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SLA Slavic Languages and Literatures Courses


SLA100Y1
Elementary Russian 130P

The 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 judgement of the Department, qualify for entry into SLA 220Y)


SLA106Y1
Elementary Polish 26L, 78P

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.


SLA107Y1
Elementary Serbian Language 104P

Basic phonology, morphology and syntax of the standard literary language, both eastern and western variants. Composition and oral practice. Open only to students with little or no knowledge of the language.


SLA108Y1
Elementary Ukrainian 104P

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


SLA109Y1
Elementary Macedonian 78P

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)


SLA117Y1
Elementary Croatian Language 104P

Basic phonology, morphology and syntax of the standard literary language. Composition and oral practice. Open only to students with little or no knowledge of the language.


SLA201Y1
Reading Russian 52P

The course teaches students who already have elementary knowledge of Russian to read texts and research materials in Russian in such fields as history, social sciences, international relations, etc. Successful completion equals a pass in RLQ.
Prerequisite: SLA100Y or equivalent


SLA202H1
Jewish Communities in Slavic Countries (formerly SLA102H) 26L

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


SLA205Y1
Elementary Czech 104P

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


SLA206Y1
Intermediate Polish 26L, 78P

Intensive study of morphology; translation into Polish. Literary texts; oral practice.
Prerequisite: Grade 13 Polish/SLA106Y


SLA207Y1
Intermediate Language 104P

Introduction to systematic study of morphology. Reading and translation of more complex texts. More advanced composition and oral practice.
Prerequisite: SLA107Y


SLA208Y1
Intermediate Ukrainian 104P

Study of morphology through grammar drills; oral practice in the language laboratory; reading of texts from Ukrainian literature.
Prerequisite: Permission of instructor


SLA209Y1
Intermediate Macedonian 78P

Systematic study of morphology. Reading and translation of more complex texts; more advanced composition; oral practice. (Offered in alternate years)
Prerequisite: SLA109Y


SLA215H1
Czech and Slovak Cultures (formerly SLA215Y) 26L

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: SLA215Y


SLA216Y1
The Dynamics of Polish Literature and Culture: a Survey 52L

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)


SLA217H1
Serbian Cultural History (formerly SLA217Y) 26L

A survey of culture in literature, film and the fine arts from the coming of the Serbs to Southeastern Europe until World War I. The legacy of Byzantium and Rome; the Middle Ages; the Baroque Enlightenment; the Serbian National Revival; Romanticism, Realism, and Modernism. Readings in English. (Offered in alternate years)
Exclusion: SLA217Y


SLA218Y1
Ukrainian Literature and Culture 26L, 26S

A general survey of Ukrainian culture through an examination of selected literary works and their historical context. The course covers the period from Kievan Rus' to the present. Readings in English. (Offered in alternate years)


SLA220Y1
Intermediate Russian 130P

Continuation of morphology. Word formation, composition, and translation. Intensive reading of classical and contemporary literary texts. Oral practice. Not intended for native speakers.
Prerequisite: Grade 13 Russian/SLA100Y


SLA224H1
Classics of the Early Soviet Cinema 26L, 26P

Thematic and stylistic analysis of works by Eisenstein, Pudovkin, Dovzhenko, Vertov, Room, and others in the context of post-revolutionary literature, theatre, visual arts, and aesthetic theory. English subtitles.


SLA225H1
The Czech and Slovak Cinema 26S, 13P

From the "New Wave" of the 60s to the present. The films of major directors - Forman, Menzel, Chytilov  - and of talented newcomers. Screening of films censored and prohibited over the last 25 years. English subtitles. (Offered every three years)


SLA226H1
Postwar Polish Cinema 26L, 26P

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)


SLA227H1
Croation Cultural History (formerly SLA217Y) 26L

A survey of culture in literature, film and the fine arts from the coming of the Croats to Southeastern Europe until World War I. The Greek and Latin heritages; Medieval Humanism and Reformation; the Dalmation Renaissance and Baroque; the Croation National Revival; Romanticism, Realism, and Modernism. Readings in English. (Offered in alternate years)
Exclusion: SLA217Y


