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.

Human beings bear the scars of the violence, accidents and traumatic events they experience. Can we think of nature as experiencing trauma in the same way? And if writers, filmmakers and artists act as witnesses to environmental disaster by representing its fallout in their works, can nature act as witness, in turn, to the ever-growing threat of human extinction? Our course will seek to answer these questions by focusing on literary and cinematic works from East Europe and Northeast Asia, two regions particularly affected by ecological devastation and war in the twentieth century. The course will compare how nuclear technologies, globalized war, colonialism and intensive resource extraction have impacted the destinies of communities and the places they inhabit. We will explore whether we can ever think of ourselves as existing independently of our environments, or whether they irrevocably shape our sense of community and sense of self. Further, we will ask how we might reimagine more sustainable futures by remembering the tragedies of the past, and what sources we might turn to in order to do so. Can our environment offer clues that help us to piece together alternative human histories, perhaps those that have been erased or omitted from the textbooks we read in schools? In posing such questions, this course will focus on several primary texts: Yuri Rytkheu’s novel about the degradation of marine ecosystems in Chukotka, When the Whales Leave; Chen Qiufan’s account of electronics disposal in China, The Waste Tide; a short story “Pandemonium,” written by the underground North Korean author Bandi; the Nobel-laureate Svetlana Alexievich’s Chernobyl Prayer, and more. No prior knowledge of Russian or East Asian languages, literatures or cultures is required. This course fulfills the first half of the UC Berkeley Reading & Composition requirement; together with our critical inquiry into modes of reading, we will practice our writing skills. We will devote plenty of time to critical thinking and essay-writing skills, paying close attention to argumentation, analysis, and the fundamentals of writing at the college level.

Requisites

• Satisfaction of the Entry Level Writing Requirement.

Repeat Rules

Course is not repeatable for credit.

Requirements class fulfills