Krzysztof Borowski

Course Description: Continuation of SLAVIC 207 — Third Semester Polish for graduate students. Includes additional work at the graduate level. Open to all graduate students and taken for graduate credit.

(3 credits)

TR 1:00-2:15 pm          Instructor: Anna Tumarkin

Course Description: The goals of this course are to improve students’ listening comprehension and speaking skills in Russian, focusing on the development of syntax and conversational patterns to increase the complexity and length of discourse students can understand and create. Students will discuss topics related to contemporary Russian culture and society and work with authentic reading and listening materials, including literary texts, newspaper articles, songs, and film.

(3 credits)

TR 2:30-3:45 pm         Instructor: Lukasz Wodzynski

Course Description: 1989 was a watershed year in modern Polish history. The collapse of communism and the posthumous triumph of the Solidarity movement started a new era in Polish culture. As a democratic, capitalist state, a member of NATO and the EU, Poland can finally define itself as a nation fearing for its geopolitical existence. However, this fantasy of living in a “posthistory” was short-lived. It soon became evident that no genuine attempt at building a new cultural identity is possible without facing past traumas, from the tragedies of World War II to the grim legacy of the People’s Republic of Poland (PRL). Contemporary Polish culture struggles with its historical heritage even as it attempts to “move on.” In this class, we examine the forms of this struggle. What is the role of culture in a free society? How does culture mediate our relationship with the past? How does it help us understand the present? What does it mean to live in an age where all the major narratives of modernity come apart and humanity faces unprecedented existential threats? What does it mean to be living at the end of times?

(3 credits)

TR 11:00-12:15 pm          Instructor: Maksim Hanukai

Course Description: This course introduces students to the life and works of Anton Chekhov (1860-1904). Through close reading and discussion of his short stories, novellas, and plays, we will learn about Chekhov’s treatment of such topics as childhood, religion, love and infidelity, and the dramas of modern life, while paying close attention to his developing artistic views and literary technique. All readings will be in English.

Prerequisites: None. Open to first-year students.

(3 credits)

MWF 12:05-12:55 pm          Instructor: Andrew Reynolds

Course Description: “When, as in the immortal The Overcoat, Gogol really let himself go and pottered on the brink of his private abyss, he became the greatest artist that Russia has yet produced.” Vladimir Nabokov

This course will explore the major fictional texts of Nikolai Vasil’evich Gogol (1809-52) – Ukrainian and Petersburg Tales, The Inspector General, Dead Souls – in an attempt to get closer to one of the most enigmatic and influential writers in world literature Relevant non-fiction texts will also be introduced when appropriate. Despite the comparisons to Poe and Kafka or Gogol’s undeniable influence on Dostoevsky and Bulgakov, one thing is certain – his world of laughter and tears is unlike that of any other writer. Are his characters realistic if satirical portraits of his countrymen, or phantoms spawned by his own spiritual torments? Is Gogol a Russian imperialist or Ukrainian nationalist, both, or neither? Is Dead Souls an excoriation of a sad Russia or an evocation of her special destiny as the speeding troika before whom all other nations will give way?”

(3 credits)

TR 1:00 – 2:15 pm          Instructor: Kirill Ospovat

Course Description: In this course, we read Tolstoy’s lengthier and shorter masterpieces, from War and Peace to The Strider, alongside some of his nonfictional manifestoes. We explore his techniques of representation and ethical stances and traced their evolution through Tolstoy’s long literary career. What were Tolstoy’s objections to sexuality and political reform? What is moral and beautiful? How does civilization and education relate to nature?  What does death say about life? These were some of the questions that we have investigated while reading Tolstoy’s manifold work.

(3 credits)

MWF12:05 – 12:55 pm          Instructor: Sara Karpukhin

Course Description: Second in a two-semester course sequence, this course focuses on those topics in modern Russian cultural history that are most often discussed by Russians and serve as the basis for contemporary political and media discourse. The primary aim of the course, the second 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 whose purpose is to introduce you to the discussion of Russian culture in Russian. There will be no separate discussion of grammar and I will not correct your grammar in conversation as long as everyone understands your meaning. We will continually practice all four skills (listening, reading, speaking, writing), but always in application to historical and cultural knowledge.

(3 credits)

MWF 11:00 – 11:50 am          Instructor: Sara Karpukhin

Course Description: A focus on development of reading, writing, and speaking skills and on the interpretation of texts in their historical and cultural context. This course is the final course in the Russian language sequence required for the Russian major (either Russian Language & Literature or Russian Language & Civilization). It will focus on development of reading, writing, and speaking skills 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 goal of this course is 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 literary texts.

(3 credits)

MWF 11:00 – 11:50 am          Instructor: Karen Evans-Romaine

Course Description: The goals of this advanced-level course are to improve students’ Russian proficiency in listening and speaking, with an emphasis on formal registers, and to help provide students with basic knowledge of a variety of areas related to contemporary Russian-language media and culture necessary for a professional-level command of the language, regardless of the student’s discipline. Course modules will include recent Russian history (since perestroika); media and mass communications; Russian domestic politics (including elections); Russian foreign policy, with a focus on the Russian invasion of Ukraine; economic issues, healthcare and public health; and issues in contemporary Russian culture. We will also discuss some American political and economic issues from a Russian point of view. Students enrolling in the course should have Russian language proficiency at least at the Intermediate High level.

(2 credits)

M 2:30 – 5:00 pm         Instructor: Irina Shevelenko

Course Description: This course introduces graduate students with advanced competence in modern Russian to major works of medieval and early modern literature of Eastern Slavic provenance, from the eleventh through seventeenth centuries. Students read primary texts in the original or in translation into modern Russian. Secondary readings provide students with the historical background and showcase a variety of scholarly approaches to medieval texts.

(3 credits)

MWF 12:05 – 12:55 pm         Instructor: Oksana Stoychhuk

Course Description: This course is an introduction to the basics of the Ukrainian language and culture. Through a mix of activities and assignments, students will acquire elementary Ukrainian language skills in the four main areas: reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Regular written and speaking tests will help you solidify your language skills while homework assignments will ensure you practice and learn the new material. In this course, you will also learn about Ukrainian pronunciation, how to be a competent Ukrainian language user, when to use formal/informal language, and what colloquialisms Ukrainians like to use in everyday conversations. By learning the language in the larger context of Ukrainian culture, you will also acquire valuable cultural competence that will make your communication with Ukrainian speakers easier and more natural.

(2 credits)

TR 12:05 – 12:55 pm        Instructor: Irina Shevelenko

Course Description: This course introduces students with advanced competence in modern Russian to Old Church Slavonic (OCS) and its impact on the formation of Russian literary language. In the first part of the course, emphasis is placed on comparing OCS morphology, syntax, and patterns of word formation with those of modern Russian and on achieving basic reading knowledge of OCS and of the Russian version of Church Slavonic that emerged from it. In the second part of the course, the focus shifts to the impact of OCS on the formation of Russian literary language in the course of the eighteenth century, and to the presence and function of OCS vocabulary and morphological patterns in modern Russian language.

(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: Teaching assistant in Russian. Graduate or professional standing.