Curriculum
The department offers courses in the Russian language, literature and culture. Elective courses in Russian provide intermediate and advance instruction in both language and literature. Students who have had previous training in the Russian language, as well as native speakers of Russian, should consult the undergraduate Adviser in Russian for correct placement.
Major
Requirements for the Major in Russian:
Required (36 credits): A minimum of 24 elective credits in Russian language (above Russian 203) and literature and culture (starting with Russian 150) with a grade of B- or better. The rest of the credits should be selected from courses in related fields, such as linguistics, comparative literature, history, philosophy, English, and other foreign languages and literatures. Students are urged to register with the Undergraduate Adviser - early in their College career - their intention to major.Minor
Requirements for the Minor in Russian:
Required: Minimum of 15 credits. May be started with any course above Russian 203. Students should consult with the Undergraduate Adviser and fill out a concentration form before the fifth semester so that the minor will be recorded on their transcript.Students interested in Russian and East European area studies may consider pursuing an interdisciplinary major program, combining Russian language and literature with other disciplines related to the area, under the supervision of the Director of Interdisciplinary and Special Studies and the departments concerned.
Study Abroad
The department can arrange for students of Russian to study in St. Petersburg. Depending upon the nature of the courses, credit may be granted toward the major and toward their degree at Queens College. The academic adviser can supply further information about these programs.
Elective Courses
Students considering a major must consult an adviser in the department before filling out appropriate concentration forms. Either Russian 301 or 302 is required of all majors unless specifically waived by the department because of special competence in these fields. Students may choose a program that emphasizes either language or literature; however, a language concentration requires at least one literature elective in addition to Russian 331. A literature major must also submit a substantial term paper -- the topic to be determined in consultation with the faculty -- for a literature course chosen from either the 200 or 300 series. Majors should consult with their adviser before registering for the next semester.
Elective Courses in Slavic and East European Languages:
240. Studies in Slavic and East European Languages. 240.1-240.3, 1-3 hr.; 1-3 cr.Various special language topics not covered by other courses will be assigned from time to time. May be repeated for credit if the topic changes.
250. Studies in Slavic and East European Literatures. 250.1-250.3, 1-3 hr.; 1-3 cr.
From time to time, various special literary topics not covered by other courses will be assigned, such as Childhood in Russian Literature, Russian Women Writers, The Prose of Russian Poets, The Image of the Jew in Russian Literature, etc.
Courses in Russian Language
Basic Courses:
111. Elementary Russian I. 4 hr.; 4 cr.For students with no previous training in Russian. Designed to introduce basic grammar, correct pronunciation, and reading and writing.
111.2. Elementary Oral Practice I. 2 hr.; 2 cr.
Basic training in speaking and aural comprehension. Must be taken simultaneously with Russian 111.
112. Elementary Russian II. 4 hr.; 4 cr.
Prereq.: Russian 111 or equivalent. A continuation of Russian 111.
112.2. Elementary Oral Practice II. 2 hr.; 2 cr.
Prereq.: Russian 111 and 111.2. A continuation of Russian 111.2. Must be taken simultaneously with Russian 112.
203. Intermediate Russian I. 4 hr.; 4 cr.
Prereq.: Russian 112 or equivalent. Intermediate training in listening, speaking, reading, writing. Based on both oral-aural practice and the coordinated study of grammar, including morphology and syntax.
204. Intermediate Russian II. 4 hr.; 4 cr.
Prereq.: Russian 203 or equivalent. A continuation of Russian 203.
214. Intermediate Russian Conversation: 214.1-214.3 1-3 hr.; 1-3 cr.
Prereq.: Russian 203. Intensive practice in spoken Russian.
215. Advanced Intermediate Russian I. 4 hr.; 4 cr.
Prereq.: Russian 204 or equivalent. A continuation of Russian 204.
225. Advanced Intermediate Russian II. 4 hr.; 4 cr.
Prereq.: Russian 204 or equivalent. An introduction to reading Russian.
Advanced Courses:
113. Phonetics and Intonation. 3 hr.; 3 cr.Prereq.: Russian 112 or permission of department. A theoretical and practical analysis of contemporary standard Russian phonetics and intonation patterns. May be repeated for credit.
301. Advanced Grammar and Composition I. 3 hr.; 3 cr.
Prereq.: Russian 215 or permission of department. Intensive practical study of advanced problems in Russian grammar, syntax, and idiom. Normally to be taken simultaneously with the student's first electives in literature.
302. Advanced Grammar and Composition II. 3 hr.; 3 cr.
Prereq.: Russian 301 or permission of department. A continuation of Russian 301.
311. Advanced Oral Practice I. 3 hr.; 1 cr.
Prereq.: Russian 215 or permission of department. Normally taken by majors at the same time as Russian 301.
321. Translation. 3 hr.; 3 cr.
Prereq.: Russian 215 and English 120 or permission of department. A practical study in the problems and skills of translation of Russian and English. May be repeated for credit.
