Russian Civilization
Assignments
Fall 2005
You'll need Adobe Acrobat Reader to read and print out some of these
materials. If your computer doesn't have Acrobat Reader, download your
free copy here. Downloading each document will take up to a minute,
depending on the speed of your computer's Internet connection.
If you wish to keep a printed copy of this assignment sheet in your binder,
you can download an MS-Word (.doc) version here, but you will still need to
access various reading assignments from the website.
Week 1: The Land and the People
Tuesday, Aug. 30
Assignment: None.
Class: Introduction: Course overview, requirements, writing component.
WebCT.
Thursday, Sept. 1
Assignment:
1. Purchase Land of the Firebird, by Suzanne Massie, textbook for
the course.
2. Look at this map of Russia and read about the country in the CIA
Fact Book. Make a "Russian 120" folder in your browser and bookmark this
site. Add other sites as you come across them during the semester or
others recommended by your professor such as these: Rulers of Kievan Rus’,
What is a Tsar (Czar), Rulers of Russia, Alexander’s Palace and more.
3. Send me an e-mail: introduce yourself and tell me why you’re taking
this course.
Class:
Lecture: The Russian people and their land. (Take notes during each
lecture, so that you can later prepare for the midterm exams.)
Week 2: The First Centuries and Religion
Tuesday, Sept. 6
Assignment:
Download and read "Russian Winter" by George Feifer. What does
the article tell you about the land and the people? On Thursday we'll have a
class discussion about the ideas in this article. What will you say? (Jot
down notes for yourself to use during the discussion.) Take ungraded
WebCT quiz on “Russian Winter” by class time. This is your chance to learn
how to take a WebCT quiz without worrying about a grade. After this all
WebCT quizzes will be graded.
Class:
1. Class discussion of "Russian Winter"
2. Lecture: Introduction to Religion in Russia, pt. 1
Thursday, Sept. 8
Assignment: Read chapters 1-3 in Land of the Firebird and take WebCT quiz
by class time.
Class:
1. Lecture: Introduction to Religion in Russia, pt. 2
2. Class discussion on the founding of Russia, based on chapters 1-3 in
Land of the Firebird. (Note that "Attendance/Participation" is 20% of your
grade.)
Week 3: Andrei Rublev
Tuesday, Sept. 13
Assignment:
1. Read about the life of Russia's most famous icon painter and view
some of his works.
° Andrei Rublev's life
° Two sites containing Rublev's icons: Site 1 and Site 2.
2. Read a summary of Andrei Tarkovsky's film "Andrei Rublev."
3. Take WebCT quiz on assignment by class time.
Class: View film "Andrei Rublev, part 1, by Tarkovsky.
Thursday, Sept. 15
Assignment:
1. Read this article about the film maker Andrei Tarkovsky:
"Master of the Cinematic Image."
2. Take WebCT quiz on assignment by class time.
Class: View film Andrei Rublev, part 2, by Tarkovsky.
Week 4: Andrei Rublev and Moscow, the “Third
Rome”
Tuesday, Sept. 20
Assignment: Do readings for next Tuesday's class. Read chapters 4 and 5 in
Land of the Firebird. Take WebCT quiz on assignment by class time.
Class: View film Andrei Rublev, part 3. Class discussion will follow film.
(What will be your contribution?)
Thursday, Sept. 22
Assignment: Write a (minimum) one-page essay explaining a symbol used in
the film Andrei Rublev. Read how to complete this assignment in html or
Word (.doc). Turn in your symbol essay in class.
Class:
1. Class discussion of the symbols you found in Tarkovsky's Andrei
Rublev.
2. Class discussion of chapters 4 and 5.
Week 5: Ivan IV and Peter the Great
Tuesday, Sept. 27
Assignment: Read chapter 6 about Ivan IV in Land of the Firebird. Take
WebCT quiz on assignment by class time.
Class:
1. View "Ivan IV" biography.
2. Class discussion of Ivan IV and life under this infamous czar.
Thursday, Sept. 29
Assignment: Read chapter 8 in Land of the Firebird and write a one-page
summary on the main points of the chapter. (Read how to write a summary:
html or MS-Word format.)
