| Unit name | The Nineteenth-Century Russian Novel |
|---|---|
| Unit code | RUSS20069 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | I/5 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Dr. Sutton-Mattocks |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one | |
| School/department | Department of Russian |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
Why is this unit important?
Arguably Russian literature reached its zenith in the nineteenth century. Russian nineteenth-century writers are renowned for their psychologically penetrating prose, and their engagement with key social, political and moral questions. What does it mean to be Russian? Should Russia follow the West or forge its own path? How should we respond to modernization? Should we still believe in God? If not, how can we distinguish between right and wrong? What is the meaning of life, and how should we live? In this unit, you will discover how some of Russia’s greatest writers responded to these questions.
The writers and novels studied will vary from year to year but may include some of the following: Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment; Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina; Turgenev’s Fathers and Sons; Khvoshchinskaia’s The Boarding-School Girl. You will explore these novels in the historical and cultural context of nineteenth-century Russia. You will consider key themes and ideas in the novels, as well as issues of narrative structure and form. You will learn to read both deeply – producing essays on individual novels – and broadly, learning to compare and contrast novels and ideas.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study
For students of Russian, the unit builds on knowledge acquired in the Y1 programme, where you may have read and analysed shorter works of Russian literature (although the unit itself has no pre-requisites). In terms of skills, you will improve your academic writing and presentation skills, engaging in greater depth with literary criticism and developing the ability to build your own argument. The unit lays the groundwork for the more advanced study of Russian literature in your final year and indeed for literary and cultural studies across your programme.
An overview of content
In this unit, you will read some of the greatest books ever written. Nineteenth-century Russian novels are famed for their breadth of coverage, their engagement with political and social ideas, and their treatment of psychology. You will explore the evolution of the nineteenth-century Russian novel in its social, political, intellectual, and cultural context. You will analyse Russian novels in detail, both in their form and their content, developing the ability to read a novel closely as well as comparative discussion of texts. You will improve your ability to communicate about complex ideas and topics, both in written work and in oral presentations.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit
Many find the experience of reading nineteenth-century Russian literature to be transformative. You will acquire an in-depth knowledge of a country and society (nineteenth-century Russia) that differs profoundly from twenty-first century Britain. You will encounter worldviews and values that are unfamiliar. Through engaging with the books and ideas on this unit, you will develop your skills of reflection in relation to your own lives and the world around you.
Learning Outcomes
1) Recognize and explain the major figures of nineteenth-century Russian literature;
2) Construct evidence-based written arguments, based on an in-depth analysis of the unit’s primary material in terms of both literary content and form, appropriate to level I/5;
3) Compare and contrast two or more nineteenth-century novels, building an argument that contextualizes the novels historically and culturally;
4) Synthesise and evaluate the existing scholarship on nineteenth-century Russian-literature;
5) Develop and demonstrate their presentation skills.
Each week, you will have a two-hour class that will include, broadly, four types of learning: lecture, discussion, student presentations and workshop.
Lectures: Lectures equip you with foundational subject knowledge. Far from being a passive mode of learning, lectures help you build critical analysis and evidence-gathering skills by modelling textual interpretation and posing key questions related to the discipline.
Discussion: Discussions are a student-centred mode of learning. In pairs or small groups, you will discuss key questions about the texts, developing, sharing and defending your own arguments.
Presentation: Through delivering a presentation and acting as an audience member for classmates, you will become familiar with how a literary critic constructs an argument, and learn to engage with and critique existing ideas. You will also sharpen your presentation skills.
Workshop: Workshops are dedicated to a specific skill, such as academic writing or giving a presentation. Workshops are held occasionally, usually in advance of assessment.
Beyond the classroom, you will devote much time to primary and secondary reading, essential for a literature unit. You should expect to read several novels, as well as sections of books and scholarly articles. Reading is sometimes misunderstood as a ‘passive’ activity, but engaged reading is an active process, as you will not only be expanding your subject knowledge but developing your sense of empathy and judgement. Online activities and digital resources will be used as appropriate.
In total, you will have 22 hours of class teaching and 178 hours of independent learning.
Tasks which need for be completed for the award of credit (formative)
1 x presentation (formative) [ILOs 4 and 5]
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
1 x 2000-word coursework essay (50%) [ILOs 1, 2, and 4]
1 x timed assessment (50%) [ILOs 1-3]
When assessment does not go to plan
When required by the Board of Examiners, you will normally complete reassessments in the same formats as those outlined above. However, the Board reserves the right to modify the form or number of reassessments required. Details of reassessments are normally confirmed by the School shortly after the notification of your results at the end of the academic year.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. RUSS20069).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the Faculty workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. If you have self-certificated your absence from an
assessment, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (this is usually in the next assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any extenuating circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
