News & Events
- Russian Language Table Thurs. 12:30 Sharples, # 6
- Lecture: When Governments Fail: Asylum as a last Resort, the case of Chechnya
Welcome to Russian at Swarthmore College!
The Russian Federation is a huge and varied country with a long and complex history, unequaled cultural treasures (literature, ballet, folklore, cuisine) and great natural beauty. Study of Russian at Swarthmore offers entry to this culture and place, whose world importance is evolving and continuing over time. The Russian language is particularly satisfying to anyone who loves beautiful and intricate systems, making its study a pleasure on its own terms.
Why Study Russian?
FEATURED COURSES FALL 2008
Russian 013: The Russian Novel
(Cross-listed as LITR 013R)
The Russian novel represents Russia's most fundamental contribution to world culture. This course surveys classic authors and experimental works from the 19th and 20th centuries. Students in the course will deepen their understanding of the context for writers, including Dostoevsky and Tolstoy. They will gain familiarity with literary movements and genres including romanticism, realism, the psychological novel, the picaresque novel, modernism, and the postmodern as they developed in Russia. We will highlight issues including the relationship of Russia to the West, national identity, and the complex relationship of literature and politics.
1 credit.
Fall 2008. Pesenson.
 Russian 105: Literature of the Soviet Period
This course treats the literature associated with one of the most remarkable social experiments in human history. Students will examine the relation of literature to ideology and social reality based on a selection of works reflecting the avant-garde experimentation of the 1920s, the official doctrine of Socialist Realism, underground and émigré literature, and/or literature addressing the historical situation and the legacy of Stalinism.
2 credits.
Fall 2008. Rojavin.
 Russian 70: Translation Workshop
(Cross-listed as LING 070 and LITR 070R)
This workshop in literary translation will concentrate on both theory and practice, working in poetry, prose, and drama as well as editing. Students will participate in an associated series of bilingual readings and will produce a substantial portfolio of work. Students taking the course for linguistics credit will write a final paper supported by a smaller portfolio of translations. No prerequisites exist, but excellent knowledge of a language other than English (equivalent to a 004B course at Swarthmore or higher) is highly recommended or, failing that, access to at least one very patient speaker of a foreign language.
1 credit.
Fall 2008. Forrester.
|