43 courses with the subject RUSS, each shown exactly as we captured it from the college's catalog, with every element we hold. Where the wording looks broken, that is our reading of the catalog, not the college's text.
The essentials of grammar with emphasis on the development of oral-aural proficiency. Charles Ardnt III. Open to all classes. Yearlong course 105- RUSS 106 . Four 50-minute periods plus drill and conversation periods. Course Format: CLS
The essentials of grammar with emphasis on the development of oral-aural proficiency. Charles Ardnt III. Open to all classes. Yearlong course RUSS 105 -106. Four 50-minute periods plus drill and conversation periods. Course Format: CLS
Single-semester equivalent of RUSS 105 - RUSS 106 . Intensive training in fundamental language skills. Designed for beginning students who wish to accelerate their learning of Russian. Natalia Garrity. Open to all classes. Five 75-minute periods, plus drill and conversation periods. Course Format: CLS
The great tradition of Russian literature with its emphasis on ultimate existential and moral questions. Selected works by such nineteenth-century masters as Pushkin, Gogol, Turgenev, Tolstoy, and Dostoevsky. Dan Ungurianu. Open to all classes. Readings and lectures in English. Russian majors see RUSS 235 . Two 75-minute periods. Course Format: CLS
Comparative survey of new trajectories emerging during the Cold War in West and East European film including France, Italy, Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union. The course investigates formal and semantic connections between the cinema of the period with avant-garde movements in film and other visual arts of the 1920s. Nikolai Firtich. Two 75-minute periods. Course Format: CLS
The representation of war in Tolstoy’s fiction, centered on a detailed analysis of War and Peace , with this classic novel considered in the context of the writer’s earlier and later war narratives, including Sebastopol Tales and “Hadji Murat.” Tolstoy is also viewed as a “combatant” in the sense of one who tirelessly challenged accepted notions in aesthetics, ethics, religion, philosophy, history, and politics. All readings and discussions in English. Open to all classes. Two 75-minute periods. Not offered in 2026/27. Course Format: CLS
Fyodor Dostoevsky was an avid student of the human mind, with particular interest in aberrant and self-destructive behavior. He drew on his observations of people from all strata of society and his four-year-long prison experience to endow his characters with fascinating psychological depth. After Dostoevsky’s death, his works have been cited by Freud, existentialist philosophers and others to support theories of their own. This course focuses on a number of works in which Dostoevsky’s depiction of psychological issues is particularly crucial to the central message he attempts to convey. Readings include three of the major novels ( Crime and Punishment , The Devils , and The Brothers Karamazov ) as well as a number of Dostoevsky’s shorter works. This course entails detailed examinations of the texts and discussion of how Dostoevsky’s works relate to current psychological issues and problems. Charles Ardnt III. All readings and discussion are in English. Two 75-minute periods. Course Format: CLS
(Same as DRAM 143 ) Close reading of major plays and selected short stories by Anton Chekhov. Focus on the forms and themes of Chekhov’s works, as well as their historical contexts in terms of dramaturgy, reception and artistic legacy. Special attention is given to the spectrum of interpretations of Chekhov’s works in a transnational context. Accompanied by film screenings. Dan Ungurianu. Open to all classes. Readings and discussions are in English. Two 75-minute periods. Course Format: CLS
Outstanding works of major twentieth-century Russian writers, with emphasis on those who broke with the realist tradition of the nineteenth century. Farida Tcherkassova. Open to all classes. Readings and lectures in English. Russian majors see RUSS 252 . Two 75-minute periods. Course Format: CLS
A survey of the rich tradition of Russian cinematic science fiction, from mainstream entertainment to the philosophical masterpieces of Andrei Tarkovsky. Subjects include futuristic fantasies of the 1920s and 1930s, scientific experiments gone astray, post-apocalyptic visions, space travel and journeys of the mind, intergalactic romance and humorous takes on the genre. Dan Ungurianu. Taught in English. First six-week course. Two 75-minute periods. Course Format: CLS
