RUSN 1020: Russian Culture and Civilization under the Tsars

(1st day of class version)

Course description

In this course, we will cover a thousand years of Russian history and learn about the

fundamental themes and concepts of Russian culture. We will look at a variety of perspectives on

Russian culture by studying scholarly articles and primary sources including fairy tales, epics,

short stories and poetry. We will study topics related to day-to-day culture, language, morality,

religion, government, popular culture, gastronomy, literature, philosophical thought and other

engaging topics. Since this is a writing course, you will fulfill a number of writing assignments to

develop critical and creative thinking. We will watch short video clips, animations and film

excerpts as well as reflect on visual arts through discussion and writing. This course is a

combination of individual and group work. *Note: this course counts as a writing requirement

only when taken in combination with RUSN 1070.03 taught in winter semester.

Learning outcomes:

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

● describe, summarize and discuss the basic concepts / themes of Russian culture ● acquire basic compositional skills for academic writing ● read, understand and critically assess academic texts ● communicate ideas about course topics in a clear and comprehensive way

Credits: 3 credit hrs.

Hours: MWF: 11:35 - 12:25, September 5 – December 1

Classroom: DENTISTRY 3156

Instructor: Maria Koutovenko

Office hours:

Mondays & Wednesdays 4:00 – 4:30 pm, 3015 McCain

Tuesdays and Thursdays 9:00 – 9:30 am, 3015 McCain

*or by appointment E-mail: mkoutovenko@dal.ca

Telephone: (902)494 – 3817

For questions that require an elaborate (not short) answer on my part, please come see me

during my office hours.

Course tutorials TBA

Required Texts: All the readings for this course will be posted online in OWL and listed under

READINGS for each day of lecture. Handouts given in class will be available on the course

Blackboard site. A printed copy of the assigned readings should be brought to class.

Grade

Attendance / Participation 30%

Response paper assignments (3) 30%

Reading Quizzes (4) 10% Final Essay 30%

*There is no midterm or final exam for this course ** You may receive extra credits by participating in events related to Russian culture. More details

will follow.

The grade distribution is determined as follows:

Grade Percentage Definition Definition

A+

A

A-

90-100

85-89

80-84

Excellent

Considerable evidence of original thinking;

demonstrated outstanding capacity to analyze and

synthesize; outstanding grasp of subject matter;

evidence of extensive knowledge base.

B+

B

B-

77-79

73-76

70-72

Good

Evidence of grasp of subject matter, some

evidence of critical capacity and analytical ability;

reasonable understanding of relevant issues;

evidence of familiarity with the literature.

C+

C

C-

65-69

60-64

55-59

Satisfactory

Evidence of some understanding of the subject

matter; ability to develop solutions to simple

problems; benefitting from his/her university

experience.

D

50-54

Marginal Pass

Evidence of minimally acceptable familiarity with

subject matter, critical and analytical skills

(except in programs where a minimum grade of

‘C’ is required).

F

0-49

Inadequate

Insufficient evidence of understanding of the

subject matter; weakness in critical and analytical

skills; limited or irrelevant use of the literature.

Attendance / Participation

Attendance at all lectures is mandatory. Classroom work will consist of lectures,

discussions and short individual / peer writing activities. For this reason, it is essential that you

come to class well prepared (having completed all the home readings / tasks), take detailed notes

and actively participate in class / group discussions. If you respect the above guidelines, you will

easily receive a high attendance / participation grade. Two lectures per term may be missed without

penalty, but beginning with the third, two percentage points per missed lecture will be deducted

from the overall grade to a maximum of 12 points. There will be no penalty if you present a valid

excuse (doctor's note, court documentation, etc.) or have a prior agreement with the instructor. For

this reason, you must always sign the attendance sheet.

Response Paper Assignments (3)

This assignment is built to develop your reading comprehension, paraphrasing and

analytical skills by selecting the most significant information in the assigned reading, summarizing

it in your own words and reflecting on it. This assignment will help you to be precise with your

word selection and will be an important step in learning how to avoid plagiarism. Detailed

guidelines will be provided in class.

Reading Quizzes (4)

As part of this course, we will have reading quizzes built to assess your reading

comprehension of the assigned readings. Remember that to become a skilled writer / speaker, you

have to become a skilled reader / listener first. Reading will significantly improve your writing

and critical – thinking skills.

