Slavic Languages and Literatures


Faculty List

Professors Emeriti
V. Ambros, MA, PhD
R. Bogert, MA, PhD
C.E. Kramer, MA, PhD
R. Lindheim, MA
R.H. Marshall, PhD
N. Pavliuc, MA, PhD
C.V. Ponomareff, MA, PhD
J. Schallert, PhD
R.D.B. Thomson, MA, D Phil

Professor and Chair of the Department
L. Livak, MA, PhD

Associate Professor and Associate Chair, Graduate
D. Obradović, MA, PhD

Associate Professor and Interim Associate Chair, Undergraduate
T. Koznarsky, MA, PhD

Professors
L. Livak, MA, PhD
D. Orwin, MA, PhD
M. Tarnawsky, MA, PhD

Associate Professors
K. Holland, MA, PhD
A. Komaromi, MA, PhD
T. Koznarsky, MA, PhD
A. Muhonen, MA, PhD
D. Obradović, MA, PhD
T. Smoliarova, MA, PhD
T. Trojanowska, MA, PhD

Associate Professor, Teaching Stream and Language Program Coordinator
J. Mikhailova, MA, PhD

Assistant Professor
Z. Mandušić, MA, PhD

Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream
M. Cabaj, MA, PhD

Introduction

For over one thousand years the countries of the Slavic world have played a prominent role in international life, and have provided our civilization with numerous writers, musicians, philosophers, religious and political thinkers, and scientists of note. The richness of the Slavic cultures has a special significance for Canada, since the vast influx of Slavs, which began in the last century, has contributed greatly to the Canadian cultural mosaic.

The Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures offers an extensive range of courses in Russian, Polish, Ukrainian, Czech and Slovak, Bosnian, Croatian, and Serbian languages, literatures, culture, and film as well as in Slavic linguistics. Within this range there are courses suitable for inclusion in a wide variety of programs of study, whether or not the student has studied any Slavic language previously. Some students may specialize in Slavic Languages and Cultures, i.e., Russian, Polish or Ukrainian (see Programs of Study). Others may simply wish to gain a working knowledge of Russian or another Slavic language to aid their reading of important material in another field. Language study emphasizes small instructional groups, with some laboratory or conversational practice, and the use of literary materials.

Courses in the literatures and cultures of various Slavic countries explore the artistic, intellectual, and social currents of their civilizations, trace the literary history of each country, and examine the works of major authors. Many of our literature, culture, and film courses are taught in English and do not require special linguistic preparation.

The growing importance of Eastern Europe in contemporary affairs has had the effect of making academic study of this area especially lively and relevant. The student whose interest in the Russian or East European world is political, historical, or sociological can specialize in Russian and East European Studies, or pursue a course in Political Science, History, or Sociology, and at the same time take language courses, and perhaps selected courses in literature, in this Department. Students planning to specialize in Economics, Psychology, Mathematics, or any number of other fields, who have a special interest in the Russian or East European area, will find an advanced knowledge of Russian or of another Slavic language an important intellectual and professional asset.

Students intending to take a Program offered by the Department are asked to carefully study the Programs of Study and are urged to begin their language training as soon as possible. A Departmental brochure is available on request.

Interim Associate Chair, Undergraduate:
Associate Professor T. Koznarsky, undergrad.slavic@utoronto.ca

Website: sites.utoronto.ca/slavic

 

Note Regarding Restructured and Renamed Slavic and East European Languages and Cultures Programs

Effective 2023-24, the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures will present a restructured suite of undergraduate program offerings aimed at providing improved opportunities for students to engage in the comparative study of Slavic and East European cultures. These offerings will allow students to pursue studies in the following language and culture areas: Czech and Slovak, Estonian, Finnish, Polish, Russian, South Slavic, and Ukrainian.

Enrolment in the old Slavic Languages and Cultures Specialist, the Slavic Languages and Cultures Major (and its streams), the Slavic Languages and Cultures Minor (and its streams), and the Russian Literature in Translation Minor will no longer be available effective September 21, 2023. Students presently enrolled in any of the above programs will be able to complete the requirements as described in the respective program records, published in the 2022-23 Arts & Science Academic Calendar.

Beginning in March 2024, all students interested in pursuing language, literature, and/or cultural studies in Czech & Slovak, Polish, Russian, South Slavic, or Ukrainian are encouraged to enrol in one of the new programs in Slavic and East European Languages and Cultures (Minor, Major, Specialist) or in Slavic and East European Literature in Translation (Minor).