The haunting impression produced by Tarkosvky’s films is aptly summarized by Ingmar Bergman: “My discovery of Tarkovsky’s first film was like a miracle. Suddenly, I found myself standing at the door of a room the keys of which had, until then, never been given to me. Tarkovsky is for me the greatest, the one who invented a new language, true to the nature of film, as it captures life as a reflection, life as a dream.” The course examines the work of the Russian director against the background of various “new waves” in European filmmaking, concentrating on Tarkovsky’s unique blend of poetic and philosophical cinema that, following the great Russian literary tradition, can be described as metaphysical realism. Dan Ungurianu. Taught in English. Second six-week course. Two 75-minute periods, plus weekly screenings. Course Format: CLS
The most massive armed conflict in history, World War II also inspired an unprecedented number of films. Many of them are inevitably imbued with patriotic propaganda, yet others strive to achieve a more comprehensive understanding of war, an event that, in Leo Tolstoy’s words, is opposed to human reason and to all human nature. The course samples seminal Russian works of the genre produced from the late 1940s to our days against changing historical and ideological backgrounds. Special attention is given to cinematic masterpieces exploring war as an existential experience that probes the limits of humanity, such as The Cranes Are Flying (1957), Ivan’s Childhood (1962), The Ascent (1976), and Come and See (1985). Taught in English. Second six-week course. Two 75-minute periods. Not offered in 2026/27. Course Format: CLS
Sergei Eisenstein, a brilliant pioneer and a seminal theorist of cinema as a form of art, remains one of the most famous directors in the history of film. The course examines Eisenstein’s artistic trajectory from his early avant-garde creations of the 1920s ( The Strike and Battleship Potemkin ) to the late masterpieces produced during the period of high Stalinism ( Alexander Nevsky and Ivan the Terrible ). Special attention is paid to the cultural and historical contexts of Eisenstein’s films. Dan Ungurianu. Taught in English. First six-week course. Two 75-minute periods. Course Format: CLS
The Russian Revolution of 1917, rather bloodless at its initial stages, resulted in an all out war waged from 1918 into the early 1920s. Numerous factions (Reds, Whites, “Greens,” Anarchists, nationalists and the rest, all the way down to mere adventurers and bandits) and also invading foreign armies (German, British, American, French, Polish, and many others) fought at the vast expanses of the former Russian Empire. Our course examines the legacy of the Civil War in Russian film. We cover Eisenstein’s propaganda masterpieces ( The Battleship Potemkin, October ), early works of Socialist Realism and also the complex body of cinematic texts of the later Soviet years in a variety of genres from high tragedy to the ironic “Eastern.” We conclude with recent revisionist takes on the topic produced during the post-Soviet period. Second six-week course. Two 75-minute periods. Not offered in 2026/27. Course Format: CLS
We examine the rich tradition of Russian Aanimation from its inception around 1910 to our days. We begin with experiments of Wladislaw Starewicz and end with the current blockbusters, including Masha and the Bear series, (one of its episodes has over four billion views on YouTube!). A special attention is given to the masterpieces of the 1960s and 80s that mix the appeal of popular culture with avant-garde visual experimentation. Second six-week course. Two 75-minute periods. Not offered in 2026/27. Course Format: CLS
The course examines various aspects of this diverse genre in Russia from its origins to our days, with a special emphasis on the interaction between inherent constants and the dynamics of shifting cultural and aesthetic contexts. Examples include cinematic versions of fairy tales from Russia and worldwide, adaptations of classical literature, warrior epics, art house allegories, horror movies, and vampire sagas. Dan Ungurianu. Second six-week course. Two 75-minute periods. Course Format: CLS
This course surveys the most turbulent and brilliant period in the development of Russian avant-garde’s literary and visual arts, preceding the political revolutions of 1917, which celebrate the one-hundredth anniversary this year. In English. First six-week course. Two 75-minute periods accompanied by film screenings. Not offered in 2026/27. Course Format: CLS
0.5 to 1 unit(s) This course considers the novels and novellas of Vladimir Nabokov written during the 1920s and 1930s in a broad cultural context of the period. Nabokov became an international celebrity with the publication of Lolita (1955). The scandal and sensationalism aside, the book earned him the reputation as one of the most accomplished stylists in the English language. But in the decades before producing Lolita, Nabokov had had a brilliant literary career as a Russian émigré writer in Europe. This course approaches Nabokov’s pre-Lolita works through a comparison with the writings of Franz Kafka, Evelyn Waugh, Nathaniel West, and the art of Surrealism. The goal of the course is to explore the cultural atmosphere that helped shape Nabokov as we know him. Two 75-minute periods. Not offered in 2026/27. Course Format: CLS
