Czech, Polish, or Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian Language and Literature

University of California, Berkeley

This is an archived copy of the 2014-15 guide. To access the most recent version of the guide, please visit http://guide.berkeley.edu/.

About the Program

Minor

The Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures offers a minor program in Slavic Languages and Literatures with emphasis in Czech, Polish, or Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian (BCS) language and literature. 

Students who wish to major in these languages should consider the applicable program track available through the Slavic Languages and Literatures major program.

Declaring the Minor

Students considering a minor track involving language requirements must see the Major Adviser early on to have their status as a heritage or native speaker determined, to be referred for language placement as needed, and to have their major study list plan approved. The paperwork for the minor, called an L & S Confirmation of Minor form, is completed with the Major Adviser the semester in which the student will earn his/her degree, and no later than the last two weeks of classes in the student’s final semester. Students are required to bring a Bear Facts copy of their transcript when they meet with the major adviser to finalize their minor. Final approval for a minor rests with the major adviser.

Other Majors and Minors Offered by the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures

Russian Language  (Minor only)
Russian Language, Literature, and Culture  (Minor only)
Russian Literature  (Minor only)
Slavic Languages and Literatures (Major only)

Visit Department Website

Minor Requirements

Students who have a strong interest in an area of study outside their major often decide to complete a minor program. These programs have set requirements and are noted officially on the transcript in the memoranda section, but are not noted on diplomas.

General Guidelines

  1. All courses taken to fulfill the minor requirements below must be taken for graded credit.
  2. A minimum of three of the upper-division courses taken to fulfill the minor requirements must be completed at UC Berkeley.
  3. A minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 is required for courses used to fulfill the minor requirements.
  4. Courses used to fulfill the minor requirements may be applied toward the Seven-Course Breadth Requirement, for Letters and Science students.
  5. No more than one upper-division course may be used to simultaneously fulfill requirements for a student's major and minor programs.
  6. All minor requirements must be completed prior to the last day of finals during the semester in which you plan to graduate. If you cannot finish all courses required for the minor by that time, please see a College of Letters and Science adviser.
  7. All minor requirements must be completed within the unit ceiling. (For further information regarding the unit ceiling, please see the College Requirements tab.)

Lower-division Prerequisites

Select one 1st-year language sequence or equivalent:
Introductory Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian
   and Introductory Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian
Introductory Czech
   and Introductory Czech
Introductory Polish
   and Introductory Polish

Upper-division Requirements

Select two advanced language courses from the folllowing:
Continuing Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian
   and Continuing Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian
Continuing Czech
   and Continuing Czech
Continuing Polish
   and Continuing Polish
Select one literature survey from the following:
Polish Literature and Intellectual Trends
SLAVIC 160
Course Not Available
Survey of Yugoslav Literatures
Select two courses in relevant literature from the following: 1
SLAVIC 151
  & SLAVIC 152
Readings in Polish Literature
   and Course Not Available
SLAVIC 161
  & SLAVIC 162
Course Not Available
   and Course Not Available
Readings in Yugoslav Literatures
   and Topics in Serbian/Croatian
1

 Substitutes may be approved by the major adviser.

Advising

Programmatic and individual advising services is provided to prospective and current students who are pursuing major and minor tracks in the Department. Advisers assist with a range of issues including course selection, academic decision-making, achieving personal and academic goals, and maximizing the Berkeley experience.

If you are looking to explore your options, or you are ready to declare a major, double major, or minor, contact the Undergraduate Student Services Adviser.

Advising Staff and Hours

Kathi Brosnan
issaug@berkeley.edu
6303 Dwinelle Hall
510-642-4661
Contact Kathi Brosnan via email to request an appointment
Advising hours: Monday-Friday, 9:30am-11:00am and 1:30pm-3:30pm

Courses

Select a subject to view courses:

Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian

BOSCRSR 27A Introductory Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian 5 Units

Beginner's course. Sequence beginning Fall semester.

BOSCRSR 27B Introductory Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian 5 Units

Beginner's course. Sequence beginning Fall semester.

BOSCRSR 117A Continuing Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian 4 Units

Sequence begins fall semester.

BOSCRSR 117B Continuing Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian 4 Units

Sequence begins fall semester.

Czech

CZECH 26A Introductory Czech 5 Units

Beginner's course. Sequence beginning fall.

CZECH 26B Introductory Czech 5 Units

Beginner's course. Sequence beginning fall.

CZECH 116A Continuing Czech 4 Units

Sequence begins fall semester.

CZECH 116B Continuing Czech 4 Units

Sequence begins fall semester.

Polish

POLISH 25A Introductory Polish 5 Units

Beginner's course. Sequence beginning fall.

POLISH 25B Introductory Polish 5 Units

Beginner's course. Sequence beginning fall.

POLISH 115A Continuing Polish 4 Units

Sequence begins fall semester.

