CCOG for RUS 260A archive revision 201404

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Effective Term:
Fall 2014 through Summer 2015

Course Number:
RUS 260A
Course Title:
Russian Culture
Credit Hours:
3
Lecture Hours:
30
Lecture/Lab Hours:
0
Lab Hours:
0

Course Description

Introduces Russian traditional and modern culture and society through analysis of cultural, historical and social issues in film and media materials. Explores concepts such as self-identity, Russian views of the West, poverty and wealth, nationalism and racism, cultural pride, modern social issues, gender roles, families, marriage and divorce, social roles, and more. Course conducted in English. Russian materials are subtitled in English. No knowledge of Russian needed. Audit available.

Intended Outcomes for the course

Upon successful completion students should be able to:

1. Use an understanding of key ideology and terminology on concepts such as self-identity, Russian views of the West, poverty and wealth, nationalism and racism, cultural pride, modern social issues, gender roles, families, social roles, and use critical thinking to evaluate historical changes and their impact on current Russian society.

2. Recognize the social contributions of Russia based on a deepened understanding of its history, society, politics, and culture in order to appreciate and evaluate cultural diversity in the global community.

3. Identify culturally grounded assumptions of one’s own and apply a basic understanding of Russian culture, social and political issues, perspectives, and forms of expression, to resolve cultural conflicts.

4. Enhance citizenship skills through the practice of self-appraisal and examination of one’s personal beliefs in comparison to the beliefs of others.

5. Apply cultural understandings learned in class effectively in authentic interactions with native speakers of Russian.

Course Activities and Design

Students are expected to do the following activities in this course:

1. View Russian language films subtitled in English.

2. Read articles, surveys, song lyrics, poetry addressing various issues of Russian culture.

3. Actively participate in small group discussions

4. Actively participate in interactive class discussions

5. Write reading responses, film responses and essays to assess understanding of cultural and social themes in readings and films

6. Make individual and group presentations

Outcome Assessment Strategies

1. Active participation in small group discussions

2. Active participation in interactive class discussions

3. Conceptual written tasks to assess understanding of cultural and social themes in readings and films

4. Individual and group presentations

Course Content (Themes, Concepts, Issues and Skills)

The following themes will be explored in the course:

1.  Economic conditions in post-Soviet Russia

2. Russian self-identity

3. Russian views of the West

4. Nationalism and racism

5. Cultural pride

6. Modern social issues

7. Gender roles

8. Families

9. Marriage and divorce

10. Social roles