Russian & Slavonic Studies

Introduction to Russian Culture

The module provides a schematic overview of Russian history from the formation of the Russian State until the present time, and consideration of key literary, political, cinematic and visual culture texts from a number of periods to introduce students to some of the main features of Russian culture.

Introduction to Russian Culture

The module provides a schematic overview of Russian history from the formation of the Russian State until the present time, and consideration of key literary, political, cinematic and visual culture texts from a number of periods to introduce students to some of the main features of Russian culture.

Russian Poetry, Performance and Prose

NB This module is taught in English but we will be reading texts in the original Russian. You will need A-level Russian (or equivalent; CEFR Level A2) for this module.

Russian literature is famous for its big novels – but for many Russians, lyric poetry is at least as important. This module explores the connection between the two through a range of nineteenth- and twentieth-century texts from Pushkin to Tsvetaeva. You’ll be given guidance on reading short poems out loud in Russian – a great way to develop both your proficiency in the language as well as confidence in your voice. You’ll then learn to analyse the poems in detail and set them in their historical and literary context. Having done this, you’ll be able to understand the complexities of prose texts by Tolstoy, Dostoevsky or Chekhov. We finish with the vibrant and innovative poetry of the early twentieth century and examine some of its responses to the political and artistic upheavals of the time.

The Soviet Union 1917-1991

An overview of the history of the Soviet Union showing the huge changes the region underwent during the 20th century. The module examines the ideological nature of all historical accounts of the period, especially produced during the Cold War, and encourage a critical engagement with original source materials. The module is taught in English.

The Czechs in Central European History

How does a nation come to be: what are its founding myths, the events and relationships that shape its formation? This module examines the history of the Czech lands, beginning with the earliest records and tales of its foundation. In the second half, the module follows the 'national revival' of the early nineteenth century and continues through the founding of the modern Czechoslovak state and its fateful encounters with Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia. You will participate via readings and discussion of original historical documents in translation and student-led seminars.

Introduction to European Cinema

This is a school-wide module taught by specialists from across the school who have research interests in cinema. It introduces students to some of the main movements in European cinema, and includes a strong Russian and East European element. The module includes seminars and film viewings.

Politics and Culture in the USSR 1917-38

An examination of the relationship between political and cultural questions in the early years of the USSR. Focus will fall on the USSR as a multinational state and the place of Russia within that state and society rather than focusing exclusively on Soviet Russia. Topics covered will include class, gender and ethnicity; literacy and educational reform; the politics of language in a multinational state; nationalism and internationalism; morality and law; art and society; religion and society; conceptions of 'Cultural Revolution'.

Russian Poetry, Performance and Prose

Russian literature is famous for its big novels – but for many Russians, lyric poetry is at least as important. This module explores the connection between the two through a range of nineteenth- and twentieth-century texts from Pushkin to Tsvetaeva. You’ll be given guidance on reading short poems out loud in Russian – a great way to develop both your proficiency in the language as well as confidence in your voice. You’ll then learn to analyse the poems in detail and set them in their historical and literary context. Having done this, you’ll be able to understand the complexities of prose texts by Tolstoy, Dostoevsky or Chekhov. We finish with the vibrant and innovative poetry of the early twentieth century and examine some of its responses to the political and artistic upheavals of the time. Level-appropriate guidance on approaches to literary study will be given. Regular and varied assessments spread the workload through the year and give you plenty of opportunities to receive feedback (including some from your fellow students) and develop a range of analytical skills.

Prague at the Crossroads of East and West

The module examines iconic places in Prague as starting points for investigating the history, culture and society of the Czech lands and their relations with other European powers, especially Germany, Austria-Hungary and Russia, in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Visual arts, architecture, historical documents and literature will be used to understand the sources and influences, both domestic and foreign, that define the Czech identity and how the Czechs negotiate a place for themselves between larger and more powerful neighbours.

