Course Meeting Times
Lectures: 2 sessions / week, 1.5 hours / session
Description
At the beginning of the 18th century Russia began to come into its own as a major European power. Members of the Russian intellectual classes increasingly compared themselves and their autocratic order to states and societies in the West. This comparison generated both a new sense of national consciousness and intense criticism of the existing order in Russia. In this course we will examine different perspectives on Russian history and literature in order to try to understand the Russian Empire as it modernized from Peter the Great to the Russian Revolution.
Students are asked to write short papers of approximately 1–2 pages responding to the readings (6 in all). In addition you will write one 8–10 page research paper, due session 19. Each student will lead one class with questions prepared in advance for everyone to consider. At the end of the course there will be a final examination.
Grading
| ACTIVITIES | PERCENTAGES |
|---|---|
| Class participation and response papers | 25 |
| Research paper | 50 |
| Final examination | 25 |
Calendar
| SES # | TOPICS | KEY DATES |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Introduction to the Course | Film excerpt: "Alexander Nevsky" |
| 2 | Introduction to the Russian Empire and the Muscovite Heritage | |
| 3 | Understanding Serfdom and the Social Structure | |
| 4 | Peter the Great and the Petrine Reforms | |
| 5 | From Peter the Great to Catherine the Great | |
| 6 | Catherine the Great as Woman and Ruler |
Film: "Catherine the Great" Paper topics due |
| 7 | Critics and Rebels in the 18th Century | |
| 8 | Bureaucratic Monarchy, 1796–1825 | Bibliography/Methods due |
| 9 | The Decemberists, Nicholas I, and High Society | |
| 10 | Bureaucracy in Literature |
Statement of possible hypothesis due Film: "Shinel (The Overcoat)" |
| 11 | The Institution of Serfdom | |
| 12 | Serfdom in Literature | Film: "Oblomov" |
| 13 | Alexander II and the Great Reforms | Statement of initial findings in your research due |
| 14 | The Aftermath of the Reforms | |
| 15 | Revolutionary Dreams and Reaction | |
| 16 | Exploration and Empire-Building | |
| 17 | War and Peace in the Caucasus | |
| 18 | Industrialization and Radicalization | |
| 19 | Research Paper Presentations | Research papers due |
| 20 | Industrialization and Innovation—A Challenge for Russia | |
| 21 | The Revolution of 1905 | |
| 22 | The Constitutional Monarchy and World War I | |
| 23 | The February Revolution | |
| 24 | From February to October | Film: Eisenstein, "Strike" |
| 25 | The October Revolution | |
| 26 | Review |