Spring 2026 Courses

MWF 2:00-2:55 PM

Instructor: Alena Kiianichenko. 3 hours. CRN: 17672

This survey course covers a variety of cultural texts (novels, poetry stories, reportage, cinema, popular music, and more) from a certain place and time: a space within the political orders of a state known at different points as the Russian Empire, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), or the Russian Federation (RF); a time defined by war and revolution in which a thousand-year-old state grumbled and Socialism became the guiding ideology of a new political power. We will discuss unique overarching intellectual and artistic currents that have shaped our recent past and turbulent present. As we explore this world through the creative works that its inhabitants produced, we will learn about modernization, revolution, experimentation, turmoil, triumph, and collapse, and we will learn about the people who created, experienced, and recorded these processes as they lived their lives.

Satisfies World Cultures GenEd requirement.

Counts towards the Russian Studies Major or Minor, & the CEES (Central & Eastern European Studies) Major or Minor.

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MWF  1-1:50 PM

Instructor: Katarzyna Majchrowicz-Wolny. 3 hours. CRN: 32280

How do stories survive—and even subvert—systems of oppression? This course provides an introduction to the Polish short story from the second half of the twentieth century, a period when writers navigated the constraints, contradictions, promises, and disillusionments of life under the communist regime. Our readings move from the haunting post war testimonies, through the initial enthusiasm of building new socialist Poland, to biting satires on conformity and control. Along the way, we’ll encounter stories that seem to turn away from politics altogether—crime tales, speculative fictions, and absurd comedies that nonetheless reveal the shifting texture of everyday life the Polish People’s Republic (“PRL”). Through close reading, discussion, and screenings of significant documentaries and films, students will learn to recognize the key elements of fiction and to analyze how different modes of storytelling become tools of resistance to censorship and propaganda. No knowledge of Polish is required—only curiosity about how literature responds to history, and how short stories can illuminate the enduring dynamics of power, ideology, and imagination.

Taught in English.

Satisfies Creative Arts or World Cultures GenEd requirement.

Counts towards the Polish Studies Major or Minor, & the CEES (Central & Eastern European Studies) Major or Minor.

Tu/Th 9:30-10:45 AM

Instructor: Prof. Giedrius Subacius. 3 hours. CRN: 17548

Lith 115 offers a diversity of insights over the cultural landscape of Lithuania: language, mythology, literature, film, architecture, art, geography, population, emigration, history, resistance, and identity.

We read, watch, and discuss.

All class materials are available online (no textbook).

Satisfies World Cultures GenEd requirement.

Counts towards the CEES (Central & Eastern European Studies) Major or Minor.

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Online Asynchronous

Instructor: Prof. Julia Vaingurt. 3 hours. CRN: 35494

Satisfies Creative Arts GenEd requirement.

Counts towards the Russian Studies Major or Minor, & the CEES (Central & Eastern European Studies) Major or Minor.

Tu/Th 12:30-1:45 PM

Instructor: Prof. Michał Markowski. 3 hours. CRN: 48103

Why Literature Matters (Now More Than Ever)

The class offers a welcoming space to discuss the benefits of reading, talking, and writing about literature. All everyday issues will be explored through conversations about literary texts, including ethical, political, aesthetic, and economic topics. Anyone interested in open discussions about literature, culture, or simply the world and how people perceive it is very welcome. A bonus is for those curious about East and Central Europe: its past, present, and future. We will read works written in German, Polish, Czech, Russian, and Hungarian (translated into English; no knowledge of those languages needed) to explore what they might reveal about our world. Both groups—students with no prior knowledge of Eastern and Central Europe and those seeking a deeper understanding—will tackle issues such as the impact of technology on people, the absurdities of social life, communication challenges, bureaucratic pitfalls, the beauty of nature, and the links between human and animal lives, among others. No prerequisite knowledge or course is required.

Counts towards the Polish Studies Major or Minor, the Russian Studies Major or Minor, & the CEES (Central & Eastern European Studies) Major or Minor.

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Tu/Th 11:00-12:15 PM

Instructor: Prof. Matthew Kendall. 4 hours. CRN: 48307

This class will offer a wide-angle view of film and media’s role in constructing imaginary empires in the territory often referred to as “Eurasia.” In our case, the geography of this region will be largely defined by the borders of the former Soviet Union, and we will explore the evolution of popular, political, official, and independent forms of filmmaking in Ukraine, Russia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Armenia, and Kyrgyzstan. We will put pressure on typical frames of “national” cinemas by thinking about the possibility—and at times, the rejection—of inter- and transnational forms of cinematic influence, reception, cooperation, and exchange. We will explore the history of the October Revolution, the emergence of an internationalist, Soviet popular culture, the collapse of that state and civilization, the places that emerged from underneath it, and trends in contemporary cinemas of Ukraine, Georgia, and Kazakhstan. No prior familiarity with world cinema, or with any of the explored geographies, is required for this course. 

