News

Join renowned Professor Pavel Khazanov for a slow journey through one famous Russian novel: Mikhail Bulgakov’s The Master and Margarita (1940). The novel is a fantastic account of 1930s Russia under Stalin, whose primary characters include an imprisoned novelist, his witch-like lover, a talking cat who wields a gun, and Satan himself.  It blends magical elements with Soviet history, philosophy, and slapstick comedy, making it an enjoyable and accessible entry point into Russian culture.

This course guides students in the basics of reading a literary text from a culture different than our own, providing the rudimentary cultural and historical context. Some of the questions we will tackle are: how to keep track of many characters whose names have multiple versions? What exactly is a religious “icon,” and why do people carry them around? What was unique about daily life in the Soviet Union? How can we understand Russian attitudes towards money, family, faith, and art ? This course is taught in English and has no prerequisites. No knowledge of Russian is required.

In collaboration with departments and programs across the university, REELL has created a NEW minor in Slavic and East European Studies (861)! If you're interested in the history, culture, and politics of eastern Europe and the former contiguous Soviet bloc, and are excited about  studying a relevant regional language (including Polish, Russian, and more), this is the minor for you! Learn more on our minors page and write to REELL Director Prof. Chloë Kitzinger to express your interest: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . 

Shalamov’s stories remain documents even if we read them like fairy tales”: Konstantin Mitroshenkov interviews Prof. Emily Van Buskirk for Gor’ky Media (in Russian)

Read the interview HERE

Click here to view our Spring 2024 course descriptions.

Please click here to read about one of our new courses for the Fall 2023 semester offered by the REELL program, 01:860:320:01, Ukrainian Literature in Translation: Coming of Age, taught by newly hired visiting Lecturer Serhii Tereshchenko.