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Slavic Languages and Literatures

Faculty


Professors Emeriti
C.H. Bedford, MA, Ph D
R. Bogert, MA, Ph D
L. Doležel, Ph D
K.A. Lantz, MA, Ph D
R. Lindheim, MA
R.H. Marshall, Ph D
N. Pavliuc, MA, Ph D
C.V. Ponomareff, MA, Ph D
N.N. Shneidman, MPHE, MA, Dip REES, Ph D
R.D.B. Thomson, MA, D Phil

Professor and Chair of the Department
D. T. Orwin, MA, Ph D

Professor and Graduate Coordinator
L. Livak, MA, Ph D

Associate Professor and Undergraduate Coordinator
T. Koznarsky, MA, Ph D

Professors
C.J. Barnes, MA, Ph D
C.E. Kramer, MA, Ph D

Associate Professors
V. Ambros, MA, Ph D
J. Schallert, Ph D
M. Tarnawsky, MA, Ph D
T. Trojanowska, MA, Ph D

Assistant Professors
K. Holland, MA, Ph D
D. Obradovic, MA, Ph D

Senior Lecturer in Russian, Language Program Coordinator
Julia Mikhailova, MA, Ph D

Introduction

For over one thousand years the countries of the Slavic world have played a prominent role in international life, and have provided our civilization with numerous writers, musicians, philosophers, religious and political thinkers, and scientists of note. The richness of the Slavic cultures has a special significance for Canada, since the vast influx of Slavs, which began in the last century, has contributed greatly to the Canadian cultural mosaic.

The Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures offers an extensive range of courses in Russian, Polish, Ukrainian, Czech and Slovak, Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian, and Macedonian languages, literatures, culture, and film as well as in Slavic linguistics. Within this range there are courses suitable for inclusion in a wide variety of programs of study, whether or not the student has studied any Slavic language previously. Some students may specialize in Slavic Languages and Literatures, i.e. Russian, Polish or Ukrainian (see Programs of Study). Others may simply wish to gain a working knowledge of Russian or another Slavic language to aid their reading of important material in another field. Language study emphasizes small instructional groups, with some laboratory or conversational practice, and the use of literary materials.

Courses in the literatures and cultures of various Slavic countries explore the artistic, intellectual, and social currents of their civilizations, trace the literary history of each country, and examine the works of major authors. Many of our literature, culture, and film courses are taught in English and do not require special linguistic preparation.

The growing importance of Eastern Europe in contemporary affairs has had the effect of making academic study of this area especially lively and relevant. The student whose interest in the Russian or East European world is political, historical, or sociological can specialize in Russian and East European Studies, or pursue a course in Political Science, History, or Sociology, and at the same time take language courses, and perhaps selected courses in literature, in this Department. Students planning to specialize in Economics, Psychology, Mathematics, or any number of other fields, who have a special interest in the Russian or East European area, will find an advanced knowledge of Russian or of another Slavic language an important intellectual and professional asset.

Students intending to take a Program offered by the Department are asked to study carefully the Programs of Study and are urged to begin their language training as soon as possible. A Departmental brochure is available on request.

Undergraduate Coordinator :
Associate Professor Taras Koznarsky, 121 St. Joseph Street, Room 417, taras.koznarsky@utoronto.ca, 416-926-1300, ext. 3236.

Web site: www.utoronto.ca/slavic

Slavic Languages and Literatures Programs

Enrolment in the Slavic Languages and Literatures programs requires the completion of four courses; no minimum GPA required.


Bosnian, Croatian, Macedonian and Serbian Studies (Arts programs): please see South Slavic Studies Czech and Slovak Studies Major (Arts program)

This program has unlimited enrolment and no specific admission requirements. All students who have completed at least 4.0 courses are eligible to enrol.

(6 FCEs or their equivalent, with at least 2 FCEs at the 300+ - level, including 0.5 FCE at the 400-level)

1.     SLA105Y1, SLA204Y1, SLA305H1
2.      Remaining FCEs from: HIS251Y1, SLA103H1, SLA200H1, SLA201H1, SLA202H1, SLA203H1, SLA214H1, SLA215H1, SLA222H1, SLA224H1, SLA225H1, SLA233H1, SLA254H1, SLA256H1, SLA301H1, SLA302H1, SLA325H1, SLA333H1, SLA335H1, SLA380H1, SLA401H1, SLA404H1, SLA405H1, SLA424H1, SLA425Y1, SLA435H1, SLA465H1, SLA475H1, SLA495H1
3.     0.5 FCE in Breadth Requirement Category 5: The Physical and Mathematical Universes, or another half course approved by the program director, to fulfill the Quantitative Reasoning competency required in the program.

Czech and Slovak Studies Minor (Arts program)

This program has unlimited enrolment and no specific admission requirements. All students who have completed at least 4.0 courses are eligible to enrol.

(4 FCEs or their equivalent, including at least 1 FCE at the 300+ - level )

1.    At least 0.5  FCE from: SLA105Y1, SLA204Y1, SLA305H1
2.     Remaining FCEs from: HIS251Y1, SLA103H1, SLA200H1, SLA202H1, SLA214H1, SLA215H1, SLA222H1, SLA223H1, SLA224H1, SLA225H1, SLA254H1, SLA256H1, SLA301H1, SLA305H1, SLA325H1, SLA333H1, SLA335H1, SLA404H1, SLA405H1, SLA424H1, SLA425Y1, SLA435H1, SLA465H1, SLA475H1, SLA495H1

Polish Language and Literature Major (Arts program)

This program has unlimited enrolment and no specific admission requirements. All students who have completed at least 4.0 courses are eligible to enrol.

(6 FCEs or their equivalent. with at least 2 FCEs at the 300+ level, including 0.5 FCE at the 400-level)

1.     1. A sequence of one, two or three FCEs from SLA106Y1, SLA206H1 and SLA207H1
(former SLA206Y1), SLA306H1, SLA336H1, and SLA426H1, depending on the student’s skill level
2.     SLA216Y1
3.     SLA346H1, SLA356H1
4.     Remaining FCEs from: SLA200H1, SLA201H1, SLA203H1, SLA214H1, SLA222H1, SLA223H1, SLA224H1, SLA226H1, SLA254H1, SLA256H1, SLA236H1, SLA301H1, SLA302H1, SLA318H1, SLA333H1, SLA380H1, SLA406H1, SLA427H1, SLA436H1, SLA476H1, SLA495H1
5.     0.5 FCE in Breadth Requirement Category 5: The Physical and Mathematical Universes, or another half course approved by the program director, to fulfill the Quantitative Reasoning competency required in the program.

Heritage speakers of Russian or Polish with a high-level proficiency in French may be eligible for a joint Translation Initiative between the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures of the University of Toronto and the School of Translation at Glendon College, York University. This small pilot initiative (up to six students per institution per year) will prepare students for the professional field of multilingual translation and interpreting. The translation courses taken as part of this pilot initiative will count toward the Russian Language and Literature Major. Please see the “Translation Courses” section and consult the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures for eligibility.

Polish Language and Literature Minor (Arts program)

This program has unlimited enrolment and no specific admission requirements. All students who have completed at least 4.0 courses are eligible to enrol.

(4 FCEs or their equivalent, including at least 1 FCE at the 300+ - level)

1. SLA106Y1 or combination of SLA206H1 and SLA207H1 (former SLA206Y1); or SLA306H1 and SLA336H1
2. SLA216Y1
3. Two FCEs from: SLA226H1, SLA346H1, SLA356H1, SLA406H1, SLA426H1, SLA427H1, SLA436H1, SLA476H1, SLA495H1

Polish Studies Major (Arts program)

This program has unlimited enrolment and no specific admission requirements. All students who have completed at least 4.0 courses are eligible to enrol.

(7 FCEs or their equivalent, with at least 2 FCEs at the 300+ - level, including 0.5 FCE at the 400-level)

1. A sequence of two FCEs from one of the following groups, depending on the student’s skill level: a) SLA106Y1, SLA206H1 and SLA207H1 (former SLA206Y1) b) SLA206H1 and SLA207H1 (former SLA206Y), SLA306H1, SLA336H1 c) SLA306H1, SLA336H1, SLA346H1,SLA356H1
2. SLA216Y1, HIS353Y1
3. Three FCEs, with at least one FCE from group B:
Group A: Polish
SLA226H1, SLA346H1, SLA356H1, SLA406H1, SLA426H1, SLA427H1, SLA436H1, SLA476H1
Group B: History and General Slavic
HIS251Y1, HIS433H1, HIS461H1, SLA103H1, SLA200H1, SLA201H1, SLA203H1, SLA214H1, SLA222H1, SLA223H1, SLA224H1, SLA236H1, SLA254H1, SLA256H1, SLA301H1, SLA302H1, SLA318H1, SLA333H1, SLA380H1, SLA495H1
4. 0.5 FCE in Breadth Requirement Category 5: The Physical and Mathematical Universes, or another half course approved by the program director, to fulfill the Quantitative Reasoning competency required in the program.

Polish Studies Minor (Arts Program)

This program has unlimited enrolment and no specific admission requirements. All students who have completed at least 4.0 courses are eligible to enrol.

