FLR 304 – Russian Literature in Translation: 20th Century

Section 001

Spring 2017

3 Credit Hours

Course Description

A study of major Russian writers of the twentieth century. Examination of peculiarly Russian as well as the universal aspects of this literature. All readings, lectures and discussions in English.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this course the student will: 

- acquire a basic knowledge of major periods, themes and issues of Russian literature of the 20th century;

- learn to distinguish between the views or perspectives within the literary work, those of its author, characters and one's own;

- identify major existential, social, historical, and philosophical questions raised in the literary works assigned; 

- learn to relate given literary works to their Russian and European historical and ideological context. 

- learn to relate the existential, social and philosophical themes of twentieth-century Russian literature to our time.

Course Structure

Lectures, class discussions, brief reports.

Course Policies

No eating and drinking during the class.

Instructor: Vladimir Bilenkin

Course Meetings

MW 4:30-5:45 pm and by appointment

Course Materials

Maxim Gorky. The Collected Short Stories of Maxim Gorky.

Edition: Citadel, 1998.

ISBN: 0806510757

Cost: $15

This textbook is required

Eduard Dune. Notes of a Red Guard.

Edition: University of Illinois Press, 1997

ASIN: B011DBLFHQ

Cost: $20

This textbook is required.

Maxim Gorky.  The Collected Stories of Maxim Gorky.

Edition: Citadel, 1998

ISBN-10: 0806510757

Cost: $18

This textbook is required.

Mikhail Sholokhov. Quiet Flows the Don.

Edition: Vintage, 1989

ISBN: 0679725210

Cost: $11.84

This textbook is required

Vladimir Nabokov. The Stories of Vladimir Nabokov.

Edition: Vintage, 1996

ISBN: 0679729976

Cost: $12.50

This textbook is required

Alexander Solzhenitsyn. One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich.

Edition:NAL, 2009

ISBN: 0451228146

Cost: $9

This textbook is required

Vasily Shukshin.  Stories from a Siberian Village.

Edition: Northern Illinois University Press, 1996

ISBN: 0875805728

Cost: $20

This textbook is required

Yuri Trifonov.  The Exchange.

Edition: Northwestern University Press

ISBN: 0810118602

Cost: $15

This textbook is required

Karl Marx. Manifesto of the Communist Party. Online

Documentary: Karl Marx and Marxism. Online

Leon Trotsky. "Peculiarities of Russia's Development." Online

Vladimir Nabokov. "Philistines and Philistinism." Online

Film: Childhood (1938). Online

Film: Quiet Flows the Don (1957). Online

Film: The Cold Summer of '53. Online

Documentary: Timeline of the Russian Revolution with John Reese. Online

Documentary: The Russian Revolution in Color. Part 1-2. Online

Documentary: Russian Civil War. Part 1-5. Online

Documentary: USSR Industrialization and the Five Year Plans under Stalin. Online

Expenses

None.

Materials

None.

Requisites and Restrictions

None

Prerequisites

None.

Co-requisites

None.

Restrictions

None.

General Education Program (GEP) Information

GEP Category

Humanities

GEP Category Outcomes

1. Students will examine major works of twentieth-century Russian literature within their historical and cultural context.

2. Students will analyze stylistic elements of a literary work and relate them to the work's historical context.

3. Students will acquire a selected set of concepts used in literary analysis and history of ideas about man, nature, society, and history.  Students will examine these concepts in literary works and relate them to selected historical discourses.

How This Course Will Fulfill GEP Category Outcomes

1. Short home assignments, reading quizzes, Mid-term, and Final Exam Questions.
2. Short home assignments, reading quizzes, Mid-term, and Final Exam Questions.

3. Short home assignments, reading quizzes, Mid-term, and Final Exam Questions.

General Education Program (GEP) Information

GEP Category

Global knowledge

GEP Category Outcomes

1.  Students will examine major works of twentieth-century Russian literature within their historical and cultural context.
      
2. Students will examine the problems of human existence as they were raised in twentieth-century Russian literature and discuss them in relation to contemporary world, including the United States.
  

