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.

In the two decades between the first and second world wars, the literary and art scene flourished in Paris due in large part to the influx of émigré artists and writers; some fled revolution and fluctuating political systems, while others sought a new creative milieu abroad in which to develop their craft. Our course will be structured by the following questions: how is the American and Russian emigration represented / examined / framed in the literary and visual arts of this period? What does it mean to commit one’s emigrant experience to paper / canvas / the stage? In which instances do we see a rapprochement, or conversely, a clash of an artist’s “birth” culture with that of their adopted city, Paris? In this course, we will read selected texts from several of the most celebrated writers of the American and Russian émigré literary scene in Paris: Ernest Hemingway, Gertrude Stein, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Vladimir Nabokov, Nina Berberova, and Irène Némirovsky, among others. We will also consider the autobiographical writings of renowned émigré visual artists and dancers (such as the painter Marc Chagall, the painter and stage and costume designer Léon Bakst, and the revolutionary dance company Ballets Russes) who also called the City of Light their creative playground during the interwar period. While the emigration narrative is the thematic centerpiece of this course, our goal will be to acquire and hone our critical reading and writing skills. The objective of this R&C course is to learn how to write a sophisticated and well-argued college research paper – a crucial skill for the successful completion of this course, specifically, and the bachelor’s degree, generally. REQUIRED TEXTS (to be purchased at one of the University’s bookstores or online from sellers such as Amazon.com): • Ernest Hemingway, A Moveable Feast (Scribner, 2010) (ISBN: 14391827X) • Irène Némirovsky, The Wine of Solitude, Trans. S. Smith (Vintage, 2012) (ISBN: • Gertrude Stein, The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas (Vintage, 1990) (ISBN: 067972463X) (Note: this is not a complete list of the texts that we will be reading this semester. The rest of the required readings will be provided on the bCourses website.) FILMS: • Midnight in Paris (2011) by Woody Allen • Paris Was a Woman (1996) by Greta Schiller Course Requirements: Students should be prepared to read between 60-90 pages per week and to productively contribute to class discussion. The student’s final grade in the course will be determined by his or her class participation, four writing assignments of various lengths in response to the texts we read and one short peer review response paper.

Requisites

• Previously passed an R_A course with a letter grade of C- or better. Previously passed an articulated R_A course with a letter grade of C- or better. Score a 4 on the Advanced Placement Exam in English Literature. Score a 4 or 5 on the Advanced Placement Exam in English Language and Composition. Score of 5, 6, or 7 on the International Baccalaureate Higher Level Examination in English.

Repeat Rules

Course is not repeatable for credit.

Requirements class fulfills