The Department of Modern Languages offers Russian language courses and courses in English on Russian literature, film, and culture. Please search the OU Course Catalog for current course offerings (Russian language courses are listed under the RUSS prefix; courses taught in English are listed under the MLLL prefix). The following is a representative sampling of recent and upcoming courses. Some courses are not offered every year. Please contact the Russian advisor to learn more about individual courses and when they will be offered next.
Basic Russian-Language Course Sequence
RUSS 1115 Beginning Russian. An elementary course in understanding, speaking, reading and writing Russian. This course does not count for major credit in the Department of Modern Languages, Literatures and Linguistics. (F, Sp, Su)
RUSS 1225 Beginning Russian (Continued). Prerequisite: 1115. An elementary course in understanding, speaking, reading and writing Russian. This course does not count for major credit in the Department of Modern Languages, Literatures and Linguistics. (F, Sp)
RUSS 2113 Intermediate Russian. Prerequisite: 1225. Training in reading, writing, speaking, and understanding contemporary Russian. Emphasis on expansion of vocabulary and strong reinforcement of grammatical structures. (F)
RUSS 2223 Intermediate Russian (Continued). Prerequisite: 2113. Continued training in reading, writing, speaking, and understanding contemporary Russian. Emphasis on expansion of vocabulary and strong reinforcement of grammatical structures. (Sp)
RUSS 3323 Advanced Russian Reading and Composition. Prerequisite: 2223. A systematic grammar review with a view toward improving the student's control of written Russian. (F)
RUSS 3423 Advanced Russian Reading and Composition (Continued). Prerequisite: 3323. A systematic grammar review with a view toward improving the student's control of written Russian. (Sp)
RUSS 4173 Topics in 19th-Century Russian Literature and Culture. Prerequisite: 3423. May be repeated once with change of content; maximum credit six hours. A course for advanced students of the Russian language. All reading assignments and lectures will be in Russian. (F)
RUSS 4183 Topics in 20th- and Post-20th-Century Russian Literature and Culture. Prerequisite: 3423. May be repeated once with change of content; maximum credit six hours. A course for advanced students of the Russian language. All reading assignments and lectures will be in Russian. (Sp)
Applied Russian-Language Courses
RUSS 3023 Beginning Business Russian. Prerequisite: twenty hours of Russian. Intended to enable Russian students to read, write, and translate business Russian. Readings in this course will consist of translating contracts, agreements, and other areas of commercial correspondence. (Irreg.)
RUSS 3073 Russian Conversation. Prerequisite: RUSS 2113. Training in reading, writing, and understanding contemporary Russian. Emphasis on expansion of vocabulary and strong reinforcement of grammatical structures. (Irreg.)
RUSS 3313 Russian Phonetics. Prerequisite: 2113. A detailed study of the sounds of Russian and the inculcation of proper speech habits. (Irreg.)
RUSS 3523 Interpreting the Russian Media. Prerequisite: 2223. Focus on developing higher-level receptive and productive language skills through an exposure to authentic texts from Russian print media and television news reports. Students will focus on vocabulary-building, recognizing and employing journalistic conventions, reading between the lines, understanding nuance and enhancing their awareness of cultural references. (Irreg.)
RUSS 3533 Russian Pop Culture. Prerequisite: RUSS 2223. A communicative language class in which students explore contemporary Russian-language popular music, television programming, and internet culture. (Irreg.)
RUSS 4613 Advanced Russian Conversation. Prerequisite: 3073, 3323. Conversation on topics in Soviet history, government, literature and sociology with emphasis on the particular terminology of each of these fields. (Irreg.)
Russian Literature, Film, and Culture Classes Taught in English.
MLLL 3123 Russian Culture and Civilization. Considers the historical and cultural heritage of Russia through a study of its geography,history, religion, language, literature and the fine arts. Allows students to appreciate the globalperspectives and cultural diversity. (Irreg.)
MLLL 3133 Soviet and Post-Soviet Cinema. Prerequisite: junior standing. Familiarizes students with the history of film in the Soviet Union, from the silent movies of its beginnings to its manifestation at the present time. No previous knowledge of the Russian language is required. Russian social and political issues explored through film. (Irreg.)
MLLL 3143 Dostoevsky and His Age. Prerequisite: junior standing. Examination of the life and literary works of Fyodor Dostoevsky, with special attention to the role the writer played in Russian and Western intellectual history. Reading assignments will include Crime and Punishment, The Brothers Karamazov, and several shorter works, all in English translation. (Irreg.)
MLLL 3153 Russian Literature through Film. Prerequisite: junior standing. Students analyze classic Russian literary texts and the films that they have inspired. This course focuses on the problem of cinematic adaptation. No previous knowledge of the Russian Language is required. (Irreg.)
MLLL 3163 Chekov. Prerequisite: junior standing or permission. An introduction to Anton Chekhov's work in translation. Both short stories and plays will be read, studying their narrative structure, plot devices, character development, themes, and other elements, while placing Chekhov's work in its historical, cultural, and political context. Excerpts of various screen adaptations of his plays will also be viewed. (Irreg.)
MLLL 3173 Nabokov. Prerequisite: junior standing or permission. An introduction to Vladimir Nabokov's work in English, including works translated from Russian as well as texts originally written in English. Focus will be on Nabokov's Novels; although, some short stories and poems will be included. The main methodology will center on applying the techniques of close textual analysis, while placing Nabokov's work in its historical, cultural, and political context. (Irreg.)
MLLL 3183 Tolstoy: Writer, Thinker, Social Critic. Prerequisite: junior standing or permission of instructor. Introduction to Leo Tolstoy's work in translation. Traces Tolstoy's development as a writer of short stories, novels, and works of non- fiction. The writer's biography and significant aspects of nineteenth-century Russian society will inform discussions of Tolstoy's works, placing them in a broader context. In addition, students will explore Tolstoy's evolving religious, philosophical, and social ideas, as well as his legacy in Russia and throughout the world. (Irreg.)
MLLL 3193 Trauma, Memory, and Narrative. Prerequisite: junior standing. Ways in which traumatic historical events have been depicted in works of literature, art, and historical texts, and their commemoration in museum displays and in public ritual. While the focus is on the history of the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, students will be encouraged to consider equivalent examples from other areas of the globe. (Irreg.)
MLLL 3523 Survey of Russian Literature to 1917 in Translation. Prerequisite: junior standing. Reading, analysis and discussion of key works of Russian 19th century literature, including the major novels, plays, and poetry selections in English translation. This course does not satisfy the third semester Arts and Sciences language requirement. (Irreg.)
MLLL 3533 Survey of Russian Literature from 1917 in Translation. Prerequisite: junior standing or permission of instructor. Representative works of Soviet and post-Soviet literature are read and discussed. Selections of prose and poetry chosen from among symbolists, acmeists, futurists, populists, modernists, and post-modernists. This course does not satisfy the third semester Arts and Sciences language requirement. (Irreg.)
MLLL 3543 The Petersburg Myth and Text/The City in Russian Culture. Prerequisite: junior standing. The role and significance of the city of St. Petersburg in Russian culture by examining its literary image and myth. All readings and discussions in English. (Irreg.)
MLLL 3553 Contemporary Russian Literature. Prerequisite: Junior standing. Explores major works of post-Soviet Russian literature. Students will become familiar with major figures and trends in contemporary Russian prose and poetry and acquire a critical vocabulary for analyzing texts from any national literary tradition. (Irreg.)