(4 FCEs or their equivalent, with at least one FCE at the 300+ - level)

1. A sequence of two of the following language courses, depending on the student's skill level: a. SLA106Y1, SLA206H1, SLA207H1 (former SLA206Y1) b. SLA206H1, SLA207H1 (former SLA206Y1), SLA306H1, SLA336H1 c. SLA306H1 or SLA336H1, SLA346H1, SLA356H1, SLA426H1
2. SLA216Y1
3. HIS353Y1

Russian Language and Literature Specialist (Arts program)

This program has unlimited enrolment and no specific admission requirements. All students who have completed at least 4.0 courses are eligible to enrol.

(10 FCEs or their equivalent, with at least 4 FCEs at the 300+-level, including 1 FCE at the 400-level)

1.     SLA100H1, SLA101H1
2.     SLA220Y1, SLA245H1, SLA246H1, SLA320Y1, SLA420Y1
3.     The remaining FCEs are to be chosen from: SLA102H1, SLA103H1, SLA200H1, SLA201H1, SLA202H1, SLA203H1, SLA210H1, SLA211H1, SLA212H1, SLA222H1, SLA231H0, SLA234H1, SLA236H1SLA242H1, SLA244H1, SLA250Y1, SLA252H1, SLA254H1, SLA255H1, SLA256H1, JSH300H1, SLA302H1, SLA303H1, SLA311H1, SLA312H1, SLA313H1, SLA314H1, SLA315H1, SLA317H1, SLA318H1, SLA321H1, SLA322H1, SLA323H1, SLA330Y1, SLA331H1, SLA332H1, SLA333H1, SLA343H1SLA351H1, SLA367H1, SLA370H1, SLA380H1, SLA400H1, SLA402H1, SLA403H1, SLA415H1, SLA420Y1, SLA423H1, SLA430H1, SLA433H1, SLA440H1, SLA441H1, SLA442H1, SLA449H1, SLA451H1, SLA452Y1, SLA460H1SLA463H1, SLA464H1, SLA495H1

Russian Language and Literature Major (Arts program)

This program has unlimited enrolment and no specific admission requirements. All students who have completed at least 4.0 courses are eligible to enrol.

(7 FCEs or their equivalent, with at least 2 FCEs at the 300+-level, including 0.5 FCE at the 400-level)


1.    SLA100H1, SLA101H1
2.     SLA220Y1, SLA245H1, SLA246H1, SLA320Y1
3.     The remaining FCEs are to be chosen from: SLA102H1, SLA103H1, SLA200H1, SLA201H1, SLA202H1, SLA203H1, SLA210H1, SLA211H1, SLA212H1, SLA222H1, SLA234H1, SLA236H1, SLA242H1, SLA244H1, SLA250Y1, SLA252H1, SLA254H1, SLA255H1, SLA256H1, JSH300H1, SLA302H1, SLA303H1, SLA311H1, SLA312H1, SLA313H1, SLA314H1, SLA315H1, SLA317H1, SLA318H1, SLA321H1, SLA322H1, SLA323H1, SLA330Y1, SLA331H1, SLA332H1, SLA333H1, SLA343H1, SLA351H1, SLA367H1, SLA370H1, SLA380H1, SLA402H1, SLA403H1, SLA415H1, SLA420Y1, SLA423H1, SLA430H1, SLA433H1, SLA440H1, SLA441H1, SLA449H1, SLA451H1, SLA452Y1, SLA460H1SLA463H1, SLA464H1, SLA495H1
4. 0.5 FCE in Breadth Requirement Category 5: The Physical and Mathematical Universes, or another half course approved by the program director, to fulfill the Quantitative Reasoning competency required in the program.

NOTE: Students with OAC Russian or equivalent will take the language sequence SLA 220Y1, 320Y1, 420Y1.

Heritage speakers of Russian or Polish with a high-level proficiency in French may be eligible for a joint Translation Initiative between the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures of the University of Toronto and the School of Translation at Glendon College, York University. This small pilot initiative (up to six students per institution per year) will prepare students for the professional field of multilingual translation and interpreting. The translation courses taken as part of this pilot initiative will count toward the Russian Language and Literature Major. Please see the “Translation Courses” section and consult the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures for eligibility.

Russian Language and Literature Minor (Arts program)

This program has unlimited enrolment and no specific admission requirements. All students who have completed at least 4.0 courses are eligible to enrol.

(4 FCEs or their equivalent, including at least 1FCE at the 300+-level)

2 FCEs in Russian language and 2 FCEs in Russian literature, chosen in consultation with the Undergraduate Coordinator.

Russian Language Minor (Arts program):

This program has unlimited enrolment and no specific admission requirements. All students who have completed at least 4.0 courses are eligible to enrol.

(4 FCEs or their equivalent, including at least 1 FCE at the 300+-level)

Four FCEs from: SLA100H1, SLA101H1, SLA210H1, SLA211H1, SLA220Y1, SLA230H1, SLA255H1, SLA320Y1, SLA321H1, SLA322H1, SLA323H1, SLA330Y1, SLA351H1, SLA380H1, SLA402H1, SLA403H1, SLA420Y1, SLA430H1, SLA452Y1

Russian Literature in Translation Minor (Arts program)

This program has unlimited enrolment and no specific admission requirements. All students who have completed at least 4.0 courses are eligible to enrol.

(Four FCEs or their equivalent)

1. SLA245H1 and SLA246H1.
2. Three additional FCEs in Russian literature and/or culture.

South Slavic Studies Major (Arts program)

This program includes courses that cover facets of the literatures and cultures from the broader South Slavic linguistic territory as well as placing these linguistic, literary, and cultural traditions in a wider Slavic and European context. Students may take courses in the Bosnian, Croatian, Macedonian, and Serbian languages.

This program has unlimited enrolment and no specific admission requirements. All students who have completed at least 4.0 courses are eligible to enrol.

(6 FCEs or their equivalent, with at least 2 FCEs at the 300+ level, including 0.5 FCE at the 400-level)

  1. SLA257Y1 or the sequence of SLA209H1 and SLA213H1.
    Prerequisite for SLA257Y1 is SLA107Y1 or equivalent knowledge. SLA107Y1, if taken, counts toward the program requirements.  Prerequisite for SLA209H1 is SLA109Y1 or equivalent knowledge. SLA109Y1, if taken, counts toward the program requirements.
  2. SLA217H1, SLA227H1
  3. SLA247H1, SLA327H1, SLA337H1, SLA357H1
  4. Additional courses satisfying program requirements: SLA200H1, SLA201H1, SLA202H1, SLA203H1, SLA214H1, SLA222H1, SLA224H1, SLA 254H1, SLA255H1, SLA256H1, SLA258H1, SLA259H1, SLA301H1, SLA302H1, SLA330Y1, SLA333H1, SLA347H1, SLA348H1, SLA380H1, SLA401H1. History and Social Science courses related to South Slavic studies as well as other courses in Slavic studies may be taken in consultation with the Undergraduate Coordinator.
  5. 0.5 FCE in Breadth Requirement Category 5: The Physical and Mathematical Universes, or another half course approved by the program director, to fulfill the Quantitative Reasoning competency required in the program.
South Slavic Studies Minor (Arts program)

This program has unlimited enrolment and no specific admission requirements. All students who have completed at least 4.0 courses are eligible to enrol.

(4 FCEs or their equivalent, including at least 1 FCE at the 300+ -level)

  1. SLA217H1 or SLA227H1
  2. The remaining FCEs are to be chosen from the list of courses indicated in the Major program.  2 FCEs can be taken in a South Slavic language.
Ukrainian Language and Literature Specialist (Arts program)

This program has unlimited enrolment and no specific admission requirements. All students who have completed at least 4.0 courses are eligible to enrol.

Consult Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures.

(10 FCEs or their equivalent, with at least 4 FCEs at the 300+-level, including 1 FCE at the 400-level)

1.     SLA108Y1
2.     SLA208Y1, SLA218Y1, SLA308Y1, SLA438H1, SLA468H1
3.     Five FCEs from: SLA102H1, SLA200H1, SLA201H1, SLA203H1, SLA222H1, SLA228H1, SLA236H1, SLA238H1, SLA248H1, SLA254, SLA255H1, SLA256H1, SLA302H1, SLA311H1, SLA318H1, SLA328H1, SLA330Y1, SLA331H1, SLA338H1, SLA380H1, SLA408H1, SLA418H1, SLA419Y1, SLA428Y1, SLA429H1, SLA448H1, SLA458H1, SLA495H1. History and Social Science courses with Ukrainian content may also be counted toward this program, with prior permission of the Undergraduate Coordinator.
4. 0.5 FCE in Breadth Requirement Category 5: The Physical and Mathematical Universes, or another half course approved by the program director, to fulfill the Quantitative Reasoning competency required in the program.

Ukrainian Language and Literature Major (Arts program)

This program has unlimited enrolment and no specific admission requirements. All students who have completed at least 4.0 courses are eligible to enrol.

Consult Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures.

