OVERVIEW

This course proposes the reading and analysis of Russian prose and poetry. The specific topic and reading list change every year. The topic for 2017-2018 is:

TOLSTOJ: THE BEGINNING AND END OF A WRITER

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

These courses examine topics and problems in Russian literature and culture from its origins to the present. In class work includes the reading and translation of excerpts from the works of significant authors and critics.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

This course provides (1) an introduction to problems linked with the formation of a literary canon; (2) familiarity with the evolution of Russian women's writing from its origins until roughly 1881; (3) an introduction to Russian literary texts from the 18th and 19th centuries in the original; (4) familiarity with a number of Russian women writers, their texts and historical contexts; (5) an introduction to research methodology and techniques in the field of Russian cultural studies; (6) an opportunity to participate in ongoing projects of scholarly research, including the translation of literary texts never before translated into other languages.

TEACHING METHODS

This course will be held online during the first semester via Aulaweb together with Teams, Zoom and/or Google Meet. Details and updates on the course as it evolves will always be on Aulaweb.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

Course title: The Women's Literary Canon in 18th- and 19th-century Russia

This course examines the problematics of forming a women's canon in Russian literary tradition, ranging from the very definition of the "Russian tradition" (geography, language, ethnicity, social estate, etc.), to that of "literature", to issues of women's participation in an evolving literary context, including limited access to education and to the means of publication. We will examine the clues and traces that allow us to formulate women's literary history, commonplaces, and issues yet unresolved. The course will include a general discussion of the evolution of women's writing in the period in question (according to chronology and to literary genre); the reading together of various texts in the original; the analysis of specific women's fortunes in literary historiography (especially in writers' dictionaries).

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

THIS READING IS NOT "RECOMMENDED": IT IS MANDATORY!

See the Italian version of the program. 

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

Exam Board

SARA DICKINSON (President)

MARIO ALESSANDRO CURLETTO

LAURA SALMON (Substitute)

LESSONS

LESSONS START

The first week of the semester

Class schedule

RUSSIAN LITERATURE AND CULTURE

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

oral and written assignments or oral exam

ASSESSMENT METHODS

This course is designed as a laboratory that requires active student participation and those who do actively participate will not be required to take a final exam. "Active participation" means (1) attending at least 67% of the class hours (24) and (2) successfully completing the coursework and assigned (individual or group) projects in a timely fashion (and before the end of February 2021). For these students, a brief conversation with the instructor to review the completed assignments will conclude the course.

Students who attend at least 67% of the classes but are unable to complete all of the assignments or who complete the assignments without having attended 67% of the course should speak with the instructor about the possibility of bending these rules a bit. Students who attend more than 67% of the classes may also opt to take an oral exam at the end of the course rather than complete assignments.

Students who less than 67% of the classes will have more reading and an oral exam at the end of the course. The final exam may be held in Italian, Russian, or English as the student prefers. A key part of the exam will be the discussion of textual excerpts in Russian.

Exams for this course will be held in January/February, July/August and September of 2021, as well as in January/February 2022 (by appointment)

Exam schedule

FURTHER INFORMATION

Students must follow the course on Aulaweb as well (for updates on the syllabus, the lectures, and the exam).