Cultures and Literatures of the Russian and Soviet Empires

Examines in depth various topics that constituted the cultural and literary landscape of the Soviet Union, examining their antecedents in the Russian empire and their reemergence in the post-Soviet world. Topics include: the Caucasus, from Tolstoy to modern Chechnya; Orientalism; the Civil War and Pasternak; Akhmatova and the experience of the totalitarian state. Enrollment limited to 30.