An interdepartmental program in Russian and East European Studies

Last updated: August 28, 2009 at 11:17 a.m.

Objectives

The program in Russian and East European studies (REES) provides undergraduates with a curricular framework for the interdisciplinary study of Russia, the former Soviet Union, and East Europe. This interdisciplinary study offers a special breadth and depth of understanding for this region and leads students to appreciate the interconnectedness of Russian and East European history, economics, politics, and culture. The complementary study allows participating students to achieve an understanding of this world region not otherwise available in existing majors and minors in the traditional disciplines. REES further maintains the extracurricular objective of hosting and facilitating special events concerning Russia and East Europe: presentations by visiting scholars, cultural events, and other learning activities. The program serves any interested undergraduates wishing to complement their major course of study; social science majors with an interest in the area and majors in Russian language and literature are encouraged to consider becoming program participants.

Interested students who have no background in Russian or any other East European language are advised to begin language training (with RUS 10a) in their first year. Appropriate placement of those with some knowledge of Russian can be arranged by consultation with the Department of German, Russian, and Asian Languages and Literature. Progress toward the minor will also be facilitated by early enrollment (usually in the sophomore year) in HIST 147a (Imperial Russia).

Committee

David Powelstock, Chair
(German, Russian, and Asian Languages and Literature)

Steven Burg
(Politics)

Irina Dubinina
(German, Russian, and Asian Languages and Literature)

ChaeRan Freeze
(Near Eastern and Judaic Studies)

Gregory Freeze, Dean, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
(History)

Robin Feuer Miller
(German, Russian, and Asian Languages and Literature)

Antony Polonsky
(Near Eastern and Judaic Studies)

Requirements for the Minor

A. Students must complete the following courses: HIST 147a (Imperial Russia) and HIST 147b (Twentieth-Century Russia); and four semesters of Russian language, or the equivalent.

B. Completion of any three courses listed below, in at least two separate disciplines.

Courses of Instruction

Courses of Instruction

REES 98a Independent Study
Signature of the instructor and the program chair required.
Usually offered every year.
Staff

REES 98b Independent Study
Signature of the instructor and the program chair required.
Usually offered every year.
Staff

Core Courses

HIST 147a Imperial Russia
[ ss wi ]
Examines the processes and problems of modernization--state development, economic growth, social change, cultural achievements, and emergence of revolutionary and terrorist movements. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Freeze

HIST 147b Twentieth-Century Russia
[ ss ]
Russian history from the 1905 revolution to the present day, with particular emphasis on the Revolution of 1917, Stalinism, culture, and the decline and fall of the USSR. Usually offered every second year.
Mr. Freeze

Elective Courses

The following courses are approved for the minor. Not all are offered in any one year. Please consult the Schedule of Classes each semester.

COML 160a Contemporary East European Literature
[ hum ]
Open to all students. Conducted in English.
Examines works of major East European (Polish, Czech, Russian, and other) authors in the historical context of late Communist and post-Communist experience. Special attention to reading for artistic qualities and engagement of historical and political problems. Usually offered every second year.
Mr. Powelstock

FA 118b Drawing upon Literature
[ ca hum ]
Prerequisite: A studio art course taught at Brandeis. Studio fee: $20 per semester.
An interdisciplinary team-taught course bringing together the practice of studio art and the study of literature. Students use Russian fiction and poetry (and some critical theory) as source material for the creation of visual images: drawings in various media, watercolors, prints, and photographs. Usually offered every third year.
Ms. Lichtman and Ms. Miller

HIST 148b Central Asia in Modern Times
[ nw ss ]
Surveys the modern history of Central Asia, emphasizing the twentieth century and contemporary history; it gives particular attention to the processes of colonialization and modernization and their impact on the traditional social order and Islamic religious life. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Freeze

NEJS 137b A History of the Jews in Warsaw, Lodz, Vilna, and Odessa
[ hum ss ]
Examines the history of the four largest Jewish communities in the Russian Empire from the earliest settlement through the Holocaust to the present, comparing internal organization, different political and cultural allegiances, and relations with the majority population. Usually offered every fourth year.
Mr. Polonsky