Satisfies Creative Arts or World Cultures GenEd requirement.

Counts towards the Russian Studies Major or Minor, Polish Studies Major or Minor, & the CEES (Central & Eastern European Studies) Major or Minor.

Tu/Th 12:30-1:45 PM

Instructor: Professor Keely Stauter-Halsted

3 hours. CRN: 30602

Exploration of political, socioeconomic, and cultural developments since the first Polish state, the union with Lithuania, the struggle for independence, and Communist rule to the present.

Same as HIST 234. Prerequisite(s): ENGL 160 or completion of any 100-level history course.

Counts towards the Polish Studies Major or Minor, & the CEES (Central & Eastern European Studies) Major or Minor.

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Tu/Th 9:30-10:45 AM

Instructor: Prof. Michał Markowski. 3 hours. CRN: 47141. Prerequisite: POL 104

What Did You Say?

The class focuses on fun. Anyone with enough Polish to watch movies with subtitles but who may struggle to understand Polish in real-life social situations should take this class. We will capture the language as it’s spoken, including idioms, phrases, vulgarisms, and humor. We will explore whether the language used by film characters realistically reflects everyday life, with all its colloquialisms and mistakes, beyond the confines of correct, textbook Polish. Since language mirrors life in its complexity, we will try to follow its course as depicted in contemporary Polish movies —mostly comedies —which offer an amusing picture of life.

Counts towards the Polish Studies Major or Minor, & the CEES (Central & Eastern European Studies) Major or Minor.

Thurs. 3:30-6 PM

Instructor: Prof. Dagmara Roda. 3 or 4 hours. CRN: 31360 (Undergraduate), 31788 (Graduate)

This course offers an introduction to the recent history of the Polish feminist movements. It provides an explanation of the political, social, and technological contexts in which feminist movements have been operating, characterizes the forms, themes, and concepts that have dominated the movements in consecutive decades, and exemplifies these with case studies of pro-choice/pro-abortion activism. The focus on pro-choice/pro-abortion activism will facilitate meaningful discussions, as both in the United States and in Poland the issue of abortion is a central topic of public debate. The objective of the proposed course is to examine the distinctive characteristics of the Polish feminist movement in the context of “the Other Europe.” The central question that will be addressed throughout the course is as follows: What is the most appropriate way to describe the feminist movements that originated in the former Eastern Bloc? A number of sub-questions will be posed for consideration. What are the defining characteristics of the Polish feminist movements that emerged in the period following 1989? What are the essential contextual considerations? What challenges do feminist movements in the region known as “Other Europe” pose to the dominant feminist historiography? In what ways might the transnational and decolonial frameworks be employed to facilitate discussion of Polish feminist movements?

Counts towards the Polish Studies Major or Minor, & the CEES (Central & Eastern European Studies) Major or Minor.

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Mon. 3-5:30 PM

Instructor: Prof. Julia Vaingurt. 3 or 4 hours. CRN: 37860 (Undergraduate), 38038 (Graduate)

This course explores the central and most controversial issue of Russian literary and philosophical tradition: Russia’s relationship to the West.  Various events and aspects of Western political and social life, from revolutions to resorts, will be examined through the lens of Russian fiction, travelogues and diaries, philosophy and historiography. We will examine how the images of the West reflect Russia’s own cultural biases, national concerns, and aesthetic preoccupations.  Central to this issue is Russia’s own conceptualization of its identity: is it a part of Europe (the West) or Asia (the East), or a unique hybrid of the two with its own distinct destiny?  The course unfolds chronologically, covering three centuries of Russian history from Peter the Great’s Westernizing reforms to Putin’s all-out war.  Readings will include works by Pushkin, Dostoevsky, Mayakovsky, Solzhenitsyn, Pelevin, and Limonov.

Counts towards the Russian Studies Major or Minor, & the CEES (Central & Eastern European Studies) Major or Minor.

Tues. 3:30-6 PM

Instructor: Prof. Giedrius Subacius. 3 or 4 hours. CRN: 36277 (Undergraduate), 36276 (Graduate)

If “a language is a dialect with an army and a navy,” then among the many dialects that make up a language, the standard variety has the largest military. This course is all about the phenomenon of “standard languages.” The standard variety is primarily written with the goal of providing linguistic uniformity in the face of social diversity. Standard languages are often thought of as prestigious, “most beautiful,” and may serve as a symbol of national identity while also being the official language of a country. We will analyze and discuss the “birth” and development of language standards, the development of individual standard languages, and we will see emerging historical–theoretical patterns. Some standards were initiated by kings, others—by intellectuals of peasant origin. Of over 50 present standard languages in Europe, a number will be investigated, compared, and classified: English, German, Albanian, Estonian, Greek, Yiddish, Italian, French, Spanish, Lithuanian, Polish, Ukrainian, Norwegian, Croatian, Serbian, Luxembourgish, Russian, etc.

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