Module RUSS1171: Understanding Russia: Arts and Ideologies

Department: Modern Languages and Cultures (Russian)

RUSS1171: Understanding Russia: Arts and Ideologies

Prerequisites

• Grade A or above at A-level or equivalent in a foreign European language, or an equivalent qualification.

Corequisites

• Russian Language 1A (RUSS 1161) OR Russian Language 1B (RUSS 1042)

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None

Aims

• To impart a detailed knowledge of some key concepts and developments in Russian culture
• To think about issues surrounding national identity
• To compare Russian culture with other European cultures
• To develop analytic skills in relation to sources in different media

Content

• The module provides an introduction to key themes of Russian culture studied through a diversity of exemplary sources placed in broader cultural-historical context.
• The course is organised into four units, each comprising an introductory lecture and three two-hour seminars.
• The units are ordered chronologically (from pre-modern to modern culture; Pushkin as national writer; early-Soviet cinema and the visual arts; late-Soviet Russian popular culture).

Learning Outcomes

• Students will acquire a thorough knowledge of key cultural products and cultural phenomena in different media and of the debates and critical approaches that these have generated.

• Students will acquire the ability to analyse texts in a variety of media and to assess their significance for understanding Russian culture and society.

• Students will develop the ability to perform close analysis on poems, song texts, films, and images and to relate that analysis to broader concerns about society and national identity.
• Students will also develop the ability to present a cogent and structured argument in both oral and written form and to conduct independent research into a given topic.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• Introductory lectures for each unit are designed to set the historical and conceptual framework for that unit and will introduce relevant methods of cultural and textual analysis.
• Seminars provide a forum for students to present the results of independent study and to engage in close analysis of individual works and discuss their import

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

Formative assessment consists of student seminar presentations (individual or in pairs) based on the independent study of the relevant materials. Presentations will not be formally marked but oral feedback will be provided.

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University