 

Slavic Languages and Literatures Programs

Slavic and East European Languages and Cultures Specialist (Arts Program) - ASSPE1205

Enrolment Requirements:

This is an open enrolment program. A student who has completed 4.0 credits may enrol in the program.

Completion Requirements:

(10.5 credits, with at least 4.0 credits at the 300+ level, including 1.0 credit at the 400-level)

Students must choose any two of the available language areas (Czech and Slovak, Estonian, Finnish, Polish, Russian, South Slavic, Ukrainian).

Please note: Some courses may appear in more than one group thanks to their content. No course, however, may be counted twice for the purposes of program completion.

1. 1.0 credit of Common Core: SLA201H1 and SLA256H1

2. 4.0 credits of language coursework from each of the two chosen language areas (2.0 credits per area).

Czech and Slovak: SLA105Y1, SLA204Y1, SLA214H1.

Estonian: EST100H1, EST101H1, EST200H1, EST201H1, EST300Y1.

Finnish: FIN100H1, FIN110H1, FIN200H1, FIN210H1, FIN300H1, FIN340H1, FIN400H1; SWE100H1, SWE101H1.

Polish: SLA106H1, SLA116H1, SLA206H1, SLA207H1, SLA306H1, SLA336H1, SLA426H1.

Russian: SLA100H1, SLA101H1, SLA210H1, SLA214H1, SLA220Y1, SLA221H1, SLA320Y1, SLA321H1, SLA322H1, SLA410H1, SLA420Y1.

South Slavic (Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian): SLA107Y1, SLA214H1, SLA257H1, SLA277H1, SLA337H1.

Ukrainian: SLA108Y1, SLA208Y1, SLA308H1.

Note: In consultation with the Undergraduate Coordinator, and based on results in language placement tests, some students may substitute language courses with the equivalent number of credits in requirement 3 (below).

3. 4.0 credits from culture courses corresponding to the student’s two chosen language areas (2.0 credits per area):

Czech and Slovak: SLA200H1, SLA215H1, SLA225H1, SLA254H1, SLA333H1, SLA335H1, SLA405H1.

Estonian: EST400Y1; FIN225H1, FIN240H1, FIN260H1, FIN310H1; HIS331H1; SLA200H1, SLA254H1.

Finnish: FIN225H1, FIN230H1, FIN236H1, FIN238H1, FIN240H1, FIN250H1, FIN260H1, FIN270H1, FIN280H1, FIN310H1, FIN320H1, FIN350H1, FIN360H1, FIN415H1; EST400Y1; HIS331H1.

Polish: SLA216H1, SLA226H1, SLA229H1, SLA236H1, SLA266H1, SLA286H1, SLA346H1, SLA356H1, SLA406H1, SLA427H1, SLA436H1.

Russian: SLA121H1, SLA194H1, SLA195H1, SLA196H1, SLA203H1, SLA212H1, SLA224H1, SLA234H1, SLA245H1, SLA252H1, SLA253H1, SLA254H1, SLA260H1, SLA263H1, SLA268H1, SLA280H1, JSH300H1, SLA300H1, SLA310H1, SLA311H1, SLA312H1, SLA314H1, SLA317H1, SLA318H1, SLA320Y1, SLA321H1, SLA322H1, SLA323H1, SLA330H1, SLA331H1, SLA334H1, SLA342H1, SLA343H1, SLA345H1, SLA367H1, SLA400H1, SLA404H1, SLA412H1, SLA413H1, SLA414H1, SLA415H1, SLA420Y1, SLA423H1, SLA424Y1, SLA430H1, SLA433H1, SLA434H1, SLA449H1, SLA463H1.

South Slavic: SLA200H1, SLA217H1, SLA227H1, SLA235H1, SLA247H1, SLA330H1, SLA347H1, SLA357H1, SLA380H1.

Ukrainian: SLA199H1, SLA200H1, SLA203H1, SLA218H1, SLA228H1, SLA238H1, SLA248H1, SLA253H1, SLA254H1, SLA268H1, SLA311H1, SLA318H1, SLA328H1, SLA331H1, SLA338H1, SLA358H1, SLA428H1, SLA429H1.

Note: In consultation with the Undergraduate Coordinator, students may take up to 1.0 credit in history or political science courses corresponding to their two chosen language areas (0.5 credit per language area) and taught outside the department.

