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| Unit name |
From Peter to Catherine: The Enlightenment n Eighteenth-Century Russia |
| Unit code |
RUSS32059 |
| Credit points |
20 |
| Level of study |
H/6
|
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24)
|
| Unit director |
Emeritus Professor. Offord |
| Open unit status |
Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
None |
| Co-requisites |
None
|
| School/department |
Department of Russian |
| Faculty |
Faculty of Arts |
Description including Unit Aims
This unit explore aspects of the history, thought and literature of eighteenth century Russia, including: perceptions of Enlightenment reason and experience as against pre-Enlightenment tradition and authority, in particular the relationship between conservative clerical and progressive secular thought; the reception of scientific thought in Russia; the moral debate concerning the privileges and obligations of the autocrat, the nobility and the peasantry; comparison of the Russian Enlightenment experience with that in western Europe and in North America; westernised St. Petersburg and its relationship to its wider Russian hinterland; the historical context within which the Enlightenment takes place in Russia.
Aims:
- To introduce students to a significant body of knowledge of a complexity appropriate to final year level. The content matter will normally include one or more of the following: literature; social, cultural or political history; linguistics; cultural studies; film, television or other media.
- To facilitate students engagement with a body of literature, including secondary literature, texts, including in non-print media, primary sources and ideas as a basis for their own analysis and development. Normally many or most of these sources will be in a language other than English and will enhance the development of their linguistic skills.
- To develop further skills of synthesis, analysis and independent research, building on the skills acquired in units at level I.
- To equip students with the skills to undertake postgraduate study in a relevant field.
Intended Learning Outcomes
Successful students will:
- be knowledgable about a significant cultural, historical or linguistic subject related to the language they are studying;
- will have advanced skills in the selection and synthesis of relevant material;
- be able to evaluate and analyse relevant material from a significant body of source materials, usually in a foreign language, at an advanced level;
- be able to respond to questions or problems by presenting their independent judgements in an appropriate style and at an advanced level of complexity;
- be able to transfer these skills to other working environments, including postgraduate study.
Teaching Information
2 hours weekly, tutor- and student-led seminar.
Assessment Information
3000-word essay (50%) and a two-hour exam (50%).
Reading and References
A course handbook is provided containing English translations of all the set texts. The writers covered are Prokopovich, Kantemir, Lomonosov, Sumarokov, Fonvizin and Derzhavin.
