RUS 370 (Taught in English- No previous knowledge of Russian required)

From Gorbachev to Putin: Contemporary Russian Culture

"Russia is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma."

Sir Winston Churchill, Radio speech, 1939

Spring 2009 TR 12:40 – 2:00
Prof. Olga Mesropova

This course examines the evolution of Russian culture in the late Soviet and post-Soviet periods, covering such events and topics as perestroika, the collapse of the Soviet Union, the beginnings of a capitalist society, and leaders Gorbachev, Yeltsin, and Putin. We will analyze the extraordinary shifts that have taken place in Russian society, culture, literature, cinema, economics, and life in general since the beginning of the 1980s. Students will examine issues of national and cultural identity, gender, family, and everyday life; and become familiarized with the most characteristic examples of Post-Soviet fiction, music, cinema, and fine arts.

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