University Catalog

Russian (RUSS)

Courses

RUSS 1441. BEGINNING RUSSIAN I. 4 Hours. (TCCN = RUSS 1411)

Multimedia immersion in the culture and language of Russian-speaking countries. Designed to enable students to understand and communicate effectively in Russian at the beginning level. No prerequisites.

RUSS 1442. BEGINNING RUSSIAN II. 4 Hours. (TCCN = RUSS 1412)

Continuation of beginning Russian. Prerequisite: RUSS 1441 with a grade of C or better.

RUSS 1491. CONFERENCE COURSE. 4 Hours.

Independent study; consultation with instructor on a regular basis. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor.

RUSS 2301. TOPICS IN RUSSIAN LITERATURE IN TRANSLATION. 3 Hours.

Study of the works of major authors and intellectual trends of a given period or periods. May be repeated for credit as topics or periods vary. RUSS 2301 may be taken to fulfill the foreign language literature requirement. Prerequisite: ENGL 1301 and ENGL 1302.

RUSS 2310. RUSSIAN CULTURE IN THE WORLD. 3 Hours.

An overview of the cultures of the Russian-speaking world in a global context, examining cultural products such as food, art, music, popular culture, literature, and/or film. Taught in English.

RUSS 2313. INTERMEDIATE RUSSIAN I. 3 Hours. (TCCN = RUSS 2311)

Continued immersion in the culture and language of Russian-speaking countries. Application of strategies and technology in mastering listening, speaking, reading, and writing at the intermediate level. Prerequisite: RUSS 1442 with a grade of C or better.

RUSS 2314. INTERMEDIATE RUSSIAN II. 3 Hours. (TCCN = RUSS 2312)

Continuation of intermediate Russian. Prerequisite: RUSS 2313 with a grade of C or better.

RUSS 2315. INTRODUCTION TO RUSSIAN LANGUAGE AND CULTURE. 3 Hours.

A fully online course devoted to immersion in Russian culture through print and digital media as well as conversation and collaboration with native speakers of Russian. Students will gain broad exposure to social and historical contexts of Russian culture as well as reading ability of the Russian Cyrillic alphabet, and practice in basic reading, writing and speaking skills in Russian. No prerequisites. Prior knowledge of Russian is useful but not required. Credit will not be granted to native or heritage speakers of Russian.

RUSS 2391. CONFERENCE COURSE. 3 Hours.

Independent study; consultation with instructor on a regular basis. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor.

RUSS 3301. TOPICS IN RUSSIAN LITERATURE IN TRANSLATION. 3 Hours.

Covers the works of major Russian authors during the period from the beginning of Russian literature until the 1917 Revolution, focusing on the interrelationship of various literary movements and philosophies. Students receiving credit in Russian will complete a research project using the Russian language. May be repeated for credit as topics and periods vary. Offered as ENGL 3301 and RUSS 3301; credit will be granted in only one department. Prerequisites: English majors must have earned a C or better in ENGL 3333 and ENGL 3350. Non-majors must have earned a C or better in 3 hours of sophomore literature (ENGL 2303, ENGL 2309, ENGL 2319, ENGL 2329).

RUSS 3304. TOPICS IN RUSSIAN LANGUAGE STUDY. 3 Hours.

Study of Modern Russian with a focus on pronunciation, word formation, and syntax. Students develop advanced listening, reading, speaking, and writing skills through cultural analysis. Cultural topics come from linguistics, literature, music, film, visual and performing arts, sports, and science. Repeatable for credit when the topic changes.

RUSS 3305. TOPICS IN RUSSIAN POETRY. 3 Hours.

Literary analysis of selected works of Russian poetry in the original Russian. Topics will come from different periods of Russian literary and cultural history. Students develop reading, writing, and language skills at an advanced level. Repeatable for credit when the topic changes.

RUSS 3306. TOPICS IN SOVIET AND POST-SOVIET LITERATURE IN TRANSLATION. 3 Hours.

Covers the works of major Soviet and post-Soviet authors from 1917 to the present against the background of unfolding social and political development in the USSR and post-USSR. Students receiving credit in Russian will complete a research project using the Russian language. May be repeated for credit as topics and periods vary. Offered as ENGL 3306 and RUSS 3306; credit will be granted in only one department. Prerequisites: English majors must have earned a C or better in ENGL 3333 and ENGL 3350. Non-majors must have earned a C or better in 3 hours of sophomore literature (ENGL 2303, ENGL 2309, ENGL 2319, ENGL 2329).

RUSS 3310. LOCALIZATION AND TRANSLATION I. 3 Hours.