Final Essay (1800 - 2000 words ~ 6 -7 pages double - spaced)

Detailed guidelines on Final Essay project will be given in class. The essay grade (out of

30 points) will be given in 5 stages:

Stage 1: Thesis / focus / main idea of the essay (out of 3 points) Stage 2: Detailed essay plan (out of 3 points) Stage 3: Bibliography list (out of 3 points) Stage 4: Essay first draft (out of 6 points)

Stage 5: Final revised essay submission (out of 12 points)

Definitions of “Draft” and “Revised” Versions:

The “draft” version of a paper is the first version of the paper that you hand in. The TA or

instructor comments on your draft and suggests changes. The “revised” essay is the final version

that you hand in which addresses the TA’s / instructor’s comments.

Two in – class workshops on formal essay writing and citation / bibliography with tutors

from the Dalhousie Writing Center are scheduled for this term. I strongly encourage you to use the

services offered by the Writing Center as much as possible this term.

Late Assignments

Late assignments / essays will be penalized by a reduction of 5% / day, up to 5 days late.

Missed Reading Quizzes

Missed reading quizzes can only be made up with an excused absence (doctor's note,

court documentation, etc.) or a prior agreement with the instructor.

Essay Submission

Essay drafts / revised versions must be submitted in two formats:

1. In class or in the Departmental box of the instructor or your TA.

2. An electronic Word file should be deposited in the OWL “SafeAssign” function. More

details on the procedure will be given in class.

Classroom Etiquette and Student Behaviour

Please ensure that cell phone and other technological devices are silenced during class.

No behaviour which the instructor deems disruptive to the class and to the learning process of

everyone will be tolerated. Any students involved in such behaviour will be asked to leave the

classroom.

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Accommodation Policy for Students

Students may request accommodation as a result of barriers related to disability, religious

obligation, or any characteristic under the human rights legislation.

Students who require academic accommodation for either classroom participation or the writing

of tests and exams should make their request to the Advising and Access Services Center

(AASC) prior to or at the outset of the regular academic year. Please visit www.dal.ca/access for

more information and to obtain the Request for Accommodation form.

A note taker may be required as part of a student’s accommodation. There is an honorarium of

$75/course/term (with some exceptions). If you are interested, please contact AASC at 494-2836

for more information or send an email to notetaking@dal.ca

Please note that your classroom may contain specialized accessible furniture and equipment. It is

important that these items remain in the classroom, untouched, so that students who require their

usage will be able to fully participate in the class.

Academic Integrity

All students in this class are to read and understand the policies on academic integrity and

plagiarism referenced in the Policies and Student Resources sections of the

academicintegrity.dal.ca website. Ignorance of such policies is no excuse for violations.

Any paper submitted by a student at Dalhousie University may be checked for originality to

confirm that the student has not plagiarized from other sources. Plagiarism is considered a

serious academic offence which may lead to loss of credit, suspension or expulsion from the

University, or even to the revocation of a degree. It is essential that there be correct

attribution of authorities from which facts and opinions have been derived. At Dalhousie

there are University Regulations which deal with plagiarism and, prior to submitting any paper in

a course, students should read the Policy on Intellectual Honesty contained in the Calendar or on

the Online Dalhousie website. The Senate has affirmed the right of any instructor to require that

student papers be submitted in both written and computer-readable format, and to submit any paper

to be checked electronically for originality. As a student in this class, you are to keep an

electronic copy of any paper you submit, and the course instructor may require you to submit

that electronic copy on demand.

At Dalhousie University, we respect the values of academic integrity: honesty, trust, fairness,

responsibility and respect. As a student, adherence to the values of academic integrity and related

policies is a requirement of being part of the academic community at Dalhousie University.

What does academic integrity mean?

Academic integrity means being honest in the fulfillment of your academic responsibilities thus

establishing mutual trust. Fairness is essential to the interactions of the academic community and

is achieved through respect for the opinions and ideas of others. Violations of intellectual honesty

are offensive to the entire academic community, not just to the individual faculty member and

students in whose class an offence occurs.

How can you achieve academic integrity?