Remembering the Soviet Union

Thirty years after its collapse, ordinary citizens’ accounts of life in the Soviet Union are still emerging. This module examines their place in Russian literature of the past hundred years. We’ll think about how different kinds of sources claim to represent the past, with a focus on literature in particular, and will see how accounts of personal experience relate to dominant
narratives.
We start by seeing how the avant-garde’s response to the prospect and reality of revolution broadened the Russian literary language by including spoken and non-standard elements. As this type of writing came under increasing pressure in the Stalin period, distinguished memoirists such as Nadezhda Mandel'shtam wrote ‘for the desk drawer’ about the crimes of the Terror for a future public. After Stalin’s death, gulag writers were divided about this role of witness: for Solzhenitsyn, suffering could be shown as redemptive; Shalamov vehemently denied this.
Questions of the limits of literary expression such as this still interest contemporary writers: Svetlana Alexievich and Maria Stepanova chart the profound sense of loss – of many kinds – felt after 1991 by interviewing those who grew up in the Soviet Union. For both authors, their subjects’ words are literature in the making. The Russian literary language is thus again expanded by the spoken words of those who are only now coming to terms with the past.

Russian Poetry, Performance and Prose

Russian literature is famous for its big novels – but for many Russians, lyric poetry is at least as important. This module explores the connection between the two through a range of nineteenth and twentieth-century texts from Pushkin to Tsvetaeva. You’ll be given guidance on reading short poems out loud in Russian – a great way to develop both your proficiency in the language
as well as confidence in your voice. You’ll then learn to analyse the poems in detail and set them in their historical and literary context. Having done this, you’ll be able to understand the complexities of prose texts by Tolstoy, Dostoevsky or Chekhov. We finish with the vibrant and innovative poetry of the early twentieth century and examine some of its responses to the
political and artistic upheavals of the time. Level-appropriate guidance on approaches to literary study will be given. Regular and varied assessments spread the workload through the year and give you plenty of opportunities to receive feedback (including some from your fellow students) and develop a range of analytical skills.

Politics and Culture in the USSR 1917-38

An examination of the relationship between political and cultural questions in the early years of the USSR. Focus will fall on the USSR as a multinational state and the place of Russia within that state and society rather than focusing exclusively on Soviet Russia. Topics covered will include class, gender and ethnicity; literacy and educational reform; the politics of language in a multinational state; nationalism and internationalism; morality and law; art and society; religion and society; conceptions of 'Cultural Revolution'.

 Remembering the Soviet Union

Thirty years after its collapse, ordinary citizens’ accounts of life in the Soviet Union are still emerging. This module examines their place in Russian literature of the past hundred years. We’ll think about how different kinds of sources claim to represent the past, with a focus on literature in particular, and will see how accounts of personal experience relate to dominant narratives.
We start by seeing how the avant-garde’s response to the prospect and reality of revolution broadened the Russian literary language by including spoken and non-standard elements. As this type of writing came under increasing pressure in the Stalin period, distinguished memoirists such as Nadezhda Mandel'shtam wrote ‘for the desk drawer’ about the crimes of the Terror for a future public. After Stalin’s death, gulag writers were divided about this role of witness: for Solzhenitsyn, suffering could be shown as redemptive; Shalamov vehemently denied this.
Questions of the limits of literary expression such as this still interest contemporary writers: Svetlana Alexievich and Maria Stepanova chart the profound sense of loss – of many kinds – felt after 1991 by interviewing those who grew up in the Soviet Union. For both authors, their subjects’ words are literature in the making. The Russian literary language is thus again expanded by the spoken words of those who are only now coming to terms with the past.

Prague at the Crossroads of East and West

The module examines iconic places in Prague as starting points for investigating the history, culture and society of the Czech lands and their relations with other European powers, especially Germany, Austria-Hungary and Russia, in the nineteenth, twentieth and twenty first centuries. Architecture, visual arts, historical documents and literature will be used to understand the sources and influences, both domestic and foreign, that define the Czech identity and how the Czechs negotiate a place for themselves between larger and more powerful neighbours.