Histoire et culture russes

The cultural history of Russia from its origins and the Rurik dynasty till the beginning of the 20th Century. The most influential trends in Russian culture up to the middle of the 19th century. Cultural, social and political movements that arose between 800-1870, and the principal figures embodying these movements.  Special attention is paid to specific momentous events and “cultural landmarks” as well as to the particular “ikons” and “heroes” exemplifying cultural changes and achievements.  The course explores this vast period through preparing a work of writing to focus on a certain “event”, “process” or person chosen from the studied cultural milieu.

The course provides an introduction to Russian culture and society from medieval times to the twentieth century. Having started with a brief survey of the beginnings of Russian civilization, we will then focus on the Rus’/Russian autocratic tradition from the first Grand Kievan Princes, Moscow rulers such as Ivan the Terrible to the last Romanovs. We will examine how Russian princes, tsars, and emperors single-handedly ruled the country’s vast Eurasian expanses, often bringing about enormous political and social transformations by decree. Among other topics, we will take a look at Peter the Great’s sweeping Westernization of Russian society and culture, continued under his famous female successors, Elizabeth and Catherine the Great. Major achievements of Russian literature, music, and pictorial art will also be discussed.

Required and Corequired knowledge and skills

Reader with the required texts

References, bibliography, and recommended reading

Cfr. Bibliography of Syllabus

Course notes

• Université virtuelle

Contacts

Denis.Ioffe@ulb.be; Vera.Pavlovskaia@ulb.ac.be

Campus

Solbosch

Method(s) of evaluation

• written examination
• Project
• Other

written examination

Project

Other

Written exam in January covering all the material of the course

Mark calculation method (including weighting of intermediary marks)

The final grade consists of the three marks: Exam 60%; Written paper (30%) and Oral presentation (10%).

Language(s) of evaluation

• english
• french