325. Stylistics. 3 hr.; 3 cr.
Prereq.: Russian 302 and 331 or permission of department. A theoretical and practical study of problems of stylistics in literary and non-literary Russian.
327. Contrastive Grammar. 3 hr.; 3 cr.
Prereq.: Russian 302 or permission of department. A theoretical analysis of modern Russian contrasted with English.
Courses in Russian Literature and Thought:
150, 150W. Russian Culture and Thought. 3 hr.; 3 cr.
A survey of the institutions and cultural developments of Russia and the former Soviet Union. (H3)
155, 155W. Keys to Russian Literature. 3 hr.; 3 cr.
A study of key works by the greatest Russian writers of the nineteenth century. Readings will include: Pushkin, Gogol, Turgenev, Dostoevsky. Lectures and readings in English. (H1T1)
233. Survey of Russian Literature: The Beginnings. 3 hr.; 3 cr.
The development of Russian literature from the beginnings to the end of the eighteenth century.
234. Survey of Russian Literature: The Nineteenth Century. 3 hr.; 3 cr.
The development of Russian literature from Pushkin to the 1890s.
235. Survey of Russian Literature: The Twentieth Century. 3 hr.; 3 cr.
The development of Russian literature from the end of the tsarist monarchy through Socialist Realism and perestroika to the present day.
243. Russian Drama. 3 hr.; 3 cr.
The principal trends of Russian drama from the eighteenth century to the present. Lectures and readings in English. (H1T2)
244, 244W. Russian and East European Film. 4 hr.; 3 cr.
This course will treat various aspects of Russian and East European film: aesthetic, cultural, political, historical. In particular semesters the course may deal with specific topics, periods, or directors. Lectures in English. Films will be shown in the original languages with English subtitles. May be repeated once for credit provided that the topic is different.
245. Russian Short Story. 3 hr.; 3 cr.
The Russian short story in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Lectures and readings in English. (H1T2)
280. Dostoevsky. 3 hr.; 3 cr.
A close study of the author's life, major works, and their influence on Russian literature. Lectures and readings in English. (H1T2)
281. Tolstoy. 3 hr.; 3 cr.
A close study of the author's life, major novels, selected short stories, and essays, and their influence on Russian and world literature. Lectures and readings in English. (H1T2)
282. Chekhov. 3 hr.; 3 cr.
A close study of the author's principal stories and plays and his place in the history of Russian and world drama. Lectures and readings in English. (H1T2)
331. Introduction to Russian Literature I. 3 hr.; 3 cr.
Prereq.: Russian 225 or equivalent. A critical reading and analysis of Russian prose and poetry to introduce the student to the concepts, methods, and terminology of literary analysis. (H1T2)
350. Nineteenth-Century Russian Poetry. 3 hr.; 3 cr.
Prereq.: Russian 331 or permission of department. A critical study of the major poets of the nineteenth century. The classic, romantic, and realist trends of Russian poetry are studied and analyzed. Emphasis is placed on the interpretation and discussion of the works of Zhukovsky, Pushkin, Lermontov, Nekrasov, Tyutchev, and Fet. (H1T2)
351. Nineteenth-Century Russian Prose. 3 hr.; 3 cr.
Prereq.: Russian 331 or permission of department. A critical study of the major prose texts of the nineteenth century. Emphasis is placed on those writers whose works are not considered in separate courses, including Lermontov, Gogol, Goncharov, Turgenev. (H1T2)
360. The Silver Age of Russian Literature. 3 hr.; 3 cr.
Prereq.: Russian 331 or permission of department. An introduction to some of the works of the most important Russian writers and critics of the beginning of the twentieth century. Emphasis is placed on the evolution of literary trends and on the analysis of literary movements such as Symbolism, Acmeism, Formalism, Futurism.
362. Twentieth-Century Russian Poetry. 3 hr.; 3 cr.
Prereq.: Russian 331 or permission of department. A critical study of the major poets of the twentieth century from the Symbolists to the present. (H1T2)
375 Pushkin. 3 hr.; 3 cr.
Prereq.: Russian 331 or permission of department. A close reading of selected works, with lectures on Pushkin's life, times, and literary influence. (H1T2)
376. Gogol. 3 hr.; 3 cr.
Prereq.: Russian 331. A critical study of the author's life and principal writings, and their influence on Russian literature.
391, 392. Seminar. 3 hr.; 3 cr.
each sem. Prereq.: Upper junior or senior standing; an average of B in elective courses taken in Russian; and permission of department. Designed especially to give qualified students experience in scholarly investigation. Those admitted explore a field of Russian literature. Each student examines intensively a special phase of the field, reporting his or her findings orally to the group as well as in a term paper.
399. Bachelors Thesis in Russian. 399.1-391.6, 1-6 hr.; 1-6 cr.
Prereq.: Senior standing. The Bachelor's Thesis in Russian may be done by students who have completed at least four elective courses in Russian with a B+ or better index; a scholastic record that indicates, to the satisfaction of the department, capacity for independent work. A committee of two faculty members, appointed by the Chair, will screen the student and the project and will evaluate the thesis.