156 Humanities Hall; (714) 824-5433
Faculty
Guy de Mallac, Ph.D. Cornell University, Professor Emeritus of Russian (modern Russian literature, peace studies, philosophy of nonviolence, Tolstoy's thought, Gandhi's thought, religious studies, Russian intellectual thought, Pasternak's life and work)
Michael A. Green, Ph.D. University of California, Los Angeles, Associate Professor of Russian (eighteenth-century Russian theatre and literary theory, Pushkin, Chekhov, Kuzmin, Russian Symbolist theater, cabaret theatre, Russian literature and theater of the 1920s)
Victorina Lefebvre, Ph.D. Lomonosov Moscow State University, Lecturer (methods of teaching, comparative study of Western and Soviet culture, Russian language and literature)
The Program in Russian provides a coherent course of undergraduate studies in Russian language, culture, and society, yet is flexible and dynamic enough to respond to students' individual needs and interests, as well as to changes in Russia itself. The Program emphasizes undergraduate research, which is required of all Russian majors.
Russian majors and students from outside the Program are exposed to the elements of Russian literature, culture, and area studies through a range of courses taught in English and, as a rule, without prerequisites. The Russian Culture course (Russian 50) focuses on particular issues of Russian culture and society. Student input is actively solicited in the development of new topics for this course.
The final year of study for Russian majors includes, along with continuing language study, a sequence of experiences culminating in an independent undergraduate research project overseen by one or more faculty members. This advanced stage of the curriculum involves intensive training in reading original Russian sources and a guided group reading course in which the participants explore potential research topics. In appropriate cases, the Program will seek to place fourth-year students as interns in faculty-generated research projects dealing with Russia.
It is also possible to complete a Russian minor by studying the Russian language through the third year and taking a selection of other Program courses.
All students in Russian language courses are encouraged to take part in the University's Education Abroad Program and spend a portion of their junior or senior year studying in Russia. Additional information is available in the Center for International Education section of this Catalogue.
University Requirements: See pages 5155.
School Requirements: See page 184.
Program Requirements for the Russian Major
Russian 100A-B-C, 101A-B-C, 150, 151, 152; 50 must be taken three times, with three different topics; either 191, 192, and 193, or a year-long research commitment, inside or outside the Program, approved by the Program (Russian 195A-B-C).
Residence Requirement for the Major: At least five upper-division courses required for the major must be completed successfully at UCI.
Program Requirements for the Russian Minor
Russian 100A-B-C; Russian 50 must be taken two times, with two different topics; two additional courses offered by the Program, one of which must be an upper-division course and one of which may be an additional Russian 50 with a different topic.
Residence Requirement for the Minor: Four upper-division courses must be successfully completed at UCI.
The Program in Russian believes in close consultation with students on academic advising, program planning, and discussion of goals and direction. Students should schedule a formal meeting with their advisor at least once per year, usually during Orientation Week before the beginning of classes in the fall, to review course choices and progress toward degree completion. More generally, the Program faculty can provide full information and consultation on graduate school, study and work opportunities abroad, and the full range of outside programs. In addition, a file of companies and organizations having contacts with Russia is maintained to assist students seeking internships or employment.
Russian is not a pre-professional program, but rather a humanistic discipline. Its goals, similar to those of other humanistic disciplines, are to increase knowledge of the world and human society, develop the intellectual skills of analysis and criticism, deepen communicative abilities and sensibilities, clarify values and conflicts of values, and, in general, problematize the human condition, render vivid and dramatic its peculiar responsibilities and creative potential. Russian is distinct from other humanistic disciplines in being centered on a particular object of knowledge--Russia, its culture, history, and society--and a particular central skill--knowledge of the Russian language.
The faculty believe that a UCI graduate with a degree in Russian is a broadly educated, intellectually and culturally empowered individual who will be valuable in any undertaking or enterprise, by virtue of both a specific knowledge of Russia and Russian and a general capacity for independent, productive thought and activity. Graduates with an excellent academic record should be good candidates for postgraduate professional training of all kinds and especially for those with strong verbal and analytical requirements, such as law, business, and public administration.
During the twentieth century, Russia has become one of the world's dominant political, cultural, and economic entities. Due to the peculiar relationship of antagonism that has existed between Russia and the United States through most of this century, most career possibilities using Russian in this country have been in government, and specifically in the foreign policy, national security, intelligence, and defense establishments.
In recent years, the relationship of antagonism has ended, but Russia's importance in the world has not been essentially altered. While the demand for specialists in various sectors of government has eased, relationships between our countries at other levels of society are growing more active. Particular areas in which the need for Russian language and cultural competence are particularly evident right now include trade, environmental protection, social services, law, medicine, and technology. However, this picture may evolve in the years ahead, Russia's natural and human resources and its geopolitical centrality guarantee it a continuing dominant importance in all of the United States' international relationships, particularly its economic ones.
