This syllabus WILL BE updated after our organizational meeting, see Welcome page. See Course Description (the link at the top of the syllabus) to learn how this course works.

Watch online Interviews from Russia. Part 1 (less than 50 minutes). (You will watch Part 2 next week.) Our goal for these classes is to discuss the film and the ways to write about it, and then for the next class to produce a well-written essay using an AI bot. As you watch the video for this class, take notes on what you would like to speak and write about. These notes are for your use only: you will not be asked to submit them. Come to class prepared to discuss your ideas about the film and your plans for the essay.

Write a draft essay (less than a page) on Part 1 of Interviews from Russia. You may write about the events, the people, the context (social, cultural, geographic, etc.), your own reaction to the film, your opinions or similar experiences/observations. Then use an AI bot to create a few improved versions of your draft (one with corrected grammar, anther more concise or more detailed, or more formal... use your imagination and read about this assignment in the Course Description (the link at the top of this page). In class, we will talk about what you learned from this experience and the ways to improve your text. Post all variants of your story as well as your analysis of the language changes on the Google Docs shared folder for the course, in a subfolder with your name within the folder for the current week. This note applies to all writing assignments and will not be repeated.

Watch online Interviews from Russia. Part 2. (about 40 minutes). Remember to take notes for the in-class discussion and the essay you will write for the next class.

Write an essay based on the most recent video that you watched. See Course Description and/or the assignment for the first writing class in this syllabus.

SEE COURSE DESCRIPTION FOR ACCESS TO THIS FILM. Watch online the first half (Часть 1 - Часть 4, 48 minutes) of the film M & S. Come to class prepared to discuss your ideas about the film and your plans for the essay.

Write an essay based on the most recent video assignment. If you need directions, see Course Description and/or the assignment for the first writing class in this syllabus.

Watch the rest of M & S (Часть 5 - до конца фильма, 40 минут). Take notes. In class, we will discuss the new developments in the story, and your plans for the essay.

Write an essay based on the most recent video assignment.

Watch online Children from Russia (60 minutes). Come to class prepared to discuss your ideas about the film and your plans for the essay.

For a relatively recent dramatic twist of the children theme you may want to scan these articles:

Кудрин просит Путина не подписывать закон об усыновлении and Путин подписал закон, запрещающий усыновление в США.

Even more dramatic events on the adoption scene happened after Russia invaded Ukraine. They affected thousands of Ukrainian children and resulted in the warrant of arrest issued by the International Criminal Court against Putin and his Commissioner for Children's Rights.

февральские каникулы

Write an essay based on the most recent video assignment. For your continuing exploration of AI-generated writing styles, you may want to try the style of a letter to a friend, or a story for a young sibling, or a passionate call-to-action for an activist blog, etc.

Watch online Life on the Atomic River. You will need to log in with your CU email address and the password you used there earlier. (60 minutes).

Come to class prepared to discuss your ideas about the film and your plans for the essay.

Write an essay based on the most recent video assignment. Explore new writing styles.

Watch «Ностальгия по сибирской язве» (The Anthrax Diaries) at http://russian.cornell.edu/bio/cfm/film.cfm?Lang=R (30 minutes). Then click the Interviews tab, and watch any interviews or portions of interviews.

Come to class prepared to discuss your ideas about the events and attitudes shown in the film, and your plans for the essay.

Write an essay based on the most recent video assignment.

Watch a few Экскурсии at Коммунальная квартира: Виртуальный музей советского быта, scan a couple of articles on the website, and look for other stories or videos about the subject. Perhaps your Russian бабушка can tell you a thing or two about her коммуналка. Come to class ready to discuss the communal living issues. While making your presentation in class, you may want to compare the Soviet phenomenon to your own experience of living in a dorm.

Write an essay based on the most recent video assignment. Explore new writing styles appropriate to the subject. The four principal writing styles are briefly explained here, but of course there are almost endless variations that depend on your audience, purpose, and personal preferences.

Come to class prepared to discuss your ideas about the film and your plans for the essay.

«Воры в законе» at https://youtu.be/NYyHLtuh6HM: watch as much as you have time for.

Watch the rest of «Воры в законе» and write your essay on it, perhaps as your testimony in court, or a police interview, or a story told by one of the victims of a similar crime.

весенние каникулы

весенние каникулы

Алексей Балабанов «Брат». 1997. Кинокомпания СТВ. 100 (96?) минут. Можно смотреть онлайн здесь и здесь (без титров). Есть статья в Википедии. Посмотрите, почитайте, подумайте, приходите на занятие с идеями и планами, как их изложить: в каком жанре, с какой точки зрения, для какого читателя. В противоположность распространенному мнению, это не детективный фильм о бандитах, а своего рода классический — почти эпический — образец современной сказки, своего рода городского фольклора.

Write an essay based on the most recent video assignment. An appropriate genre for this might be an analysis presented in a university lecture on modern themes in arts and letters; or a dinner conversation about a film you recently saw.

Find and read (or watch) publications on the anti-corruption rallies that took place in several Russian cities in 2017, and write about them (in any genre). A good starting point may be this series of video interviews in Vladivostok. Do not overlook readers' and viewers' comments, where available--they are often a good way to see alternative perspectives. A more recent series of events is described here.

Write an essay on what you learned in the previous assignment on corruption in Russia and the popular protests against it.

Андрей Лошак «Разрыв связи», документальный фильм о реакции россиян на вторжение в Украину. Посмотрите сколько успеете, приходите на занятие с мыслями, наблюдениями и планами статьи (?), рассказа друзьям (?), письма в Украину (?), выступления на митинге (?), обращения к одному из персонажей (?), сценария подкаста (?)...

Write an essay based on the film «Разрыв связи». Explore new writing styles and genres appropriate to the subject.

TBA

TBA

Write an essay and prepare a presentation on the most memorable things you learned about Russia in this course.