● make sure you understand Dalhousie’s policies on academic integrity

● give appropriate credit to the sources used in your assignment such as written or oral work,

computer codes/programs, artistic or architectural works, scientific projects, performances,

web page designs, graphical representations, diagrams, videos, and images

● Use RefWorks to keep track of your research and edit and format bibliographies in the

citation style required by the instructor - http://www.library.dal.ca/How/RefWorks

● do not download the work of another from the Internet and submit it as your own

● do not submit work that has been completed through collaboration or previously submitted

for another assignment without permission from your instructor

● do not write an examination or test for someone else

● do not falsify data or lab results

[these examples should be considered only as a guide and not an exhaustive list]

What will happen if an allegation of an academic offence is made against you?

I am required to report a suspected offence. The full process is outlined in the Discipline flow chart

and includes the following:

● Each Faculty has an Academic Integrity Officer (AIO) who receives allegations from

instructors ● The AIO decides whether to proceed with the allegation and you will be notified of the

process ● If the case proceeds, you will receive an INC (incomplete) grade until the matter is resolved ● If you are found guilty of an academic offence, a penalty will be assigned ranging from a

warning to a suspension or expulsion from the University and can include a notation on

your transcript, failure of the assignment or failure of the course. All penalties are academic

in nature.

Where can you turn for help?

● If you are ever unsure about anything, contact me ● Academic Integrity website. Links to policies, definitions, online tutorials, tips on citing

and paraphrasing ● Writing Center. Assistance with proofreading, writing styles, citations ● Dalhousie Libraries. Workshops, online tutorials, citation guides, Assignment Calculator,

RefWorks ● Dalhousie Student Advocacy Service. Assists students with academic appeals and student

discipline procedures. ● Senate Office. List of Academic Integrity Officers, discipline flow chart, Senate Discipline

Committee

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Writing Center Visits (free writing seminars / tutoring @ Killiam):

The Writing Center located on the main floor of the Killiam library is a free service to

students who want to improve their writing skills. Note from the writing center: Learning to write well contributes to good marks, completion

of degrees and, later, success in the workplace. Now is the time to improve your writing skills. You

can visit the Writing Centre for assistance with your assignments. Staff and tutors help you to

understand writing expectations and disciplinary conventions. The service is available six days a

week. (See our website for hours of operation at the various Writing Centre sites). To book an

appointment, call 494-1963; email writingcentre@dal.ca; visit the website for online booking at

dal.ca/writingcentre; or drop in to the Killam’s main floor Learning Commons (G40). (Tutors

work in other locations such as on the Sexton Campus, Weldon Law Library, Black Student

Advising Centre, and Native Education Centre). Visit the Writing Centre’s Resource Guide at

http://dal.ca.libguides.com/writingcentre for online guidance. Finally, see the website for the

schedule of seminars on writing issues, including how to integrate source material appropriately

into your work (avoid plagiarism).

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Study for Success program (free workshops / one – on – one coaching sessions on

developing study skills):

Another free service offered at Dalhousie to help you succeed in your learning is The

Dalhousie Studying for Success Program. Their workshops and one-on-one coaching sessions

develop skills that can help you to:

- Manage information more efficiently

- Improve your concentration and memory

- Be more prepared in class and during exams

- Increase your academic success

Note form the Study for Success center: The transition from high school to university life

can often be a challenging one. However, with help from the Studying for Success program, you

too can become a more effective learner. Attend our workshops or drop in for individual study

skills sessions, where we can help you with Time Management, Critical Reading, Note taking,

Preparing for Exams, and much more. Don’t wait until it’s too late! Let Studying for Success

help you find smarter ways to study. For more information or to make appointments, please:

- Visit our website: www.dal.ca/sfs

- Visit our main office in the Killam Library, Room G28 (main floor)

- Call 494-3077 or

- Email the Coordinator at: sfs@dal.ca

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Class Schedule: The following schedule is subject to revision by the instructor based on the needs of the

class. Film excerpts and animations are TBA. Reading quizzes are TBA.