4. 1.0 credit from the pool of comparative courses offered by the Department: FIN225H1, FIN238H1, FIN240H1, FIN260H1, SLA104H1, SLA190H1, SLA191H1, SLA192H1, SLA200H1, SLA201H1, SLA202H1, SLA203H1, SLA222H1, SLA229H1, SLA235H1, SLA254H1, SLA268H1, SLA286H1, SLA302H1, SLA303H1, SLA318H1, SLA330H1, SLA331H1, SLA333H1, SLA380H1, SLA425H1, SLA435H1, SLA492H1.

5. 0.5 credit in Breadth Requirement Category 5: The Physical and Mathematical Universes or another 0.5 credit approved by the Undergraduate Coordinator, to fulfill the Quantitative Reasoning Competency required in the program.

Slavic and East European Languages and Cultures Major (Arts Program) - ASMAJ1205

Enrolment Requirements:

This is an open enrolment program. A student who has completed 4.0 credits may enrol in the program.

Completion Requirements:

(6.5 credits, with at least 2.0 credits at the 300+ level, including 0.5 credit at the 400-level)

Please note: Some courses may appear in more than one group thanks to their content. No course, however, may be counted twice for the purposes of program completion.

1. 1.0 credit of Common Core: SLA201H1 and SLA256H1

2. 2.0 credits of language coursework in one language area chosen from the list below:

Czech and Slovak: SLA105Y1, SLA204Y1, SLA214H1.

Estonian: EST100H1, EST101H1, EST200H1, EST201H1, EST300Y1.

Finnish: FIN100H1, FIN110H1, FIN200H1, FIN210H1, FIN300H1, FIN340H1, FIN400H1; SWE100H1, SWE101H1.

Polish: SLA106H1, SLA116H1, SLA206H1, SLA207H1, SLA306H1, SLA336H1, SLA426H1.

Russian: SLA100H1, SLA101H1, SLA210H1, SLA214H1, SLA220Y1, SLA221H1, SLA320Y1, SLA321H1, SLA322H1, SLA410H1, SLA420Y1.

South Slavic (Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian): SLA107Y1, SLA214H1, SLA257H1, SLA277H1, SLA337H1.

Ukrainian: SLA108Y1, SLA208Y1, SLA308H1.

Note: In consultation with the Undergraduate Coordinator, and based on results in language placement tests, some students may substitute language courses with the equivalent number of credits in requirement 3 (below).

3. 2.0 credits from culture courses corresponding to the student’s chosen language area:

Czech and Slovak: SLA200H1, SLA215H1, SLA225H1, SLA254H1, SLA333H1, SLA335H1, SLA405H1.

Estonian: EST400Y1; FIN225H1, FIN240H1, FIN260H1, FIN310H1; HIS331H1; SLA200H1, SLA254H1.

Finnish: FIN225H1, FIN230H1, FIN236H1, FIN238H1, FIN240H1, FIN250H1, FIN260H1, FIN270H1, FIN280H1, FIN310H1, FIN320H1, FIN350H1, FIN360H1, FIN415H1; EST400Y1; HIS331H1.

Polish: SLA216H1, SLA226H1, SLA229H1, SLA236H1, SLA266H1, SLA286H1, SLA346H1, SLA356H1, SLA406H1, SLA427H1, SLA436H1.

Russian: SLA121H1, SLA194H1, SLA195H1, SLA196H1, SLA203H1, SLA212H1, SLA224H1, SLA234H1, SLA245H1, SLA252H1, SLA253H1, SLA254H1, SLA260H1, SLA263H1, SLA268H1, SLA280H1, JSH300H1, SLA300H1, SLA310H1, SLA311H1, SLA312H1, SLA314H1, SLA317H1, SLA318H1, SLA320Y1, SLA321H1, SLA322H1, SLA323H1, SLA330H1, SLA331H1, SLA334H1, SLA342H1, SLA343H1, SLA345H1, SLA367H1, SLA400H1, SLA404H1, SLA412H1, SLA413H1, SLA414H1, SLA415H1, SLA420Y1, SLA423H1, SLA424Y1, SLA430H1, SLA433H1, SLA434H1, SLA449H1, SLA463H1.

South Slavic: SLA200H1, SLA217H1, SLA227H1, SLA235H1, SLA247H1, SLA330H1, SLA347H1, SLA357H1, SLA380H1.

Ukrainian: SLA199H1, SLA200H1, SLA203H1, SLA218H1, SLA228H1, SLA238H1, SLA248H1, SLA253H1, SLA254H1, SLA268H1, SLA311H1, SLA318H1, SLA328H1, SLA331H1, SLA338H1, SLA358H1, SLA428H1, SLA429H1.