SLA228H1
Soviet Ukrainian Fiction in Translation 13L, 13S

A selection of Soviet Ukrainian novels and short prose in English translation. From the intellectual novel of the 1920s, through socialist realism, to the new prose of the 1980s. Authors include Pidmohylny, Antonenko-Davydovych, Honchar, Zahrebelny, Tiutiunnyk, and Drozd. (Offered in alternate years)
Recommended preparation: any course in literature


SLA238H1
Literature of the Ukrainian-Canadian Experience 13L, 13S

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, Haas. (Offered in alternate years)
Recommended preparation: any course in literature


SLA240Y1
Shaping Modern Consciousness: 19th-Century Russian Prose 52L, 26T

Stories and novels by Pushkin, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Chekhov, and others. The construction of personal and national identity: changing relations between self and society, women and men, parents and children, rich and poor. The development and diversity of narrative forms. Readings in English and, for Russian majors, in the original.
Co-requisite: SLA220Y


SLA250Y1
Russian Cultural Heritage (formerly SLA150Y) 52L

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.


SLA251H1
Origins of the Slavic Civilization 26L

Surveys through lectures and audio-visual presentations the history of religions, literature, folklore, ethnography, architecture and art of the Slavs from their origins to the Baroque era; examines distinctive Slavic cultural elements with explorations of Greco-Roman, Byzantine, West European and Oriental features.


SLA299Y1
Research Opportunity Program

Credit course for supervised participation in faculty research project. See page 42 for details.


SLA305Y1
Advanced Czech 104S

Morphology, syntax, composition and translation, oral practice. Contemporary Czech texts representing diverse styles.
Prerequisite: SLA205Y


SLA306Y1
Advanced Polish 104S

Syntax, word formation, and stylistics. Compositions and precis. Critical evaluation of literary works and articles in Polish. Extensive reading and translation. (Offered in alternate years)
Prerequisite: SLA206Y


SLA307Y1
Advanced Language 104P

Introduction to the syntax of phrases, simple and compound sentences. Translation, composition and oral practice based on extensive reading from various authors. (Offered in alternate years)
Prerequisite: SLA207Y


SLA308Y1
Advanced Ukrainian 104P

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


SLA314H1
Dostoevsky 13L, 13T

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. (Offered in alternate years)


SLA315H1
The Russian Novel: Case Studies 26S

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. Readings in English. (Offered in alternate years)


SLA317H1
Tolstoy 26S

War and Peace, Anna Karenina, and some shorter works. Tolstoy's political, psychological, and religious ideas as they shape and are shaped by his literary art. Readings in English. (Offered in alternate years)


SLA320Y1
Advanced Russian 130S

Syntax of the simple sentence. Problems in grammar and word formation. Composition, translation and conversation. Reading and discussion of literary and non-literary texts.
Prerequisite: SLA220Y; native speakers of Russian admitted only with permission of instructor


SLA321Y1
Conversational Russian 78S

Expansion of vocabulary and development of conversational skills. Readings and films stimulating discussion of Russian history, culture, art, and contemporary events and issues.
Exclusion: Native speakers of Russian
Co-requisite: SLA320Yand permission of instructor


SLA326Y1
The Polish Short Story 26L, 26S

Study of the poetics of the short story and of structural, stylistic, and thematic diversity of this genre in Polish literature as it evolved from the period of Romanticism to the present. Readings in Polish. (Offered in alternate years)
Prerequisite: SLA306Y


SLA327H1
The Balkan Short Story 26S

Studies of short stories written since 1950. Focus on innovative writers and current trends. Readings in the original and English. (Offered in alternate years)
Recommended preparation: SLA207Y, 217Y


SLA330Y1
Old Church Slavonic 52S

Structure and history. Reading and linguistic study of Old Slavonic texts.
Prerequisite: Permission of instructor


SLA337H1
Masterworks of Drama 26S

The development of theatre traditions as reflected in classic plays from the Renaissance to the present. Readings in the original and English. (Offered in alternate years)
Recommended preparation: SLA207Y, 217Y