In class Assigned Reading;

h/w

Assignments / Tests / Quizzes

Week 1:

Lecture 1 (Sept. 5): ● Course overview

● In – class writing sample: culture

behind a photograph (Prokurin

Gorsky); ● Cultural model by Hofstende (1994) ● Definitions of culture ● Syllabus

Lecture 2 (Sept. 8): ● Geographical setting ● Origins of the Slavs

1. A History of

Russia:

-The Geographical

Environment (pp. 3-

8); - Russia before the

Russians (pp. 11-17)

2.Wilson: Critical and

Creative Thinking

(pp. 1-5)

Lecture 3 (Sept. 10): ● Russian language ● Proverbs and riddles

1.The Cambridge

Companion to

Modern Russian

Culture: Language

(pp. 19-37)

Week 2:

Lecture 4 (Sept. 12): ● Russian pagan background

1. Russian Folk Belief

(pp. 3 – 18)

2. Baba Yaga: The

Wild Witch of the

East in Russian Fairy

Tales (pp. VII - XII)

Lecture 5 (Sept. 15): ● The Christianization of Rus' ● The Primary Chronicle ● Introduction to Russian Orthodoxy ● The iconostasis

● Early church music

1.A History of Russia: - The Origins of the

Kievan State (pp. 19-

23) - Kievan Rus’: A

Political Outline (pp.

24 - 37)

2.The Russia Reader

The Primary

Chronicle (pp. 66-69)

Lecture 6 (Sept. 17): ● Writing center visit ● Steps in the writing process ● Guidelines for essay writing ● Thesis statement/ paragraph

No readings

Week 3:

Lecture 7 (Sept. 19): ● Kievan Rus’: Economy, Society,

Institutions ● Origins of Old Russian architecture

● Early Russian housing

1.Picturing Russia:

Visualizing and

Illustrating Early

Russian Housing

(pp. 17-21)

2. A History of

Russia: Kievan Rus’:

Economy, Society,

Institutions (pp. 38-

45)

Lecture 8 (Sept. 22): ● The Lives of Saints and Monks ● Russian icon

1. Medieval Russia's

Epics, Chronicles, and

Tales (pp. 6-11, 87-91) 2. Icons (pp. 7-17)

3. The Russian

Religious Mind (pp.

374 - 377)

Due: Response paper assignment 1

Lecture 9 (Sept. 24): ● Byzantine heritage in music / painting

/ architecture ● Military Tales: The Igor Tale

1. Medieval Russia's

Epics, Chronicles, and

Tales (pp. 19-21; 26-

27) 2. The Russia Reader: - The Igor Tale (pp.

61-65) - Slavic Byzantium

(pp. 70-74)

Week 4:

Lecture 10 (Sept. 26): ● The Tatar yoke. The Rise of Muscovy ● Russian architecture: Rostov Velikiy

1. Between Heaven

and Hell: Holy

Moscow (pp. 35 - 53)

Lecture 11 (Sept. 29): 1. The Cambridge

History of Russia:

● Novgorod and the roots of Russian

democracy ● Maksim Grek, Andrei Rublev, Nil

Sorsky ● Film: Andrei Rublev [excerpt]

Medieval Novgorod

(pp. 188 - 210)

Lecture 12 (Oct. 1):

● Workshop with SFS

● Developing critical reading skills

Week 5:

Lecture 13 (Oct. 3): ● Russian oral epics

● Folk literature: the byliny ● Peasantry of Northern Russia

1. Bylina and Fairy

Tale. The Origins of

Russian Heroic Poetry

(pp. 7, 61, 86 - 96)

Due: Response paper assignment 2

Lecture 14 (Oct. 6): ● The Reigns of Ivan the Terrible ● Fool in Christ

1. Picturing Russia:

Explorations in Visual

Culture (pp. 42-46)

2.The Cambridge

History of Russia (pp.

240-263)

Lecture 15 (Oct. 8):

● The Time of Troubles

● The Reigns of Michael, Alexis and

Theodore

● Russian sects

● Ceremonies of life and the agricultural

year

● The skomorokhi

1. The Cambridge

History of Russia (pp.

409 - 432)

Week 6: Lecture 16 (Oct. 10):

● Russian food / cooking ● Women and Faith in Muscovite

Russia

1. Orthodox Russia:

Belief and Practice

under the Tsars (pp.