Our main focus is on the dazzling artistic explosion that took place in the Russian Empire in the 19th and early 20th centuries. This includes the visual arts, architecture, music, and performing arts in historical contexts. Prominent examples include Borodin’s opera Prince Igor, Musorgsky’s opera Boris Godunov, Diaghilev’s legendary Ballets Russes, and also the radical revolutionary aesthetics of the Russian Avant-Garde that upends accepted notions of art. Open to all classes. All readings and discussion are in English. Two 75-minute periods. Not offered in 2026/27. Course Format: CLS
Focusing on these three phenomena of the Eastern European and Russian cultural-spiritual landscape will allow us to explore a number of subthemes. While examining Eastern European vampire legends, we will encounter regional folk beliefs and the paradoxical coexistence of pagan and Christian views concerning such things as liminal spaces, the unpredictability of evil, and the role of the undead. Comparisons will be made between early vampire stories and vampire incarnations in British and American literature and pop-culture. Our foray into Russian Orthodox monasticism will provide insight into the significance of mysticism, anchoritism, piety, and apocalypticism in Russia. Lastly, our study of the often scandalous and provocative behavior of the Holy Fool will help us understand how a seemingly carnivalesque inversion of values can serve as a spiritual beacon. The course will be a combination of short readings and films. Course materials and discussion will be in English. No prior knowledge of Russia or Eastern Europe is required. Charles Arndt III. Open to all classes. Two 75-minute periods, plus occasional film screenings. Course Format: CLS
The Russian Revolution of 1917 and the ensuing “Soviet Experiment” had major implications for the global political and ideological landscape of the twentieth century. The revolutionary era also saw an explosive proliferation of bold futuristic visions and utopian projects. The course explores reflections of the Revolution in literature, theatre, film, painting and other arts against a broad historical background. Topics include apocalyptic premonitions of the fin-de-siècle, Russian Cosmism and dreams of earthly immortality, competition among revolutionary ideologies, the art of avant-garde, Agitprop and Proletkult, Constructivism, Socialist Realism, the creation of the New Man, Stalin’s “Empire Style” and return of traditionalism, and a new – and final – wave of revolutionary aspirations during Khrushchev’s “Thaw.” Dan Ungurianu. Open to all classes. All readings and discussions are in English. Two 75-minute periods. Not offered in 2026/27. Course Format: CLS
In this course we read and discuss a number of classic short stories by such Russian masters of the genre as Gogol, Turgenev, Chekhov, Babel, and Olesha. Charles Arndt III. Open only to first-year students; satisfies the college requirement for a First-Year Writing Seminar. Two 75-minute periods. Course Format: CLS
This course investigates anti-rational movements in 20 th century literature and visual arts, including theatre and film, such as the Russian Alogism and Transrational (Beyond Mind) Language, DADA, Surrealism, Absurdist literature in Russia, and the French Theatre of the Absurd. The authors and artists include Andrei Bely, Franz Kafka, Aleksey Kruchenykh, Velimir Khlebnikov, Kazimir Malevich, Vassily Kandinsky, Marc Chagall, Daniil Kharms, Samuel Beckett, and Eugene Ionesco. We trace the connections between these developments and their 19 th century antecedents in the work of such masters of English Nonsense as Edward Lear and Lewis Carroll and also give special attention to the unsurpassed Russian absurdist genius Nikolai Gogol. Two 75-minute periods. Not offered in 2026/27. Course Format: CLS
This course is a survey of the major literary achievements by women writers in Russia and the Soviet Union. Women writers have made tremendous contributions to the Russian literary canon and continue to shape the trajectory of Russian literature to this day. The readings for this course cover major literary genres, including prose, poetry, memoir and drama from the nineteenth century to the present. Lectures and discussions explore questions of gender, genre and the socio-historical evolution of the female subject within the Russian literary canon. Readings and lectures in English. Two 75-minute periods accompanied by film screenings. Not offered in 2026/27.