SLA340Y1
20th Century Russian Prose 26L, 52T

Pre- and post-revolutionary Russian literature. The novel and short prose, Bunin, Andreev, Remizov, Bely, Sologub, Gorky, Zamyatin, Babel, Olesha, Fadeev, Pasternak, Solzhenitsyn, and others. Readings in the original and in English. (Offered in alternate years)
Co-requisite: SLA320Y


SLA343H1
Post-Stalinist and Contemporary Russian Literature 13L, 13S

A study of major books and writers of the last forty years (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 modern and 'post-modern' writing. (Readings in English)


SLA347H1
South Slavic Folklore 26S

Historical and stylistic study of the oral epic traditions, Christian and Moslem. The role of folklore and customs in the development of national literature. Readings in the original and English. (Offered in alternate years)
Recommended preparation: SLA207Y, 217Y


SLA354H1
Topics in 19th Century Russian Literature 26L

Studies of the works of a major 19th century writer (Pushkin, Gogol, Turgenev, Leskov, etc.). Consult the department for details of course content. (Readings in English)


SLA355H1
Topics in 20th Century Russian Literature 26L

Studies of the works of a major 20th century writer (Pasternak, Babel, Bulgakov, Solzhenitsyn, etc.). Consult the department for details of course content. (Readings in English)


SLA367H1
Chekhov 26S

Selected stories, plays; stylistic, structural, and thematic analysis, literary and historical context, influence in Russia and the West. Readings in English and, for Specialists in Russian, in the original. (Offered in alternate years)


SLA370H1
Russian Romantic Poetry 39S

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.
Co-requisite: SLA320Y


SLA402H1
Advanced Russian Language Skills 39S

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: SLA320Y and permission of the instructor


SLA405Y1
Czech and Slovak Literatures 52S

Studies in the Czech and Slovak literatures of the 19th and 20th centuries: national revival; realism; modernism; avant-garde. (Offered every three years)
Prerequisite: SLA305Y


SLA406Y1
The Curtain Never Falls: Polish Drama and Theatre in Context 52S

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)


SLA408H1
The Ukrainian Short Story 26S

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


SLA414H1
Metamorphoses of Modernity in Central Europe 39S

The much discussed problems of modernity are put into a Central European context. Major concepts of modernity are analyzed with the help of works from Czech, German, Hungarian, and Polish literatures. Readings in translation. Co-taught course. Readings in English. (Offered every three years)
Prerequisite: Permission of instructor


SLA416Y1
Polish Fiction or a Disrupted Funeral of the Novel 52S

Innovative reading of Polish fiction from the 18th to the 20th century. Study of narrative strategies, of the function of language and literary conventions, of various styles and poetics, of the issue of representation. In addition to the works of fiction (primarily novels, but also short stories), the reading list includes literary criticism and literary theory. Readings in English (in Polish for students in the major program). (Offered every three years)


SLA417H1
Modern Poetry 26S

Close study of representative modernist works by major twentieth-century poets. Symbolism, Expressionism, Surrealism and other avant-garde movements. Readings in the original and English. (Offered in alternate years)
Prerequisite: Permission of instructor


SLA418H1
Ukrainian Drama 26S

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


SLA419Y1
Ukrainian Poetry 52S

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


SLA420Y1
Studies in Russian Syntax and Stylistics 130S

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: SLA320Y; native speakers of Russian admitted only with permission of instructor


SLA424Y1
Theatre and Cinema in Extremis 26L, 52P

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. (Offered every three years)
Recommended preparation: Prior completion of a course in drama or cinema


SLA425Y1
History of the Czech Literary Language 52S

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


SLA426H1
Polish Poetry: 16th-19th Centuries 26S

A survey of major poets from Kochanowski to Norwid. Renaissance, Baroque, Neoclassicism, and Romanticism. Readings in the original. (Offered in alternate years)
Prerequisite: Permission of instructor


SLA428Y1
The Ukrainian Novel 52S

Major works by Kulish, Nechui-Levytsky, Myrny, Franko, Kotsiubynsky, Kobylianska, Vynnychenko, Ianovsky, Pidmohylny, and Honchar. Readings in Ukrainian. (Offered every four years)
Prerequisite: Permission of instructor


SLA429H1
Shevchenko 26S

A critical study of Taras Shevchenko. Life, works, and significance. Readings in Ukrainian. (Offered every four years)
Prerequisite: Permission of instructor