(6 FCEs or their equivalent, with at least 2 FCEs at the 300+-level, including 0.5 FCE at the 400-level)

1.     SLA108Y1
2.     SLA208Y1, SLA218Y1
3.     Three FCEs from: SLA102H1, SLA200H1, SLA201H1, SLA203H1, SLA214H1, SLA222H1, SLA223H1, SLA224H1, SLA228H1, SLA236H1, SLA238H1, SLA248H1, SLA254H1, SLA255H1, SLA256H1, SLA301H1, SLA302H1, SLA308Y1, SLA311H1, SLA318H1, SLA328H1, SLA331H1, SLA338H1, SLA380H1, SLA408H1, SLA418H1, SLA419Y1, SLA428Y1, SLA429H1, SLA438H1, SLA448H1, SLA458H1, SLA468H1, SLA495H1. History and Social Science courses with Ukrainian content may be taken toward the program, in consultation with the Undergraduate Coordinator.
4. 0.5 FCE in Breadth Requirement Category 5: The Physical and Mathematical Universes, or another half course approved by the program director, to fulfill the Quantitative Reasoning competency required in the program.

Ukrainian Language and Literature Minor (Arts program)

This program has unlimited enrolment and no specific admission requirements. All students who have completed at least 4.0 courses are eligible to enrol.

(4 FCEs or their equivalent, at least 1FCE at the 300+-level)

1. SLA218Y1
2. Three FCEs in Ukrainian language, literature or culture. One FCE in Ukrainian history may be taken toward the program, in consultation with the Undergraduate Coordinator.


Faculty of Arts & Science Language Citation

 The Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures participates in the Faculty of Arts and Science’s Language Citation initiative. Students may achieve this Citation in Bosnian, Croatian, Czech, Polish, Russian, Serbian, and Ukrainian. Students interested in completing the Language Citation in languages taught in the Slavic Department but not listed here should consult the Undergraduate Coordinator of the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures.

Language study is a demanding and intellectually rewarding educational experience. Our students learn to communicate both orally and in writing in other languages and are thus able to experience other parts of the world in more intimate ways. Their access to other cultures opens doors for further study and employment. Students in our department also have the opportunity to read a vast array of world-renowned authors in the original languages, as well as works – normally not available in English – in other areas of study, for example, cinema studies, drama, folklore, history, intellectual history, philosophy, mathematics, and political science.

The Language Citation recognizes a significant level of achievement in language study. For course selection students should consult the Undergraduate Coordinator as early as possible since not every language course is offered each year. Students who begin language study at the Intermediate level should consult the Undergraduate Coordinator for approval of advanced literature and culture courses that may satisfy the requirements for the Language Citation.

The Language Citation in Bosnian, Croatian, or Serbian is available to students who complete  SLA257Y1 and an additional FCE in South Slavic literature or culture with readings and discussion in the target language with a grade of at least B-. The Language Citation in Macedonian is available to students who complete SLA209H1, SLA213H1 and an additional FCE in South Slavic literature or culture with readings and discussion in the target language with a grade of at least B-. Consult the Undergraduate Coordinator for approval of advanced literature and culture courses that may satisfy the requirements for the Language Citation.

The Language Citation in Czech is available to students who complete SLA204Y1, SLA305H1, and SLA435H1 or SLA455H1 with a grade of at least B-.

The Language Citation in Polish is available to students who complete SLA206Y1, SLA306H1 and SLA336H1 with a grade of at least B-.

The Language Citation in Russian is available to students who complete, with a grade of at least B- , two FCEs: SLA220Y1, SLA320Y1, or SLA420Y1.

The Language Citation in Ukrainian is available to students who complete SLA308Y1
Students should note that, as explained on the page 20 of this Calendar, the Language Citation is not equivalent to an academic program and that enrolment in a program is not necessary in order to earn the recognition bestowed by the Citation.

Slavic Languages and Literatures Courses


Course listing order

Courses are listed in the following order:


Note

The Department reserves the right to place students in the language course best suited to their linguistic preparation


Interdisciplinary Courses
First Year Seminars

The 199Y1 and 199H1 seminars are designed to provide the opportunity to work closely with an instructor in a class of no more than twenty-four students. These interactive seminars are intended to stimulate the students’ curiosity and provide an opportunity to get to know a member of the professorial staff in a seminar environment during the first year of study. Details can be found at www.artsci.utoronto.ca/current/course/.


SLA102H1    Ukrainian and Russian Civilizations [24L]

A survey of major East Slavic civilizations through art, architecture, literature and religion. Includes the Scythians, whose battle skills and gold fascinated the ancient world; Kyivan Rus’ and its princes, monks and martyrs; the rise of the Cossacks; and Peter the Great, founder of the Russian Empire and of St. Petersburg. Taught in English, all readings in English.

Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Society and its Institutions (3)

SLA103H1    Golems and Robots on Stage and Screen[24L]

Exploring the ways artificial creatures are presented on stage and on screen, this course introduces students to major issues in the study of theatre, cinema, and popular culture. Focus on case studies from Central and Eastern Europe. Taught in English, all readings in English.

Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA200H1    Culture and Politics in Europe[24L]

Introduction to the issues of the interaction between cultural expression and political life, with a historical focus on Central and Eastern Europe. The mutually influential relationship between artistic activity and political dynamics in modern societies is examined through literature, visual arts, drama, music, and film. Taught in English, all materials in English.

Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Society and its Institutions (3)

SLA201H1    Losing It[24L]

How does one cope with loss, be it a nose, a leg, a pet, a name, a lover, a battle, a fortune, or one’s sanity? Through literary texts from Central and Eastern Europe, we explore the trauma and poetics of losing, and the mechanisms of coping with and compensating for the lost object. Taught in English, all readings in English.

Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA202H1    Jewish Communities in Slavic Countries[24L]

Literature about the Jewish community in Slavic countries. How do these Jewish minorities perceive and identify themselves? How are they perceived by others?  Taught in English, all readings in English.

Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Society and its Institutions (3)

SLA203H1    Faking It [24L]

The role of forgery in cultural, national, and personal identities. A scholar “discovering” an “ancient” manuscript, a noblewoman in disguise joining the army, an impostor conning a provincial town, a writer faking political loyalty. Literary texts from Central and Eastern Europe expose the porous boundaries between authenticity and lies, highlighting the artificiality and vulnerability of social and cultural conventions. Taught in English, all readings in English.

Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA214H1    Great Books of Central Europe[24L]

Stealth powerhouses: quirky, unexpected works that transformed the ways fiction is written and appreciated.  Books that defy expectations, define modernity, and  remap empires and peripheries.  Provocations to European tradition:  Kafka, Gombrowicz, Čapek, Schulz, Khvylovyi, Krleža, and others.   Readings in English.

Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA222H1    Roma (Gypsies) and Slavs[24S]

Both in popular culture and the headlines, Roma (Gypsies) are often depicted as either romantic or negative. Roma and Slavs have interacted for centuries and this course examines the history of that interaction with particular emphasis on linguistic and educational rights. Taught in English, all readings in English.

Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Society and its Institutions (3)

SLA223H1    Crossroads of Europe I: Heroes, Villains, and Jesters[24L]

Beginning with myth and legends of Medieval Central Europe and concluding with discourses of Enlightenment, we explore aspects of oral and written cultures, fine arts and architecture. The class examines myths, legends, and traditions of the region, which will help to illuminate similarities and divergences of several cultural trends.

Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA224H1    Crossroads of Europe II: Pragmatists, Visionaries, and Rebels[24L]

Romantic transgressions, realist projects, modernist aesthetics, and avant-garde experiments define the main cultural shifts in Central Europe in the19th and 20th centuries. We read them through literature, fine and performing arts, and popular culture.

Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA236H1    Finding It [24L]

The course explores the paradoxes, frustrations, and tensions inherent in the yearning for the ideal and the striving for making dreams come true. Students engage in the critical analysis of a broad range of cultural material, including mythology, the Bible, European literatures and performing arts, and social and political manifestoes. Taught in English, readings in English.

Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA254H1    Stone Books to Sky Books: The Book as Institution, Commerce and Art[24L]

Evolution of the book and printed media in Central and Eastern Europe: legends (and forgeries) of ancient letters, mediaeval illuminated manuscripts, forbidden and "supernatural" books, hand-written and painted books of modernist and avant-garde artists, books as a way of living and dying. Readings in English.

Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA255H1    Slavic Languages: Unity and Diversity[24L]

The course introduces the student to the exploration of linguistic relations among Slavic languages and dialects, as well as to language contacts between Slavic and its neighbours. Language is viewed in connection with history, geography, mythology and religion, family and social structure, literature, and alphabets.  Taught in English.

Prerequisite: First-year course of any Slavic language (cf. SLA101H1, SLA105Y1, SLA106Y1, SLA107Y1, SLA108Y1, SLA109Y1) or knowledge of a Slavic language
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)

SLA256H1    Firebirds and Other Wonders: The World of Slavic Folklore[24L]

An introduction to the comparative study of folk narratives – fairy-tales, legends, epics, from Russia, Central and Eastern Europe, and the Balkans. Topics include the structural and psychological analysis and interpretation of oral folk traditions; the cultural specificity of Slavic folklore; its adaptation and treatment in literature, music, and visual arts. Taught in English, all readings in English.

Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA299Y1    Research Opportunity Program

Credit course for supervised participation in faculty research project. Details at http://www.artsci.utoronto.ca/current/course/rop.

Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: None

SLA301H1    Cities of Central Europe[24L]

Urban cultures, cityscapes, and texts contrasted and connected: Vienna, Prague, Budapest, Cracow, Sarajevo, Odessa, and others.   Transformations of physical urban environments and their representations in literature, architecture, and art.  Nineteenth century burgeoning modernization to post-communist fragmentation and the recycling of spaces, memories, and lives.  Readings in English.