How This Course Will Fulfill GEP Category Outcomes

1. Short home assignments, reading quizzes, Mid-term, and Final Exam Questions.
2. Short home assignments, reading quizzes, Mid-term, and Final Exam Questions.

3. Short home assignments, reading quizzes, Mid-term, and Final Exam Questions.

GEP Co-requisites

This course does not fulfill a General Education Program co-requisite.

Transportation

This course will not require students to provide their own transportation. Non-scheduled class time for field trips or out-of-class activities is NOT required for this class.

Safety & Risk Assumptions

None.

Grading

Grade Components

Letter Grades

This Course uses Standard NCSU Letter Grading:

Requirements for Credit-Only (S/U) Grading

In order to receive a grade of S, students are required to take all exams and quizzes, complete all assignments, and earn a grade of C- or better. Conversion from letter grading to credit only (S/U) grading is subject to university deadlines. Refer to the Registration and Records calendar for deadlines related to grading. For more details refer to http://policies.ncsu.edu/regulation/reg-02-20-15.

Requirements for Auditors (AU)

Information about and requirements for auditing a course can be found at http://policies.ncsu.edu/regulation/reg-02-20-04.

Policies on Incomplete Grades

If an extended deadline is not authorized by the instructor or department, an unfinished incomplete grade will automatically change to an F after either (a) the end of the next regular semester in which the student is enrolled (not including summer sessions), or (b) the end of 12 months if the student is not enrolled, whichever is shorter. Incompletes that change to F will count as an attempted course on transcripts. The burden of fulfilling an incomplete grade is the responsibility of the student. The university policy on incomplete grades is located at http://policies.ncsu.edu/regulation/reg-02-50-3.

Late Assignments

The Instructor will accept assignments more than one week late if students have made prior arrangements with the instructor and the instructor agrees to an extension. Students who submit work late receive a penalty of 10 percent applied to the grade achieved on the late assignment.

Attendance Policy

For complete attendance and excused absence policies, please see http://policies.ncsu.edu/regulation/reg-02-20-03

Attendance Policy

Attendance and full participation in classes and examinations is expected of all students.  I may request to provide documentation for multiple consecutive class absences or frequent single class absences.

Absences Policy

The NCSU rules for excused absences will apply.

Makeup Work Policy

Ordinarily, no make-up is provided for missed in-class activities.  In the event of an excused absence, students should arrange with me for a reading quiz make up no before the next class meeting.

Additional Excuses Policy

None.

Academic Integrity

Students are required to comply with the university policy on academic integrity found in the Code of Student Conduct found at http://policies.ncsu.edu/policy/pol-11-35-01

None.

Academic Honesty

See http://policies.ncsu.edu/policy/pol-11-35-01 for a detailed explanation of academic honesty.

None.

Honor Pledge

Your signature on any test or assignment indicates "I have neither given nor received unauthorized aid on this test or assignment."

Electronically-Hosted Course Components

Students may be required to disclose personally identifiable information to other students in the course, via electronic tools like email or web-postings, where relevant to the course. Examples include online discussions of class topics, and posting of student coursework. All students are expected to respect the privacy of each other by not sharing or using such information outside the course.

Accommodations for Disabilities

Reasonable accommodations will be made for students with verifiable disabilities. In order to take advantage of available accommodations, students must register with the Disability Services Office at Suite 2221, Student Health Center, Campus Box 7509, 919-515-7653. For more information on NC State's policy on working with students with disabilities, please see the Academic Accommodations for Students with Disabilities Regulation (REG02.20.01)

Non-Discrimination Policy

NC State University provides equality of opportunity in education and employment for all students and employees. Accordingly, NC State affirms its commitment to maintain a work environment for all employees and an academic environment for all students that is free from all forms of discrimination. Discrimination based on race, color, religion, creed, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or sexual orientation is a violation of state and federal law and/or NC State University policy and will not be tolerated. Harassment of any person (either in the form of quid pro quo or creation of a hostile environment) based on race, color, religion, creed, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or sexual orientation also is a violation of state and federal law and/or NC State University policy and will not be tolerated. Retaliation against any person who complains about discrimination is also prohibited. NC State's policies and regulations covering discrimination, harassment, and retaliation may be accessed at http://policies.ncsu.edu/policy/pol-04-25-05 or http://www.ncsu.edu/equal_op/. Any person who feels that he or she has been the subject of prohibited discrimination, harassment, or retaliation should contact the Office for Equal Opportunity (OEO) at 919-515-3148.

