* RUSS 0456a / CPLT 0050a / HUMS 0456a, Heroes and Storytellers  Jinyi Chu

The seminar invites you to look behind the scenes of storytelling and ask a deceptively simple question: who controls the story—the hero, or the voice that tells it? Reading short stories and poems by Pushkin, Gogol, Dostoevsky, Lu Xun, Babel, Platonov, Nabokov, Camus, and Akhmatova alongside major thinkers such as Benjamin, Shklovsky, Eikhenbaum, Todorov, Auerbach, and Mandelstam, we explore moments when narrators misunderstand, distort, ironize, or distance themselves from their protagonists. Why does a narrator mock a “little man”? What happens when a madman tells his own story? How does form shape sympathy, irony, and judgment? Students learn how to identify narrative perspective, analyze voice and reliability, and understand how literary techniques—such as skaz, defamiliarization, and the fantastic—shape our sense of reality and heroism. By the end of the semester, students have read fiction not just for plot, but as a crafted structure of choices, tensions, and competing points of view—and develop their own analytical voice as a reader and storyteller. All readings and class discussions in English. Enrollment limited to first-year students.  WR, HU
TTh 4pm-5:15pm

RUSS 1100a, First-Year Russian I  Julia Titus

An introductory Russian language course designed to develop all four language skills: reading, writing, speaking, and listening comprehension. Use of dialogues, games, and role playing. In addition to readings in the textbook, students read original short stories and learn Russian songs and poems. Oral and written examinations.  L1  0 Course cr
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RUSS 1200b, First-Year Russian II  Julia Titus

Continuation of RUSS 1100. After RUSS 110 or equivalent.  L2  1½ Course cr
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RUSS 1220a, Russian for Heritage Learners I  Julia Titus

A comprehensive Russian course for native speakers of Russian or other Slavic languages whose formal education has been in English. Overview of Russian grammar, focusing on the writing system, cases, conjunction, and syntax. Readings from Russian prose, film screenings, discussion, and regular practice in translation and composition.  L1, L2  0 Course cr
MW 11:35am-12:50pm

RUSS 1250a, Intensive Elementary Russian  Constantine Muravnik

An intensive course that covers in one term the material taught in RUSS 110 and 120. For motivated students. Study of Russian grammar; practice in conversation, reading, and composition. Recommended for prospective seekers of the Advanced Language Certificate and prospective majors in Russian and in Russian and East European Studies.  L1, L2  0 Course cr
MWF 9:25am-10:15am, MTWThF 10:30am-11:20am

RUSS 1300a, Second-Year Russian I  Staff

The goal of this course is to improve functional competence in speaking and listening by providing culturally-enriched context. The engaging textbook and workbook reflect social, cultural and linguistic norms of contemporary Russia and its diverse regions. In addition, you will be reading some classic and contemporary literature, and using films and other media. After RUSS 120 or equivalent.  L3  1½ Course cr
MTWThF 9:25am-10:15am

RUSS 1400b, Second-Year Russian II  Staff

Continuation of RUSS 130. After RUSS 1300 or equivalent.  L4  1½ Course cr
MTWThF 9:25am-10:15am

* RUSS 1420b, Russian for Heritage Learners II  Julia Titus

Continuation of RUSS 122. Further development of reading and writing skills. Expansion of vocabulary. After RUSS 122 or equivalent.  L3, L4
MW 11:35am-12:50pm

RUSS 1450b, Intensive Intermediate Russian  Staff

A continuation of RUSS 1250 that covers in one term the material taught in RUSS 1300 and 1400. For students of superior linguistic ability. Prerequisite: RUSS 1250.  L3, L4  2 Course cr
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RUSS 1500a, Third-Year Russian I  Constantine Muravnik

Intensive practice in reading, conversation, and composition accompanied by in-depth review and refinement of grammar. Readings from nineteenth-century history and current events are used as the basis of structured conversation, composition, and grammatical practice. Oral examinations and individual and group projects.  After RUSS 1400 or 1450 or equivalent.  L5  1½ Course cr
MWF 11:35am-12:50pm

RUSS 1510b, Third-Year Russian II  Constantine Muravnik

Continuation of RUSS 1500. After RUSS 1500 or equivalent.  L5  RP  1½ Course cr
MWF 11:35am-12:25pm

