RS200/RU101-Russian and Russian-American Relations
Blocks I and II Alexei Pavlenko and David Finley, RS200/RU101, Russian and
Russian -American Relations
Fulfils one unit of Critical Perspectives:Diverse Cultures and Critiques,
one unit of foreign language requirement.
This course is an introduction to Russia through the study of the Russian
language, literature, and film, as well as an introduction to the history
of Russian-American relationship. The questions underlying our investigation
are:
What were the aspirations and fears on each side that drove the two nations
into the Cold War confrontation? And how have these popular sentiments been
manifested in literature and film?
What are the prospects for Russian-American relations in the second decade
of the 21st century?
In answering these questions, we will draw broadly on the humanities and social
sciences to gain an insight both into Russia itself and its complex relationship
with the USA.
In our first block Professor Finley will explore "visions of order"
images and perceptions of the other during 19th century historical parallels
and contrasts, on to 20th century revolutions, two World Wars, crises of the
Cold War, and eventual transformation of the Soviet Union-all legacies and
prologue to the uncertain current era of our relationship. With the Cold War
at the center of attention, we shall consider what led to it, its course and
nature and consequences. We will examine how this confrontation expanded to
engulf all international relations and left us many premises of today's challenges.
We will rely on history and social sciences and also see some of their limits.
Concurrently, Professor Pavlenko will introduce the class to the Russian language.
Our second block will draw on language, literature and film to introduce American
students to Russian culture in greater depth. What's to be done? Who is to
blame? What is the Russian soul? These are the "cursed" questions
over which the Russian writers, film directors, artists and intellectuals,
intelligentsia, have been debating since the beginning of the 19th century.
Why and how do these questions relate to us today? Russian culture has been
perceived by the West as the Other and often simultaneously as a repository
of the West's most cherished values. From Christianity to Marxism to post-modernism,
Russian history and art has embodied crucial conflicts which characterize
contemporary consciousness. In spite of the Bolshevik Revolution and Cold
War, much of the European and American intellectual landscape has been shaped
by Russian writers, film directors, artists and composers. Some of the most
defining trends in 20th century European cultural history are inconceivable
without Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Chekhov, Mayakovsky, Eisenstein, Tarkovsky, Nabokov
and others. In this block we shall integrate study of the Russian language
with the great tradition of Russian literature and film, on the premise that
each discipline
infuses and cross-fertilizes the other. Taken together, we hope the two blocks
of our course will illuminate an important intercultural relationship and
also demonstrate how multiple academic disciplines may be integrated to achieve
a greater understanding.
A set of linked one-block courses that must be taken together, with a single
instructor; separate grades will be given for each block.