Spring 2022

SLAVIC R5A 001 - LEC 001

Reading and Composition

Here and There: Travel Narratives in Russian and American Literature

Djordje Popovic, Alexandra Michaud

Jan 18, 2022 - May 06, 2022

Mo, We, Fr

09:00 am - 09:59 am

Dwinelle 246

Class #:26077

Units: 4

Instruction Mode: In-Person Instruction

Offered through Slavic Languages and Literatures

Current Enrollment

Total Open Seats: 0

Enrolled: 17

Waitlisted: 0

Capacity: 17

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

The first purpose of this class is to develop and strengthen academic writing skills. We will practice throughout the semester through mechanics and style exercises, close reading, short compositions, and longer essays, all of which will prepare you to write a literary analysis paper. Sharp writing begins with thoughtful reading: 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? — in writing. Our reading assignments will ask us to 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 the Book of Exodus, which will help us to map out our pilgrimage to Nantucket with Herman Melville, to explore the Russian Empire with Anton Chekhov, and to see the Kremlin with Venedikt Erofeev, among other quests and excursions. Our departure dates will range from antiquity to the twenty-first century, with such far-flung destinations as Egypt, the Caspian Sea, and Indiana.

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