POLISH 115B Continuing Polish 4 Units

Sequence begins fall semester.

Slavic Languages and Literatures

SLAVIC R5A Reading and Composition 4 Units

Reading and composition course based on works of Russian and other Slavic writers, either written in English or translated into English. As students develop strategies of writing and interpretation, they will become acquainted with a particular theme in Russian and/or Slavic literatures and their major voices. R5A satisfies the first half of the Reading and Composition requirement, and R5B satisfies the second half.

SLAVIC R5B Reading and Composition 4 Units

Reading and composition course based on works of Russian and other Slavic writers, either written in English or translated into English. As students develop strategies of writing and interpretation, they will become acquainted with a particular theme in Russian and/or Slavic literatures and their major voices. R5A satisfies the first half of the Reading and Composition requirement, and R5B satisfies the second half.

SLAVIC 24 Freshman Seminar 1 Unit

The Freshman Seminar Program has been designed to provide new students with the opportunity to explore an intellectual topic with a faculty member in a small-seminar setting. Freshman seminars are offered in all campus departments, and topics vary from department to department and semester to semester. Enrollment limited to 15 freshmen.

SLAVIC 36 Great Books of Russian Literature 3 Units

Readings in English of representative texts from the Russian literary tradition. Variable topics.

SLAVIC 39C Freshman/Sophomore Seminar 2 - 4 Units

Freshman and Sophomore seminars offer lower-division students the opportunity to explore an intellectual topic with a faculty member and a group of peers in a small-seminar setting. These seminars are offered in all campus departments; topics vary from department to department and from semester to semester. Enrollment limits are set by the faculty, but the suggested limit is 25.

SLAVIC 39E Freshman/Sophomore Seminar 2 - 4 Units

Freshman and Sophomore seminars offer lower-division students the opportunity to explore an intellectual topic with a faculty member and a group of peers in a small-seminar setting. These seminars are offered in all campus departments; topics vary from department to department and from semester to semester. Enrollment limits are set by the faculty, but the suggested limit is 25.

SLAVIC 39L Freshman/Sophomore Seminar 2 - 4 Units

Freshman and Sophomore seminars offer lower-division students the opportunity to explore an intellectual topic with a faculty member and a group of peers in a small-seminar setting. These seminars are offered in all campus departments; topics vary from department to department and from semester to semester. Enrollment limits are set by the faculty, but the suggested limit is 25.

SLAVIC 39M Freshman/Sophomore Seminar 2 - 4 Units

Freshman and Sophomore seminars offer lower-division students the opportunity to explore an intellectual topic with a faculty member and a group of peers in a small-seminar setting. These seminars are offered in all campus departments; topics vary from department to department and from semester to semester. Enrollment limits are set by the faculty, but the suggested limit is 25.

SLAVIC 39N Freshman/Sophomore Seminar 2 - 4 Units

Freshman and Sophomore seminars offer lower-division students the opportunity to explore an intellectual topic with a faculty member and a group of peers in a small-seminar setting. These seminars are offered in all campus departments; topics vary from department to department and from semester to semester. Enrollment limits are set by the faculty, but the suggested limit is 25.

SLAVIC 45 Nineteenth-Century Russian Literature 3 Units

Development of Russian literature from Pushkin to Chekhov. No knowledge of Russian required. Prerequisite to admission to the Slavic major and recommended for prospective graduate students.

SLAVIC 46 Twentieth-Century Russian Literature 3 Units

Development of Russian literature from 1900 to the present: modernism, Soviet, and literature. No knowledge of Russian required. Prerequisite to admission to the Slavic major and recommended for prospective graduate students.

SLAVIC 50 Introduction to Russian/East European/Eurasian Cultures 3 Units

This course introduces students to the cultures of the peoples of the former Soviet bloc (Russia and other areas of the former Soviet Union, including Central Asia and the Caucasus, and Eastern Europe), from early times to the present, with the emphasis on cultural identity. Readings in history, fiction, folklore, viewing of films, and art works. Thematic units include: formation of the Russian civilization, Slavic nationalism in the Romantic era, empire and identity in Eastern/Central Europe; Soviet and post-Soviet daily life, Jews in Slavic lands, the former Yugoslavia; multi ethnic lands. Required of majors in Russian/East European/Eurasian cultures, the course is also aimed at a broad audience. Knowledge of the languages of the area is not required.

SLAVIC 98 Directed Group Study 1 - 4 Units

Group study of selected topics not covered by regularly scheduled courses.

SLAVIC 99 Individual Study 1 - 4 Units

Supervised independent study for lower division students with a minimum 3.0 GPA.

SLAVIC 100 Seminar: Russian, East European, and Eurasian Cultures 4 Units

An in-depth study of cultural history, literature, language, and society of Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. Variable topics. Course readings include primary texts (literature, film, popular culture, journalism) and scholarly studies. Course work emphasizes students' research. Required of all majors in the Slavic department. Final research paper of 10-20 pages required.

