Jens, Benjamin C | Department of Russian and Slavic Studies

bcjens@arizona.edu

Office

Learning Services Building 328

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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

"Oral History in the Russian Language Curriculum: A Transformative Experience." Chapter co-authored with Benjamin Rifkin and Colleen Lucey and accepted for publication in The Art of Teaching Russian, eds. Evgeny Dengub, Irina Dubinina, and Jason Merrill.

“Silence and Confession in The Brothers Karamazov.” Russian Review, vol. 75, no. 1, 2016, pp. 51–66.

Courses Taught:

RSSS150B1 – Eastern European Cinema in a Social Context

RSSS275 – The Balkans: Identity in Crisis

RSSS304 – History of Soviet and Post-Soviet Film

RSSS310 – Red Stars, Cosmonauts, and Robots: Soviet and East European Science Fiction

RSSS315 – Werewolves and Vampires: Slavic Folklore in our Culture

RSSS325 – Eastern Orthodoxy in a Global Age

RSSS340 – The Pen and the Sword: Russian Writers and Autocracy (1825-1905)

RSSS350 – The Soviet Experiment

Currently Teaching

RSSS 315 – Vampires and Werewolves: Slavic & East European Folklore in our Culture

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

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RSSS 340 – The Pen and the Sword: Russian Writers and Autocracy 1825-1905

This course is designed to be an introduction to the "Golden Age" of Russian literature. We will read a selection of classic Russian texts, with representative works from "canonical" authors like Dostoevsky and Tolstoy, among others. The writers we will read not only played a key role in the development of Russian literature, but their handling of life's greatest issues (the existence of God, the meaning of life, struggle for gender equality, the organization of society, the mystery of death, etc.) have influenced cultural, intellectual, and political movements throughout the world. The course readings are organized chronologically and by theme, and we will trace the progression of the major literary movements of the era (sentimentalism, romanticism and realism) while exploring the individual style/technique of each author. Works will be considered within their cultural context --historical, social, ideological and intellectual --in order to provide a better understanding of Russian thought, culture, and literature. All readings, discussions and written assignments will be in English.

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RSSS 696C – Russian Literature: 19th Century

The development and exchange of scholarly information, usually in a small group setting. The scope of work shall consist of research by course registrants, with the exchange of the results of such research through discussion, reports, and/or papers.

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