RUSS 1600a, Fourth-Year Russian I  Anastasia Selemeneva

The goal of this course is to enable students to discuss a variety of concrete and abstract topics such as personal and academic life, social and cultural issues relevant for contemporary Russia in their historical perspective. You will be viewing and discussing fragments of documentaries and feature films, using authentic mass media and fragments from modern Russian literature. All materials for this course have been designed to improve functional competence in speaking, listening, reading and writing by providing culturally-enriched context. After RUSS 1510 or equivalent.  L5
MWF 11:35am-12:25pm

RUSS 1610b, Fourth-Year Russian II  Anastasia Selemeneva

Continuation of RUSS 1600. After RUSS 1600 or equivalent.  L5
MWF 11:35am-12:25pm

* RUSS 1720b / RUSS 1172, Russian History through Literature and Film  Anastasia Selemeneva

Study of important events in Russian history, from the medieval times to the present, through authentic reading materials in various genres and through feature and documentary films.  The course is designed to advance students’ speaking proficiency in Russian and to develop their reading, listening, and writing skills. Texts include Russian fairy tales; fragments from The Primary Chronicles; A. Tolstoy’s Peter I; D. Merezhkovsky’s Antichrist; N. Eidelman’s Decembrists; P. Chaadaev’s Philosophical Letters; N. Leskov’s Enchanted Wanderer (fragments); and I. Goncharov’s Oblomov (fragments). Films include A. Tarkovsky’s Andrei Rublev; N. Mikhalkov’s Several Days from Oblomov’s Life; A. Askoldov’s Comissar; Todorovsky’s Stiliagi; K. Muratova’s Asthenic Syndrome; and A. Zviagintsev’s Loveless. All written assignments, texts, and discussions are in Russian.  RUSS 142 or 151, or permission of instructor.  L5, HU
MW 2:35pm-3:50pm

* RUSS 1750a / HUMS 1750a, Reading the Russian Revolution  Constantine Muravnik

The course explores the complex political and social landscape of the Russian Revolution of 1917 through the multiple and shifting perspectives of its main participants from Nicholas II to Lenin. All of the participants of the Revolution understood the immense significance of the changes taking place in front of them in 1917; many took detailed notes of conversations, actions, and events in which they participated or which they witnessed. Later, many reworked these notes into meticulous memoirs and histories. The expected subjectivity of these documents, as well as the contradictory nature of the opinions expressed in them—but generally, not the facts—highlight the complexity of the situation they describe. The readings chosen for the course represent the entire political spectrum of the Russian Revolution from the extreme right to extreme left. They chronologically document the precipitous progression of the events starting with the murder of Rasputin, carried out by the Monarchists and one member of the royal family on the eve of 1917, and ending with the Bolshevik coup d’état in October 1917. They trace the gradual shift of the epicenter of the Revolution from right to left until the Revolution ends or succeeds (it depends on the point of view) in Lenin’s gaining full control over the country on the brink of the Civil War. Prerequisites: Six semesters of Russian or permission of the instructor.  L5, HU  RP
MW 4pm-5:15pm

* RUSS 2210b / MUSI 4365b / RSEE 2210b / SLAV 3220b, Introduction to Russian & Soviet Music, 1800-1950  Nari Shelekpayev

Through a blend of immersive listening assignments and reading materials this seminar invites an exploration of the world of Russian and Soviet music, with a particular focus on the genres and forms that have left a mark on the musical landscape. We listen and analyze excerpts from operas, suites, sonatas, concertos, symphonies, and other musical pieces to learn how the historical and musical contexts have shaped the evolution of these genres and forms in Russian and Soviet music. This seminar expects to go beyond a mere historical overview; it delves into the genealogy of Russian and Soviet musical traditions, connecting them with their Western counterparts. It suggests that Russian and Soviet composers not only absorbed the influences of European music but also reimagined musical structures, and crafted original texts that seamlessly wove together established canons and innovative concepts. Additionally, this seminar aligns music with the key themes of intellectual and political history in Russia and the Soviet Union. We analyze how the multifaceted relationship between nationalism and Orientalism, the debates between Slavophiles and Westernizers, and the challenges of and responses to modernity have left their mark on the musical expressions of the time. We examine the historical context where it holds particular significance: for example, in the case of Dmitry Shostakovich's 7th Symphony.  HU
TTh 4pm-5:15pm