Class:
1. Discussion of the life of Peter I, Land of the Firebird, chapter 8.
2. View documentary video about Peter the Great.
3. Pick up Midterm 1 Preparation Sheet.
Week 6: Pushkin’s “Bronze Horseman” and Catherine
I
Tuesday, Oct. 4
Assignment: Read the following:
° Text of Pushkin's "The Bronze Horseman" in Online version or
Downloadable PDF version.
° Pushkin's biography.
Then take WebCT quiz on assignment by class time.
Class:
1. Comments: Russia's most famous poet, Alexander Pushkin.
2. Class discussion of Pushkin's poem "The Bronze Horseman."
Thursday, Oct. 6
Assignment: Read chapter 10 in Land of the Firebird. Take WebCT quiz on
assignment by class time.
Class: Presentation by CSUS librarian Maria Kochis about how to get the
most out of the Library for your Russian Civilization final paper. Class will
meet in Room 2023, 2nd floor, the Library.
Week 7: Midterm No. 1 and Alexander I
Tuesday, Oct. 11
Assignment: Prepare for Midterm 1. Review notes from readings, lectures.
Go over Midterm 1 Preparation Sheet (handed out in class). Recommended:
small group review.
Class: Take Midterm Exam 1.
Thursday, Oct. 13
Assignment: Read chapter 11 in Land of the Firebird and write a one-page
summary of the main points of this chapter. (Read again how to write a
summary: html or MS-Word format.)
Class:
1. Illustrated lecture on Russian architecture.
2. Listen to Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture."
Week 8: The Decembrists and Gogol
Tuesday, Oct. 18
Assignment: Library research. Find three relevant resources to answer the
question: "Who were the Decembrists and what effect did their Revolt of
1825 have on Russian society?"
Sources for your resources:
(1) Find a web site using your favorite web browser.
(2) Find an article from an online journal available through the
Library.
(3) Find a document in print form (book or article) available in
the Library.
List your three resources using APA style and write a descriptive
paragraph about each source telling what it contributes to answering the
assigned question.
Class: No class. Send me your assignment as an MS-Word email attachment
by the beginning of class. Your assignment, and all word processed
assignments for this course, must be in MS-Word format. Do not send me
Word Perfect or other non-MS-Word formats.
Thursday, Oct. 20
Assignment: Read the short story "The Overcoat" by the eccentric writer
Nikolai Gogol in Online version or Downloadable version (Word doc). Take
WebCT quiz on assignment by class time.
Class:
1. Comments on the life of Nikolai Gogol.
2. Class discussion of "The Overcoat."
Week 9: Gogol and Tostoy
Tuesday, Oct. 25
Assignment: Read the part of chapter 20, "The Wanderers and the Mighty
Handful" about Russian composers and music. Take WebCT quiz on
assignment by class time.
Class (location TBA): Illustrated lecture on Russian music.
Thursday, Oct. 27
Assignment: Read the short story "Death of Ivan Ilych" by Lev Tolstoy
(1828-1910) in html or Word.doc. Note that this is a long short story
measuring about 57 pages. Take WebCT quiz on assignment by class time.
Class:
1. Comments on the life of Tolstoy.
2. Class discussion of "Death of Ivan Ilych."
Week 10: Dostoevsky and Art
Tuesday, Nov. 1
Assignment: Read Dostoevsky's "the Gentle Spirit" online or Word doc (38
pages). Take WebCT quiz on assignment by class time.
Class:
1. Comments on the life of Dostoevsky.
2. Class discussion of "The Gentle Spirit."
Thursday, Nov. 3
Assignment:
1. In Land of the Firebird read the part of chapter 20 "The
Wanderers and the Mighty Handful" about Russian art (not about music).
2. View Russian art at these websites and become familiar with their
characteristics:
Russian icons (see Alexander’s Palace site)
18th century art
The Wanderers of the 19th century
Avant-garde of the early 20th century
Socialist realism
3. Take WebCT quiz on assignment by class time.
Class: Illustrated lecture on Russian art.