Prerequisite: Completion of 4.0 FCEs
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA302H1    The Imaginary Jew[36S]

The course examines the genesis and evolution of the image of the Jew, central to all European cultures, from the theology and psychology of Christian anti-Judaism to their reflection in folklore, visual, plastic, and verbal arts, and to the survival of the imaginary Jew in secular forms. Special attention is given to the Jews of Slavic and East European imagination. All readings are in English.

Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA303H1    Literary Imagination and Jewish Identity in Modern Europe[24S]

An exploration of Central and East European authors writing in different languages but united by Jewish ancestry. We examine the responses of artists and intellectuals of Jewish extraction (Sholem Aleichem, Babel, Bialik, Heine, Kafka, Mandelshtam, Sforim, Zhabotinskii, etc.) to cultural secularization and modernity. Taught in English. Readings in English.

Recommended Preparation: SLA302H1
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA318H1    City of Saints and Sinners: Kyiv through the Centuries[24L]

Captivating and elusive: the "new Jerusalem," Yehupets, a "Slavic Pompeii" and frontier city. This course examines Kyiv through works of literature, visual arts, architecture, and popular culture that reveal Ukrainian, Russian, Jewish, and Polish versions of the city.  Gogol, Sholem Aleichem, Bulgakov, Vynnychenko, and many others. Taught in English, all readings in English.

Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA325H1    Magic Prague (formerly SLA445H1)[24L]

Inspired by Angelo Ripellino’s “Magic Prague,” this class explores Prague as a palimpsest of different genres in works by Jan Neruda, Franz Kafka, R.M. Rilke, G. Meyrink, G. Apollinaire, B. Hrabal and others.  Selected secondary texts illuminate questions of literary cityscapes, center and margins, multiculturalism and nationalism and magic. Readings in English and for the specialists in the original.

Exclusion: SLA445H1
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA330Y1    Old Church Slavonic[48S]

Structure and history. Reading and linguistic study of Old Slavonic texts.

Prerequisite: Permission of instructor
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA331H1    Universal Flowering: Synthesis of Arts, 1890s-1930s[24S]

Synthesis of visual arts, music, and literature in the late Russian Empire-early Soviet Union.  Baba Yaga's hut and levitating sculptures; symphony in words and the language of stars; from princesses and puppets to the first peeks into the fourth dimension. Kandinsky, Bely, Zamyatin, Malevich, and many others. Taught and read in English.

Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA333H1    Animated Film in Europe (formerly SLA233H1)[24L]

Trends in the history of European animated film, focusing on Central and Eastern European cinematic traditions.  Aesthetics of animated image and peculiarities of animation as an art form. Films are analyzed in their artistic, cultural and political contexts. Taught in English, English subtitles.

Exclusion: SLA233H1
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA380H1    Language, Politics, Identity[24S]

Examines the multi-faceted nature of languages by comparing issues of language contact and conflict in the former Soviet Union and in Central and Southeastern Europe. Explores issues such as language standards, language rights, language conflict, and linguistic identity.

Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Society and its Institutions (3)

SLA395Y1    Readings in Slavic Literature[48S]

This course examines a special topic in Slavic Literature. The topic varies from year to year. Consult the department for more details.

Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA396H1    Readings in Slavic Studies[24S]

This course examines a special topic in Slavic Studies. The topic varies from year to year. Consult the department for more details.

Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: None

SLA398H0    Research Excursions

An instructor-supervised group project in an off-campus setting. Details at http://www.artsci.utoronto.ca/current/course/399.

Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: None

SLA399Y0    Research Excursions

An instructor-supervised group project in an off-campus setting. Details at http://www.artsci.utoronto.ca/current/course/399.

Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: None

SLA401H1    Great Ideas in Essay Form[24L]

The essay: a prose form that observes, pursues and critiques ideas through exploratory techniques. Paradoxically characterized by a commitment to the personal and an orientation towards the public sphere, the essay challenges dogma, prejudice and conformity. Readings by Kiš, Milosz, Patočka, Benjamin, Lukács and Adorno (among others). Readings in English.

Prerequisite: Completion of a minimum of 8.0 FCEs
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA424H1    Theatre and Cinema in Extremis[12L/12P]

A study of the effects on aesthetic form of the totalitarian experience in Russia, Poland and Czechoslovakia. The Russian, Polish, and Czech avant-garde, poised between the bankruptcy of traditional aesthetics and the search for new forms in the post-revolutionary/post-Holocaust world. Co-taught course. Readings in English.

Exclusion: SLA424Y1
Recommended Preparation: Prior completion of a course in drama or cinema
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA453H1    Women in East European Fiction[24S]

In East European literary texts of the post 1990 era, this course examines connections and disconnections between gender and social change, and women`s resistant and compliant discourses on war, nationalism, reproduction, the fictional representation of rape as a war crime, and women writers` responses to postcommunist eroticism and feminisms. All readings in English.

Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA476H1    Twentieth Century Theatre and Performance: Modernism, Avant-Garde, Postmodernism[24S]

The course has two aims. Its first aim is to help students to familiarize themselves with some of the major developments in the European and North-American theatre of the twentieth century by studying the works of its main creators such as Meyerhold, Grotowski, Brook, Kantor, Wilson, Bausch, and Lepage. The second aim is to investigate a wide range of theories (psychoanalytic, post-colonial, feminist, gay and lesbian/queer, and many more) that are central to critical debates in the profession. We discuss, evaluate, and test these theories against plays and performances, while maintaining the interaction of theory and praxis as the central focus of our investigation. Readings in English.

Prerequisite: Permission of instructor
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA477H1    Performance: Theory and Practice[24S]

This course begins with selected theoretical approaches to performance. It then focuses on the examples of major European artists and performances of the 20th and 21st centuries and their impact on our understanding of contemporary staging practices. Eventually, these theories and practices are used for different forms of analysis of selected performances, including live productions in Toronto theatres.

Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA495H1    Russian Formalism, Prague Structuralism and Modern Art[24S]

A study of the major issues of general aesthetics from the vantage points of Russian Formalism and Prague Structuralism. The course provides students with a theoretical grounding in textual and cultural analysis, introducing them to the history of modern literary and cultural criticism and aspects of artistic conventions and innovations. Taught in English, readings in English.

Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA498Y1    Independent Studies [TBA]

A year-long research project (primarily for majors in Slavic POSts) on an approved major topic in a Slavic literature or culture, or Slavic linguistics, supervised by one of the Department’s instructors.

Prerequisite: Permission of the Department
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: None

SLA499H1    Independent Studies [TBA]

A semester-long research project (primarily for majors in Slavic POSts) on an approved major topic in a Slavic literature or culture, or Slavic linguistics, supervised by one of the Department’s instructors.

Prerequisite: Permission of the Department
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: None

Translation Courses

These courses (3 FCEs) will be taken at Glendon College.  Students who complete these courses and 4 FCEs in Russian or Polish will be eligible to take the CTIIC (Canadian Translators, Terminologists and Interpreters Council) Standard Certification Examination in Translation. To inquire about eligibility to enroll, please consult the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures.


STR261H0    Introduction to Translation into English I [36P]

This course introduces students to the tools, principles, and methods used in translation, from both a practical and theoretical perspective. Individual and group exercises and assignments help students acquire both basic skills and an understanding of the translation process.  (Co-listed as GL/TRAN 2210   Glendon College)

Prerequisite: Permission of the Slavic Department
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

STR262H0    Introduction to Translation into English II [36P]

Students build on their understanding of translation in specialized fields. They continue to acquire specialized translation strategies. They increase and apply their knowledge of research tools and resources, learn techniques for resolving translation problems, and practice appropriate English usage.  (Co-listed as GL/TRAN 2220  Glendon College)

Prerequisite: SLA261H0; permission of Department
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

STR361H0    Compared Structures of English and French[36P]

Students will learn to avoid common errors arising from the differences in the structure and stylistics of English and French, access appropriate references, and explain their choices using the terminology of the field.  (Co-listed as GL/TRAN 2250   Glendon College)

Prerequisite: Permission of the Slavic Department
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

STR362H0    Translation of General Texts into French [36P]

Introduction to the translation from English into French. Working with a variety of texts of increasing complexity, students further their knowledge of their second language and familiarize themselves with French translation norms.  (Co-listed as GL/TRAN 4225   Glendon College)

Prerequisite: Permission of the Slavic Department
Recommended Preparation: SLA361H0
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

STR461H0    Translation of Specialized Texts into English I [36P]

Introduction to translation in a specialized area. Students acquire strategies for handling specialized translations from French to English. They increase and apply their knowledge of research tools and resources, learn techniques for resolving translation problems, and practice appropriate English usage.  (Co-listed as GL/TRAN 3210   Glendon College)

Prerequisite: SLA262H0; permission of Department
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

STR462H0    Translation of Specialized Texts into English II [36P]

Students build on their understanding of translation strategies. Knowledge in a chosen field is expanded by reading specialized texts and participating in discussions. Texts will vary in their genre, register and complexity.  (Co-listed as GL/TRAN 3220   Glendon College)

Prerequisite: SLA461H0; permission of Department
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

Bosnian, Croatian, Macedonian and Serbian Courses: Please see South Slavic Courses
Czech and Slovak Courses
SLA105Y1    Elementary Czech[96P]

Grammar, composition, and conversation. Readings from Czech literature. Open only to students with little or no knowledge of the language.

Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA204Y1    Intermediate Czech[96P]

Using selected texts of diverse styles, this class surveys Czech grammar and introduces various aspects of syntax, composition and translation. Special attention will be paid to oral practice.

Exclusion: SLA205H1
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA215H1    Czech and Slovak Cultures[24L]

Some of the most important features of Czech and Slovak cultural history are introduced in a survey of the national myths, traditions and cultural trends. (Offered every three years)

Exclusion: SLA215Y1
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Society and its Institutions (3)

SLA225H1    Czech and Slovak Cinema[24L]

Czech and Slovak cinema of the sixties, generally known as the Czechoslovak New Wave, represents the ways the cinematographers viewed the past, examined the present and escaped into the world of fantasy. In addition, we will examine several theoretical, historical and cultural aspects of national culture and international cinematography.

Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA305H1    Advanced Czech[48S]

Morphology, syntax, composition and translation, oral practice. Contemporary Czech texts representing diverse styles.

Prerequisite: SLA205Y1
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA335H1    Lifting the Iron Curtain: Czech Culture between 1960 and 1989[24L]

This class explores the subversive power of literary, cinematic, and theatrical experiments of the 1960s and confronts them with the development of Czech culture during the so-called normalization that lasted until 1989. Topics include literary texts, cinema, and fine arts at home and in exile.  Taught in English, readings in English and in the original.

Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA404H1    From The National Revival to Modernism: Czech Literature of the 19th Century[24S]

Beginning with the forged manuscripts of the early 19th century this course examines Czech Romanticism, Realism and Symbolism within the context of European culture. Readings include works by Mácha, Němcová, Neruda, Zeyer, Havlíček Borovský. (Offered every three years). Readings in Czech and Slovak.

Prerequisite: SLA305H1 or permission of the instructor
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA405H1    On the Waves of the Avant-garde and Beyond: Czech Literature of the 20th Century (formerly SLA405Y1)[24S]

The experiments of the 1920s serve as a point of departure for studies in Czech culture from the early 20th century to the present artistic innovations. Readings include works by Jaroslav Seifert, Karel Teige, Karel Čapek, F. Langer, V. Nezval, M. Kundera, V. Linhartová and others. (Offered every three years). Readings in Czech.

Prerequisite: SLA305H1 or permission of the instructor
Exclusion: SLA405Y1
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA425Y1    History of the Czech Literary Language[48S]

A study of original and translated works to trace the formation and development of the Czech literary language and to train students to differentiate literary styles, genres, and epochs. Readings include chronicles, sermons, travel accounts, dialogues and significant literary texts. (Offered every three years)

Prerequisite: Permission of instructor
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Society and its Institutions (3)

SLA435H1    Readings in Czech and Slovak[24P]

Texts of various genres representing several cultural epochs.  Advanced students improve their reading skills.

Prerequisite: Permission of instructor
Exclusion: SLA435Y1
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA465H1    Czech Short Story[24S]

The course focuses on the topic of public places and private spaces in the works of 19th- and 20th-century Czech writers. A variety of texts by modern Czech authors are explored through the prism of contemporary narrative theory. Special attention to differences in styles and epochs.

Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA475H1    Modern Czech Drama[24S]

This course explores the role of theatre and drama in Czech society by focusing on the most important modern Czech plays as well as on the concepts of the modern Czech theatre as represented by directors such as Burian, Honzl, Krejča and Radok. We will discuss seminal theoretical studies and topics such as dialogue, dramatic text, and puppet theatre. Taught in English, readings in English.

Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA485H1    Laughter and Forgetting in Milan Kundera[24S]

Laughter and forgetting is a recurrent theme in both Kundera's fictional and essayistic work. This class will examine the variations of this topic in Kundera's work and discuss the prosaic, dramatic and essayistic texts of his Czech period and attempt to place Kundera within the European context of the art of fiction. All readings in English.

Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

Macedonian Courses: Please see South Slavic Courses
Polish Courses
SLA106Y1    Elementary Polish[24L/72P]

Basic vocabulary, essential morphology, simple sentence patterns. Regular language laboratory sessions. Reading of contemporary texts. Open only to students with little or no knowledge of the language.

Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA206H1    Intermediate Polish I[12L/36P]

The goal of this course is to develop students’ Polish language skills, such as speaking, listening, writing, and reading, using new methods of the second language acquisition at a lower intermediate level. Many elements of Polish culture are also examined in the context of language and communication through readings of original texts, which form the basis for class discussions. The course uses authentic Polish materials (newspapers, short stories, poems, radio programs, movies, and songs).

Prerequisite: SLA106Y1 or permission of instructor
Exclusion: SLA206Y1
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA207H1    Intermediate Polish II[12L/36P]

This course is a continuation of SLA206H1.  Develops speaking, listening, writing, and reading Polish language skills.  Many elements of Polish culture are examined through readings of original texts, listening to Polish programs and songs, watching films and TV programs, which form the basis for class discussions.

Prerequisite: SLA206H1 or permission of instructor
Exclusion: SLA206Y1
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA216Y1    The Dynamics of Polish Literature and Culture: A Survey[48L]

Major cultural traditions, historical processes, myths, and figures that have shaped and redefined Polish civilization and national identity are problematized and contextualized with the help of works of literature, history, philosophy, political science, music, visual and performing arts. Readings in English (also available in Polish). (Offered in alternate years)

Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1) + Society and its Institutions (3)

SLA226H1    Postwar Polish Cinema[24L]

The Polish School in cinema, its predecessors and successors, their artistic accomplishments, major theoretical and thematic concerns, and their place on the map of European cinema. Films of Ford, Wajda, Polanski, Konwicki, Borowczyk, Has, Kawalerowicz, Zanussi, Kieslowski, and of the new generation of Polish film makers. Films and discussions in English. (Offered every three years)

Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA306H1    Advanced Polish I[48P]

The course uses diverse and intensive speaking, listening, writing, and reading methods and materials. It introduces more complex elements of Polish culture through reading of original literary texts and texts of popular culture, as well as through analyzing other discourses. These materials form the basis for class discussions and home assignments. Students expand their Polish vocabulary (including phraseology) and learn about word and sentence structure. The course also focuses on improving writing skills.

Prerequisite: SLA206Y1 or SLA207H1 or permission of instructor
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA336H1    Advanced Polish II[48P]

Continuation of SLA 306H1. It uses a wide variety of methods and materials to polish and finesse the skills acquired in the previous courses or brought to class from other sources. It is an intensive writing course focused on improving writing skills.

Prerequisite: SLA306H1 or permission of instructor
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA346H1    From Eastern Europe to European Union: Polish Postwar Culture[24S]

Probes the paradoxes of politics, culture and everyday life by analyzing the complex coexistence of art and literature with changing cultural politics in a totalitarian and post-totalitarian system, with simplistic ideology and political dissent, and with prevailing myths about the West and the East. Readings in English (Polish for majors).

Recommended Preparation: SLA216Y1
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA356H1    What's New? Polish Culture Today[24S]

The amazing cultural transformations of Poland in the last fifteen years within a changing Europe. The impact of these changes on Poland's social consciousness and perception of identity, history, and nationhood. The most recent literature, fine arts, music, and popular culture. Readings in English (Polish for majors).

Recommended Preparation: SLA216Y1
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA406H1    The Curtain Never Falls: Polish Drama and Theatre in Context (formerly SLA406Y1)[24S]

Study of drama as a literary and theatrical genre in its thematic and formal diversity in Polish literature from the 16th to the 20th century is combined with investigations of the role of the theatre as cultural institution in different periods of Polish history. Readings in English (in Polish for students in the major program). (Offered every three years)

Exclusion: SLA406Y1
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA426H1    Polish for the 21st Century[48P]

Polish language course for heritage speakers and advanced students who want to master the language through interactions with broad and diverse cultural materials such as mass and popular culture, contemporary literature, film, and theatre, mass media and the Internet.

Prerequisite: SLA306H1, SLA336H1 or permission of instructor
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA427H1    Seminar in Polish Culture[24S]

The fourth year seminar whose specific topic is decided depending on the needs of the students and the interests of  guest and permanent instructors.

Prerequisite: SLA216Y1 or permission of instructor
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA436H1    Rebels, Scoffers, and Jesters: Polish Culture from Different Perspectives[24S]

An advanced course on artistic, political, aesthetic, philosophical, and ideological dissenters who questioned, undermined, and redefined the main traditions in Polish culture from the 18th to the 21st centuries.Readings in English (Polish for majors).

Prerequisite: SLA216Y1
Recommended Preparation: SLA336H1
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)

Russian Courses

Russian language student placement policy

 

  1. All students who have studied Russian outside the University of Toronto must take a language placement test prior to enrolling into a Russian language course. Contact the Department for test dates and times.
  2. Native speakers of Russian are not allowed to enroll into any Russian language course, with the exception of SLA402/403 and linguistics courses (SLA330, SLA452). Native speakers may enroll into any Russian literature and culture course, and any Russian language and literature POSt (language requirement will be replaced with the equivalent number of literature and culture FCEs in consultation with the Undergraduate Coordinator).
  3. Heritage speakers of Russian are allowed to enroll into a Russian language course only by special permission from the Russian language program coordinator, Prof. Julia Mikhailova (julia.mikhailova@utoronto.ca). Heritage speakers may enroll into any Russian literature and culture course, and any Russian language and literature POSt  (if necessary, language requirement will be replaced with the equivalent number of literature and culture FCEs in consultation with the Undergraduate Coordinator).
  4. Who are native and heritage speakers of Russian?
    For academic purposes, the Department considers a student to be a native speaker of Russian if s/he meets one of the following criteria:
    a)    The student left Russia at the age of 10 or later.
    b)    The student lived in a Russian-speaking country (any former Soviet republic) before the age of 10 and did elementary schooling in Russian.
    For academic purposes, the Department considers a student to be a heritage speaker of Russian if s/he meets one of the following criteria:
    a)    The student left Russia before the age of 10.
    b)    The student lived in a Russian-speaking country (any former Soviet republic) before the age of 10 but did elementary schooling in a language other than Russian.
    c)    The student was born and/or grew up outside of a Russian-speaking country but speaks some Russian at home.

