Spring 2021

SLAVIC R5B 003 - LEC 003

Reading and Composition

Wild Realities: Crisis and Capitalism in Post-Soviet Russian Literature and Film

Zachary Britton Hicks

Jan 19, 2021 - May 07, 2021

Mo, We, Fr

09:00 am - 09:59 am

Internet/Online

Class #:26270

Units: 4

Instruction Mode: Pending Review

Offered through Slavic Languages and Literatures

Current Enrollment

Total Open Seats: -1

Enrolled: 18

Waitlisted: 0

Capacity: 17

Waitlist Max: 0

No Reserved Seats

Hours & Workload

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

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

When the Soviet Union formally came to an end on December 26, 1991, what had been a single global superpower broke apart into fifteen separate countries across Eastern Europe and Eurasia. For many commentators in the West, the fall of the “iron curtain” appeared to be the final triumph of “democratic” free market capitalism, signaling the disappearance of the former Second World and its integration into a single global system. The reality was far more complicated. Russia was subjected to free market “shock therapy”, which led to massive decline in standards of living, massive increases in nationalist and rightwing movements, and set the stage for what many refer to today as “Putin’s Russia”. In this course we will look at examples from Russian literature, film, and artistic movements that give cultural expression to the complex socio-historical shift that starts with the collapse of the USSR. Our readings will help us ask questions like: What happens to a country that goes from world superpower to chaotic “developing nation” almost overnight? What happens to non-Russian ethnicities within post-Soviet Russia? What is unique about Russian capitalism? What remains of a Soviet political imaginary? What new forms of opposition or protest exist in Russia today? How is all of this figured in art and literature? In short: what does it mean to be “post-Soviet”? We will read texts from authors like Viktor Pelevin, Svetlana Alexievich, Vladimir Sorokin, German Sadulaev, watch films from Svetlana Baskova, Oleg Mavromatti, Andrei Zvyagintsev and Kantemir Balagov, and also take a look at artistic forms of protest from the likes of Pussy Riot, Chto Delat?, Femen, and Voina. All texts will be available in translation, and no prior knowledge of Russian language or culture is required. This course fulfills the second half of the UC Reading & Composition requirement (R5B). We will devote plenty of time to critical thinking, research, and essay-writing skills, paying particular attention to argumentation, analysis, engaging with sources, and other fundamentals of writing and research at the college level. Texts for purchase: Viktor Pelevin - Homo Zapiens (ISBN: 978-0142001813) Vladimir Sorokin – Day of the Oprichnik (ISBN: 978-0374533106) All other readings and films available online.

Class Notes

This course satisfies the second half or the “B” portion of the Reading and Composition requirement.

Prerequisite: Successful completion of the “A” portion of the Reading & Composition requirement or its equivalent. Students may not enroll in nor attend R1B/R5B courses without completing this prerequisite.

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

Rules & Requirements

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.