In contemporary Russia -- marked by extreme inequality; political prosecutions; government discrimination against racial, ethnic, religious, and sexual minorities; extensive corruption, and prisoners' human rights violations -- the illegal has permeated the legal. "Criminal Russia" centers on the concept of power, and specifically, on the process of its consolidation and application by legitimate and illicit structures, and on the effect these processes have on different populations. To do this, the course begins with considering the influence of crime on the government in imperial Russia and the nation's fascination with a glorified criminal archetype. Then, moving to the more recent period, "Criminal Russia" explores the oppressive nature of the Soviet state, realized in unlawful mass incarcerations into Gulags; the interweaving of the criminal code into Russian politics; the rise and (alleged) fall of the Russian mafia; the country's penitentiary system as a reflection of societal power verticals and the collective sense of right and wrong; and the paradoxical place of the criminal culture within the national consciousness. Upon completing the course, students will be able: (1) to critically analyze issues of power (and power abuse) by the state and by its shadow using various disciplinary approaches, (2) to address issues of freedom, oppression, incarceration, and human rights, in Russia and elsewhere, and (3) to explain how counter cultures subvert dominant ideologies.

This course introduces students to the vibrant history of Russian theatre and performance from the nineteenth century to the present day. Our discussion will consider the general principles of theatre theory as well as the material, sociopolitical, and historical contexts in which works were written and performed.

This course will examine the ways in which the vampire and werewolf serve as metaphors for human fears and desires. Starting with East European peoples, we will explore how the folklore around the monsters symbolized "the other" and cultural taboos. We will trace how Western cultures engaged with, adopted and transformed the East European beliefs to reflect evolving conception of identity, social conflict, gender/sexuality, and the nature of good and evil

This course examines the portrayal of prostitution in visual and print culture of the nineteenth century. We will determine how writers and artists conceptualized commercial sex in French, Russian, and German contexts. For the era's writers, artists, thinkers, and social activists, the prostitute became linked with urban decay and the disastrous effects of industrialization. In our discussions of works by Alexandre Dumas fils, Emile Zola, Fyodor Dostoevsky and Frank Wedekind, we will uncover how these writers utilize the female body to discuss issues of deviance and attraction. In analyzing paintings by Edouard Manet, Ilya Repin, and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, we will determine how the courtesan and streetwalker appear as emblems of modernity.

This course studies a selection of the best and most influential fantastic, marvelous, and uncanny works from the region that brought the world rocketry, Sputnik, and the robot. Students will analyze a variety of media (in translation) from Eastern Europe that posit situations based in a "fantastic" space, time or world to compare how broader cultural concerns are expressed through the genre of science fiction. We will discuss the development of the genre in Eastern Europe from the era of Romanticism to the modern day, with emphasis on the historical-cultural context of the Space Race between the US and USSR and its impact on the genre. This course will explore the view "from the East" of such topics as progress, imperialism, human perfectibility, gender constructs, the nature of communication, human/other identity, and the limits of knowledge as humanity pushes further into the final frontier. Students will read all texts in translation; all films will be available with English-language subtitles.

An oral communication course designed to give students the opportunity to further develop their ability to effectively communicate in Russian. The course targets advanced communication skills, such as, expressing an opinion on various social and political issues, narrating a story or telling about a current event, presenting a well-structured argument, and engaging in an extended conversation with a social complication. Students will explore selected themes of contemporary Russian-speaking states while watching and discussing films, documentaries, and TV shows. We will focus on improving listening and speaking skills primarily, but extensive reading and writing will also be required.

Russian Rap introduces students to a more recent history of the Russian Federation and various political, social, and cultural changes through exploration of the development and rise of Hip Hop culture within a newly reshaped country. In particular, the focus is on the global phenomenon of rap music and Hip Hop as it enters and adapts to local contexts in Russia. Beginning with an overview of Russian history up to the collapse of the Soviet Union, the course spans over near four decades of Russian history and a way of life of modern Russians (1990s - present). Students will engage in exploration of Russian rap music from a variety of prominent musicians, as well as analysis of their significance from socio-political and cultural perspectives. Particular emphasis is on a comparison between rap within Russian and American contexts as well as connecting it to an idea of Hip Hop as a global phenomenon. As an outcome, students should develop an understanding of recent Russian history and culture along with an ability and tools for understanding how musical artifacts represent historical, societal, and cultural changes and aspects of the region.

Although Arizona and Russia have vastly different climates, cultures, and histories, there are more shared traditions of food cultivation, preparation, and consumption than we might assume. This is a comparative course in Russian and Sonoran foodways that not only explores food preferences, recipes, and cooking as part of human identity but also examines power structures behind food economies; the significance of ancient recipes and remedies in indigenous cultures; and the effect of oppressive policies/ideologies, such as colonialism or communism, on foodways. This course offers an in-depth study of food culture, traditional cuisine, agriculture, and "locavore" movements in Russian and American (particularly Sonoran) contexts. Through a variety of readings, films, lectures, and experiential learning activities, students will investigate how foodways serve as markers of inequalities or oppression (but also resistance and liberation) that inevitably leave a deep imprint on cultures, with additional emphasis on contemporary issues of sustainability, environmental impact, and global interconnectedness.

This course examines the cultural and historical context within which cinema was produced in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe (1917-1991), as well as the evolving nature of the regions cinema in the post-Soviet period (1991-present) following the collapse of communism. Among the topics to be discussed are: the role of ideology in cinema, the cult of personality of various leaders as expressed in cinema, World War II, the Sovietization of post-war Eastern Europe, daily life in the Soviet zone, modes of dissent, and the search for identity as East European nations regained their independence after the fall of communism.