Slavic Languages and Literatures

slavic.northwestern.edu

The Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures offers a full program of study in Russian language and literature and a range of other courses on the languages, culture, and history of Eastern Europe.

Russian study encompasses a broad discipline that touches on many others. For example, Turgenev, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, and Chekhov probe philosophical, social, political, and psychological issues that are central to the modern experience and fundamental to Western culture. Courses in Russian literature open up the artistry and ideas of this intellectual tradition. All periods of Russian literature are represented, with emphasis on the 19th through 21st centuries.

Majors may choose to concentrate in "Russian Language, Literature and Culture" or "Russian and East European Studies." Some students seek a deep knowledge of Russian culture and literary tradition, while others are more interested in acquiring international knowledge and language proficiency for use in such fields as government, law, business, or journalism. The major (or minor) may complement study of history, political science, health, or other disciplines. Minors in "Russian and East European Studies" gain a broad understanding of Slavic literature and culture. They may focus on Czech, Russian, or Polish studies without a language prerequisite.

The department strongly recommends that students study abroad. Programs take place in Prague, Kraków, Belgrade, Sarajevo, Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Almaty.  Students should consult the undergraduate adviser in the department or an adviser in the Global Learning Office to learn more about study abroad options.

See below for Russian Courses and Polish Courses.

SLAVIC 101-7 College Seminar (1 Unit)   Small, writing and discussion-oriented course exploring a specific topic or theme, and introducing skills necessary to thriving at Northwestern. Not eligible to be applied towards a WCAS major or minor except where specifically indicated.

SLAVIC 101-8 First-Year Writing Seminar (1 Unit)   Small, writing and discussion-oriented course exploring a specific topic or theme, and focused on the fundamentals of effective, college-level written communication. Not eligible to be applied towards a WCAS major or minor except where specifically indicated.

SLAVIC 106-SA Elementary Czech (1 Unit)   Czech language and culture. Basic reading, writing, listening, and speaking. No prerequisite.

SLAVIC 210-1 Introduction to Russian Literature (1 Unit)   Comprehensive overview of the central prose works and literary movements in 19th-century Russia. 1. Thematic and formal study of major works by Pushkin, Gogol, Lermontov, Turgenev. 2. Tolstoy, Dostoevsky. 3. Turgenev, the late Tolstoy, Chekhov, Bunin. Literature Fine Arts Distro Area

SLAVIC 210-2 Introduction to Russian Literature (1 Unit)   Comprehensive overview of the central prose works and literary movements in 19th-century Russia. 1. Thematic and formal study of major works by Pushkin, Gogol, Lermontov, Turgenev. 2. Tolstoy, Dostoevsky. 3. Turgenev, the late Tolstoy, Chekhov, Bunin. Literature Fine Arts Distro Area Literature and Arts Foundational Discipline

SLAVIC 210-3 Introduction to Russian Literature (1 Unit)   Comprehensive overview of the central prose works and literary movements in 19th-century Russia. 1. Thematic and formal study of major works by Pushkin, Gogol, Lermontov, Turgenev. 2. Tolstoy, Dostoevsky. 3. Turgenev, the late Tolstoy, Chekhov, Bunin. Literature Fine Arts Distro Area

SLAVIC 211-1 20th-Century Russian Literature (1 Unit)   Major works in cultural-historical context, from the revolutions of 1917 through the present. Variable content depending on instructor. Focus on one of the following: Russian modernism in literature, music, film, and visual art; non-conformism in Soviet literature and visual arts (1940s to 1986); and contemporary Russian culture. Literature Fine Arts Distro Area

SLAVIC 211-2 20th-Century Russian Literature (1 Unit)   Major works in cultural-historical context, from the revolutions of 1917 through the present. Variable content depending on instructor. Russian literature, film, and visual art in the transition from communism to post-communism. Writers examined may include Pasternak, Bulgakov, Solzhenitsyn, and Sinyavsky/Tertz. Literature Fine Arts Distro Area Literature and Arts Foundational Discipline

SLAVIC 222-0 Language, Politics, & Identity (1 Unit)   Role of language in constructing, preserving, and manipulating political and national identities. Topics include language discrimination, linguistic nationalism, language and religion, alphabet issues, dialect issues. Regional content varies. LING 222-0 and SLAVIC 222-0 are taught together; may not receive credit for both courses. Ethics Values Distro Area Historical Studies Distro Area Interdisciplinary Distro - See Rules

SLAVIC 255-0 Slavic Civilizations (1 Unit)   Culture, history, language, and literature of the Slavs historically and/or in modern periods. Content varies with instructor; may be repeated for credit. Historical Studies Distro Area