POL 129a East European Politics
[ ss ]
Politics and society in the post-Communist states of Eastern Europe, drawing general lessons about the relationships among social modernization, nationalism, and democratic transition. Usually offered every fourth year.
Mr. Burg

POL 213b Graduate Seminar: Selected Topics in Comparative Politics
Provides graduate students an opportunity to engage in research and discussion of selected issues in comparative politics. Usually offered every second year.
Mr. Burg or Ms. Klausen

RECS 130a The Russian Novel
[ hum wi ]
Open to all students. Conducted in English. Students may choose to do readings either in English translation or in Russian.
A comprehensive survey of the major writers and themes of the nineteenth century including Gogol, Turgenev, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Chekhov, and others. Usually offered every second year.
Ms. Miller

RECS 134b Chekhov
[ hum ]
Open to all students. Conducted in English. Students may choose to do readings either in English translation or in Russian.
Offers a detailed investigation of the evolution of Chekhov's art, emphasizing the thematic and structural aspects of Chekhov's works. Attention paid to methods of characterization, use of detail, narrative technique, and the roles into which he casts his audience. Usually offered every second year.
Ms. Miller

RECS 135a From Pushkin to Chekhov: The Short Story in Russia
[ hum ]
Open to all students. Conducted in English. Students may choose to do readings either in English translation or in Russian.
Focuses on the great tradition of the short story in Russia. This genre has always invited stylistic and narrative experimentation, as well as being a vehicle for the striking, if brief, expression of complex social, religious, and philosophical themes. Usually offered every second year.
Ms. Miller

RECS 137a Women in Russian Literature
[ hum ]
Open to all students. Conducted in English. Students may choose to do readings either in English translation or in Russian.
Examines questions of female representation and identity and of female authorship. Readings include portrayals of women by men and women authors. Usually offered every second year.
Staff

RECS 146a Dostoevsky: Gods and Monsters
[ hum ]
Open to all students. Conducted in English. Students may choose to do readings either in English translation or in Russian.
A comprehensive survey of Dostoevsky's life and works, with special emphasis on the major novels. Usually offered every second year.
Ms. Miller

RECS 147b Tolstoy: Freedom, Chance, and Necessity
[ hum ]
Open to all students. Conducted in English. Students may choose to do readings either in English translation or in Russian.
Studies the major short stories and novels of Leo Tolstoy against the backdrop of nineteenth-century history and with reference to twentieth-century critical theory. Usually offered every second year.
Ms. Miller

RECS 149b The Rise and Fall of Russian Modernism: Cultural and Political Revolutions, 1900-1934
[ hum ]
Open to all students. Conducted in English. Students may choose to do readings either in English translation or in Russian.
An interdisciplinary immersion in the period, emphasizing the connections between historical and artistic trends and employing prominent theories of culture. Focuses on major figures, works, and events in film, literature, the performing and visual arts, and political, philosophical, and religious thought. Usually offered every second year.
Mr. Powelstock

RECS 154a The Art of Vladimir Nabokov
[ hum ]
Open to all students. Conducted in English. Students may choose to read the Russian novels either in English translation or in Russian.
A concentrated study of Vladimir Nabokov, the most noted Russian author living in emigration and one of the most influential novelists of the twentieth century. Focuses on the major Russian- and English-language novels. Usually offered every second year.
Mr. Powelstock

RUS 150b Advanced Russian Language through Literature
[ fl hum ]
Prerequisite: RUS 40b, 110a, or permission of the instructor. Taught in Russian.
A seminar designed to give intermediate to advanced students of Russian the linguistic and critical skills to analyze literature in Russian. Focuses on poetry and prose of the twentiieth century. Usually offered every second year.
Ms. Dubinina

RUS 153a Russian Poetry and Prose in Russian: Undergraduate Seminar
[ fl hum ]
Prerequisite: RUS 40b or RUS 110a or permission of the instructor. Taught in Russian.
An undergraduate seminar focusing on the advanced study of Russian literataure in the original Russian and development of Russian oral and written language skills needed to analyze and discuss poetry. Includes a selection of the very best Russian poetry and prose of the nineteenth century. Usually offered every second year.
Mr. Powelstock