Circle of Scholars
Dr. Carol Reynolds

Start date: September 5, 2013, 7:00 p.m. Central Time
All class sessions will be archived and available for your convenience.

Welcome to our new course Imperial Russia. Here is some information to get you started.

Text

Recommended Text: Susanne Massie. Land of the Firebird: The Beauty of Old Russia  (Hearttree Press, 1980).

A classic, readable, illustrated cultural history. You can find used copies priced quite reasonably on Amazon. It also is in many libraries, as it was a best-seller when it was first published. If you already have a Russian history, you may choose to use that as a general guide instead.

Keeping a Notebook

Russian history is full of colorful names and events. We recommend you track the flow of this material by whatever method works best for you: a notebook divided into sections for history, geography, art, music, terminology, etc., or perhaps note cards filed by topic. You may prefer keep notes on computer files. Whatever method you choose, it’s helpful to keep the information close at hand, where you can refer and add to it easily.

Russian Alphabet

What about “Russian”? Are we going to learn Russian? We won’t have time to learn Russian formally in one semester, but we will have regular exposure to the Cyrillic alphabet. I will provide exercises, and invite you to get more familiar with Russian names (in Cyrillic) and basic terms that are cognates (same roots, meaning same things in various languages).

You will find it surprisingly easy to familiarize yourself with the alphabet. Knowing the alphabet will open up the Russian language for future study.

Viewing & Listening

Part of the course requirement will involve viewing Russian art as well as video clips both as follow up to a class and in preparation for the next class. Also, there will be listening requirements with links that will take you directly to the music.

Students taking this course for high-school credit are required to do these assignments. Those taking the class for enrichment are strongly encouraged to do the assignments.

Testing

Interactive, self-graded quizzes will be provided. Students taking the course for credit will be expected to log their quiz grades.

There will also be discussion questions, project and paper suggestions. I will administer a final test at the semester’s end. Review materials will be provided.

Syllabus

IMPERIAL RUSSIA

Explore the color and sounds of Imperial Russia. Discover its literature and history, folklore and fairy tales, paintings and architecture. Professor Carol leads you on a personal journey deep into the heart of Russia to see all facets of its fascinating culture.

1.   Russia and the West (Sept. 5)

2.   Orthodox Music and Art (Sept. 12)

3.   Medieval Russia & the First Princes (Sept. 19)

4.   *Time of Troubles and the Romanovs (Oct. 3)

Fall Break (Oct. 10)

6.   Glinka and the Golden Age (Oct. 24)

7.   Pushkin (Oct. 31)

8.   The Russian Realists in Music & Art (Nov. 7)

9.   Folk and Fairy Tales in Russian Culture (Nov. 14)

10. Tchaikovsky and Russian Romanticism (Nov. 21)

Thanksgiving Break (Nov. 28)

12. Revolution & Socialist Realism in the Arts (Dec. 12)

*These class sessions will be pre-recorded rather than live.