SLAVIC 255-SA Slavic Civilizations (1 Unit)   Culture, history, language, and literature of the Slavs historically and/or in modern periods. Content varies with instructor; may be repeated for credit. Restricted to students participating in NU-Sponsored study abroad programs. Historical Studies Distro Area

SLAVIC 260-0 Economics and the Humanities: Understanding Choice (1 Unit)   A conversation among disciplines, especially economics and literary studies. Explores social, ethical, and political big questions. Ethics Values Distro Area Literature Fine Arts Distro Area

SLAVIC 261-0 Heart of Europe: Poland in the Twentieth Century (1 Unit)   Study of key developments in Polish history, literature, and thought by way of texts drawn from literature, history, politics, journalism, memoirs, essays, and film. Poland as a microcosm for recent European history and culture. Historical Studies Distro Area Literature and Arts Foundational Discipline

SLAVIC 267-0 Czech Culture: Film, Visual Arts & Music (1 Unit)   Czech culture represented in film and visual arts. Literature Fine Arts Distro Area

SLAVIC 267-SA Czech Culture (1 Unit)  

SLAVIC 278-1 Visual Art in the Context of Russian Culture (1 Unit)   Introduction to the history of Russian art: survey of major trends in Russian visual art in the dual contexts of Russian culture and European visual art. Focus on interconnections among visual arts, literature, and political history. Russian art from the medieval period to the beginning of the 20th century. Literature Fine Arts Distro Area

SLAVIC 278-2 Visual Art in the Context of Russian Culture (1 Unit)   Introduction to the history of Russian art: survey of major trends in Russian visual art in the dual contexts of Russian culture and European visual art. Focus on interconnections among visual arts, literature, and political history. Russian art of the 20th century.

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 Discipline

SLAVIC 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 Area

SLAVIC 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 Area

SLAVIC 322-0 Making a Dictionary: The Northwestern Project (1 Unit)   Creation of an online dictionary of Northwestern language. Learning about the connection between language, society, and identity; sociolinguistic fieldwork; lexicography; politics of dictionaries. LING 363-0 and SLAVIC 322-0 are taught together; may not receive credit for both courses. Social Behavioral Sciences Distro Area

SLAVIC 328-0 Prague: City of Cultures, City of Conflict (1 Unit)   Examination of the cultural, political, and social transformation of Prague from the 19th century to the present. Cosmopolitan Prague, communist Prague, and capitalist Prague. SLAVIC 328-0 and GERMAN 328-0 are taught together; may not receive credit for both courses. Global Perspectives on Power, Justice, and Equity Historical Studies Distro Area Interdisciplinary Distro - See Rules Literature Fine Arts Distro Area Literature and Arts Foundational Discipline

SLAVIC 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 Area

SLAVIC 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 Area

SLAVIC 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 Area

SLAVIC 367-1 Russian Film (1 Unit)   Development of Russian film and film theory from the silent era to the 1980s. Golden Age of Russian cinema (Eisenstein, Pudovkin, Vertov, Protazanov, Vasiliev brothers, Dovzhenko, socialist realism). Literature Fine Arts Distro Area Literature and Arts Foundational Discipline

SLAVIC 368-0 Andrei Tarkovsky's Aesthetics and World Cinema (1 Unit)   Major films of Tarkovsky and of Russian and non-Russian directors whose work is related to his (Eisenstein, Wenders, Bergman, Kurosawa). Literature Fine Arts Distro Area

SLAVIC 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 Area

SLAVIC 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 Area

SLAVIC 392-0 East European Literature and Visual Arts (1 Unit)   Film and visual arts of the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and the former Yugoslavia; national identity, dissidence, and literary postmodernism. Content varies; may be repeated for credit. Literature Fine Arts Distro Area

SLAVIC 396-0 Topics in Literature and Arts (1 Unit)   Content varies. May be repeated for credit. Literature Fine Arts Distro Area

SLAVIC 399-0 Independent Study (1 Unit)   For majors selected as candidates for departmental honors; for other advanced students with consent of instructor.

SLAVIC 399-SA Independent Study (1 Unit)   For majors selected as candidates for departmental honors; for other advanced students with consent of instructor.

Russian Courses

RUSSIAN 101-1 Elementary Russian (1 Unit)   Russian language and culture. Basic reading, writing, listening, and speaking. No prerequisite.

RUSSIAN 101-2 Elementary Russian (1 Unit)   Russian language and culture. Basic reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Prerequisite: RUSSIAN 101-1 (or equivalent).

RUSSIAN 101-3 Elementary Russian (1 Unit)   Russian language and culture. Basic reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Prerequisite: RUSSIAN 101-2 (or equivalent).

RUSSIAN 102-1 Intermediate Russian (1 Unit)   Russian language and culture. Reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Prerequisite: RUSSIAN 101-3 (or equivalent).