SLAVIC 130 The Culture of Medieval Rus' 4 Units

Introduction to the cultures of East Slavic peoples in the Middle Ages, including history, mythology, Christian religious culture, literature (writing), icon painting, and architecture.

SLAVIC 131 Literature, Art, and Society in 20th-Century Russia 4 Units

A lecture course examining Russian literature and culture in the 20th century. The course will focus on the interaction of literature, other artistic forms (painting, photography, or film), and broader social and ideological changes in one of the key transitional periods of the 20th century. Periods to be examined include the transition to Communism in the post-revolutionary 20s and the retreat from Communism (the perestroika 80s and the post-Communist 90s). No knowledge of Russian is required.

SLAVIC 132 Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, and the English Novel 4 Units

A reading of novels by Dostoevsky and Tolstoy along with some relevant English novels. We will look at how the Russian and English novels respond to each other, resemble each other, and differ from each other, especially in their treatment of childhood, family, love, social theory, spirituality, and narrative.

SLAVIC 133 The Novel in Russia and the West 4 Units

Study of major Russian and Western (European and American) 19th- and 20th-century novels, and their interrelations. Variable reading list. See Department announcement for description.

SLAVIC 134A Gogol 4 Units

Gogol's fiction and plays, treated in relation to his life and to developments in Russian and European literature. Extensive outside reading required for this course.

SLAVIC 134C Dostoevsky 4 Units

A survey of the writer's principal artistic works, treated in relation to his life and to developments in Russian and European literature. Extensive outside reading required for this course.

SLAVIC 134D Tolstoy 4 Units

A survey of the writer's principal artistic works, treated in relation to his life and to developments in Russian and European literature. Extensive outside reading required for this course.

SLAVIC 134E Chekhov 4 Units

Studies in the innovative master of modern narrative forms: short story, drama, letter. Extensive exposure to the life and times of Anton Chekhov. Practice in critical approaches to literature and theater. Writing-intensive course.

SLAVIC 134F Nabokov 4 Units

A thorough examination of Nabokov's work as a novelist, critic, and memoirist. Explores Nabokov's fiction from his European and American periods, his (imagined) relation to literary predecessors, and his construct of an authorial self. Extensive outside reading required for this course.

SLAVIC 134G Tolstoy and Dostoevsky 4 Units

A reading of major works by Tolstoy and Dostoevsky in the context of Russian and European philosophy and religious thought. Extensive outside reading required. Variable content.

SLAVIC 134R Research in Russian Literature 1 Unit

Special research project to be coordinated with lecture course in the Slavic 134 series (SLAVIC 134A-B-C-D-E-F-G-N). Supervised by the instructor of the lecture course in which the student is also enrolled. Final research paper of 10-15 pages required.

SLAVIC 137 Introduction to Slavic Linguistics 3 Units

An introduction to the Slavic languages, their structures and histories, and descriptive and theoretical principles for their analysis. The origin and ancient history of the Slavs.

SLAVIC C137 Introduction to Slavic Linguistics 4 Units

An introduction to best practices in applying linguistic analysis to Slavic languages. Development of critical thinking and analytical skills.

SLAVIC 138 Topics in Russian and Soviet Film 4 Units

This course will examine the Russian contribution to film history and theory, with particular attention paid to the role of the cinema in Soviet culture and Russian films complex ties to literary and political movements. Variable topics.

SLAVIC C139 Language Spread 3 Units

Linguistic background and the general principles of language spread. Mechanisms of language spread, including creolization-decreolization, language planning, and the role of bilingualism. Case studies in language spread, including Austronesian, Indo-European, Amerindian, Uralic, African, Sinitic, and Australian languages. Relationship of language spread to immigration and culture spreads.

SLAVIC 140 The Performing Arts in Russia and Eastern Europe 4 Units

The course will examine the Russian and East European contribution to the practice and theory of the performing arts, especially (but not exclusively) theater. The course emphasizes the involvement of the performing arts in the social and cultural fabric.

SLAVIC 147A East Slavic Folklore 3 Units

Folktales, epic songs, customs, and beliefs of Russians and Ukrainians.

SLAVIC 147B Balkan Folklore 3 Units

Folktales, epic songs, customs, and beliefs of the South Slavs and other Balkan peoples.

SLAVIC 147R Slavic Studies Research 1 Unit

Special research project to be coordinated with lecture course for Slavic 147. Supervised by the instructor of the lecture course in which the student is also enrolled. Final research paper of 10-15 pages required.

SLAVIC 148 Topics in Russian Cultural History 4 Units

This course examines various dimensions of Russian culture--social, political, artistic, literary--in public and private life. The theory and method of cultural studies will be addressed, as well as concrete historical material pertaining to Russia. Topic and period variable. Instruction and texts in English, but students with a working knowledge of Russian are encouraged to do some reading in the original.

