Russian
Evgenii V. Bershtein
Russian symbolism, the semiotics of Soviet culture, gender and sexuality in Russian culture, eighteenth- and nineteenth-century poetry.
Lena Lencek
Medieval Russian, romanticism and symbolism, twentieth-century poetry, narrative theory, Old Church Slavonic.
Anna Yatsenko
Russian language, concessive semantics, stylistics.
The language courses, from the introductory through the advanced
levels, are taught in Russian and offer supplementary drill
opportunities through the language laboratory and weekly
conversation sections with a native speaker. In the second year,
students continue their study of grammar and consolidate their
active and passive language skills with reading, discussion, and
written commentary on Russian lyrical poetry and texts on Russian
cultural history. The third-year level offers extensive reading of
the Russian short story, writing, and oral exercises, while
continuing formal language training.
The literature offerings, organized by period and genre, survey the
development of Russian poetry and prose from the Middle Ages to the
present. A three-semester sequence (Russian 371, 372, 373) covers
the most important prose texts produced within the thousand-year
history of Russian letters, while a two-semester sequence (Russian
354, 355) examines the main figures and movements in nineteenth-
and twentieth-century poetry.
In addition to these survey courses, the department offers a number
of seminars on specialized topics, the content of which varies from
year to year, as well as the opportunity for independent study by
special arrangement with the instructor. Seminar topics in the past
have included the critical theory and practice of the Russian
Formalists and Structuralists; the experimental prose of the 1920s;
and literature, film, and society since Glasnost. Independent study
topics have ranged from introductory Old Church Slavonic, Czech,
and readings in epic, to Serbo-Croatian and the modern dystopic
novel. With the exception of the two-semester poetry sequence,
which is limited to students with a reading knowledge of Russian,
the literature offerings are open to non-Russian majors. Russian
majors as well as students who need Russian literature credit for
classes taught in English are required to read texts in the
original and to attend an additional weekly discussion
section.
Majors are expected to broaden their general background and to
enhance their critical skills by pursuing work in the humanities,
other literatures, philosophy, and the fine arts. The junior
qualifying examination in Russian is given to majors at the end of
their third year or, with prior consultation with the faculty, at
the very beginning of the senior year. The written exam tests the
student’s preparation in language and seeks to establish the
breadth and depth of experience in Russian literature through a
series of broadly conceived essay questions.
Of special interest to first- and second-year students who may not
wish to major in Russian are the three courses in the survey
sequence that are offered in English translation, as well as the
one-semester, 200-level course in the Russian short story, which is
offered in alternate years.
The Russian House on campus provides a focal point for
extracurricular programs in Russian. Besides housing a small
community of Russian majors, the Russian House hosts social
gatherings, sponsors visiting lecturers or Russian guests, and
helps organize the annual Russian film series. Every year a native
Russian language scholar is in residence.
The Russian Old Believer community in nearby Woodburn, Oregon, and
a growing number of Russian immigrants in Portland provide
opportunities for students to acquaint themselves firsthand with
native speakers. Arrangements can be made for Reed students to
provide English lessons in exchange for Russian conversation
practice.
Study Abroad
Direct exposure to the native cultural setting is indispensable to
a thorough mastery of any language, and the Russian faculty
strongly encourages Russian majors to apply to the semester or
academic year programs at any one of the four sites (St.
Petersburg, Moscow, Yaroslavl, Voronezh) administered by the
American Council of Teachers of Russian (ACTR); at the Pushkin
Institute, through Middlebury College; at the Smolny Institute in
St. Petersburg through Bard College; or in the National Theater
Institute of Moscow exchange program. Students interested in
participating are advised to discuss their plans with the faculty
during the semester before application. Transfer credit may also be
arranged for participation in a number of other excellent exchange
programs in Moscow and St. Petersburg, including summer programs.
In addition, students wishing to accelerate their study of the
language may enroll in any number of intensive summer programs in
the United States.
Requirements for the Major
Exclusive of work needed to meet general college and divisional
requirements:
1. Two units of advanced Russian: Russian 300 and either Russian
400 or Russian 402; Russian 371, 372, 373.
2. At least one more semester course in Russian poetry and one
semester in other upper-division literature offerings.
3. Russian 470 (thesis).
Recommended but not required:
1. Humanities 210 or 220 in the sophomore year.
2. Courses in English or other literature, philosophy, or history
that may be relevant to the chosen area of concentration of the
individual student.
