Post-Soviet Cultures: from Chernobyl to Zelenskyy
RUSS 320
Fall 2026
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01
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In this course, we will explore short fiction, documentary prose, films, poems, and songs that embrace the period from the collapse of the Soviet Union to Russia's war on Ukraine. Many of these works reflect on the major events of the post-Soviet era and sometimes even influence the course of history. For example, the comedy series, Servant of the People, in which Volodymyr Zelenskyy starred as a history teacher who becomes the president of Ukraine, helped him win the presidency in reality. We will discuss works that address the Chernobyl disaster, the collapse of the Soviet Union, transformations of Putinism, the Revolution of Dignity in Ukraine, and Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. We will explore some of the most famous Russophone authors of the contemporary period (Svetlana Alexievich, Liudmila Petrushevskaia, Viktor Pelevin, Vladimir Sorokin) and different aesthetic trends and genres: from Siberian punk in music to postmodern dystopia in literature. We will pay special attention to contemporary Ukrainian culture, reading Andrei Kurkov's Ukraine Diaries and watching the Oscar-winning 20 Days in Mariupol. All the readings, films, and songs will be studied in Russian. The course is open to students who have completed four semesters of Russian language or more (or an equivalent). It is also open to heritage and native speakers of Russian. We will work with advanced Russian grammar and vocabulary. The assignments will be diversified and adjusted to students' individual language levels. |
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| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
HA REES |
| Course Format: Language | Grading Mode: Student Option |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: RUSS202 |
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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
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Svetlana Alexievich, ¿Voices from Chernobyl¿ (excerpts)
Liudmila Petrushevskaya, ¿The Flu¿
Viktor Pelevin, ¿The Short History of Paintball in Moscow¿
Vladimir Sorokin, ¿The Queue¿
Andrei Kurkov, ¿Ukraine Diaries¿ (excerpts)
Films:
¿Princess on Beans,¿ dir. Villen Novak
¿Elena,¿ dir. Nikolay Zviagintsev
series ¿Servant of the People,¿ dir. Volodymyr Zelenskyy
¿20 Days in Mariupol,¿ dir. Mstyslav Chernov
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Examinations and Assignments:
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Short in-class essays, presentations, a midterm, and a final project.
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Additional Requirements and/or Comments:
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| Instructor(s): Karageorgos,Natasha Times: .M.W.F. 10:50AM-11:40AM; Location: TBA |
| Total Enrollment Limit: 15 | | SR major: 2 | JR major: 2 | | |
| Seats Available: 15 | GRAD: X | SR non-major: 2 | JR non-major: 3 | SO: 3 | FR: 3 |
| Drop/Add Enrollment Requests | | | | | |
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