Jens, Benjamin C | Department of Russian and Slavic Studies

bcjens@arizona.edu

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Jens, Benjamin C

Associate Professor of Practice

Dr. Benjamin Jens received his Ph.D. in Slavic Languages and Literature from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His main area of research is 19th-century Russian literature – especially the works of Fyodor Dostoevsky – with a focus on the relationship between literature, discourse, and Eastern Orthodoxy. He also has research interests in Eastern European cinema, science fiction, and cultural ties between the Western Balkans and Russia. Dr. Jens is also the director of the Arizona in Russia study abroad program in Moscow, Russia.

Select Publications

Jens, Benjamin, et. Al. “Oral History in the Russian Language Curriculum: A Transformative Experience.” The Art of Teaching Russian, eds. Evgeny Dengub, Irina Dubinina, and Jason Merrill, Georgetown University Press, 2020.
“Silence and Confession in The Brothers Karamazov.” Russian Review, vol. 75, no. 1, 2016, pp. 51–66.

Courses Taught:

RSSS 275 – Eastern Europe & the Balkans (EP-Humanist - World Cultures and Societies, Diversity and Equity)
RSSS280 – Sports and Empire (Building Connections – World Cultures and Societies)
RSSS304 – History of Soviet and Post-Soviet Film (EP-Humanist – World Cultures and Societies, Writing)
RSSS310 - Red Stars, Cosmonauts, and Robots: Soviet and East European Science Fiction (EP-Humanist - World Cultures and Societies)
RSSS315 – Werewolves and Vampires: Slavic Folklore in our Culture (EP-Humanist - World Cultures and Societies, Diversity and Equity)
RSSS325 – Eastern Orthodoxy in a Global Age (EP-Humanist – World Cultures and Societies)
RSSS335 – Healthy Places, Toxic Spaces (Building Connections - World Cultures and Societies, Diversity and Equity)
RSSS340 – The Pen and the Sword: Russian Writers and Autocracy (1825-1905) (EP-Humanist - World Cultures and Societies, Writing)
RSSS360 – Utopian Visions: East European Visual Culture (EP-Artist – World Cultures and Societies)

Currently Teaching

RSSS 275 – Eastern Europe & the Balkans: Constructing Identity in Contact and Conflict

This course is an interdisciplinary introduction to Eastern European and Balkan cultures, primarily those of Poland, Hungary, Ukraine, and the former Yugoslavia. When most people think of this region today, images of the most recent wars and chaos of post-Communist times come to mind. However, hidden behind these images is a region rich in history and culture: Viennese cafe culture meets the Mediterranean; world religions meet and intermingle, and the region's contemporary arts have influenced global culture. In this class we will explore this region's turbulent history, cross-cultural interactions, and common traditions and customs.

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RSSS 280 – Sports and Empire: Sport in Soviet & Post-Soviet Eastern European Society

For almost 100 years, the Soviet Union and Russia have used large sporting events for both geopolitical and domestic purposes. In the Soviet Union sport was not only a means of entertainment, but also a key element of state propaganda. Through sport, the new Soviet person was to be made. By 1956, the Soviet Union took home more Olympic medals than the US team, setting the stage for a rivalry between capitalist and socialist states that would last throughout the Cold War era. This course will explore the birth of sport in Russia and Eastern Europe, trace how the Soviet system created a propaganda machine out of international sporting competition, and how the Soviet legacy continues into the modern day. We will also discuss contemporary sporting issues--such as doping scandals and the hosting of international events--to analyze how sport is used as a projection of identity, resistance and/or power in the global arena.

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RSSS 325 – Eastern Orthodoxy in a Global Age

This course focuses on the history and doctrine of Eastern Christianity from its origins in the early Church through today, emphasizing the cultural manifestations of Orthodox doctrine: liturgy, iconography, pious practice. We will compare Eastern Orthodoxy to Western Christianity (Catholicism and Protestantism), and will examine various different national Churches within Eastern Orthodoxy (i.e., Byzantine, Bulgarian, Serbian, Modern Greek, the older "Oriental" Churches, etc.), with a primary focus on Russia. Eastern Orthodox Christianity is often perceived as being one of the more 'mystical' of Christian traditions, and we will explore the Orthodox vision of 'the mystical life', examining its basis in history and contemporary experience. We will also ask about the significance of Church doctrine and practice for the development of culture as a whole in the areas of the world in which Eastern Christianity predominates, and the ways in which that culture both differs from and relates to what we (perhaps inaccurately) call "Western" civilization. In general, Orthodox practice relies heavily on the senses, and the course is designed to be experiential. To that end, we will make at least one field trip to a local Orthodox Church during the course of the semester.

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