It is the responsibility of individual students to furnish documentation proving their native- or heritage-speaker status. In the absence of such documentation, the Department reserves the right to deny enrolment into Russian language courses. Heritage and native speakers of Russian who enroll in a Russian language course and fail to identify themselves to the Department engage in cheating and will be treated in accordance with the university policy on academic misconduct.


SLA100H1    Elementary Russian I[60P]

Basic features of the grammar. Acquisition of essential vocabulary for practical conversation and for comprehension. Development of reading and writing skills. (May not be taken by students who, in the judgment of the Department, qualify for entry into SLA210H1 or SLA220Y1).

Exclusion: native speakers of Russian
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA101H1    Elementary Russian II[60P]

Basic features of the grammar. Acquisition of essential vocabulary for practical conversation and for comprehension. Development of reading and writing skills. (May not be taken by students who, in the judgment of the Department, qualify for entry into SLA210H1 or SLA220Y1).

Prerequisite: SLA100H1 or permission of instructor
Exclusion: native speakers of Russian
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA210H1    Russian for Russians [48P]

NEWThis course is a hybrid course that will be conducted partly online and partly in class. It is designed for students with Russian background – students who are raised at home where Russian is/was spoken, who speak or merely understand basic Russian but are otherwise illiterate in Russian (cannot/have difficulty reading or writing). This course helps heritage learners of Russian develop/maintain writing and reading skills as well as develop cultural literacy. This language class includes two face-to-face contact hours weekly, with a focus on development of speaking skills and listening comprehension through class discussion. The remainder of course will be conducted online via self-directed tutorials and homework assignments. The online format uses web-delivery of lecturettes, practice exercises and assignments. Face-to-face attendance is required two hours per week. Assessment includes interim tests and essays. (Online course in 2011-2012).

Prerequisite: Permission of instructor
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA211H0    Russian in Action[48P]

Emphasis on expansion of vocabulary, developing conversational and listening skills, and intensive practice in real-life situations. Offered as part of Summer Program in Russia.

Prerequisite: SLA101H1 or SLA210H1
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA220Y1    Intermediate Russian[120P]

Continuation of development of proficiency in speaking, reading, listening and writing.  Review the basic and learning of new grammatical and syntactical structures, study of word formation and acquisition of active vocabulary. Reading of classical, contemporary, adapted, and non-adapted literary and mass-media texts. Culture and listening through animation.

Prerequisite: SLA101H1
Exclusion: native speakers of Russian, including SLA210H1
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA212H1    The Russian Novel[24L/12T]

Introduction to the Russian novelistic tradition at the height of its creative power. We examine the Russian novel’s universal appeal and influence, and its impact on modern art and thought. Authors may include (depending on instructor) Gogol, Turgenev, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Belyi, Nabokov, Pasternak, Solzhenitsyn. Taught and read in English.

Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA231H0    Special Topics in Russian Studies[TBA]

Usually offered during the summer through the Woodsworth Summer Abroad program. Content varies from year to year based on instructor.

Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: None

SLA234H1    Russian and Soviet Cinema[12L/24P]

A survey of the Russian cinematic tradition from its beginnings through the first decade following the disintegration of the USSR. The course examines the avant-garde cinema and film theory of the 1920s; the totalitarian esthetics of the 1920s-1940s and the ideological uses of film art; the revolution in film theory and practice in the 1950s-1960s; cinema as medium of cultural dissent and as witness to social change. Students also acquire basic skills of film analysis. Taught in English, all films subtitled in English.

Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA242H1    The Novel and the Family in the Nineteenth Century[24S]

The course examines the development of the nineteenth-century European novel in terms of changing representations of the family, with the Russian literary tradition as a case study. Topics include the aristocratic family, illegitimacy, adultery, social and political conflict, and the family as locus of inherited madness, degeneracy, and criminality. All readings in English.

Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA244H1    Studies in Film Genre: Russian and Soviet Approaches[12P/24S]

An examination of the understanding and practice of film genre in Russian and Soviet cinema. Various genres and generic hybrids – comedy, melodrama, action, war, horror, fantasy, etc. – are studied in the context of critical literature on the problem of film genre and against the backdrop of international cinematic traditions. Taught in English, all films subtitled in English.

Recommended Preparation: SLA234H1
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA245H1    The Golden Age of Russian Literature[24L]

A survey of Russian literature from1820-1900.  Topics include: Romanticism and Realism; the myth of St. Petersburg; the Russian Empire and its borders; the individual and society; man and nature; the “woman question”; freedom and rationality. Readings may include: Pushkin, Lermontov, Gogol, Goncharov, Tolstoi, Turgenev, Dostoevskii, Saltykov-Shchedrin, Chekhov.  Taught and read in English.

Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA246H1    Russian Modernism[24L]

Artistic and intellectual life from the late 1880s until 1940. Topics include: Russia’s fin-de-siècle culture in European context; the main aesthetic and philosophical trends (Decadence, Symbolism, Futurism, etc.);experiments with narrative and genre in the prose of the 1910s-30s, in Russia and in emigration; conservative reactions to modernism; the modernist strategies of survival. Taught and read in English.

Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA250Y1    Russian Cultural Heritage[48L]

A chronological multimedia survey of Russian culture from pre-Christian to post-Soviet times, emphasizing the clash between established authority and dissent, and tracing the conservative and radical currents in Russian literature and the arts, social thought and spirituality. Readings in English of classic poems, stories and novels, supplemented by videos and slides.

Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1) + Society and its Institutions (3)

SLA252H1    Russian Short Fiction[12T/24S]

An exploration of the elements of the short story through close readings of works by 19th and 20th century writers. Stories in translation by Pushkin, Gogol, Turgenev, Dostoevsky, Chekhov, Olesha, Babel, and others.  All readings in English.

Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

JSH300H1    Literature and History in Russia [24L]

History and Literature were always interconnected in Russia. Writers not only sought to reflect the society around them, but were themselves often social critics and political figures. The course examines key texts in Russian literary tradition both as works of art and as primary sources for the historian. All readings in English.

Recommended Preparation: HIS250H1/HIS250Y1 or SLA240H1/SLA241H1
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA311H1    Gogol[12L/12S]

Fantastic and grotesque works by the most hilarious, obsessive, and delusional character in Russian literature, who teased, fascinated, and polarized readers. Gogol’s writings are examined through various theoretical approaches. Includes cinematic (Taras Bulba, Viy, Overcoat) and musical (Shostakovich’s “Nose”) re-creations of Gogol’s works. Taught in English, all readings in English.

Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA312H1    Nabokov[24S]

A study of Vladimir Nabokov's novels written in Europe and the United States. Special attention is paid to the nature and evolution of Nabokov's aesthetics; the place of his novels in European and American literary traditions; Nabokov's creative uses of exile to artistic, philosophical and ideological ends; the aesthetic and cultural implications of the writers' switch from Russian to English. Novels studied: Defense, Despair, The Gift, The Real Life of Sebastian Knight, Lolita, Pnin, Pale Fire. Taught in English, all readings in English.

Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA313H1    Pushkin[24S]

Select lyrical poetry, narrative poems, drama and prose. Pushkin the genius and a trickster amidst friends and enemies. Poet and society; poetry, nation, and empire. Life, death, afterlife, and cultural mythologies of Pushkin. Pushkin in visual arts, music, and film.  Taught and read in English.

Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor.
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA314H1    Dostoevsky[24L]

Crime and Punishment, The Brothers Karamazov, and short works. Dostoevsky's political, psychological, and religious ideas as they shape and are shaped by his literary art. Readings in English. Taught in English, all readings in English.

Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA315H1    The Russian Novel: Case Studies[24S]

One major Russian novel: its genesis, structure, artistic devices, and philosophical significance. Various critical approaches; cognate literary works. Students are expected to have read the novel before the course begins. Consult the Department for title of novel. Taught in English, all readings in English.

Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA317H1    Tolstoy[24S]

War and Peace or Anna Karenina, and some shorter works. Tolstoy's political, psychological, and religious ideas as they shape and are shaped by his literary art. Taught in English, all readings in English.

Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA320Y1    Advanced Russian[120P]

A survey of Russian culture and history of the 20th century through non-adapted readings and film. Development of advanced speaking, reading, listening and writing skills on a wide variety of topics. Work on grammar and vocabulary building. Subordinate and relative clauses, aspect, verbs of motion, participles and gerunds. Class is conducted primarily in Russian.