Note: In consultation with the Undergraduate Coordinator, students may take 0.5 credit in history or political science courses corresponding to their chosen language area and taught outside the department.

4. 1.0 credit from the pool of comparative courses offered by the Department: FIN225H1, FIN238H1, FIN240H1, FIN260H1, SLA104H1, SLA190H1, SLA191H1, SLA192H1, SLA200H1, SLA201H1, SLA202H1, SLA203H1, SLA222H1, SLA229H1, SLA235H1, SLA254H1, SLA268H1, SLA286H1, SLA302H1, SLA303H1, SLA318H1, SLA330H1, SLA331H1, SLA333H1, SLA380H1, SLA425H1, SLA435H1, SLA492H1.

5. 0.5 credit in Breadth Requirement Category 5: The Physical and Mathematical Universes or another 0.5 credit approved by the Undergraduate Coordinator, to fulfill the Quantitative Reasoning Competency required in the program.

Slavic and East European Languages and Cultures Minor (Arts Program) - ASMIN1205

Enrolment Requirements:

This is an open enrolment program. A student who has completed 4.0 credits may enrol in the program.

Completion Requirements:

(4.0 credits, with at least 1.0 credit at the 300+ level)

Please note: Some courses may appear in more than one group thanks to their content. No course, however, may be counted twice for the purposes of program completion.

1. 0.5 credit of Common Core: SLA201H1 or SLA256H1

2. 2.0 credits of language coursework in one language area chosen from the list below:

Czech and Slovak: SLA105Y1, SLA204Y1, SLA214H1.

Estonian: EST100H1, EST101H1, EST200H1, EST201H1, EST300Y1.

Finnish: FIN100H1, FIN110H1, FIN200H1, FIN210H1, FIN300H1, FIN340H1, FIN400H1; SWE100H1, SWE101H1.

Polish: SLA106H1, SLA116H1, SLA206H1, SLA207H1, SLA306H1, SLA336H1, SLA426H1.

Russian: SLA100H1, SLA101H1, SLA210H1, SLA214H1, SLA220Y1, SLA221H1, SLA320Y1, SLA321H1, SLA322H1, SLA410H1, SLA420Y1.

South Slavic (Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian): SLA107Y1, SLA214H1, SLA257H1, SLA277H1, SLA337H1.

Ukrainian: SLA108Y1, SLA208Y1, SLA308H1.

Note: In consultation with the Undergraduate Coordinator, and based on results in language placement tests, some students may substitute language courses with the equivalent number of credits in requirement 3 (below).

3. 1.0 credit from culture courses corresponding to the student’s chosen language area:

Czech and Slovak: SLA200H1, SLA215H1, SLA225H1, SLA254H1, SLA333H1, SLA335H1, SLA405H1.

Estonian: EST400Y1; FIN225H1, FIN240H1, FIN260H1, FIN310H1; HIS331H1; SLA200H1, SLA254H1.

Finnish: FIN225H1, FIN230H1, FIN236H1, FIN238H1, FIN240H1, FIN250H1, FIN260H1, FIN270H1, FIN280H1, FIN310H1, FIN320H1, FIN350H1, FIN360H1, FIN415H1; EST400Y1; HIS331H1.

Polish: SLA216H1, SLA226H1, SLA229H1, SLA236H1, SLA266H1, SLA286H1, SLA346H1, SLA356H1, SLA406H1, SLA427H1, SLA436H1.

Russian: SLA121H1, SLA194H1, SLA195H1, SLA196H1, SLA203H1, SLA212H1, SLA224H1, SLA234H1, SLA245H1, SLA252H1, SLA253H1, SLA254H1, SLA260H1, SLA263H1, SLA268H1, SLA280H1, JSH300H1, SLA300H1, SLA310H1, SLA311H1, SLA312H1, SLA314H1, SLA317H1, SLA318H1, SLA320Y1, SLA321H1, SLA322H1, SLA323H1, SLA330H1, SLA331H1, SLA334H1, SLA342H1, SLA343H1, SLA345H1, SLA367H1, SLA400H1, SLA404H1, SLA412H1, SLA413H1, SLA414H1, SLA415H1, SLA420Y1, SLA423H1, SLA424Y1, SLA430H1, SLA433H1, SLA434H1, SLA449H1, SLA463H1.