Week 11: Nicholas and Alexandra, WWI, and
Revolution!
Tuesday, Nov. 8
Assignment: Choose a topic for your final project. See Guidelines and
Deadlines for Final Project.
Class: There will be no class meeting. INSTEAD ...
1. After arriving at a topic that interests you, write four questions
that you possibly could research.
2. Rank your four preliminary questions with #1 being the one that
interests you the most, and continuing in descending order to #4. Later
when you begin your library research on your topic, you'll find that some
questions have more resources available relating to them, while others don't.
Be prepared to drop certain lines of inquiry (and their related questions) as
your get into your research. It could be that a low-interest question at this
time will later become very interesting as most information comes to light;
also be open to developing new questions as your research continues.
3. Compose a document for me that includes you're the following:
a. Your name.
b. Topic.
c. Prioritized list of four questions.
d. The medium in which you think you will present this final
project: research paper, PowerPoint presentation, website, or
something else (to be approved by your instructor). If you need to
change to another presentation medium at a later date, you may do so;
but let me know by email.
4. Save your document in MS-Word format (.doc). It MUST be in
.doc format. If you are using a word processor that isn't Word
(Appleworks, Word Perfect, etc.) then you will need to SAVE this
document AS a Word document. Send me (jgray@csus.edu) your
Word document as an email attachment by the deadline given on
Guidelines and Deadlines for Final Project.
Thursday, Nov. 10
Assignment: Read about the Russian Revolution: html document or Word
doc. Take WebCT quiz on assignment by class time.
Class: View documentary "The Hermitage: A Russian Odyssey, Vol. 3, From
Czars to Commissars: A Museum Survives."
Week 12: WWII and "Ballad of a Soldier"
Tuesday, Nov. 15
Assignment: Read film review of the film "Ballad of a Soldier."
Class: View Grigori Chukhrai's film about WWII, "Ballad of a Soldier," pt. 1.
Thursday, Nov. 17
Assignment:
1. Consult with Reference Librarian and compile a list of possible
reference resources for your final project.
2. Read short history of the Siege of Leningrad. Take WebCT quiz on
assignment by class time.
Class:
1. Turn in list of reference sources at beginning of class. See
Guidelines and Deadlines for Final Project.
2. View "Ballad of a Soldier," pt. 2
Week 13: Midterm No. 2
Tuesday, Nov. 22
Assignment: Prepare for Midterm 2. Review notes from readings, lectures.
Go over Midterm 2 Preparation sheet (handed out in class). Recommended:
small group review.
Class: Take Midterm Exam 2.
Thursday, Nov. 24 – Thanksgiving Holiday – no class
Week 14: Jokes and Superstitions; “Ivan’s Childhood”
Tuesday, Nov. 29
Assignment: Short research assignment: Find three (3) interesting Russian
superstitions and three (3) funny Russian jokes (anekdoty), and write them
down to turn in at the end of class. List your sources.
Class:
1. Superstitions: Share the findings of your research.
2. Jokes (Anekdoty): Read aloud your favorite jokes.
Thursday, Dec. 1
Assignment: Work on final project. Prepare annotated bibliography of at
least ten (10) sources for your final project. See Guidelines and Deadlines
for Final Project.
Class:
1. Turn in your annotated bibliography at the beginning of class.
2. View "Ivan’s Childhood,” pt. 1. The director is Andrei Tarkovsky.
Week 15: “Ivan’s Childhood,” continued
Tuesday, Dec. 6
Assignment: Work on final paper.
Class: View “Ivan’s Childhood,” pt. 2; class discussion.
Thursday, Dec. 8
Assignment: Work on your final paper.
Class: Review and wrap up course. Russian food.
Turning in Final Project:
Complete and turn in final paper as e-mail attachment to your professor
(jgray@csus.edu) by deadline. See Guidelines and Deadlines for Final
Project.
Redisplay the opening illustration.