Slavic Languages and Literatures

The department(link is external) gives its own placement test to all incoming students who have studied Russian. On the basis of this test students are placed in an appropriate course. Successful completion of RUS 107 or immediate assignment to a higher course satisfies the A.B. foreign language requirement.

A minimum of eight departmental courses is required. Four upper-level courses must be within the department; two of which must be from the core survey courses (SLA 219, 220, 221); the other four courses may be from cognate areas depending on the student's particular interests. For example, if the major field of concentration is 19th-century prose, the program might include courses from French or German literature. Students with a strong interest in Russian and Soviet studies might take area courses in the Program in Russian and Eurasian Studies such as Russian history, politics, anthropology, or sociology. These are only sample suggestions. The program is flexible and strives to satisfy as wide a range of interests as possible.

Concentrators are required to complete RUS 207 and one or more advanced language courses (RUS 208, 405, 406, 407, or 408; or one of the upper-level literature courses taught in Russian (SLA 308, 312, 413).

Independent Work

Junior Independent Work. Slavic majors write two junior papers. The first, 5,000-6,000 words in English (20-25 pages), can be on any topic related to Russian literature, culture, linguistics, language, history, or society. Russian sources must be used, although the extent of Russian will be determined largely by the individual student's linguistic background. Students who wish to write about other Slavic traditions (e.g., Czech or Polish), assuming they have the linguistic competence, are encouraged to do so. The second paper is a choice of either a paper in Russian (2,000 words), or a paper in English (3,000 words). The Russian paper is normally devoted to the analysis of a Russian short story or poem chosen by the student (in consultation with the adviser). For the short paper in English, students provide a critique of an English translation (or possibly two English translations) of a poem, based on a close reading of the Russian original.

Senior Independent Work. In the senior year, the student's independent work, written under departmental supervision, consists of a thesis of about 20,000 words to be submitted two weeks before the first day of the spring term reading period. After the thesis is submitted, students do a brief (5-minute) presentation in Russian (or relevant Slavic language), and then in English for the Slavic Department Faculty and fellow students. Total presentation time will run roughly 15 minutes per student. This presentation does not receive a grade.

Senior Departmental Examination

Graduating seniors are required to take a comprehension examination on Russian literature. Together with the thesis and departmental grades, this examination is one of three components that determine departmental honors. The take-home exam is based on a core list of works taught in the three survey courses offered by the department. Students may substitute a limited number of works based on their individual interests for the comprehensive exam. The finalized list must be submitted to the Departmental Representative one month before the exam.

Study Abroad

For students who begin Russian at Princeton, the department has organized a second-year course (RUS 105R-107R) for credit in St. Petersburg that may be taken the summer immediately following the completion of RUS 102. This course is taught by Princeton faculty as well as the instructors of the Derzhavin Institute. The Dean of the College office is generally able to provide financial assistance to students enrolling in the summer course. More advanced students are urged to spend either a summer or semester in Russia.

Certificate in Language and Culture

The certificate program in Russian language and culture offers two options: the first weighted toward language study, and the second weighted toward literary study.

Course Work. For the language track, students must complete RUS 207 and take at least two of the language courses listed below and at least one Russian literature course conducted in Russian. For the literature track, students must complete RUS 207 and take at least one of the language courses listed below and at least two literature courses conducted in Russian.

Language courses: RUS 208, RUS 405, RUS 406, RUS 407, RUS 408

Literature courses: SLA 308 (Short Story), SLA 312 (Russian Drama), SLA 413 (Pushkin and His Time), most topics courses (e.g., Lermontov, Russian poetry), most graduate literature courses. Should the student take a course on Russian literature which offers a Russian precept, that course may also count towards the certificate if additional work is completed for the course in Russian. This work must be approved by the departmental representative in consultation with the course instructor at the start of the term. Credit will not be granted retroactively.

Independent Work. Students must complete a paper in Russian of approximately 1,000 words. The paper ordinarily will be devoted to a close analysis of a literary text of about 10 to 20 pages. However, a student with strong related interests could write on questions of linguistics or a topic of broader cultural significance (e.g., Russian art, Russian film). In any case, readings in Russian will be a mandatory component of the paper. All topics must be cleared in advance with the departmental representative, who will decide on their appropriateness in consultation with other department members.

Note: Students may obtain the certificate in Russian language and culture in addition to the certificate in Russian and Eurasian studies. However, they may not apply the same courses toward both certificates (with the necessary exception of RUS 207).