159-175)

● Icon Painting: Simon Ushakov

2. The Russia Reader:

Classic Russian

Cooking (pp. 128 -

133)

Oct. 13 No class

Lecture 17 (Oct. 15): ● Writing center visit: bibliography /

citation ● Avvakum and Nikon ● Simeon Polotsky ● Introduction of polyphony into music

1.The Cambridge

History of Russia (pp.

618-639)

Due: Response paper assignment 3

Week 7:

Lecture 18 (Oct. 17): ● Russia under Peter the Great ● Feofan Prokopovich ● The founding of Saint Petersburg ● Italian / Western influences in Russian

architecture

1.TBA

Lecture 19 (Oct. 20): ● 18th century Russian culture /

literature: Kantemir,Trediakovsky,

Sumarokov, Lomonosov ● St. Petersburg architecture

1. The Cambridge

History of Russia:

Russian Culture in the

Eighteenth century

(pp. 67-77)

Due: Thesis / focus / main idea of the

essay

Lecture 20 (Oct. 22): ● Catherine the Great ● Derzhavin. Karamzin

1. An Anthology of

Russian Literature

From Earliest

Writings to Modern

Fiction : Introduction

to a Culture: Poor

Liza (pp. 104-118)

Week 8: Lecture 21 (Oct. 24):

● Guest speaker - Doctor Betty Haigh

TBA

Due: Detailed essay plan

● People of the Russian Empire

Lecture 22 (Oct. 27): ● Guest speaker – Doctor Natalia

Koutovenko Film “The Russian Ark” ● Virtual Tour around Hermitage

1. The Cambridge

History of Russia:

Russian Culture in the

Eighteenth century

(pp. 77-91)

Lecture 23 (Oct. 29):

● Paul. Secularization in Russian

painting

1. The Dacha (pp.

201-206)

Due: Bibliography list

Week 9: Lecture 24 (Oct. 31):

● The Russian Anti-Enlightenment.

Alexander I. ● Zhukovsky and the beginnings of

Pushkin's career ● Early 19th century painting

1. The Russia Reader:

The War of 1812

(pp.115-119)

Lecture 25 (Nov. 3): ● Early 19th century literature ● Pushkin ● The Russian fairy tale

1. H

TBA 1. b

a

Lecture 26 (Nov. 5):

● The "Cursed Questions": Chaadaev

● Developments in Russian philosophy.

Belinsky

● Alexander Ivanov

TBA

Due: Essay first draft

Week 10:

Lecture 27 (Nov. 7):

● Early 19th century literature ● Gogol’, Lermontov, Tyutchev

TBA

Nov. 10 No class

Lecture 28 (Nov. 12):

● Guest speaker – Doctor Norman

Pereira ● Turgenev. Dobroliubov, Pisemsky,

Chernyshevsky. Pan-Slavism.

TBA

Week 11:

Lecture 29 (Nov. 14): ● Mid – Late 19th century literature ● Dostoevsky ● The Petrashevtsy

1.Dostoevsky “The

Dream of a Ridiculous

Man”

Lecture 30 (Nov. 17): ● Mid – Late 19th century literature ● Leo Tolstoy ● The Last Station [Film Excerpt]

TBA

Lecture 31 (Nov. 19): ● Mikhail Glinka and the origins of

Russian nationalist music ● Tchaikovsky

TBA

Week 12:

Lecture 32 (Nov. 21):

● The reign of Alexander II ● Holidays and the Church ● The Mighty Five: Rimsky-Korsakov ● The Itinerants: folktale painting

1. The Russian

Reader: Work Done

out of Respect (pp.

207-212)

2. Picturing Russia:

Explorations in Visual

Culture: Mapping

Serfdom (pp. 47-50)

Lecture 33 (Nov. 24):

● The Reign of Alexander III ● The Peredvizhniki

TBA

TBA

Lecture 34 (Nov. 26):

● Art / architecture of the Imperial

Russia

Week 13: Lecture 35 (Nov. 28):

● Reign of Nicholas II - beginnings

1.The Russia Reader:

The Background of

Revolution (pp. 310 -

318)

Lecture 36 (Dec. 1): ● The background of revolution ● The Bolsheviks ● The end of Russian Empire

TBA Due: Final revised essay