Introduction to cultural and linguistic issues in the translation of Russian language texts. Students will explore current technologies used in various real-world translation contexts and how to adapt texts, products, and services to the locale for which they are intended. May be repeated once. Prerequisite: RUSS 2314 with a grade of B or better.

RUSS 3311. LOCALIZATION AND TRANSLATION II. 3 Hours.

Continued study of cultural and linguistic issues in the translation of Russian and English language texts. Systematic development of advanced skills in localization and computer-aided translation and in using TMX/TBX (international standards for translation memory and terminology exchange) tools. Translation practice, individually and in translation teams, with increasingly longer and more specialized texts. Prepares localization and translation specialists for real-world careers in the language-services industry. May not be repeated for credit. Prerequisite: RUSS 3310 with a grade of B or better.

RUSS 3314. POLITICAL SYSTEMS OF EASTERN AND CENTRAL EUROPE. 3 Hours.

POLS 3314 or RUSS 3314. Examination of the political institutions and processes of the former communist systems of Eastern Europe and the Baltics, as well as selected Central European states. Credit will be given in only one department. Students receiving credit in Russian will complete projects using the Russian language.

RUSS 3333. CONVERSATION AND TOPICS IN RUSSIAN CULTURE. 3 Hours.

Intermediate practice in spoken Russian using print and media resources on a range of cultural topics. Students actively master the discourse of the source media through dialogue, debate, and short presentations in Russian. May be repeated as topic varies. Prerequisite: RUSS 1442 with a grade of C or better.

RUSS 3334. RUSSIAN COMPOSITION AND GRAMMAR. 3 Hours.

Introduction to the analysis of texts with emphasis on reading comprehension, grammar, writing skills and compositional techniques. Prerequisite: RUSS 1442 with a grade of C or better.

RUSS 3343. RUSSIAN PHONETICS. 3 Hours.

Introduction to the articulatory phonetics of Russian. Of special interest to students who wish to improve their pronunciation, comprehension, and oral expression. Prerequisite: RUSS 1442 with a grade of C or better.

RUSS 3345. INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTER-ASSISTED TRANSLATION. 3 Hours.

Introduction to computer-assisted translation (CAT), machine translation (MT), translation memory (TM) and terminology management tools in modern translation and localization workflows. Prepares students for real-world careers in the language services industry. Exclusively for students pursuing a minor in Localization and Translation-Russian. RUSS 4334 or RUSS 3310 is strongly recommended before RUSS 3345.

RUSS 3391. CONFERENCE COURSE. 3 Hours.

Independent study; consultation with instructor on a regular basis. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite: Permission.

RUSS 3393. RUSSIAN INTERNSHIP. 3 Hours.

A combination of field-related experience in the business or service sector with an academic component. Coursework may include journal writing, outside readings, reflection papers, and formal presentations. Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor.

RUSS 4301. SELECTED AUTHORS AND TOPICS. 3 Hours.

Detailed reading and analysis of selected Russian writers such as Alexander Pushkin, Nikolai Gogol, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Leo Tolstoy, Ivan Turgenev and Anton Chekhov. Their works are compared in the light of urgent social, political, literary and philosophical questions of their day. May be repeated as topic varies. No prerequisites. Students majoring in Russian read some texts in the original. Taught in English. Satisfies the core curriculum requirement for literature.

RUSS 4302. RUSSIAN AND SOVIET CINEMA. 3 Hours.

A survey of Russian and Soviet cinema from their beginnings to the present. Special attention is paid to film theory and formal analysis, the ideological uses of film art, and cinema as a medium of cultural dissent and witness to social change. No prerequisites. May also be offered as ENGL 3300; credit will be granted in only one department. Taught in English.

RUSS 4303. PROPAGANDA AND IDEOLOGY IN SOVIET ART AND LITERATURE. 3 Hours.

An examination of the purpose, value and influence of the arts in revolutionary Russia with the aid of diverse source documents and artistic media. Focus is on the symbols, stories, rituals and ideologies that defined the Russian experience of 'building socialism' in the early decades of the Soviet Union. No prerequisites. Students majoring in Russian read some texts in the original. Taught in English. Satisfies the core curriculum requirement for literature.

RUSS 4304. BANNED AND CENSORED WORKS OF RUSSIAN LITERATURE. 3 Hours.

An examination of selected works of Russian literature that were censored, banned or otherwise prohibited, from tsarist Russia through the Soviet period. The role of censorship in Russian cultural life, and the great works of literature that flourished in spite of it. No prerequisites. Students majoring in Russian read some texts in the original. Taught in English. Satisfies the core curriculum requirement for literature.

