HIST 201: MANY LIVES OF THE RUSSIAN REVOLUTION
http://russianrevolution.umwblogs.org
Instructor: Prof. Steven E. Harris
University of Mary Washington – Spring Semester, 2009
This class meets MWF 9:00am-9:50am, Monroe Hall 204
Office Hours: MWF, 10am-11:00am; MW, 1pm-2pm; and by appointment
Office: Monroe Hall 208-E; tel. (540)-654-1390; e-mail: sharris@umw.edu
Course Description and Goals:
This seminar examines the Russian Revolution through the many lives and eyes of
those who participated in it, witnessed it, and represented it from Bolshevik
revolutionaries and workers to avant-garde filmmakers and architects. We will study the
Russian Revolution as a series of cataclysmic social, political, and cultural
transformations unleashed by the toppling of the Tsarist regime in February 1917 and
expanding into radical experiments for creating a new way of life in the 1920s. We will
examine the revolutionary culture of these years by reading and discussing the primary
sources participants and others left behind. Each set of primary sources will provide us
with a different view on the Russian Revolution, its causes and outcomes, winners and
losers, goals and methods, and its meaning.
Format of the Class:
This course is focused around class discussion of the assigned texts. After reading a
general history of the Russian Revolution, we will concentrate exclusively on reading,
analyzing, and interpreting primary sources. For this reason, your daily participation in
this course is extremely important.
Preparation for Each Class:
For each class, you are expected to have read all the readings assigned for that day
and to arrive to class prepared to discuss each of them. You are responsible for
developing your own reading and writing skills for meeting the requirements of this class.
Recognizing that the readings and writing assignments are difficult is the starting point in
learning how to read, think, and write critically about primary sources. For more advice
on reading and writing for this course, see me.
Course Assignments and Requirements:
1) Class participation: The quality of this class depends largely upon what each
student will contribute to it, so your class participation is of paramount importance. You
are asked to engage one another’s interpretations and opinions in an effort to understand
better any given text and also to challenge one another’s readings of the texts. In this
course, you are asked to participate in the following ways: a) discussions of course
readings; b) reading and critiquing constructively one another’s primary source collection
assignment, final paper, and class presentation. In class discussions, I will use the
Socratic method: I will call on individual students at random to respond to specific
questions based on the readings and topics assigned for that day.
The following is the guideline for participation grades: A range (90-100%): student
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shows that he/she has read all of the assigned readings, and he/she makes several
comments and poses questions that are insightful and guide the discussion for that
particular class; B range (80-89%): student shows that he/she has read most of the
readings and makes some comments/questions; C range (70-79%): student may have read
some of the readings, but makes little or no comments; D range (60-69%): student is
disruptive in class; 0%: students fails to participate because he/she is not in class.
2) Primary source analysis papers: You will write two 2-page papers in which you
will describe, analyze, and develop an argument about a primary text we read for class.
3) Research blog: You will develop your own research blog on your main class
projects – the primary source collection and final paper (see below). Each week, you will
write a 200-300 word post that chronicles your present work on your project, the primary
sources you are working with, the questions you are developing, and how your project
relates to other primary sources and topics discussed in class. You must complete your
weekly post by the start of class each Friday.
4) Primary source collection: You will research, organize, and report on a collection
of primary sources that can be used to explore the experiences and perspectives of
individuals, social groups, or institutions in the Russian Revolution. Your report will be
2-3 pages and will include a bibliography of the primary sources. Your report will be
distributed to the class for discussion and you will feature it as a separate page on your
blog.
5) Final paper: You will write a 7-8 page paper on the Russian Revolution using the
primary sources you have used. Your final paper will be distributed to the class for
discussion and will be posted on your blog. You will give a 5-10 minute presentation in
class on your final paper.
Numerical grades in this course correspond to the following letter grades: A (95-100);
A- (90-94); B+ (87-89); B (83-86); B- (80-82); C+ (77-79); C (73-76); C- (70-72); D+
(67-69); D (60-66); F (59 and below).
Grades for the Course:
Class participation:
Primary source analysis paper #1:
Primary source analysis paper #2:
Research blog:
Primary source collection paper:
Final paper and presentation:
25%
10%
10%
15%
15%
25%
Legitimate Excuses for Missing Class and Turning Work in Late:
Legitimate excuses include family emergencies, medical appointments, illness, and
religious holidays. All excuses must be supported with documentary proof, such as a note
from a doctor, with the contact information of the person writing the excuse. In the event
of a family emergency, such as a death in the family, contact the Office of Academic
Affairs and ask them to contact me about the emergency.
