2021 Fall

SLAVIC R5A 002 - LEC 002

Reading and Composition

Going Out West (and East)

Djordje Popovic, Alexandra Michaud

Aug 25, 2021 - Dec 10, 2021

Tu, Th

08:00 am - 09:29 am

Dwinelle 187

Class #:23097

Units: 4

Instruction Mode: In-Person Instruction

Offered through Slavic Languages and Literatures

Current Enrollment

Total Open Seats: 0

Enrolled: 16

Waitlisted: 0

Capacity: 16

Waitlist Max: 3

No Reserved Seats

Hours & Workload

9 hours of outside work hours per week, and 3 hours of instructor presentation of course materials per week.

Other classes by Djordje Popovic

Reading and composition course based on works of Russian and other Slavic writers, either written in English or translated into English. As students develop strategies of writing and interpretation, they will become acquainted with a particular theme in Russian and/or Slavic literatures and their major voices. R5A satisfies the first half of the Reading and Composition requirement, and R5B satisfies the second half.

Class Description

In this course, we will examine the genre of travel literature, broadly interpreted, to address the accursed questions — what is going on here? and what’s going on over there? We will consider the relationship between person, place, and passion in a variety of contexts, address questions of freedom and confinement, diversion and rest, advance and retreat, and motion and stasis. What are the possibilities and limitations of travel as a literary — or rhetorical — premise? Where are we going and how are we getting there? What roles can location play in a narrative? How can we interpret the relationship between traveler and terrain? What is and is not a map? Can you cross the same river twice? What counts as an adventure? Where is home? Our itinerary will begin with the Odyssey and Exodus, which will help us to map out our pilgrimage to Nantucket with Herman Melville, to explore Russia with Anton Chekhov, and to see America with Vladimir Mayakovsky, among other quests and excursions. Our departure dates will range from antiquity to the twenty-first century, with such far-flung destinations as Capri, Tatooine, and Indiana. Along the way, our guiding questions will help us to develop college-level writing and critical reading skills. Students will write expository essays and practice developing strong arguments through close reading. -Alter, Robert. The Five Books of Moses. ISBN 0393333930. -Voltaire. Candide. Tr. Robert M. Adams. Norton Critical Third Edition. ISBN 0393932524. -Tokarczuk, Olga. Flights. Tr. Jennifer Croft. ISBN 0525534199 -Course reader will be available at Metro Publishing, 2440 Bancroft Way

Class Notes

Due to the high demand for R&C courses we monitor attendance very carefully. Attendance is mandatory the first two weeks of classes, this includes all enrolled and wait listed students. If you do not attend all classes the first two weeks you may be dropped. If you are attempting to add into this class during weeks 1 and 2 and did not attend the first day, you will be expected to attend all class meetings thereafter and, if space permits, you may be enrolled from the wait list. show less