Prerequisite: SLA220Y1 or permission of instructor
Exclusion: native speakers of Russian, including SLA210H1
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA321H1    Conversational Russian[36P]

Expansion of vocabulary and development of conversational skills. Discussion of a variety of topics (history, culture, art, politics, law, social and economic problems, contemporary events). Class is taught in round-table format.

Prerequisite: SLA220Y1 and permission of instructor
Exclusion: Native speakers of Russian
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA322H1    News from Russia[24P]

Language, life and the media in contemporary Russia. The course will be based on reading Russian newspapers, listening to Russian media, and discussing contemporary events in Russia.

Prerequisite: SLA220Y1
Exclusion: Heritage and native speakers of Russian
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA323H1    The Mysteries of Russian Revealed[12P/12S]

This course introduces Russian's sounds, structures, and alternations.  Russian’s tricky morphologic alternations and their historical causes are explored while students master the hidden encoding of forms through study of the writing system, root structures, and variation.

Prerequisite: SLA220Y1 or permission of instructor
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA332H1    Literature and Music in Russia[12L/12S]

This course, on the interaction between artistic genres, introduces a series of Russian and other literary works of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries that have inspired Russian musical masterpieces in the operatic, song, and symphonic repertoire. Texts are studied in English translation. Basic Russian and musical literacy useful, but not obligatory.

Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA343H1    Post-Stalinist Russian Literature, 1953-1991[12L/12S]

A study of writers and major works (novels, short stories, verse) which are involved in the post-Stalin artistic and cultural liberation, the rediscovery of Russian literature’s links with its own vital tradition, and development of a Russian brand of post-modern writing. Taught in English, all readings in English.

Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA351H1    Language Practice[TBA]

A practical course in Russian phonetics. Development of pronunciation skills. For students of all levels excluding native and heritage speakers.

Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA367H1    Chekhov[24S]

Selected stories, plays; stylistic, structural, and thematic analysis, literary and historical context, influence in Russia and the West.  Taught in English, all readings in English.

Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA370H1    Russian Romantic Poetry[36S]

An introduction to Russian Romanticism through the major works of one or more poets (chosen variously from Pushkin, Lermontov, Tyutchev, Baratynsky, et al.). Close readings of lyric and narrative verse. The rudiments of Russian versification. Relations with Western European poets. All texts read in Russian.

Corequisite: SLA320Y1
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA400H1    Studies in Medieval Russian Literature[24S]

Explores the development of the types of writing (e.g. chronicles, vitae, epics, tales, poetry) used to capture the cultural, political, religious, and aesthetic experiences of Mediaeval Rus' from the 11th to 17th century. Readings in English. Where appropriate, majors will read some excerpts in the original.

Recommended Preparation: Some reading knowledge of Russian desirable but not required
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA402H1    Advanced Russian Language Skills I[36P]

A series of translation exercises from English to Russian (and some from Russian to English) designed to expand students' ability to respond to and translate a variety of advanced prose texts in different styles and registers.

Prerequisite: SLA320Y1 or permission of the instructor
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA403H1    Advanced Russian Language Skills II[36P]

This course follows on from SLA402, which is, however, not a prerequisite for enrolment. The course provides complex and stylistically varied exercises in translation from Russian into English and vice versa, and should be of equal benefit to those with native Russian and native English.

Prerequisite: SLA320Y1 or permission of the instructor
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA415H1    Studies in Russian Literature of the 18th Century[36S]

The prose, poetry and dramaturgy of the most prominent literary figures of the eighteenth century, including Karamzin, Lomonosov, Fonvizin, Derzhavin and Krylov; aspects of literature during the reign of Peter I; literature and satirical journalism during the reign of Catherine II. (Taught in Russian)

Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA420Y1    Studies in Russian Syntax and Stylistics[120P]

Syntactic structures and their relation to meaning and style, word order, intonation. Consolidation of morphology, vocabulary building through extensive reading. Translation, composition, and oral practice.

Prerequisite: SLA320Y1 or permission of instructor
Exclusion: native speakers of Russian, including SLA210H1
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)

SLA423H1    War and Peace (formerly SLA323H1)[36S]

War and Peace in depth, and from various points of view, literary, political, philosophical, historical, and psychological. Various critical approaches; cognate literary works. Students are expected to have read the novel before the course begins. Readings in English.

Exclusion: SLA323H1
Recommended Preparation: SLA317H1
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA430H1    Advanced Russian Writing Skills[48P]

NEWThis advanced Russian writing language course pushes students' writing proficiency to the advanced threshold and beyond. Reflecting on selected readings, students write on a variety of abstract social, political, moral, academic, and professional topics. By the end of the course, students will demonstrate the ability to explain complex matters, to present and support opinions by developing cogent arguments, and to articulate hypotheses in essay format. The primary focus is on organization, structure and content rather than grammar or vocabulary. This online course will use real time webinars with required attendance for two hours each week. The webinars will feature interactive conversations and break out groups. A headset and mic are required for this purpose. As part of the learning process, students will complete other homework tasks and quizzes online and provide one another with feedback on written assignments. Offered online only.

Prerequisite: SLA320Y1 or SLA210H1, heritage speakers, graduate students, permission of instructor
Recommended Preparation: Advanced reading, writing, listening ability in Russian.
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)
Available Online: consult Faculty or Graduate Unit for details

SLA433H1    Anna Karenina (formerly SLA324H1)[36S]

Anna Karenina in depth, and from various points of view, literary, political, philosophical, historical, and psychological. Various critical approaches; cognate literary works. Students are expected to have read the novel before the course begins. Readings in English.

Exclusion: SLA324H1
Recommended Preparation: SLA317H1
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA440H1    Introduction to Russian 19th Century Poetry (formerly SLA440Y1)[24S]

Starting with pre-Pushkinian Classicism this course surveys the development of Russian lyric verse (with some excursions also into narrative verse); major topics studied include: Pushkin, Russian Byronism, the Pushkin Pleade, Nekrasovs civic verse; philosophical verse by Tyutchev; Impressionist and Decadent poets. Readings in Russian.

Prerequisite: SLA320Y1/SLA340H1
Exclusion: SLA440Y1
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA441H1    Modern Russian Poetry[24S]

This course follows on from SLA440H, although the latter is not a prerequisite for enrolment. A chronological survey begins with Symbolist verse; special attention is devoted to Blok, Akhmatova, Mandelstam, Pasternak, Mayakovsky; other modernists studied include Tsvetaeva, Esenin, Zabolotsky; study of the post-Stalin revival begins with Voznesensky and Evtushenko, concluding with Iosif Brodsky. Readings in Russian.

Prerequisite: SLA320Y1 or SLA340H1
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA442H1    Russian Symbolism[24L]

Course provides a general introduction to Russian Decadent/Symbolist culture. Attention concentrates on belletristic prose, verse, and theatre of major Symbolists, as well as attendant theoretical and critical writings. Comparisons are made with similar trends in Western European literature, and links are established with similar phenomena in art, music, philosophy.

Prerequisite: 300 level competence in Russian, or permission of course instructor
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA449H1    Russian Thinkers[36S]

Social and political change, national and spiritual destiny in philosophical, journalistic and critical writings. From Slavophiles and Westernizers to revolutionary and apocalyptic thought.  Reflections on Russia's position between Europe and Asia and on the place of Russia's East Asian neighbors in its history and culture. Taught in English, readings in English.

Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)

SLA451H1    Russian Acmeist Poetry[24S]

This course examines the Acmeist phenomenon, studying writings by Kuzmin, Gorodetsky, Narbut and others, making a special study of Akhmatova, Mandelstam, and Gumilev. Other topics include: critical reception of Acmeist writings, Acmeist poets' interaction with other contemporary writers, ideological and cultural aspects of the movement. All readings in Russian.

Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA452Y1    Structure of Russian[48S]

The phonology, morphology and syntax of contemporary standard Russian from a formal and semantic standpoint.

Prerequisite: SLA320Y1
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)

SLA460H1    Contemporary Russian Literature[24L]

Major writers and literary groupings of the past decade; the literary process in post-Soviet Russia. (Taught in Russian)

Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA463H1    Themes in Russian Realism[24L]

What is distinctive about Russian realism? The course will examine nineteenth century Russian realist fiction in relation to various theoretical approaches, from Erich Auerbach to Roman Jakobson. We will read contemporary works of criticism and thought from Russia and Europe that may have influenced it.

Prerequisite: The equivalent of one FCE in literature
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA464H1    Studies in the Russian Novel[24L]

An examination of the most prominent Russian novelists of the last several decades, including Erofeev, Bitov, Sorokin and Azolsky. The genesis, structure, artistic devices and philosophical significance of their novels, critical approaches to them, cognate works. (Taught in Russian)

Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

South Slavic Courses
SLA107Y1    Elementary Bosnian, Croatian, and Serbian[96P]

Basic phonology, orthography, morphology and syntax of Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian. Development of the four basic language skills: reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Acquisition of essential vocabulary for practical conversation and for comprehension.

Exclusion: native speakers of BCS, SLA257Y1, SLA237Y1
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA109Y1    Elementary Macedonian[96P]

The basic features of the grammar of the Macedonian literary language. Acquisition of essential vocabulary for practical conversation and for comprehension. Development of reading and writing skills. Open only to students with little or no knowledge of the literary language. (Offered in alternate years).

Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA209H1    Intermediate Macedonian[48P]

This course completes the basics of Macedonian grammar including the wide variety of past tenses, complex sentence structures, and word formation.