If you miss class or fail to turn something in on time and you have a legitimate
excuse, do the following: obtain the documentary proof explaining your absence or the
reasons for which you turned something in late; bring it to me in class or during office
3
hours; stop by during office hours to discuss what you missed in class. Unless warranted
by a legitimate excuse as defined above, there will be no extensions on the assignments in
this course.
If you miss class or fail to turn something in on time without a legitimate excuse, do
not e-mail me to tell me this and do not ask me to explain to you over e-mail what you
missed in class; I will not respond to such e-mails. For every day after a deadline that you
turn work in late without a legitimate excuse, your grade on the assignment is dropped by
a full letter grade until you reach an F, in which case you will receive a 0% on the
assignment.
Failure to complete any of the four major writing assignments by the last class of the
semester (even though you will receive a 0% on them) will result in an automatic F for
the course.
Communication:
Use e-mail to communicate with me about minor questions and administrative
questions. Use formal forms of address, salutations, and good-byes, as well as proper
spelling, grammar and punctuation, when writing e-mails to me. If you wish to discuss
readings and course topics, specific questions about your writing assignments, etc., avoid
e-mail; instead, stop by during office hours or make an appointment to see me.
Honor Code:
The Honor Code of the University of Mary Washington will be strictly enforced, as
explained in the Honor Constitution. If you have any questions about the code and its
enforcement, do not hesitate to ask me. All violations of the Honor Code will be
immediately reported to the Honor Council.
In writing your papers, be sure to avoid plagiarism. If you take someone else’s ideas
or words and present them in an essay as your own (i.e., without proper
acknowledgement of the author), you will have committed plagiarism. If you are unsure
about what this means, do not hesitate to ask me for further clarification.
Americans with Disabilities Act:
If you have a disability and require academic accommodation, contact the Office of
Disability Services (540-654-1266). Upon obtaining an accommodation letter from this
office, see me so that we can establish the proper academic accommodation for you in
this course. All information pertaining to your academic accommodation will be kept in
the strictest confidence.
Course Readings:
The main texts are available for purchase at the bookstore. When purchasing the
texts, obtain the edition indicated below since this will facilitate class discussion when
the instructor and students refer to the texts. Additional texts will be distributed via the
course blog; they are indicated in the course schedule below.
The following required texts are available at the UMW bookstore:
Sheila Fitzpatrick, The Russian Revolution, 3rd ed. (Oxford: Oxford University Press,
2008).
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Boris Pasternak, Dr. Zhivago.
Highly Recommended Texts for Writing Papers:
* Kate L. Turabian, A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, 7th
edition (Chicago and London: University of Chicago Press, 2007).
* A good dictionary of American English. Do NOT depend on your computer’s spell
checker! I recommend Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, especially those editions that
contain the etymologies of words.
* A good grammar book. I recommend Patricia T. O’Conner, Woe is I: The
Grammarphobe’s Guide to Better English in Plain English (New York: Riverhead
Books, 2003).
Course Schedule:
Week 1:
January 12:
Introduction to Revolutionary Culture
Introduction to the course
January 14:
Revolutionary culture before the Revolution
* Victory over the Sun (1913) (course blog)
January 16:
Revolutionary culture before the Revolution
* Participants’ recollections of Victory over the Sun (1913) (course blog)
Week 2:
January 19:
Background to the Russian Revolution
The Revolutions of 1917
* Fitzpatrick, The Russian Revolution (1-67)
January 21:
Civil War and the NEP
* Fitzpatrick, The Russian Revolution (68-119)
January 23:
Everyone’s a Constructivist Now: How to Design Your Course Blog
Stalinism: The End of the Revolution?