RUSS 2254b / CPLT 2450b / RSEE 2254b, Tolstoy and Dostoevsky  Molly Brunson

Close reading of major novels by two of Russia's greatest authors. Focus on the interrelations of theme, form, and literary-cultural context. Readings and discussion in English.  HU  0 Course cr
TTh 2:35pm-3:50pm

RUSS 2312a / CPLT 2530a / HIST 1260a / HUMS 2550a / RSEE 2312a, Tolstoy's War and Peace TR  Staff

This course is a semester-long study of the quintessential big Russian novel, Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace (1869).  Set against the backdrop of Napoleon’s failed 1812 Russian campaign, the novel is a sweeping panorama of nineteenth-century Russian society and an unforgettable gallery of artfully drawn characters.  It also poses profound philosophical and moral questions.  What are the limits of individual agency, both in private life and in grand political arenas?  Do historical events have identifying causes?  What is a meaningful, well-lived life?  We also explore Tolstoy’s strategies for fictionalizing history.  What myths does he destroy and construct?  And how is this patriotic war epic also an imperial novel?  Reading the novel closely, we situate it both in its historical context and in our contemporary world.  Secondary materials include readings in history, political theory, philosophy, international relations, and literary criticism. All readings and class discussions in English.  No prerequisites required.   HU  0 Course cr
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* RUSS 3316a / CPLT 3003a / EALL 2880a / EAST 3250a / RSEE 316 / RSEE 3316a, Socialist '80s: Aesthetics of Reform in China and the Soviet Union  Jinyi Chu and Jing Tsu

This course offers an interdisciplinary introduction to the study of the complex cultural and political paradigms of late socialism from a transnational perspective by focusing on the literature, cinema, and popular culture of the Soviet Union and China in 1980s. How were intellectual and everyday life in the Soviet Union and China distinct from and similar to that of the West of the same era? How do we parse “the cultural logic of late socialism?” What can today’s America learn from it? Examining two major socialist cultures together in a global context, this course queries the ethnographic, ideological, and socio-economic constituents of late socialism. Students analyze cultural materials in the context of Soviet and Chinese history. Along the way, we explore themes of identity, nationalism, globalization, capitalism, and the Cold War. Students with knowledge of Russian and Chinese are encouraged to read in original languages. All readings are available in English.   WR, HU
T 1:30pm-3:25pm

* RUSS 3329a / HIST 3498a / MMES 3300a / RSEE 3329a, Introduction to Modern Central Asia  Claire Roosien

An overview of the history of modern Central Asia—modern-day Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People’s Republic of China. This course shows Central Asia to be a pivotal participant in some of the major global issues of the 20th and 21st centuries, from environmental degradation and Cold War, to women’s emancipation and postcolonial nation-building, to religion and the rise of mass society. It also includes an overview of the region’s longer history, of the conquests by the Russian and Chinese empires, the rise of Islamic modernist reform movements, the Bolshevik victory, World War II, the perestroika, and the projects of post-Soviet nation-building. Readings in history are supplemented by such primary sources as novels and poetry, films and songs, government decrees, travelogues, courtly chronicles, and the periodical press. All readings and discussions in English.  HU
TTh 1:05pm-2:20pm

* RUSS 3890a / HELN 3080a / HSAR 4283a / SLAV 3240a, Paper Icons  Justin Willson

Print profoundly transformed how people thought about images and the nature of depicted subject matter. This seminar examines the impact of print through the prism of the early modern Balkans, Eastern Europe, and Russia. Our focus is on the trajectory of looseleaf prints, though we attend to the relation of standalone compositions and book printing. We begin in the fifteenth century, with the earliest Greek and Cyrillic prints, and end in the late nineteenth century, exploring, along the way, the techniques of woodcut, engraving, monotype icon tracings, and lithography. Key themes are the epistemic challenges posed by an ephemeral medium, the archaeology of medieval iconography, economies of loss, pilgrimage cartography, Slavic poetics and the emblem, and the monastic pastoral. Primary sources in translation complement secondary readings, shedding light on key artistic actors. Extensive use is made of the Greek and Slavic collections at the Beinecke and Yale University Art Gallery.  No previous coursework in art history is required. 
Th 1:30pm-3:25pm

* RUSS 4900a and RUSS 4910b, The Senior Essay  Nari Shelekpayev

Research and writing on a topic of the student's own devising. Regular meetings with an adviser as the work progresses from prospectus to final form.
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