Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

Are you interested in learning about 20th century Russian society, life, culture and history through literature and film? If so, you’ve found the right class!

RUS 260B is a 2-credit Russian culture course that will focus on Russian society and culture from after the Russian revolution in the 1920’s through the post-Soviet collapse in the early 1990s. The course is taught in English, all readings are translated in English and all films are subtitled in English. No knowledge of Russian is needed, only an interest in learning about this fascinating country and culture.

The works and films we’ll read and watch and the themes they’ll present will include:

•Short stories by Mikhail Zoshchenko featuring the hilarious, absurd realities of Soviet life in the 1920s after the Russian revolution. (25 pages)

•"We" Yevgeny Zamyatin’s short novel written in 1924, depicting the first dystopian society in world literature that would serve as the influence for 1984 and Brave New World. (225 pages)

•"Stalker," Andrei Tarkovsky’s 1979 masterpiece science fiction film, set in a post-apocalypse world that poses more questions than it answers about life, desire, faith, and love.

•Short stories by Sergei Dovlatov examining the unbelievable realities of Soviet life in the 1960s and 1970s. (35 pages)

•"Assa," the 1987 cult classic film, telling the story of a love triangle, counter culture, and the music that helped bring down the USSR.

•"Brother," Aleksei Balabanov’s 1997 film portraying gangsters, a modern-day hero, and post Soviet social collapse. 

RUS 260B will be taught online with required Zoom class attendance each Monday from 3-4:50pm. The works we read and films we watch will serve as springboards for class and breakout room discussions. You’ll activity participate and share your ideas as we learn about Russian culture together. For homework, you’ll complete readings or watch a film before attending class. Other homework will include short, informal reflection pieces where you share your thoughts on the readings and films. Homework will be due each Monday at 3pm. We will not use a discussion board in this class, and there also will not be any exams or quizzes in this course.

The films and the short stories by Zoshchenko and Dovlatov will all be available on the course D2L page at no cost. You will only purchase the novel We for $17. The only equipment needed for this class are a working microphone and web camera to participate in our Zoom class discussions.

We welcome all students of all backgrounds to our Russian program and would love to have you as part this Russian culture class!

If you have any questions about this class or our Russian language classes, please contact Russian Department Chair Kristine Shmakov at: kshmakov@pcc.edu

A working microphone and web camera are required for Zoom class participation.