Based on a wide range of sources from the 19th and 20th centuries--works of fiction, publicistics, personal documents--the course will trace the formation and historical transformation of Russian cultural identity, including issues in national identity, ethnicity, position in relation to state, gender, and sexuality. The class is aimed at students with advanced knowledge of Russian, both Americans studying Russian and Russians living in America. All readings, lectures, and discussions in Russian.

The course will examine representations of Russian women across different historical periods through a variety of sources and genres – from folk tales to memoirs and contemporary prose, to visual art and film. We’ll read narratives by women (such as Tolstoy’s wife Sofia, Anna Akhmatova, Nadezhda Mandelstam, Svetlana Alexievich), as well as about women (stories by Leo Tolstoy, Anton Chekhov, Andrei Platonov), central to the Russian views on the woman’s character and social and cultural roles. We’ll also discuss the ways in which these works express and contribute to, the search for Russian identity –– a major aspect of the national tradition. The course is aimed at advancing the students’ ability to read authentic Russian texts, as well as grammatical competence, idiomatic usage, and writing skills. All texts will be read in Russian. The class will be conducted in a seminar–like format and require consistent participation. Classroom lectures and discussion will be primarily in Russian. Texts will be provided in the course reader.

Prerequisites: Five semesters of Russian or consent of the instructor. The course is open to advanced students of Russian as a foreign language and fluent heritage speakers.

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