SLAVIC 150 Polish Literature and Intellectual Trends 3 Units

A survey of the major writers, works, and trends of the Polish literary tradition from the Middle Ages to the present. Special attention devoted to the Renaissance, the age of Romanticism, and the modern period. No knowledge of Polish required.

SLAVIC 151 Readings in Polish Literature 4 Units

Selected readings in Polish tailored to the academic interests of students enrolled.

SLAVIC 158 Topics in East European/Eurasian Cultural History 4 Units

This course examines various dimensions of different East European and Eurasian (Central Asia, the Caucasus, Siberia) cultures (history, society, languages, literature, art). Variable topics. Instruction and readings in English; students with knowledge of the languages of the area are encouraged to do some reading in the original language.

SLAVIC 170 Survey of Yugoslav Literatures 3 Units

Outline of major developments in Serbian (including Montenegrin) and Croatian (including Dalmatian) literatures from the beginnings to the present. No knowledge of Serbian/Croatian required.

SLAVIC 171 Readings in Yugoslav Literatures 4 Units

Selected readings in Serbian/Croatian, tailored to the academic interests of students enrolled.

SLAVIC 172 Topics in Serbian/Croatian 3 Units

Studies in Serbian/Croatian literatures, linguistics, or conversation, depending on the needs of the students enrolled.

SLAVIC 181 Readings in Russian Literature 4 Units

Study and analysis of the development of the Russian literary language and short fiction from the eighteenth century to the present.

SLAVIC 182 Pushkin 4 Units

A survey of the writer's principal artistic works, treated in relation to his life and to developments in Russian and European literature.

SLAVIC 190 Russian Culture Taught in Russian: Country, Identity, and Language 4 Units

Based on a wide range of sources from the 19th and 20th centuries--works of fiction, publicistics, personal documents--the course will trace the formation and historical transformation of Russian cultural identity, including issues in national identity, ethnicity, position in relation to state, gender, and sexuality. The class is aimed at students with advanced knowledge of Russian, both Americans studying Russian and Russians living in America. All readings, lectures, and discussions in Russian.

SLAVIC H195 Honors Seminar 4 Units

Study and research on a topic selected by the student in consultation with the faculty adviser, to culminate in the writing of a thesis. See departmental description of the Honors Program.

SLAVIC 198 Supervised Group Study for Undergraduates 1 - 4 Units

Supervised cooperative study of topics (in Slavic and East European languages and literatures) not covered by regularly scheduled courses.

SLAVIC 199 Supervised Independent Study and Research 1 - 4 Units

Faculty

Professors

Ronelle Alexander, Professor. Slavic languages & literatures, problems of orality and ethnicity, Balkan Slavic dialectology, Balkan linguistics, language contact, historical accentology, clitic phenomena, oral tradition, Parry-Lord theory of oral composition, South Slavic epic singers.
Research Profile

David A. Frick, Professor. Slavic languages & literatures.
Research Profile

Eric Naiman, Professor. Sexuality, history, comparative literature, Slavic language, ideological poetics, history of medicine, Soviet culture, the gothic novel.
Research Profile

Irina Paperno, Professor. Russian language and literature, intellectual history.
Research Profile

Associate Professors

Lyubov (Luba) Golburt, PhD, Associate Professor. Pushkin, Russian literature and art of the 18th and 19th centuries; Derzhavin, Turgenev; history and literature; historical novel.
Research Profile

Darya Kavitskaya, Associate Professor.

Anne Nesbet, Associate Professor. Culture, film studies, Slavic languages, early Soviet culture, Sergei Eisenstein, silent film, Soviet film, GDR history, children's literature & Stalinism, the Soviet Union, American minority movements.
Research Profile

Harsha Ram, Associate Professor. Slavic languages and literatures, Russian and European lyric poetry and poetics (Derzhavin, Pushkin, Lermontov, Khlebnikov, Mandel'shtam), the poetics and politics of the eighteenth century and the Russian Golden Age, the Russian and European avant-garde.
Research Profile

Lecturers

Ellen R. Langer, Lecturer.

Milutin Janjic, Lecturer.

Anna Muza, Lecturer.

Eva Szoke, Lecturer.

Katarzyna Zacha, Lecturer.

Lisa C. Little, Lecturer.

Santoukht, I. Mikaelian, Lecturer.

Contact Information

Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures

6303 Dwinelle Hall

Phone: 510-642-2979

Fax: 510-642-6220

issa@berkeley.edu

Visit Department Website

Department Chair

Irina Paperno, PhD

ipaperno@berkeley.edu

Undergraduate Student Services Adviser

Kathi Brosnan

issaug@berkeley.edu

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