RUSS 401
National in Form, Socialist in Content: History and Cinema of Soviet Republics Spring 2026
Division I

Class Details

The Soviet Union consisted of fifteen republics whose culture was supposed to be “national in form, socialist in content.” In this course, we will study the history of multinational Soviet state through the prism of film production in the union republics. In particular, we will consider the following questions: How did the nationality policy of the USSR change in different historical periods? What kinds of films were released as a result of this policy? What were the dynamics of the relationship between the center and the republics? What meaning do such concepts as “nation,” “empire,” and “national culture” have in the Soviet context? And how is this experience of shared Soviet history reflected in the independent republics today?
The Class: Format: seminar
Limit: 15
Expected: 5-10
Class#: 3668
Grading: yes pass/fail option, yes fifth course option
Requirements/Evaluation: Daily work (reading and viewing responses, preparing questions for discussion); two presentations; written assignments; final project in a form of a research paper, subtitling project, or a video essay.
Prerequisites: Three years of Russian or instructor's consent.
Enrollment Preferences: Russian majors, Russian certificate seekers
Distributions: Division I

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