Russian is, of course, also a properly academic specialty, and the need for teachers and researchers in Russian at all levels continues to be strong. In recent years, Russian has been the second fastest-growing language in American colleges and universities. It also continues to be taught at a significant number of secondary schools. Students with very strong achievement in Russian language competence, as well as broad humanistic interests in cultural and literary or linguistic studies, should consult with the Program faculty on the possibility of applying to graduate school. A variety of higher academic disciplines involve the knowledge of Russian, including Slavic Languages and Literatures, Russian and East European Area Studies, and others.
In addition to the counseling resources provided by the Program in Russian, the Career and Life Planning Center provides services to UCI students and alumni including career counseling, information about job opportunities, a career library, and workshops on resume preparation, job search, and interview techniques.
1A-B-C Fundamentals of the Russian Language (5-5-5) F, W, S. Focuses on reading, comprehension, basic composition, and conversation skills, and gives the student an initial exposure to the Russian cultural scene.
2A-B-C Second-Year Language Study (5-5-5) F, W, S. Students read simple passages from contemporary Russian literary texts and newspapers. Development of oral skills and exposure to Russian culture continue. Prerequisites: Russian 1A-B-C. (2A: VI)
3 Russian Conversation (2) F, W, S. Enables students to engage more easily in everyday activities using the Russian language. Discussions based on articles from Russian periodicals and on selected texts as well as on Russian radio and television broadcasts. Eligible students at all levels encouraged to enroll. Prerequisite: Russian 1C or consent of instructor. May be taken for credit six times. Formerly Russian 103.
50 Russian Culture (4) F, W, S. Study of varied topics in Russian culture, area studies, and society, both in the present and in historical perspective. Topics are not normally repeated for a two-year period. May be taken four times for credit as topics vary. (IV, VII-B)
99 Special Studies Russian (1 to 5). Prerequisite: consultation with instructor necessary prior to enrollment.
100A-B-C Third-Year Language Study (4-4-4) F, W, S. Continuation of second-year program, with emphasis on grammar review, development of oral and written composition skills, and reading comprehension. Prerequisite: Russian 2C or consent of instructor. (VII-B)
101A-B-C Fourth-Year Language Study (4-4-4) F, W, S. Advanced study of Russian. Aim is to enhance comprehension and develop vocabulary at the conceptual level of oral and written exposition. Reading and analysis of literary and nonliterary texts; advanced study of morphology, syntax, and stylistics; exploration of translation techniques. Prerequisite: Russian 100C. Open to qualified nonmajors by consent of instructor. (VII-B)
150 Russian Realist Novel: Dostoevsky and Tolstoy (4) F. Introduces students to selected masterworks by Russia's most widely famous authors. The texts are studied in their historical, formal, and philosophical dimensions; instruction is by lecture and discussion Requirements include short papers and a final examination. Taught in English. Prerequisite: satisfactory completion of the lower-division writing requirement. (VII-B)
151 Classics of Russian Literature (4). Employs a variety of approaches--historical, sociological, formalist, comparativist--to illuminate one of the world's great bodies of writing. Among writers whose work and thought examined are Pushkin, Lermontov, Gogol, Belyi, Bulgakov, Turgenev, Grekova. Taught in English. Prerequisite: satisfactory completion of the lower-division writing requirement. May be taken two times for credit as topics vary. (VII-B)
152 Russian Stage and Film Drama (4) S. Investigates the development of Russian theatre from its church origins through the Bolshevik Revolution and beyond. Special attention to Griboyedov's Woe From Wit, Nikolai Gogol's Order of St. Vladimir Third Class and Inspector General, and others. Anton Chekhov's works provide the course's core. Taught in English. Prerequisite: satisfactory completion of the lower-division writing requirement. (VII-B)
191 Proseminar in Reading Russian Sources (4) F. Intensive training in reading original scholarly texts in Russian. Emphasis on developing reading speed and efficiency. Required for Russian majors in preparation for Russian 192 and 193. Prerequisite: Russian 100C or consent of instructor. May be taken for credit two times as topics vary. Formerly Russian 197.
192 Seminar in Advanced Russian Studies (4) W. Students explore range of topics in Russian culture and area studies through independent reading, oral presentations, and discussion. Instructor provides basic bibliography. Conducted in Russian. Prerequisite: Russian 101A and 191 or consent of instructor. May be taken for credit two times as topics vary. Formerly Russian 198.
193 Undergraduate Research in Russian Studies (4) S. Independent research in a carefully defined topic of Russian culture or area studies under individual direction of faculty member or members. Normally involves substantive work with Russian language sources or field work in Russian and results in extensive written report summarizing research and results. Prerequisites: Russian 101B, 191, and 192. Formerly Russian 199.
195A-B-C Research Internship (4-4-4) F, W, S. Year-long commitment to assist in a faculty-originated research project, either in the Program in Russian or outside of it, in research directly concerned with Russia or Russian culture or society and utilizing the Russian language. Prerequisite: Russian 100C or consent of instructor.
198 Directed Group Study (4) F, W, S. Group independent study under direct faculty supervision. Prerequisite: consent of instructor. May be taken two times for credit. Formerly Russian 190.
199 Independent Study (1 to 4) F, W, S. Independent study under direct faculty supervision. Prerequisite: consent of instructor. May be taken two times for credit. Formerly Russian 190.