Course Topics and Schedule

NOTE: The course schedule is subject to change.

Major topics to be covered and required readings.

Fundamentals of Marxism. Readings: Karl Marx. Manifesto of the Communist Party.

Documentary: Karl Marx and Marxism.

Maxim Gorky and the Uneven and Combined Development. Readings: Maxim Gorky's Short Stories. Leon Trotsky. "Peculiarities of Russia's Development." Film: Childhood (1938).

Eduard Dune and the Russian working class in Revolution and Civil War. Readings: Eduard Dune. Notes of a Red Guard. Documentary: Timeline of the Russian Revolution with John Reese. Documentary: The Russian Revolution in Color. Part 1-2.

Mikhail Sholokhov's Epic and its relevance to our time. Readings: Mikhail Sholokhov's novel Quiet Flows the Don. Film: Quiet Flows the Don. Documentary: Russian Civil War. Part 1-5.

Vladimir Nabokov and the Aesthetics of the Counterrevolution. Readings: Vladimir Nabokov's short stories and his essay "Philistines and Philistinism."

The Socialist Realism of Andrei Platonov. Readings: Andrei Platonov's novel The Soul and short stories “Third Son” and “The Return.” Documentary: USSR Industrialization and the Five Year Plans under Stalin.

Alexander Solzhenitsyn and the significance of his novel about Soviet labor camps. Readings: Alexander Solzhenitsyn's novel One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich. Film: The Cold Summer of '53.

Yury Trifonov and his critique of Soviet intelligentsia. Readings: Yuri Trifonov's novel The Exchange.

The “village prose” of Vasily Shukshin and Russian cultural nationalism. Readings: Short stories by Vasily Shukshin.

Readings Schedule

 Week One

Readings:  Maxim Gorky.  Short Stories. Leon Trotsky. "Peculiarities of Russia's Development

Week Two

Readings: Maxim Gorky.  Short Stories.  Suggested:  Film Childhood (1938). Online

Week Three

Eduard Dune. Notes of a Red Guard.  Communist Manifesto, chs. 1-2. Video: Karl Marx and Marxism (first 35 min.)

Week Four

Eduard Dune. Notes of a Red Guard.  Timeline of the Russian Revolution with John Reese. Online

Week Five

Mikhail Sholokhov. Quiet Flows the Don. Book I.  Suggested: Soviet film Quiet Flows the Don (1957). Online

Week Six

Mikhail Sholokhov. Quiet Flows the Don. Book II

Week Seven

Mikhail Sholokhov. Quiet Flows the Don. Book III.  Video:  The Russian Revolution In Colour Part 1 - Fear And Paranoia (47 min.)

Week Eight

Mikhail Sholokhov. Quiet Flows the Don. Book IV.  Video: The Russian Revolution In Colour Part 2 - Fear And Paranoia (47 min.)

Week Nine

Vladimir Nabokov. Short Stories. "Philistines and Philistinism."

Mid-term exam in class. 

Week Ten

Andrei Platonov. “Third Son.” “The Return.”

Alexander Solzhenitsyn. One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich.

Week Eleven

Alexander Solzhenitsyn. One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich.

Week Twelve

Vasily Shukshin. Short Stories.  

Week Thirteen

 Vasily Shukshin.  Short Stories

Week Fourteen

Yuri Trifonov. The Exchange.

Week Fifteen

Andrei Volos.  Hurammabad. (this textbook to be purchased by students themselves)

Final Exam