Rus 223/WL 223/EN 311: Nineteenth-Century Russian Literature in Translation

 

Course Syllabus

Fall 2011

 

Time: 11:00-12:15 TR

Phone: 348-5720

Instructor: Andrew M. Drozd

Office: 210 B. B. Comer

Location: Bidgood 367

Office Hours: 10:00-10:50 TR

E-mail: adrozd@bama.ua.edu

WWW: http://bama.ua.edu/~adrozd/

 

TEXTS:

To Purchase: A. Pushkin, Eugene Onegin; M. Lermontov, A Hero of Our Time; N. Gogol, Dead Souls; I. Goncharov, Oblomov;  I. Turgenev, Fathers and Sons; F. Dostoevsky, Crime and Punishment; L. Tolstoy, Anna Karenina; Carl Proffer, From Karamzin to Bunin; Joseph Brodsky and Alan Myers, An Age Ago: A Selection of Nineteenth-Century Russian Poetry.

On Gorgas Library Reserve: S. Zenkovsky, Medieval Russia’s Epics, Chronicle and Tails; F. D. Reeve, Anthology of Russian Plays, Vol. 1; George Gibian, The Portable Nineteenth-Century Russian Reader, Harold B. Segel, The Literature of Eighteenth-century Russia; Robert Chandler, Russian short stories from Pushkin to Buida.

Gorgas Electronic book: Nicholas Rzhevsky, An Anthology of Russian Literature.

 

DESCRIPTION: 

Survey of Russian literature from its beginnings until the 1880’s. Trends covered include Neo-Classicism, Sentimentalism, Romanticism, and Realism. This course covers poetry, drama and prose (short story and novel). All materials are read in English. No knowledge of Russian is required for this course. Three (3) credit hours.

 

COURSE PHILOSOPHY and GOALS: The reading for this course is focused exclusively on primary works of Russian literature. While general histories of Russian literature and critical works certainly have their value, they are best appreciated once the student has read a sufficient number of novels, stories and plays. As a result none are assigned so that the student may read a larger number of texts. The requisite biographical and cultural background will be provided in the lectures. The student will follow the evolution of Russian literature from its beginnings to its triumph in the Golden Age. The student will become familiar with what are considered to be the classic works of each era as well as the trends which dominated the literary scene. In addition, the student will analyze and discuss literary works in a manner that consists of more than mere plot summary. As a result of this course the student will become aware that Russian authors are often acutely aware of their predecessors and contemporaries (both Russian and Western) and engaged in dialogue with them. Finally, the student will develop some familiarity with the course of Russian history and basic elements of Russian culture.

 

REQUIREMENTS:

Two exams and a comprehensive final exam. The written exams will consist of a section of items to identify briefly as well as longer questions that require the student to analyze various aspects of the assigned readings. If you have a conflict with a test date, I will allow you to take the exam early, provided that you inform me beforehand.

There will also be an essay of 2-3 pages due on each of the seven novels read for the course. The essays are not to be research papers but neither are they to be mere plot summaries. Rather the student is to analyze some aspect of the novel. Several possible themes for each essay will be provided by the instructor although students are free to come up with their own. The essays are usually due on the day discussion of each novel begins. Late essays will be accepted but will be penalized with a loss of at least ten points.

Testing Schedule (Subject to change):

Exam One: Thursday, Sep. 29

Exam Two: Tuesday, Nov. 8

Comprehensive Final Exam: Friday, December 16, 8:00-10:30AM.

 

ATTENDANCE:  Attendance is required, will be recorded, and will be a significant component of your grade.

 

GRADING:

Everything is graded on the 100-point scale. The final course grade will be based on your performance on the two exams, each worth 20% of your final grade, attendance which is worth 15%, the essays which are worth 20% and the final exam which is worth 25%. All course grades are given on a +/- basis. For an explanation of the policy, see the Undergraduate Catalog.

 

Academic misconduct policy:

All students in attendance at the University of Alabama are expected to be honorable and to observe standards of conduct appropriate to a community of scholars. The University expects from its students a higher standard of conduct than the minimum required to avoid discipline. Academic misconduct includes all acts of dishonesty in any academically related matter and any knowing or intentional help or attempt to help, or conspiracy to help, another student.

The Academic Misconduct Disciplinary Policy will be followed in the event of academic misconduct.

 

DISABILITY STATEMENT:

If you are registered with the Office of Disability Services, please make an appointment with me as soon as possible to discuss any course accommodations that may be necessary. If you have a disability, but have not contacted the Office of Disability Services, please call 348-4285 or visit 133-B Martha Parham Hall East to register for services. Students who may need course adaptations because of a disability are welcome to make an appointment to see me during office hours. Students with disabilities must be registered with the Office of Disability Services, 133-B Martha Parham Hall East, before receiving academic adjustments.

 

EMERGENCY STATEMENT:

The UA emergency information site: http://prepare.ua.edu/. In the event of an emergency, the instructor will give information on the course through E-learning.

 


Instructor Homepage

19th-century Russian Literature Course Page

Course Schedule


Andrew M. Drozd
adrozd@bama.ua.edu
The University of Alabama
Last Update: 8/24/11