South Slavic: SLA200H1, SLA217H1, SLA227H1, SLA235H1, SLA247H1, SLA330H1, SLA347H1, SLA357H1, SLA380H1.

Ukrainian: SLA199H1, SLA200H1, SLA203H1, SLA218H1, SLA228H1, SLA238H1, SLA248H1, SLA253H1, SLA254H1, SLA268H1, SLA311H1, SLA318H1, SLA328H1, SLA331H1, SLA338H1, SLA358H1, SLA428H1, SLA429H1.

Note: In consultation with the Undergraduate Coordinator, students may take 0.5 credit in history or political science courses corresponding to their chosen language area and taught outside the department.

4. 0.5 credit from the pool of comparative courses offered by the Department: FIN225H1, FIN238H1, FIN240H1, FIN260H1, SLA104H1, SLA190H1, SLA191H1, SLA192H1, SLA200H1, SLA201H1, SLA202H1, SLA203H1, SLA222H1, SLA229H1, SLA235H1, SLA254H1, SLA268H1, SLA286H1, SLA302H1, SLA303H1, SLA318H1, SLA330H1, SLA331H1, SLA333H1, SLA380H1, SLA425H1, SLA435H1, SLA492H1.

Slavic and East European Literature in Translation Minor (Arts Program) - ASMIN1210

Enrolment Requirements:

This is an open enrolment program. A student who has completed 4.0 credits may enrol in the program.

Completion Requirements:

(4.0 credits, with at least 1.0 credit at the 300+-level)

Please note: Some courses may appear in more than one group thanks to their content. No course, however, may be counted twice for the purposes of program completion.

1. 0.5 credit of Common Core: SLA201H1 or SLA256H1

2. 2.0 credits in one cultural area chosen from the list below:

Czech and Slovak: SLA200H1, SLA215H1, SLA225H1, SLA254H1, SLA333H1, SLA335H1, SLA405H1.

Finnish and Estonian: EST400Y1; FIN225H1, FIN230H1, FIN236H1, FIN238H1, FIN240H1, FIN250H1, FIN260H1, FIN270H1, FIN280H1, FIN310H1, FIN320H1, FIN350H1, FIN360H1, FIN415H1; HIS331H1.

Polish: SLA216H1, SLA226H1, SLA229H1, SLA236H1, SLA266H1, SLA286H1, SLA346H1, SLA356H1, SLA406H1, SLA427H1, SLA436H1.

Russian: SLA121H1, SLA194H1, SLA195H1, SLA196H1, SLA203H1, SLA212H1, SLA224H1, SLA234H1, SLA245H1, SLA252H1, SLA253H1, SLA254H1, SLA260H1, SLA263H1, SLA268H1, SLA280H1, JSH300H1, SLA300H1, SLA310H1, SLA311H1, SLA312H1, SLA314H1, SLA317H1, SLA318H1, SLA331H1, SLA334H1, SLA342H1, SLA343H1, SLA345H1, SLA367H1, SLA400H1, SLA423H1, SLA433H1, SLA434H1, SLA449H1, SLA463H1.

South Slavic: SLA200H1, SLA217H1, SLA227H1, SLA235H1, SLA247H1, SLA347H1, SLA357H1, SLA380H1.

Ukrainian: SLA199H1, SLA200H1, SLA203H1, SLA218H1, SLA228H1, SLA238H1, SLA248H1, SLA253H1, SLA254H1, SLA268H1, SLA311H1, SLA318H1, SLA328H1, SLA331H1, SLA338H1, SLA358H1, SLA428H1, SLA429H1.

3. 1.5 credits from the pool of comparative courses offered by the Department:

FIN225H1, FIN238H1, FIN240H1, FIN260H1, SLA104H1, SLA190H1, SLA191H1, SLA192H1, SLA200H1, SLA201H1, SLA202H1, SLA203H1, SLA222H1, SLA229H1, SLA235H1, SLA254H1, SLA268H1, SLA286H1, SLA302H1, SLA303H1, SLA318H1, SLA331H1, SLA333H1, SLA380H1, SLA425H1, SLA435H1, SLA492H1.


 

Faculty of Arts & Science Language Citation

The Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures participates in the Faculty of Arts and Science’s Language Citation initiative. Students may achieve this Citation in Bosnian, Croatian, Czech, Polish, Russian, Serbian, and Ukrainian. Students interested in completing the Language Citation in languages taught in the Slavic Department but not listed here should consult the Undergraduate Coordinator of the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures.

