Undergraduate Handbook

The Russian program offered through the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln provides students with a wide variety of courses that deal with the language, literature, and culture of the Russian people.

Russian majors are eligible for scholarships and all students can be apart of the Russian Club. For more information please contact Radha Balasubramanian, 472-3827.

Major Requirements

Twenty-one hours of courses numbered 300 or above, including six hours at the 400 level.

Required Courses:

• 303 Advanced Composition, Grammar, and Conversation (3 cr)
• 304 Advanced Composition, Grammar, and Conversation (3 cr)

Electives:

• 301 Representatives Authors (3 cr)
• 302 Representatives Authors (3 cr)
• 398 Special Topics (cr arr)
• 399 Independent Studies in Russian (cr arr)
• 403 Russian Grammar & Stylistics (3 cr)
• 408 Political and Business Russian (3 cr)
• 441/841 Advanced Literary Analysis (3 cr)
• 442/842 The Russian Poetry (3 cr)
• 482 Russian Literature in Translation (3 cr)
• 483 Russian Literature in Translation (3 cr)
• 498/898 Special topics in Russian (cr arr)
• *ML 454 Russia's Intellectual Traditions

A minor is required and should be taken in another modern language or in classics, English, history, philosophy, psychology, Latin American Studies, linguistics, or Medieval and Renaissance Studies. A second minor, if chosen, may be in any department of the College with the consent of the advisor.

Minor requirements

Plan A: Twelve hours in Russian at the 300 level or 400 level including at least 6 hours from 301,
302, 303, 304 and 3 hours at 400 level.

Plan B: Six hours in one language, in courses numbered above 300, including at least 3 hours from 301, 302, 303, 304.

Course Descriptions

101. Beginning Russian (5 cr)
Main emphasis on the development of comprehension of written and spoken Russian; reading of simple texts; oral and aural drill supplemented by practice in language laboratory. (Students who have had two or more years of Russian in high school and elect to drop back to one of the beginning courses will be required to complete a total of 130 semester hours as a minimum for the B.A. or B.S. degree.)

102. Beginning Russian (5 cr)
Prerequisite: Russian 101. A continuation of Russian 101. Grammar, word structure, idioms.

201. Second-Year Russian (3 cr)
Prerequisite: Russian 102 or equivalent. A continuation of study of grammar, word structure, sentence formation, idioms. Reading of moderately difficult prose and conversational practice based on the texts.

202. Second-Year Russian (3 cr)
Prerequisite: Russian 201 or equivalent. A continuation of Russian 201. Class discussion and reports.

203. Conversation and Composition (3 cr)
Prerequisite: Russian 201 or equivalent. Guided practice in speaking and writing Russian.

204. Conversation and Composition (3 cr)
Prerequisite: Russian 203 or equivalent. A continuation of 203.

301. Representative Authors (3 cr)
Prerequisite: Russian 202 or equivalent. Reading of masterpieces by writers of the nineteenth century. Lectures providing background material, class discussion of texts, oral or written reports.

302. Representative Authors (3 cr)
Prerequisite: Russian 301 or equivalent. A continuation of Russian 301 to the present.

303. Advanced Composition, Grammar, and Conversation (3 cr)
Prerequisite: Russian 202 or equivalent plus 204 or equivalent. Emphasis on written and oral expression. Discussion of grammatical, syntactical, and stylistic points.

304. Advanced Composition, Grammar, and Conversation (3 cr)
Prerequisite: Russian 303 or equivalent. A continuation of Russian 303.

398. Special Topics in Russian (cr arr)
Prerequisite: Russian 301 or 302 or permission. Consideration of topics in the area of language, literature, and civilization. Specific topic to be covered in any given semester and credit to be awarded to be determined by the instructor at that time.

399. Independent Study in Russian (cr arr)
Prerequisite: Permission of instructor.

403/803. Russian Grammar and Stylistics (3 cr)
Prerequisite: Russian 302 or equivalent
Detailed analysis of Russian morphology and syntax to achieve greater sophistication in self-expression.

408. Political and Business Russian (3 cr)
Prerequisite: Russian 302 or equivalent. Elective for Russian majors and highly recommended for students of international business and affairs, journalism and history. Focus will be on language as used in business, politics and journalism.

441/841. Advanced Literary Analysis (3 cr)
Prerequisite: Russian 302 or equivalent. All the readings, discussions, and assignments are in Russian. In-depth study of a work, period or genre with an emphasis on textual analysis.

442/842. Russian Poetry (3 cr per sem)
Prerequisite: Russian 302 or equivalent. A critical study of original poetry from 19th- and 20th-century Russian.

482. Russian Literature in Translation (3 cr)
Prerequisite: none for non-majors. For majors: Russian 301 and 302 or equivalent. It is a survey course of nineteenth century Russian literature. The course may include works by Lermontov, Pushkin, Gogol, Turgenev, Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Chekhov. Some readings and writing assignments to be in Russian for Russian majors, or the course may be taught on a topic. It prepares students for appreciating literature and acquaints them with Russian literature, culture, and philosophy. This course is taught in English.

483. Russian Literature in Translation (3 cr)
Prerequisite: None for non-majors. For majors: Russian 301 and 302 or equivalent. It is a survey course of twentieth century Russian literature. The course may include works by Blok, Bely, Babel, Zamyatin, Bulagkov, Zoshchenko, Gorky, Sholokhov, Pasternak, Solzhenitsyn, Rasputin and others, or the course may be taught on a topic. Some readings and writing assignments to be in Russian for Russian majors. It prepares students for appreciating literature and acquaints them with Russian literature and culture. This course is taught in English.

498/898. Special Topics in Russian (cr arr)
Consideration of topics in the area of language, literature, and civilization. specific topic to be covered in any given semester and credit to be awarded is determined by the instructor at that time.

ML 454. Russia's Intellectual Traditions (3 cr)
The aim of this course is to investigate the major Russian thinkers and their ideas from 1700 to the present. Our focus is to examine the significance and evolution of ideas in the Russian context and investigate the relationship between Russian and European thought. This course is taught in English.

Russian Conversation Table

WHEN: Tuesday & Thursday, 12:30-1:30pm
WHERE: 1208.1 Oldfather Hall

The Department of Modern Languages along with the Office of International Affairs offers a six-week study abroad program (if there are enough students), or a semester in Russia at Yaroslavl State University. The students visit Moscow, St. Petersburg and Yaroslavl. While in Yaroslavl they will live with host families and enjoy Russian hospitality. There are generous scholarships given to students through the department for studying aborad. All Russian majors are encouraged to study abroad. Upon completion of the program the student will receive 6-12 UNL credit hours. There are other study aborad programs, like the ACTR, AIFS, SRAS, etc. For more information contact Radha Balasubramanian or Christa Joy at Internation Affairs (472-5358).

Information on Yaroslavl:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yaroslavl
http://www.uniyar.ac.ru/
Information on the Tolstoy Estate:
http://www.ibiblio.org/sergei/Exs/YasnayaPoliana/yp1.html