RUSS 202
Advanced Russian: Moscow and St. Petersburg Spring 2018
Division I Exploring Diversity Initiative
This is not the current course catalog

This course is thematically organized around the two largest Russian cities: Moscow and St. Petersburg. Mastering all the four language skills (speaking, listening, reading, and writing) on a higher level, we will address various aspects of historical development and contemporary life of these cities. Drawing on the everlasting competition between the two capitals, we will examine their roles as political, business, educational, and cultural centers. The authentic materials used for this course will include newspaper articles, film, short literary texts, song lyrics, blogs, etc. The topics will be as diverse as the Russian revolution and other political upheavals, the cities’ architectural heritage and musical scene, and the differences between the Moscow and St. Petersburg dialects of Russian. The class is conducted entirely in Russian. During spring break students in this course will be taken on a group trip to Moscow and St. Petersburg (at no cost) to activate their knowledge of Russian, visit key historical and cultural sites, and carry out assigned study projects in Russian. As an EDI course, RUSS 202 focuses on the relationship between language and culture, exploring how different linguistic contexts and practices arise from and contribute to cultural difference.