Prerequisite: SLA109Y1 or permission of instructor
Exclusion: SLA209Y1
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA213H1    Reading Macedonia: A Cultural Exploration[48P]

NEWThis course explores Macedonian culture as read through its literature, film, cuisine, music, folklore, architecture, and new media.

Prerequisite: SLA209H1 or permission of instructor
Exclusion: SLA209Y1
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA217H1    Cultural History of the South Slavs[24L]

The Balkans, described as a bridge between the East and the West, are a fascinating case study of Byzantine, Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian colonial legacy. This course presents the evolution of South Slavic cultural life under foreign rule. Topics of study include the Renaissance, Enlightenment, Romanticism, among others. Readings in English.

Exclusion: SLA217Y1, SLA227Y1
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA227H1    South Slavic Literature: National Revival and Beyond[24L]

A survey of national revival and consolidation in Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia and Bosnia through a chronological selection of literary texts (poems, plays, novels) from the eighteenth to the twentieth century. The course places South Slavic literary developments within the broader context of European intellectual history as well as Balkan cultural and political life. Taught in English, all readings in English.

Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA247H1    Yugoslav Cinema[24L]

An overview of the Yugoslav cinematic tradition from the 1950s onwards. Topics include Yugoslav film-making in the context of the European New Wave; cinema d’auteur (Makavejev, Pavlović, Kusturica); art and politics in a communist state; the struggle of experimentalism and traditionalism. Taught in English. All films with subtitles.

Exclusion: SLA427H1
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA257Y1    Intermediate Bosnian, Croatian, and Serbian[96P]

Systematic study of morphology and syntax. Intermediate composition and oral practice. Reading and translation of contemporary and more complex texts in BCS.

Prerequisite: SLA107Y1 or permission of instructor
Exclusion: SLA307Y1, SLA316Y1
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA258H1    History of Croatian Culture [24L]

A survey of Croatian culture in literature, science, philosophy, and the fine arts. Topics include: the legacy of the Roman Empires; the medieval Croatian states; the Dalmatian Renaissance and Baroque; Humanism and Reformation: and national rebirth and Romanticism. Taught in English and readings in English.

Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA259H1    Special Topics in Croatian Literature [24L]

An overview of Croatian literature from the middle ages to the present day, including drama, poetry and prose. Course follows a chronological order and focuses on the central currents in the literary history of Croatian literature. All classes and readings in English.

Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA327H1    The Balkan Short Story[24S]

Studies of short stories written since 1950. Focus on innovative writers and current trends. Readings in the original and English.

Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA337H1    Advanced Bosnian, Croatian, and Serbian[48P]

Morphology, syntax, composition and translation, oral practice. Extensive reading, translation and analysis of contemporary Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian texts representing diverse styles.

Prerequisite: SLA257Y1 or permission of instructor
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA347H1    Advanced Croatian I[48P]

Systematic study of morphology and syntax. Advanced composition and oral practice. Reading and translation of non-adapted texts in Croatian, focusing on contemporary literature and media.

Prerequisite: SLA257Y1 or permission of instructor
Exclusion: SLA347Y1
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA348H1    Advanced Croatian II[48P]

Continuation of Advanced Croatian I.  Systematic study of morphology and syntax. Advanced composition and oral practice. Reading and translation of non-adapted texts in Croatian, focusing on contemporary literature and media.

Prerequisite: SLA347H1 or permission of instructor
Exclusion: SLA347Y1
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA357H1    Yugoslavia’s Literary Émigrés and Exiles[24S]

This course explores the experience and definition of exile in the works of South Slavic authors; from Miloš Crnjanski’s depiction of London to Danilo Kiš’s Parisian affair, and Dubravka Ugrešić’s weary travels in Berlin. We examine a variety of literary genres in light of exilic studies theory. Taught in English. Readings in English.

Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

Ukrainian Courses

 Web site: www.chass.utoronto.ca/~tarn/courses/


SLA108Y1    Elementary Ukrainian[96P]

Basic vocabulary, simple sentence patterns, essential morphology. Internet language laboratory drills. Intended for students with little or no knowledge of the language.

Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA208Y1    Intermediate Ukrainian[96P]

Study of morphology through grammar drills; oral practice; reading of texts from Ukrainian literature.

Prerequisite: Permission of instructor
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA218Y1    Ukrainian Literature and Culture[24L/24S]

A general survey of Ukrainian culture through an examination of selected literary works and their social, political, historical, philosophical, and aesthetic contexts. The course covers the period from Kyivan Rus to the present. Readings in English. (Offered in alternate years)

Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1) + Society and its Institutions (3)

SLA228H1    20th Century Ukrainian Fiction in Translation[12L/12S]

A selection of twentieth century Ukrainian novels and short prose in English translation. From the intellectual novel of the 1920s, through socialist realism, to the new prose of the 1990s. Authors include Pidmohylny, Antonenko-Davydovych, Honchar, Shevchuk, Andrukhovych and Zabuzhko. (Offered in alternate years)

Recommended Preparation: any course in literature
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA238H1    Literature of the Ukrainian-Canadian Experience[24S]

A selection of literary texts depicting or reflecting the experience and perceptions of Ukrainians in Canada from the first immigrants to the present. Texts include works originally written in English, French and Ukrainian, but all readings are in English. Authors include: Kiriak, Kostash, Ryga, Galay, Suknaski, Kulyk Keefer. (Offered in alternate years).

Recommended Preparation: any course in literature
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA248H1    Women and Women's Themes in Ukrainian Literature[24S]

This course examines the presentation of women and women's themes in works of Ukrainian literature. The subjects covered include: role models, freedom, socialism, nationalism, feminism, and sexuality.

Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA308Y1    Advanced Ukrainian[96P]

Review of morphology and study of syntax. Short compositions based on literary and critical texts. Voluntary language laboratory.

Prerequisite: Permission of instructor
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA328H1    The Culture of Contemporary Ukraine[24S]

Contemporary Ukraine is an amalgam of various cultural traditions. This course examines its languages, religions, nationalities, literature, cinema, arts, print and broadcast media, regions, education, and social groups. Special attention is given to the factors that influence public perceptions of identity. All readings are in English.

Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA338H1    Ivan Franko[24S]

Ivan Franko is one of the most important and innovative figures in the history of Ukrainian literature. This seminar explores a selection of the belletristic writings by this fascinating and factious poet and novelist in the context of Ukrainian culture in Austria-Hungary. Taught in English. All readings are in English.

Recommended Preparation: Previous coursework in Ukrainian literature, e.g. SLA218
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA408H1    The Ukrainian Short Story[24S]

The development of the short story from Kvitka-Osnovianenko to the present day. All readings in the original. (Offered every four years)

Prerequisite: Permission of instructor
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA418H1    Ukrainian Drama[24S]

The development of Ukrainian drama from Kotliarevsky to the present day. All readings in the original. (Offered every four years)

Prerequisite: Permission of instructor
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA419Y1    Ukrainian Poetry[48S]

A survey of Ukrainian poetry from Skovoroda to the present day. All readings in the original. (Offered every four years)

Prerequisite: Permission of instructor
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA428Y1    The Ukrainian Novel[48S]

Major works by Kulish, Nechui-Levytsky, Myrny, Franko, Kotsiubynsky, Kobylianska, Vynnychenko, Ianovsky, Pidmohylny, Honchar, Andrukhovych, and Zabuzhko. Readings in Ukrainian. (Offered every four years)

Prerequisite: Permission of instructor
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA429H1    Shevchenko[24S]

A critical study of Taras Shevchenko. Life, works, and significance. Readings in Ukrainian.

Prerequisite: Permission of instructor
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA438H1    Style and Structure of Ukrainian[36S]

Beginning with an overview of the synchronic structure of Ukrainian (phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax), the course introduces various styles of contemporary Ukrainian. Emphasis is on the practical usage of various styles. A number of sociolinguistic questions are examined: dialects, jargons, slang, and the language situation in contemporary Ukraine.

Prerequisite: Permission of instructor
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)

SLA448H1    Ukrainian Literature of the 17th and 18th Centuries[24S]

A survey of Ukrainian literature from the Renaissance to the National Revival: polemical literature, baroque poetry, school drama, religious and philosophical treatises, history-writing, dumy and satire. Major figures include Smotrysky, Vyshensky, Prokopovych and Skovoroda. Works are read in modern Ukrainian and English translations.

Prerequisite: Permission of instructor
Recommended Preparation: A 400-level course in Ukrainian literature
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA458H1    Ukrainian for the 21st Century[36S]

This course introduces students to contemporary Ukrainian using approaches beyond grammar and traditional classroom interaction. Emphasis is on the enhancement of language skills in the context of contemporary Ukraine. Students develop practical skills based on traditional media as well as on multimedia resources, including those of the Internet.

Prerequisite: Permission of instructor
Recommended Preparation: SLA208Y1, SLA308Y1
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA468H1    Aspects of Literary Translation of Ukrainian[36P]

This course introduces the problems of written translation of literary works from Ukrainian into English: evaluation and comparison of existing translations, practical exercises; treatment of common difficulties in translating, various literary genres and styles, dialectical, social, generational and other subvarieties of language, as well as idiomatic and figurative language.

Prerequisite: Permission of instructor
Recommended Preparation: SLA308Y1 or permission of instructor
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course
Breadth Requirement: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)