SLA430Y1
History of the Russian Language 52S

Historical phonology, morphology, semantics, and syntax of Russian. Reading and linguistic study of Old Russian texts.
Prerequisite: SLA330Y
Co-requisite: SLA452Y


SLA434Y1
Nationalism and National Identity: Historical and Literary Trajectories in Poland 52S

Political, sociological, and historical understanding of nationalism and national identity as they manifest themselves in Polish literature, history and culture. National search for self-identification, the politics of identity and history, perceptions of identity and nationhood. Readings in English.
Prerequisite: Permission of instructor


SLA435Y1
Readings in Czech (formerly SLA435H) 52P

Advanced students are presented with a variety of texts - literary, journalistic, scientific - tailored to their needs and interests. (Offered every three years)
Exclusion: SLA435H
Prerequisite: Permission of instructor


SLA438H1
Style and Structure of Ukrainian 39S

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


SLA439H1
History of the Ukrainian Language 39S

Historical phonology, morphology, semantics, and syntax of Ukrainian. Reading and analysis of texts.
Prerequisite: Permission of instructor


SLA440Y1
Russian Poetry, 1820-1960 78S

The lyric poetry of Pushkin, Lermontov, Tyutchev, Nekrasov, Fet, Blok, Akhmatova, Esenin, Mayakovsky, Tsvetaeva and Pasternak. Stylistic and structural aspects. Readings in Russian.
Prerequisite: SLA320Y/340Y


SLA445H1
Magic Prague 39S

This class explores Prague as a meeting point of different cultures. Questions of centre and margin of multiculturalism and nationalism are discussed, based on texts by Jan Neruda, F. Kafka, M. Cvetaeva and others.


SLA446H1
Polish Poetry of the 20th Century 26S

Major poetic movements, genres, and texts from Mloda Polska (Tetmajer, Kasporowicz, Staff, Lesmian, Micinski, Wyspianski) to the present. Study of the metaphyscial, ethical, and aesthetic dimensions of the "Polish School of Poetry." Readings in Polish. (Offered every three years)
Prerequisite: Permission of instructor


SLA448H1
Ukrainian Literature of the 17th and 18th Centuries 26S

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. (Offered every four years)
Prerequisite: Permission of instructor
Recommended preparation: A 400-level course in Ukrainian literature


SLA452Y1
Structure of Russian 52S

The phonology, morphology and syntax of contemporary standard Russian from a formal and semantic standpoint.
Prerequisite: SLA320Y


SLA456H1
Comparative West Slavic Linguistics 39S

This course covers the fundamental developments in the history of the West Slavic languages, with a primary emphasis on the comparative phonology and morphology of Polish and Czech, but with additional reference to Slovak and Lusatian.
Prerequisite: Permission of instructor
Recommended preparation: SLA330Y, training in linguistics, knowledge of a West Slavic language


SLA458H1
Ukrainian for the 21st Century 39S

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: SLA208Y, 308Y


SLA466H1
Imagining "The Other" in Polish Literature and Culture 39S

Who is "the other" in Polish literature? Examining the linguistic and literary means of constructing the image of the other and investigating cultural, political, and historical reasons for such constructions. Readings in English (in Polish for students in the major program).
Prerequisite: Permission of instructor


SLA468H1
Aspects of Literary Translation of Ukrainian 39P

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 figuartive language.
Prerequisite: Permission of instructor
Recommended preparation: SLA308Y or permission of instructor


SLA476H1
Revolution in the Theatre: Stanislavski, Meyerhold, Grotowski, and Kantor 39S

Theoretical thought and theatre practice of these directors are placed within a context of theatre reforms in the 20th century, from naturalism and symbolism, through retheatricalization of theatre, to a ritualistic and mythic holy theatre. Readings in English.
Prerequisite: Permission of instructor


SLA498Y1
Independent Studies

A scholarly project on an approved literary or linguistics topic supervised by one of the Department's instructors.
Prerequisite: Permission of the Department


SLA499H1
Independent Studies

A scholarly project on an approved literary or linguistics topic supervised by one of the Departments instructors.
Prerequisite: Permission of the Department


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