2023 Fall

SLAVIC R5A 003 - LEC 003

Reading and Composition

Modern Central Asia in Literature and Film

Robyn M Jensen, Sabrina Jaszi

Aug 23, 2023 - Dec 08, 2023

Tu, Th

11:00 am - 12:29 pm

Physics Building 385

Class #:32999

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 Robyn M Jensen

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

This course explores depictions of modern Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan) in literature and film. A historical site of cultural, economic, political, and religious interactions between the East and West, Central Asia was colonized by Russians in the mid-19th century, incorporated into the Russian Empire and then the Soviet Union. We will examine representations of the Russian-Central Asian encounter and important historical episodes of the last two centuries in literature and film. Throughout the course, we will consider such questions as: How have Central Asian cultural producers assimilated and reacted to imposed foreign culture? How have transformations in the natural environment and the role of women been central to these negotiations? How are the works of literature and film conditioned by political, social, and cultural constraints, and how do they express the aspirations and frustrations of Russian and Soviet modernity in the region? Authors/filmmakers may include Sadriddin Aini, Abdulla Qahhor, Ali Khamrayev, Chinghiz Aitmatov, O'tkir Hoshimov, Hamid Ismailov, and Baqytgul Sarmekova. (No knowledge of Central Asian languages required. All works will be in English.) This course fulfills the first half of the UC Berkeley Reading & Composition requirement; Together with our critical inquiry into modes of reading, we will develop skills for writing, paying particular attention to argumentation, analysis, and the fundamentals of college writing.

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