3301 syllabus

Catalog description: A survey course of 19th century Russian literature. We will read the works of the century's most important writers from Alexander Pushkin to Anton Chekhov. Taught in English.

Available at the TTU Bookstore: Other English translations may be used with the exception of the Norton critical editions. However, the texts listed below are preferred as having the same edition will make classroom discussion easier. The texts may also be read in Russian.

Alexander Pushkin. Queen of Spades and Other Stories. Oxford University Press. 1997. ISBN: 0192839543

Nikolai Gogol. Diary of a Madman and Other Stories. Penguin Books, Inc. 1972. ISBN: 0140442731

Michael Lermontov. Hero of Our Time. Penguin Books. 1966. ISBN: 0140447954

Ivan Turgenev. Fathers and Sons. W.W. Norton & Co. 1996. ISBN: 0393967522

Leo Tolstoy. Kreutzer Sonata and Other Stories. Oxford University Press. 1997. ISBN: 0192838091

Fyodor Dostoevsky. Notes from Underground. W.W. Norton & Co. 2001. ISBN: 0393976122

Anton Chekhov. Lady with Little Dog and Other Stories. Penguin Books, Inc. 2002. ISBN: 0140447873

In this class the students will be evaluated on their understanding of the works read for class. This evaluation is determined by the student’s performance on the criteria shown in the table below. Since ten percent of the grade is class participation, regular attendance is mandatory. The works may be read in Russian or English, and all written work intended to be read only by me can also be in Russian or English. However, all classroom discussion and your web page text must be in English.

If you are ill, or if you have a serious emergency, you must contact the instructor BEFORE class. You may be required to provide evidence to justify an absence.

Grading philosophy: It is my hope that each student masters the material presented in this class. A student’s grade is dependent on his or her own performance on the criteria outlined below.

I will return students’ work as discreetly as possible so that their grades will not be visible to others.

Grading policy: A student must achieve an overall grade of 60% and take the final to pass the course. Grading criteria are discussed below.

Reading quizzes	5%
Class participation	10%
Written responses	15%
Web page	20%
Midterm	25%
Final Wednesday, May 5, 1:30 – 4:00 p.m	25%

Reading quizzes: There will be a quiz on each of the texts read for class. The purpose of these quizzes is to ensure that the students read each work in time to discuss the content in class. No analysis of the text is required for reading quizzes. All questions will be based on facts from the text. A reading quiz should take a prepared student no more than ten minutes to complete.

There will be a minimum of seven reading quizzes: at least one for each author read. Each quiz is weighted equally, regardless of the length of the work or works. There will be no dropped quizzes.

Class participation: Students are required to attend class regularly, excluding excused absences, in order to receive the full ten percent. However, that is not the only criteria. Students must also show their understanding of the works in both group and class discussions. If a student has not expressed her or his thoughts or opinions on a given work, I will ask the student questions directly.

Written responses: Students are required to turn in a written response for each work or collection of works. This is to be your own opinion of and thoughts on the work. I am only interested in plot information as it relates to your own response.

Web page: Students are required to create a web page on any aspect of 19^th-century Russia. The topic will be selected by the student with my approval. The web page, including images, should be equivalent to approximately three to four type-written pages and include at least five different sources. I will grade the web pages based on content and visual effectiveness. In addition, there will be a contest for the best web page, to be judged by the students in the class. For those students who are not familiar with web page design, you can either take a course through ATLC or I will put your material on the website for you. This is a new component to this class, and is therefore the most likely to be subject to change.

Midterm: The midterm will cover the works read in the first half of the course. It will consist of identifications and of longer essay questions. The essay questions will be made available to the students before the exam.

Final: The final will cover the works read in the second half of the course. It will be in the same format as the midterm, but there will be more identifications and at least one more long essay question.

The Bulletin of Texas Tech states that students are expected to spend approximately two hours in preparation for each hour of lecture.

“Students are expected to assist in maintaining a classroom environment that is conducive to learning. In order to assure that all students have the opportunity to gain from time spent in class, unless otherwise approved by the instructor, students are prohibited from engaging in any other form of distraction. Inappropriate behaviour in the classroom shall result, minimally, in a request to leave class.”

Examples of inappropriate behavior include cellular phones and beepers, hostile or excessively aggressive behavior towards other students or the instructor, excessive tardiness, leaving class early, making offensive remarks, prolonged chattering, reading newspapers during class, sleeping, talking out of turn, arriving late to class, dominating discussions, overt inattentiveness, etc. (Some of these, such as tardiness or leaving early may be unavoidable because of long distances between classes or to work, etc. If you have such a scheduling problem, please meet with the instructor to discuss how to deal with it in a nondisruptive manner.)

The university is committed to the principle that in no aspect of its programs shall there be differences in the treatment of persons because of race, creed, national origin, age, sex, or disability, and that equal opportunity and access to facilities shall be available to all. … Any student who because of a disability may require special arrangements in order to meet course requirement should contact the instructor as soon as possible to make any necessary accommodations. Students should present appropriate verification from AccessTECH in the Student Counselling Center in West Hall. No requirement exists that accommodations be made prior to completion of this approved university procedure. (From the Texas Tech Faculty Handbook)

Disability status is confidential and should be discussed in private with the instructor once you have done the appropriate AccessTECH verification procedures. Rather than come up to me after class and announce that you need to discuss disability access with me, instead please come up and ask to meet with me in private. That way we can ensure your disability privacy is not compromised.

Observance of a Religious Holy Day: Texas House Bill 256 requires institutions of higher education to excuse a student from attending classes or other required activities, including examinations, for the observance of a religious holy day. The student shall also be excused for time necessary to travel. An institution may not penalize the student for the absence and allows for the student to take an exam or complete an assignment from which the student is excused. No prior notification of the instructor is required.

Absence due to officially approved trips. The Texas Tech Catalog states that the person responsible for a student missing class due to a trip should notify the instructors of the departure and return schedule in advance of the trip. The student may not be penalized and is responsible for the material missed.

RUSN 3301 Spring 2004

Russian Civilization through Literature in the Nineteenth Century