RUSS 4334. THE CULTURE OF BUSINESS. 3 Hours.

The relationship of culture, language, and meaning to issues affecting business and e-commerce in the Russian-speaking world, with emphasis on intercultural communication in an international business environment. Web-based media segments about international business in Russia, Europe, and North America are used as an aid in the acquisition of pertinent cultural knowledge, as well as vocabulary and other linguistic knowledge. Prerequisite: RUSS 2314 with a grade of B or better.

RUSS 4335. BUSINESS RUSSIAN. 3 Hours.

Students learn to function in business environments, with emphasis on the skills needed for conducting e-commerce. Web-based media segments from Russia, Europe, and North America are used to reinforce vocabulary and other linguistic knowledge. Prerequisite: RUSS 4334 with a grade of B or better.

RUSS 4338. TOPICS IN INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION AND COLLABORATION. 3 Hours.

This course is devoted to intercultural communication and collaboration. Through telecollaboration with native speakers of Russian, students will gain active practice in listening comprehension and spoken and written Russian. Active learning tasks employing multimedia in collaboration with language partners will contribute to a broadening of knowledge in the social and historical contexts of Russian culture and media, increased ability to express ideas in everyday contexts in spoken and written Russian, and advancement of strategies for autonomous learning. May be repeated for credit as topic changes. Prerequisite: RUSS 1442 with a grade of C or better.

RUSS 4342. TOPICS IN SIMULTANEOUS INTERPRETING: THEORY AND PRACTICE. 3 Hours.

This fully online course focuses on the theory and practice of simultaneous interpreting through active translation and interpreting tasks. Through telecollaboration with native speakers of Russian, students will gain active practice in listening comprehension and spoken and written Russian. A major focus is on translation and simultaneous interpreting in a variety of professional contexts including health and legal settings, politics and media, and business negotiations. Active learning projects will involve role-play, simultaneous interpreting tasks, and creating audio/visual presentations. Prerequisite: RUSS 2314 or equivalent.

RUSS 4361. WAR, PEACE, AND POLITICS IN THE FORMER SOVIET UNION. 3 Hours.

Since the breakup of the Soviet Union in December 1991, the 15 newly independent states have taken divergent paths, while Russia has attempted to restore its dominance over its former empire. This course examines the different paths taken by the former Soviet states and the historical and cultural forces that have driven the transitions, with a specific focus on Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, and the South Caucasus. Offered as POLS 4361 and RUSS 4361; credit will be given in only one department. Taught in English. For Russian language credit, some research will be done in Russian. Prerequisite: POLS 2311 and POLS 2312.

RUSS 4362. RUSSIA AND THE POST-SOVIET STATES TODAY. 3 Hours.

An interdisciplinary overview of Russia and Russian area studies. This course provides students with a broad understanding of Russia today through the lenses of its geography and demographics, forms of government, and the themes and tendencies that run throughout Russian history and culture, including their impact on neighboring post-Soviet states. Offered as POLS 4362 and RUSS 4362; credit will be given in only one department. Taught in English. RUSS 4362 students complete some assignments in Russian, while POLS 4362 students do all assignments in English. Prerequisite: For POLS: POLS 2311 and POLS 2312.

RUSS 4365. RUSSIAN FOREIGN POLICY. 3 Hours.

The foreign policy of Russia with an emphasis on its historical, cultural, and political roots, and policymaking structures. Through lectures, seminars, meetings, and assignments, students will gain an understanding of the historical, cultural, and political sources of Russian foreign policy behavior, the actors that implement it, and the tactics deployed. Offered as POLS 4365 and RUSS 4365; credit will be given in only one department. Taught in English. For Russian language credit, some research will be done in Russian. Prerequisite: For POLS: POLS 2311 and POLS 2312.

RUSS 4391. CONFERENCE COURSE. 3 Hours.

Independent study in the preparation of a paper or a translation on a research topic; consultation with instructor on a regular basis. May be repeated for credit.

RUSS 4393. RUSSIAN INTERNSHIP. 3 Hours.

This course is a combination of field-related experience in the business or service sector with an academic component. Coursework may include journal writing in Russian, outside readings, and formal presentations. Prerequisite: Two RUSS 3000 level courses and permission of the instructor.

RUSS 4394. HONORS THESIS/SENIOR PROJECT. 3 Hours.

Required of all students in the University Honors College. During the senior year, the student must complete a thesis or a project under the direction of a faculty member in the major department. May not be repeated for credit.