Nobel Laureates: The Politics of Literature
REES 254
Spring 2026
| Section:
01
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| Crosslisting:
RULE 254, RUSS 254 |
The course examines key cultural and socio-historical moments in the development of twentieth-century literature written in Russian by focusing on the prose and poetry of authors awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature: Ivan Bunin (1933), Boris Pasternak (1958), Mikhail Sholokhov (1965), Alexander Solzhenitsyn (1970), Joseph Brodsky (1987), and Svetlana Alexievich (2015). Additionally, the students will read Leo Tolstoy, who refused the nomination for the prize, as well as Vladimir Nabokov and Anna Akhmatova, who arguably merited the award but never received it. On the broader level, the class will ponder literature's relevance for shaping public discourse on cultural policies, national identities, and international relations. This class will also consider the role (and craft) of literary criticism. Pierre Bourdieu's and other theorists' writings on "cultural capital" will inform our discussions. |
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| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
HA REES |
| Course Format: Lecture / Discussion | Grading Mode: Student Option |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: None |
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Fulfills a Requirement for: (Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies Minor)(Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies) |
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Past Enrollment Probability: Not Available |
| SECTION 01 |
Major Readings: Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore
Boris Pasternak, Doctor Zhivago, trans. Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, trans. Ralph Parker
Vladimir Nabokov, Lolita
Svetlana Alexievich, Voices from Chernobyl, trans. Keith Gessen
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Examinations and Assignments:
Active participation in discussion, two papers (5-7pp. each), an in-class presentation, and a creative collaborative "Literature & Society" project |
Additional Requirements and/or Comments:
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| Instructor(s): Utkin,Roman Times: ...W... 07:10PM-10:00PM; Location: TBA |
| Total Enrollment Limit: 19 | | SR major: 2 | JR major: 2 | | |
| Seats Available: 19 | GRAD: X | SR non-major: 3 | JR non-major: 3 | SO: 5 | FR: 4 |
| Drop/Add Enrollment Requests | | | | | |
| Total Submitted Requests: 0 | 1st Ranked: 0 | 2nd Ranked: 0 | 3rd Ranked: 0 | 4th Ranked: 0 | Unranked: 0 |
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