Review of the basics of grammar and analysis of more complex grammatical phenomena through the study of literary, historical, and newspaper texts, composition, and discussion. Farida Tcherkassova.
Review of the basics of grammar and analysis of more complex grammatical phenomena through the study of literary, historical, and newspaper texts, composition, and discussion. Farida Tcherkassova.
The Hermitage, founded in the 18 th century as the depository of art treasures acquired by Russian tsars, is one of the world’s greatest museums. For the past fifteen years our students have been able to study at the Hermitage through a unique JYA program conducted by Vassar. Under the current special circumstances, this course brings the Hermitage to Vassar by showcasing six of its masterpieces selected by our Russian colleagues. Six Zoom sessions are conducted live by the Hermitage curators and members of the museum’s Education Department. The choice of subjects highlights the immense diversity of the museum’s collection and includes masterpieces of both West European and Oriental art, and also some of its magnificent architecture (the museum complex occupies a number of historical buildings in the heart of St. Petersburg, including the Winter Palace, the main imperial residence ). These sessions serve as a point of departure for your further exploration of the museum. Nikolai Firtich.
Individually designed for Russian majors and other students with some knowledge of Russian. Students in this course attend the same lectures and discussions as those in RUSS 135 , but are required to do part of the work in Russian. Dan Ungurianu.
Individually designed for Russian majors and other students with some knowledge of Russian. Students in this course attend the same lectures and discussions as those in RUSS 152 , but are required to do part of the work in Russian. Farida Tcherkassova.
Individually designed for Russian majors and other students with some knowledge of Russian. Students in this course attend the same lectures and discussions as those in RUSS 172 , but are required to do part of the work in Russian.
0.5 to 1 unit(s) The Departament. Course Format: INT
0.5 to 1 unit(s) Program to be worked out in consultation with an instructor. The department. The Departament. Course Format: OTH
The Departament. Course Format: INT
In order to complete the thesis, RUSS 302 should be taken in Spring. The Departament. Individual conferences with the instructor. Course Format: INT
Continuation of RUSS 301 . The Departament. Individual conferences with the instructor. Course Format: INT
A 1-unit project done in one semester. The department. Open only to majors and correlates. The Departament.
A course designed to increase all aspects of Russian proficiency. Includes readings on a wide range of topics, discussion, oral reports, stylistic analysis, written assignments, and review of persistent grammatical difficulties. Farida Tcherkassova. Yearlong course 331/ RUSS 332 . Two 75-minute periods, plus one hour of conversational practice. Course Format: CLS
A course designed to increase all aspects of Russian proficiency. Includes readings on a wide range of topics, discussion, oral reports, stylistic analysis, written assignments, and review of persistent grammatical difficulties. Dan Ungurianu. Yearlong course RUSS 331 /332. Two 75-minute periods, plus one hour of conversational practice. Course Format: CLS
The course examines some of the most famous works of Russian animation: from the early full-length features by Ivanov-Vano to such recent blockbusters as the Bogatyri series and Ivan Tsarevich and the Grey Wolf. A special emphasis is given to the Soviet productions of the 1960s and 1980s which acquired a cult status and remain an important part of the popular culture in the Russian-speaking world. We study artistic, cultural, and linguistic contexts of the films in question.
Advanced seminar on Russian culture. Designed for majors and students with sufficient knowledge of Russian.
Focused analysis of an author, work, theme, genre, or literary school in the nineteenth or twentieth century. Nikolai Firtich. Advanced seminar conducted in Russian. One 3-hour period. Course Format: CLS
We read and discuss selected masterpieces from the rich poetic tradition of the turn of the twentieth century with its decadence, mysticism, apocalyptic premonitions, and tantalizing artistic finesse. Farida Tcherkassova.
0.5 to 1 unit(s) Program to be worked out in consultation with an instructor. The department. The Department. Course Format: OTH
Source: Vassar College's catalog, linked per course · table learning_unit · CourseShelf publish 61
