Instructor Christopher W. Lemelin Office 239 Vaughan Literature Office Hours Mon. 3-5; or by appointment Telephone 577-1746 clemelin@bucknell.edu 1999-2000 Russian Course Schedule
Required Reading, Watching, and Listening 1. Gerhart, Genevra The Russian's World (in English) 2. Smith, Hedrick The New Russians 3. Moscow Doesn't Believe in Tears (Feature Motion Picture; 1980 Oscar Winner) 4. Voice of Russia World Service (broadcasts via RealAudio) 5. World Wide Web Assignment column of the Schedule 6. Russia Today Daily news in 'USA Today' format
Course Requirements
1) Completion of the required reading, watching and listening assignments;
2) Oral reports and participation in classroom discussions and activities (15% of the final grade).
3) Four written reports on Web research (15% of the final grade);
4) Objective midterm exam (15% of the final grade) and final exam (20% of the final grade) based on lectures, required texts, class discussion, and selected news programs, electronic sources, and films;
The Objectives of the Course
Over the past decade, the world has experienced two large-scale revolutions. One is the enormous political and economic reorientation being carried out in Russia, the newly independent states (NIS), and East-Central Europe. The other is the communications revolution brought about by the growing connectivity of home, business, and research computers forming a single World Wide Web. The coincidence of these two historical events provide reason to bolster our hopes of achieving one of the noblest human goals: the formation of a peaceful world-wide community. On the one hand, the revolution in the Soviet Union and the Soviet bloc aligns the political and economic systems of those nations with most of those in the rest of the world, and removes a fundamental barrier to mutual understanding. On the other hand, the World Wide Web allows nations, states, towns, and institutions to explain themselves, share their knowledge, and conduct their business directly with the rest of the world. Moreover, it allows individuals to do the same, to build psychologically, spiritually, and intellectually expressive connections with all other human beings.
FN 90-24 explores these two revolutions and their interrelaton. It follows two basic tracks simultaneously: a historical track and a current events track. Meetings will consist of lectures on Russian history and discussions of current trends, cultural attitudes, and day-to-day life in Russia and the NIS. Periodically, these two lines will be enriched by a discussion of impact of the Web.
Since textbooks have not kept pace with the shifts in current events, recent Russian and NIS news lists and websites would would naturally become our primary sources of information, even if it were not a focus of our attention. Thus students will be expected to read Russia Today, listen to Radio Moscow, and cull other sources of current news on Russia from the Web. If you speak Russian, you may also want to watch the Moscow evening news Vremya at 6:00 pm or 7:20 am on C-Span (channel 36) or on SCOLA or The International Channel (48) at Bucknell. You are encouraged to explore the Web on your own and find new sources for they are emerging every day. Up to the end of the course, discussion will focus on Russia, where it is coming from and where it is going. However, an important ancillary objective of this course is an introduction to the serious benefits of electronic information sources, hence discussions of its current value and future promise will also figure prominently in the seminar.
The Bucknell Russian Web Site
The Bucknell Russian Program web site offers a starting point for gathering information about Russia and the NIS. It contains links and original information organized specifically for students at Bucknell. Two main categories of resources germane to this course: Russian Studies Materials and Other Russian Studies Sites. Most of the assignments of this course are based on information linked to these two pages. Most of the assignments in the course schedule below contain a direct link to the source of information.
Schedule of Assignments
(All assignments must be prepared before the date on the left.)
| Part I * Russia's Third Time of Troubles | |
| Wednesday August 25 |
An Introduction to the Course: From Siberia to Cyberia |
| Friday August 27 |
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| Monday August 30 |
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| Wednesday
September 1 |
Soviet History I
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| Friday
September 3 |
Soviet History II
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| Monday September 6 |
Russian Cities
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| Wednesday
September 8 |
The Aftermath of Josif Stalin I
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| Friday September 10 |
The Aftermath of Josif Stalin II
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| Monday September 13 |
The Aftermath of Josif Stalin III
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| Wednesday
September 15 |
The Role of Glasnost (Gorbachev)
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| Friday
September 17 |
Looking for Perestroika (Gorbachev)
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| Monday
September 20 |
Russian News
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| Wednesday
September 22 |
The First Russian Elections
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| Friday
September 24 |
The Communist Party is Over
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| Monday
September 27 |
The Fall of the Russian Empire I
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| Wednesday September 29 |
Research Sources
in Bertrand Library (Meet in the lobby of Bertrand Library) |
| Wednesday
October 1 |
The Fall of the Russian Empire II
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| Monday October 4 |
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| Wednesday October 6 |
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| Thursday October 7 |
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| Friday October 8 |
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| Wednesday October 13 |
Yeltsin and the Second Russian Revolution I
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| Friday October 15 |
Yeltsin and the Second Russian Revolution I
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| Monday
October 18 |
Yeltsin and the Second Russian Revolution I
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| Wednesday
October 20 |
Yeltsin and the Second Russian Revolution II
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| Part II * Russian Life and Culture | |
| Friday
October 22 |
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| Monday
October 25 |
Russian Personal Conduct I |
| Tuesday
October 26 |
The Russian in Russia |
| Wednesday October 27 |
You will be assigned a figure in Russian literature. You must present an oral report based on Web sources. If you can't find enough on the Web, you may use the library. For additional resources look at the Internet Seatch Zone. In class we will discuss:
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| Friday October 29 |
Class Cancelled |
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| Monday November 1 |
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| Wednesday
November 3 |
Russian Room and Board |
| Friday November 5 |
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| Monday November 8 |
Russian Health |
| Wednesday
November 10 |
Pretending to Work and Pretending to Pay |
| Friday November 8 |
You will be assigned a figure in Russian Art. You must present an oral report based on Web sources. If you can't find enough on the Web, you may use the library. For additional resources look at the Internet Seatch Zone. In class we will discuss:
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| Monday November 15 |
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| Wednesday November 17 |
Study and Play in Russia
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| Friday
November 19 |
You will be assigned a figure in Russian Music. You must present an oral report based on Web sources. If you can't find enough on the Web, you may use the library. For additional resources look at the Internet Seatch Zone. In class we will discuss:
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| Monday
November 22 |
Travel in Russia and the NIS and Homepage Up-Date
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| Part III * Actual Russian Lives | |
| Monday
November 29 |
Meet in Multimedia Lab in Library. Hand in Peer Review Forms. |
| Wednesday
December 1 |
Moscow Does not Believe in Tears (In-class video and discussion) |
| Friday
December 3 |
Moscow Does not Believe in Tears (In-class video and discussion) |
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| Monday
December 6 |
Term Papers are Due on Monday, December 13 Review of the semester and the course |
| Wednesday December 8 |
Exact time and location will be announced in class. |
Semi-required Review Session with Russian Food
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Preparing for the Final ARO | |
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Bucknell University, Lewisburg, PA
| From Swan Lake |
| by Pëtr Ilyich Tchaikovsky |
© 1996 Robert Beard