| Unit name | Dostoevsky (TB2) |
|---|---|
| Unit code | RUSS30073 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | H/6 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Dr. Coates |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | Department of Russian |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
Why is this unit important?
Fyodor Dostoevsky (1821-1881) is widely acknowledged to be one of the greatest novelists of any era, not only in Russia, but in the world. His reputation rests on compelling storytelling, penetrating psychological insight, and formal innovation, but also on the intensity of his engagement with ‘ultimate’ questions about the good society, human nature, ethics, and the existence of God. Though Dostoevsky’s work responded to his own time and place (a rapidly modernising Russia in the 19th century), it continues to resonate with readers today, since many of 19th-century Russia’s challenges remain our challenges, and Dostoevsky’s questions remain our questions. In this unit we read two of Dostoevsky’s mature novels deeply and comparatively, gaining a layered understanding of the formal, philosophical dimensions of his work. We learn how Dostoevsky absorbed and responded to other European writers, and how critics have responded to his work over time.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study?
For students of Russian literature, this unit offers you an opportunity to focus in depth on a single writer (one of the pre-eminent Russian novelists) for the first time, building on foundations laid in Understanding Russia: Literature and Visual Culture and The 19th century Russian Novel. The unit will additionally build on non-literature focussed Y1 and Y2 units you may have taken in the Department of Russian and Czech, given Dostoevsky's interest in social and religious questions and his fierce opposition to the revolutionary movement. For students. of European literatures and cultures, including English literature, this unit offers
you an exciting way in to the Russian nineteenth century and a further comparative dimension to your studies, building on knowledge and skills gained in Years 1 and 2.
An overview of content
The course covers two of Dostoevsky’s major novels with reference to the writer’s life and other work, and to critical and theoretical responses to his fiction.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit?
Engagement with any writer of stature expands the reader’s cultural and intellectual horizons, and Dostoevsky is a pre-eminent example of this. Your skills of analysis and critical thinking will be developed through the work of articulating your response to the formal and conceptual challenges of Dostoevsky’s novels, and you will grow intellectually by considering philosophical and existential questions in an alien, yet still recognisable, context. You will gain an appreciation of the importance of dialogue in a person’s intellectual and psychological formation, modelled both in Dostoevsky’s fiction and in the classroom. You will be able to apply this learning in your own interactions with others and use it to enhance your own
personal growth.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit students will be able to:
Each week you will have one two-hour class that will include, broadly, three types of learning:
lecture, discussion, and presentation.
Lecture: Lectures equip you with foundational subject knowledge and the requisite context for the interpretation of Dostoevsky’s work. On this unit, only the first class is dominated by the lecture; generally speaking, brief lecture-type content will be used to introduce the topic for the week and conclude class discussion.
Discussion: discussions are a student-centred mode of learning. You will discuss key questions about the texts, developing, sharing and defending your own arguments as we discuss the material together as a class, and/or in pairs and small groups.This mode of learning is central to this unit and serves among other things to develop your collaborative skills.
Presentation: All students will deliver a short presentation in collaboration with others. On this unit, participation in presentations, both as a presenter and an audience member, serves the specific purpose of training you for close analysis of Dostoevsky’s text. You will also sharpen your presentation skills.
Beyond the classroom, you will devote much time to primary and secondary reading, essential in the humanities. Reading is sometimes misunderstood as a ‘passive’ activity, but engaged reading is an active
process, as you will not only be expanding your subject knowledge, but also developing your sense of empathy, imagination and critical judgment.
In total, you will have 20 hours of class teaching and 180 hours of independent learning.
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative)
Group presentation, 15 minutes (0%, Not Required for Credit)
Tasks which count towards your unit mark
Research essay, 3000-words [ILOs 1-3]
Timed assessment, 1,500 words [ILOs 1-3]
When assessment does not go to plan
When required by the Board of Examiners, you will normally complete reassessments in the same formats as those outlined above. However, the Board reserves the right to modify the form or number of reassessments required. Details of reassessments are normally confirmed by the School shortly after the notification of your results at the end of the academic year.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. RUSS30073).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The assessment methods listed in this unit specification are designed to enable students to demonstrate the named learning outcomes (LOs). Where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, schools will make reasonable adjustments to support a student to demonstrate the LO by an alternative method or with additional resources.
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