Courses

• BCS 101 Beginning Bosnian-Croatian-Serbian I FallAn introduction to the Bosnian-Croation-Serbian (also called Serbo-Croatian) language that develops the four major language skills: speaking, listening comprehension, reading, and writing. Class time is devoted to mastering conversational skills, grammar explanations, oral drills, and reading a variety of texts--popular writing, fiction, poetry, and expository prose. Covers the fundamentals of BCS grammar (verbal conjugations, aspect, the primary verbal tenses, and all cases); high-frequency vocabulary will be progressively learned and reinforced. Five classes. No credit is given for BCS 101 unless followed by BCS 102 M. Beissinger
• BCS 102 Beginning Bosnian-Croatian-Serbian II SpringA continuation of BCS 101. This course continues to develop and refine the four language skills (speaking, listening, reading, and writing), concentrating on conversational practice, advanced grammar points, oral drilling, increased reading (BCS literature, folklore, and expository prose, including works chosen according to students' interests), and viewing films. Prerequisite: BCS 101. Five classes. M. Beissinger
• CZE 101 Beginning Czech IIntroductory course designed to teach the basic aspects of Czech grammar, vocabulary, and communication in a variety of situations. The course aims to teach all four language skills: reading, writing, listening comprehension, and speaking. Five classes. No credit is given for CZE 101 unless followed by CZE 102. Staff
• CZE 102 Beginning Czech IIA continuation CZE 101. This course continues to develop and refine the four language skills (speaking, listening, reading, and writing), teaching all fundamental aspects of Czech grammar and basic communication skills in a variety of situations. As the course progresses, the rich Central European culture of Bohemia and Moravia will be sampled through poetry, film, and fictional as well as expository prose. Prerequisite: CZE 101. Five classes. Staff
• CZE 105 Intermediate Czech I FallAdvanced grammar topics, building of vocabulary through studying Czech word formation and reading challenging samples of Czech literature (prose, poetry, drama). Continuing practice in oral communication. Prerequisite: CZE 102 or instructor's permission. Three classes supplemented by required discussion sections, tutorials, and language lab. Staff
• CZE 107 Intermediate Czech II SpringAdvanced grammar topics, building of vocabulary through the study of Czech word formation and reading challenging samples of Czech literature. Continuing practice in oral communication. Prerequisite: CZE 105. Three classes supplemented by required discussion sections, tutorials, and language lab. Staff
• PLS 101 Beginning Polish I FallA beginner's course that introduces the student to four areas of competence in Polish: speaking, grammatical knowledge, listening and reading comprehension, and writing. Emphasizes active language targeted at concrete practical contexts and communicative situations. Previous knowledge of other Slavic languages is advantageous, but not mandatory. Classes combine lectures, recitation, and drill formats. Five classes. No credit is given for PLS 101 unless followed by PLS 102. M. Pettus
• PLS 102 Beginning Polish II SpringA continuation of PLS 101. This course continues to develop and refine the four language skills (speaking, grammatical knowledge, listening and reading comprehension, and writing). Emphasize active language targeted at concrete practical contexts and communicative situations. Classes combine lectures, recitation, and drill formats. Prerequisite: PLS 101. Five classes. M. Pettus
• RUS 101 Beginner's Russian I FallIntroduction to the essentials of Russian grammar. Presentation of grammar reinforced by oral practice of grammatical patterns. One hour per week devoted specifically to development of oral skills. Five classes, one one-hour laboratory. No credit is given for RUS 101 unless followed by RUS 102. M. Pettus
• RUS 102 Beginner's Russian II SpringA continuation of 101. Introduction to the essentials of Russian grammar. Presentation of grammar reinforced by oral practice of grammatical patterns. One hour per week devoted specifically to development of oral skills. Five classes, one one-hour laboratory. M. Pettus
• RUS 105 Intermediate Russian I FallGrammar review; advanced grammar; introduction to word formation; expansion of vocabulary through readings of classical and modern fiction and history. One hour per week of translation and discussion of readings. Prerequisite: successful completion of 102 or placement test at Princeton. Five classes, one one-hour laboratory. M. Pettus
• RUS 107 Intermediate Russian II SpringA continuation of 105. Grammar review; advanced grammar; introduction to word formation; expansion of vocabulary through readings of classical and modern fiction and history. One hour per week of translation and discussion of readings. Prerequisite: 105. Five classes, one one-hour laboratory. M. Pettus
• RUS 207 Advanced Russian Reading and Conversation I FallSelected texts (19th- and 20th-century poetry and prose, contemporary journalistic prose) with discussion and analysis in Russian. Four classes. K. Blank
• RUS 208 Advanced Russian Reading and Conversation II SpringA continuation of 207. Selected texts (19th- and 20th-century poetry and prose, contemporary journalistic prose) with discussion and analysis in Russian. Four classes. K. Blank