RUSSIAN 102-2 Intermediate Russian (1 Unit)   Russian language and culture. Reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Prerequisite: RUSSIAN 102-1 (or equivalent).

RUSSIAN 102-3 Intermediate Russian (1 Unit)   Russian language and culture. Reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Prerequisite: RUSSIAN 102-2 (or equivalent).

RUSSIAN 302-1 Advanced Russian in Conversations (1 Unit)   Conversation, listening comprehension, reading, and composition. Contemporary readings on Russian culture and society. Combined third-and fourth-year multi-skill course. Prerequisite: RUSSIAN 102-3 or consent of language director. Advanced Expression

RUSSIAN 302-2 Advanced Russian in Conversations (1 Unit)   Conversation, listening comprehension, reading, and com-position. Contemporary readings on Russian culture and society. Combined third-and fourth-year multi-skill course. Prerequisite: RUSSIAN 102-3 or consent of language director. Advanced Expression

RUSSIAN 302-3 Advanced Russian in Conversations (1 Unit)   Conversation, listening comprehension, reading, and com-position. Contemporary readings on Russian culture and society. Combined third-and fourth-year multi-skill course. Prerequisite: RUSSIAN 102-3 or consent of language director. Advanced Expression

RUSSIAN 303-1 Advanced Russian Language and Culture (1 Unit)   Conversation, listening comprehension, reading, and composition. Exploration of modern Russian language and culture through readings, video, and film. Combined third-and fourth-year multi-skill course. Prerequisite: RUSSIAN 102-3 or consent of language director.

RUSSIAN 303-2 Advanced Russian Language and Culture (1 Unit)   Conversation, listening comprehension, reading, and composition. Exploration of modern Russian language and culture through readings, video, and film. Combined third-and fourth-year multi-skill course. Prerequisite: RUSSIAN 102-3 or consent of language director.

RUSSIAN 303-3 Advanced Russian Language and Culture (1 Unit)   Conversation, listening comprehension, reading, and composition. Exploration of modern Russian language and culture through readings, video, and film. Combined third-and fourth-year multi-skill course. Prerequisite: RUSSIAN 102-3 or consent of language director.

RUSSIAN 304-1 Advanced Contemporary Russian (1 Unit)   Russian for advanced speakers, including heritage speakers. Stress on skills in speaking, reading, and writing in professional and formal environments. Taught entirely in Russian. Prerequisite: RUSSIAN 302-3 or RUSSIAN 303-3 (or equivalent).

RUSSIAN 304-2 Advanced Contemporary Russian (1 Unit)   Russian for advanced speakers, including heritage speakers. Stress on skills in speaking, reading, and writing in professional and formal environments. Prerequisite: RUSSIAN 302-3 or RUSSIAN 303-3 (or equivalent).

RUSSIAN 359-0 Russian Prose (1 Unit)  

Selected works of Russian masters. Lecture, readings and discussion in Russian. Russian modernist prose, socialist realism and 1940s to the present. Content varies. May be repeated for credit.

Prerequisite: RUSSIAN 302-3 or RUSSIAN 303-3 (or equivalent).

Literature Fine Arts Distro Area

Polish Courses

POLISH 108-1 Elementary Polish (1 Unit)   Polish language and culture. Basic reading, writing, listening, and speaking. No prerequisite.

POLISH 108-2 Elementary Polish (1 Unit)   Polish language and culture. Basic reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Prerequisite: POLISH 108-1 (or equivalent).

POLISH 108-3 Elementary Polish (1 Unit)   Polish language and culture. Basic reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Prerequisite: POLISH 108-2 (or equivalent).

POLISH 208-1 Intermediate Polish: Language and Culture (1 Unit)   Reading on topics in Polish culture and society. Prerequisite: POLISH 108-3 (or equivalent).

POLISH 208-2 Intermediate Polish: Language and Culture (1 Unit)   Reading on topics in Polish culture and society. Prerequisite: POLISH 208-1 (or equivalent).

POLISH 208-3 Intermediate Polish: Language and Culture (1 Unit)   Reading on topics in Polish culture and society. Prerequisite: POLISH 208-2 (or equivalent).

POLISH 358-1 Polish for Advanced and Native Speakers (1 Unit)   Polish for advanced speakers, including those who grew up in the United States. Stress on advanced levels of reading and writing as well as speaking. Taught entirely in Polish. Content varies; may be repeated for credit. Prerequisite: POLISH 208-3 (or equivalent). Literature Fine Arts Distro Area

POLISH 358-2 Polish for Advanced and Native Speakers (1 Unit)   Polish for advanced speakers, including those who grew up in the United States. Stress on advanced levels of reading and writing as well as speaking. Taught entirely in Polish. Content varies; may be repeated for credit. Prerequisite: POLISH 208-3 (or equivalent). Literature Fine Arts Distro Area