* Fitzpatrick, The Russian Revolution (120-172)
Week 3:
January 26:
How To Build Communism
Marxism 101
* Engels, “Socialism: Utopian and Scientific” (700-717)
January 28:
The How-To Guide to Building Communism
* excerpts “Our Programme” and “Dictatorship of the Proletariat” from
the ABC of Communism (1918) (course blog)
January 30:
Revolution in Everyday Life
* excerpts “Pubic Hygiene,” “Housing Problem,” and “Religion” from the
ABC of Communism (1918) (course blog)
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Week 4:
February 2:
Workers, Peasants, and Soldiers Speak in 1917
The February Revolution and its Aftermath
* excerpts from Voices of Revolution, 1917 (course blog)
February 4:
The October Revolution
* excerpts from Voices of Revolution, 1917 (course blog)
* Primary source analysis paper #1 due at the start of class
February 6:
After October
* excerpts from Voices of Revolution, 1917 (course blog)
Week 5:
February 9:
Building Socialism: Architects
Tatlin’s Tower and the Constructivists
* Vladimir Tatlin, “The Initiative Individual in the Collective” (1919) and
“Report of the Section for Material Culture's Research Work” (1924)
(course blog)
* Nikolai Punin, “The Monument to the Third International” (1920)
(course blog)
February 11: Architecture for a new way of life
* Moisei Ginzburg, Style and Epoch (course blog)
February 13: The House Commune and the Communal Apartment
* Moisei Ginzburg, Style and Epoch (course blog)
Week 6:
New Ways of Life in the Socialist City
February 16: Viewing of Bed and Sofa (1925)
February 18: Viewing of Bed and Sofa (1925)
February 20: Viewing and discussion of Bed and Sofa (1925)
Week 7:
Women and the Revolution
February 23: * Ekaterina Olitskaia, My Reminiscences, part I, excerpt from In the
Shadow of Revolution (course blog)
* Anna Litveiko, “In 1917,” excerpt from In the Shadow of Revolution
(course blog)
February 25: * P. E. Melgunova-Stepanova, “Where Laughter Is Never Heard,” excerpt
from from In the Shadow of Revolution (course blog)
* Ekaterina Olitskaia, My Reminiscences, part II, excerpt from In the
Shadow of Revolution (course blog)
February 27: * Anonymous, “What am I to Do?” excerpt from In the Shadow of
Revolution (course blog)
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* Paraskeva Ivanova, “Why I Do Not Belong in the Party,” excerpt from
In the Shadow of Revolution (course blog)
* Primary source analysis paper #2 due at the start of class
Spring Break: February 28-March 8
Week 8:
March 9:
Socialism and Science Fiction
Viewing of Aelita, Queen of Mars (1924)
March 11:
Viewing of Aelita, Queen of Mars (1924)
March 13:
Viewing and discussion of Aelita, Queen of Mars (1924)
Week 9:
March 16:
Literature in Revolutionary Times
Futurism
* excerpts from manifestos of Russian Futurists (course blog)
March 18:
Dystopian visions of a new world
* excerpt from Evgenii Zamiatin, We (course blog)
March 20:
Chronicles of everyday life
* Mikhail Zoshchenko (selected stories on course blog)
Week 10:
March 23:
Sergei Eisenstein and the Revolution in Cinema
Viewing of October (1927)
March 25:
Viewing of October (1927)
March 27:
Viewing and discussion of October (1927)
Week 11:
March 30:
The Avant-Garde and Revolutionary Visual Culture
Malevich and Suprematism
* Kasimir Malevich, “Non-Objective Art and Suprematism” (1919) and
“The Question of Imitative Art” (1920) (course blog)
April 1:
Rodchenko, photography, and Soviet poster art
* Alexander Rodchenko, “Slogans' and 'Organizational Programme”
(1920-1921) (course blog)
* Alexander Rodchenko and Varvara Stepanova, “Programme of the First
Working Group of Constructivists” (1922) (course blog)
* LEF editorial, “Whom is LEF alerting?” (1923) (course blog)
April 3:
Viewing of Man with a Movie Camera (1929)
* Primary source collection paper due at the start of class
Week 12:
Dziga Vertov and the Kinoks
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April 6:
Viewing and discussion of Man with a Movie Camera (1929)
April 8:
Viewing of Man with a Movie Camera with Yuri Tsivian’s commentary
April 10:
Viewing and discussion of Man with a Movie Camera with Yuri Tsivian’s
commentary
Week 13:
April 13:
Remembering the Revolution
Boris Pasternak, Doctor Zhivago
April 15:
Boris Pasternak, Doctor Zhivago
April 17:
Boris Pasternak, Doctor Zhivago
Week 14:
April 20:
Class presentations on final papers
Class presentations
April 22:
Class presentations
April 24:
Attend one session of the History Symposium
April 29:
10:00am-11:00am; Deadline for final papers
Discussion about course, Russian history, and the history major