• RUS 405 Advanced Russian Grammar through Reading FallA practical approach to advanced Russian grammar and structure through reading and translation of Russian prose texts with special focus on difficult grammatical constructions. Two 90-minute classes. Prerequisite: 207 or 208. Staff
• RUS 406 Russian Sentence Structure through Reading SpringA basic introduction to Russian sentence structure with special emphasis on word order, use of participles and gerunds, impersonal sentences, negation, voice, and long/short form adjectives. The course includes substantive readings of Russian texts and their syntactic analysis. Two 90-minute classes. Prerequisite: 207 or 208. Staff
• RUS 407 Advanced Russian through FilmA language course based on Russian films and designed to develop a more sophisticated level of spoken and written Russian. Discussions of life in Russia. Compositions, exercises, short texts for reading comprehension, oral presentations. Two 90-minute classes. Prerequisite: 207 or instructor's permission. K. Blank
• RUS 408 Advanced Russian through History and CultureThe course aims to improve students' proficiency in idiomatic Russian by using materials on historical and cultural topics. The materials cover Russian history from the days of Kievan Rus' to the post-Soviet era. Weekly reading and compositions. Two 90-minute classes. Prerequisite: instructor's permission. K. Blank
• SLA 219 Pushkin, Gogol, Dostoevsky: Introduction to the Great Russian Novel (also RES 219 ) Fall LAA survey in English of Russian literature up to 1860. The course concentrates on master prose writers of the first half of the 19th century: Pushkin, Gogol, Lermontov, the early Dostoevsky, and the early Tolstoy. Two lectures, one preceptorial. Knowledge of Russian not required. E. Chances
• SLA 220 The Great Russian Novel and Beyond: Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Chekhov, and Others (also RES 220 ) Spring LAA survey in English of Russian literature from mid-19th century to Soviet literature. Authors read include, among others, Turgenev, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Chekhov, Nabokov, and Bely. Two lectures, one preceptorial. Knowledge of Russian not required. E. Chances
• SLA 221 Soviet Culture, Above and Below Ground (also
• RES 221 ) LAA survey in English of Soviet literature from 1917 to 1965 against the background of major social and political developments. Readings include works by Zamyatin, Babel, Bulgakov, Solzhenitsyn, and other representative authors. Two lectures and preceptorial. Knowledge of Russian not required. K. Reischl
• SLA 311 Russian Music (See MUS 339)
• SLA 312 Russian Drama (also RES 312 ) Spring LAIntroduction to major dramatic works of the 19th and 20th centuries, including Pushkin, Gogol, Chekhov, Shvarts, and Vampilov. Readings, discussions, oral and written reports in Russian. Two 90-minute seminars. Prerequisite: RUS 207 or instructor's permission. O. Hasty
• SLA 316 Ethical Dimensions of Contemporary Russian Cinema (also RES 316 /VIS 353 ) EMExploration of the quest for moral values in Soviet and post-Soviet Russian cinema of the 1960s to the present. Topics include, among others, the effects of Stalinism; the struggle for freedom of individual conscience under totalitarianism; the artist's moral dilemmas in Soviet and post-Soviet society; materialism versus spirituality. Films of Andrei Tarkovsky, Nikita Mikhalkov, and others. One three-hour seminar. Knowledge of Russian not required. E. Chances
• SLA 410 Bakhtin, the Russian Formalists, and Cultural Semiotics (See COM 410)
• SLA 411 Selected Topics in Russian Literature and Culture (also RES 411 ) LATopics include: Russian literature and the city; Russian literature and the intellectual; the search for moral value in post-Communist literature; satire; Russian literature and music; 20th-century Russian poetry, Russian emigre literature. M. Wachtel
• SLA 412 Selected Topics in Russian Literature and Culture LATopics include: Russian literature and the city; Russian literature and the intellectual; the search for moral value in post-Communist literature; satire; Russian literature and music; 20th-century Russian poetry, Russian emigré literature. O. Hasty
• SLA 413 Pushkin and His Time LAAn introduction to Pushkin's works with attention to a number of genres (lyric, long poem, drama, short story). Readings in Russian with discussions in Russian or English, depending on students' preference. Two 90-minute classes. Prerequisite: RUS 207 or instructor's permission. M. Wachtel
• SLA 415 Leo Tolstoy, War and Peace, and the Tasks of Literature (See COM 415)
• SLA 416 Dostoevsky (also RES 416 ) Fall LAA consideration of Dostoevsky's major works with particular emphasis upon their relation to the political, social, religious, and literary currents of his time. Knowledge of Russian not required. One three-hour seminar. E. Chances

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• Interview. Depending on availability, once you have applied, you may be invited to interview with a member of one of our Princeton Alumni Schools Committees. If so, we encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity. Interviews take place after the Admission Office has received your application. Many Princeton Alumni Schools Committees have enough volunteers to offer every applicant an interview. As the interview is not a required element of the application, you will not be at a disadvantage if an interview is not available in your area. We do not offer on-campus interviews. Please visit our FAQs page for more information.

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