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.

"How does film form respond to, represent, and help construct a political imaginary over the course of its history? When, just after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Francis Fukuyama triumphantly declared the “end of history” he was attempting to mark a definite historical break, after which ideological and political struggle gives way to the universal triumph of Western liberal capitalism. Taking our contemporary “post-historical” moment as a starting point, this class will chart a course through the history of an artistic medium that for many is explicitly connected with the kind of struggle that notions of the “end of history” assign to a bygone era. Following a more or less chronological historical trajectory, we will move from the revolutionary cinema of the Soviet Avant-Garde, through to mid-century European interventions that build upon Soviet models, and then to anti-colonial and New Left films from around the world, before returning to our contemporary moment. Film as a medium has long been thought to sit at the intersection of theory and practice, and as such we will consider films and filmmakers who intended their cinema to be interventionist in nature—seeking to transform the world, not merely represent or distract from it. In tracking this history, we will look closely at how different films make use of the form/content distinction and consider what aesthetic strategies are at play in each, and how these figure into both reflecting and constructing a of radical political imaginary. This course will work within this broad problematic, seeking to practice and the develop some of the fundamentals of college-level writing—such as close reading, tracking concepts, and developing arguments. This course fulfils the second half of the UC Reading & Composition requirement; together with our critical inquiry into modes of reading and film viewing, we will practice our writing and research skills. We will devote plenty of time to critical thinking and essay-writing skills, paying particular attention to argumentation, analysis, engaging with sources, and other fundamentals of writing at the college level. All films and texts will be made available on bCourses or elsewhere online.

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