Slavic Languages and Literatures
Degree Types: PhD
Northwestern's Doctoral Program in Slavic Languages and Literatures, one of the best in the country, specializes in Russian literature and culture. It focuses on the readings of major works, their relation to cultural and intellectual history, and the questions they raise for problems of literary criticism and theory.
The program allows reasonable flexibility in designing a course of study, giving students the ability to follow their research interests. As a result, students acquire the skills necessary for creative thinking, original research, and professional exposition. The program also provides training in language teaching methodology.
Students in this program are also encouraged to participate in TGS's Interdisciplinary Initiative program. For more information on how you can have a second intellectual "home" outside of your department or program, please visit the Interdisciplinary Clusters page.
Additional resources:
Learning objective(s)/Students should be able to…
- Read literature (and other cultural artifacts) closely and sensitively.
- Acquire the skill to make a strong and coherent argument and to write a publishable article.
- Acquire the skills to be a superb and inspiring undergraduate teacher, and to present themselves and their work to advantage at conferences.
- Master Russian schools of literary theory.
- Learn how to think theoretically about literature.
Slavic Languages and Literatures Courses
SLAVIC 310-0 Tolstoy (1 Unit)
This course is devoted to a careful consideration of one book, Tolstoy's War and Peace, as we come to appreciate why it is often considered the world's greatest novel.
Literature Fine Arts Distro Area Literature and Arts Foundational DisciplineSLAVIC 311-0 Dostoevsky (1 Unit)
Introduction to Dostoevsky's life and works: Notes from the Underground, Crime and Punishment, Brothers Karamazov.
Literature Fine Arts Distro AreaSLAVIC 314-0 Chekhov (1 Unit)
Introduction to the fiction and plays of Anton Chekhov, father of the modern short story. His writing in its Russian cultural context and his influence on English-language drama, fiction, and film. Readings include The Cherry Orchard, The Seagull, Uncle Vania, and short stories.
Literature Fine Arts Distro AreaSLAVIC 341-0 Structure of Modern Russian (1 Unit)
Theories and methods of linguistics as applied to the description of modern Russian. Phonetics, morphology, and other topics.
Formal Studies Distro AreaSLAVIC 360-0 Survey of 19th Century Russian Poetry (1 Unit)
Introduction to the wealth of Russian 19th century lyric poetry and basic techniques for its study: Pushkin, Baratynsky, Lermontov, Tyutchev, Fet.
Literature Fine Arts Distro AreaSLAVIC 361-0 Survey of 20th Century Russian Poetry (1 Unit)
Introduction to the major currents of Russian 20thcentury lyric poetry and basic techniques for its study: Tsvetaeva, Mayakovsky, Khlebnikov, Blok, Akhmatova, Mandelshtam, Pasternak, Brodsky.
Literature Fine Arts Distro AreaSLAVIC 369-0 Russian Drama (1 Unit)
Dramatic traditions of Russia from the 19th century through Russian modernism to contemporary theater. Dramas by Gogol, Ostrovsky, Gorky, Chekhov, Blok, Mayakovsky, and others.
Literature Fine Arts Distro AreaSLAVIC 390-0 History and Culture in Central and Eastern Europe (1 Unit)
Course concerns the interaction of history, politics, and culture in Central and Eastern Europe. Content varies. May be repeated for credit.
Advanced Expression Historical Studies Distro Area Historical Studies Foundational Discipline Interdisciplinary Distro - See Rules Literature Fine Arts Distro AreaSLAVIC 405-0 Russian Teaching Methodology (1 Unit)
Russian teaching methodology. Addresses the complexities of teaching Russian language.
SLAVIC 411-0 Proseminar (1 Unit)
Introduction to the study of Slavic languages and literatures at the graduate level. May be repeated for credit.
SLAVIC 430-0 Studies in Old Russian Literature (1 Unit)
Introduction to Medieval Russian Literature and culture.
SLAVIC 434-0 Studies in 18th Century Russian Lit (1 Unit)
Introduction to 18th Century Russian Literature and culture. Content varies.
SLAVIC 436-0 Studies in 19th Century Russian Lit. (1 Unit)
Introduction to the major currents of 19th Century prose, poetry and culture. Content varies. May be repeated for credit with change of topic.
SLAVIC 437-1 Poetry Seminar (1 Unit)
Studies in Poetry and Poetics from 18th - 20th Century. Content varies; mainly covers Russian and Eastern European authors in comparative context. May be repeated for credit with change of topics.
SLAVIC 438-0 Studies in 20th-Century Russian Literature (1900-1930s) (1 Unit)
Russian modernism and avant-garde in literature and culture. Content varies. May be repeated for credit with change of topic.
SLAVIC 438-1 20th-Century Russian Prose (1940s-present) (1 Unit)
Soviet and post-Soviet contemporary Russian prose. Content varies. May be repeated for credit with change of topic.
SLAVIC 440-0 Studies in Russian Intellectual History (1 Unit)
Introduction to Russian intellectual history of 19th-20th century in comparative context. Content varies. May be repeated for credit with change of topic.
SLAVIC 441-0 Studies in Russian Literary and Cultural Criticism (1 Unit)
Major trends and texts of literary criticism. Aesthetics and politics. Content varies. May be repeated for credit with change of topic.
SLAVIC 442-0 Bakhtin's Prosaics (1 Unit)
Bakhtin's theories of the novel. Topics include: Bakhtin's theories of genres, language, psychology, time, ethics, interpretation, and implications for current American theory.
SLAVIC 490-0 Independent Reading (1 Unit)
Content varies. May be repeated for credit with change of topic.
SLAVIC 499-0 Independent Study (1 Unit)
SEE DEPT FOR SECTION AND PERMISSION NUMBERS Permission of instructor and department required. May be repeated for credit.
SLAVIC 590-0 Research (1-3 Units)
SEE DEPT FOR SECTION AND PERMISSION NUMBERS Independent investigation of selected problems pertaining to thesis or dissertation.