Language study is a demanding and intellectually rewarding educational experience. Our students learn to communicate both orally and in writing in other languages and are thus able to experience other parts of the world in more intimate ways. Their access to other cultures opens doors for further study and employment. Students in our department also have the opportunity to read a vast array of world-renowned authors in the original languages, as well as works – normally not available in English – in other areas of study, for example, cinema studies, drama, folklore, history, intellectual history, philosophy, mathematics, and political science.

The Language Citation recognizes a significant level of achievement in language study. For course selection students should consult the Undergraduate Coordinator as early as possible since not every language course is offered each year. Students who begin language study at the Intermediate level should consult the Undergraduate Coordinator for approval of advanced literature and culture courses that may satisfy the requirements for the Language Citation.

The Language Citation in Bosnian, Croatian, or Serbian is available to students who complete SLA257H1SLA277H1, and an additional credit in South Slavic literature or culture with readings and discussion in the target language with a grade of at least B-. The Language Citation in Macedonian is available to students who complete SLA209H1SLA213H1 and an additional credit in South Slavic literature or culture with readings and discussion in the target language with a grade of at least B-. Consult the Undergraduate Coordinator for approval of advanced literature and culture courses that may satisfy the requirements for the Language Citation.

The Language Citation in Czech is available to students who complete SLA204Y1 and one (1.0) additional credit in Czech literature or culture with readings and discussion in the target language with a grade of at least B-.

The Language Citation in Polish is available to students who complete SLA206H1SLA207H1SLA306H1 and SLA336H1 with a grade of at least B-.

The Language Citation in Russian is available to students who complete, with a grade of at least B-, 2.0 credits from: SLA220Y1SLA320Y1, or SLA420Y1.

The Language Citation in Ukrainian is available to students who complete SLA208Y1 as well as one (1.0) additional credit in Ukrainian literature or culture with readings and discussion in the target language with a grade of at least B-. Transfer language credits are also eligible.

Students should note that, as explained in the About Programs of Study section of this Calendar, the Language Citation is not equivalent to an academic program and that enrolment in a program is not necessary in order to earn the recognition bestowed by the Citation.

 

Regarding Slavic Languages and Literatures Courses

Please note that the Department reserves the right to place students in the language course best suited to their linguistic preparation.

Bosnian, Croatian, Macedonian and Serbian Courses

Please see South Slavic Courses.

Macedonian Courses

Please see South Slavic Courses.

Russian Language Student Placement Policy

All students who have studied Russian outside the University of Toronto must take a language placement test prior to enrolling into a Russian language course. Contact the Department for test dates and times.

Native speakers of Russian are not allowed to enrol into any Russian language course, with the exception of SLA330H1. Native speakers may enrol into any Russian literature and culture course, and any Russian program of study (language requirement will be replaced with the equivalent number of literature and culture credits in consultation with the Undergraduate Coordinator).

Heritage speakers of Russian are allowed to enrol into a Russian language course only by special permission from the Russian language program coordinator, Professor Julia Mikhailova (julia.mikhailova@utoronto.ca) but are encouraged to enrol in SLA210H1 and SLA410H1, courses specially designed for them. Heritage speakers may enroll into any Russian literature and culture course, and any Russian program of study (if necessary, language requirement will be replaced with the equivalent number of literature and culture credits in consultation with the Undergraduate Coordinator).

Who are native and heritage speakers of Russian?

For academic purposes, the Department considers a student to be a native speaker of Russian if they meet one of the following criteria:

  1. The student left Russia at the age of 10 or later.
  2. The student lived in a Russian-speaking country (any former Soviet republic) before the age of 10 and did elementary schooling in Russian.

For academic purposes, the Department considers a student to be a heritage speaker of Russian if they meet one of the following criteria:

  1. The student left Russia before the age of 10.
  2. The student lived in a Russian-speaking country (any former Soviet republic) before the age of 10 but did elementary schooling in a language other than Russian.
  3. The student was born and/or grew up outside of a Russian-speaking country but speaks some Russian at home.

It is the responsibility of individual students to furnish documentation proving their native- or heritage-speaker status. In the absence of such documentation, the Department reserves the right to deny enrolment into Russian language courses. Heritage and native speakers of Russian who enroll in a Russian language course and fail to identify themselves to the Department engage in cheating and will be treated in accordance with the university policy on academic misconduct.

Ukrainian Courses

Website: www.chass.utoronto.ca/~tarn/courses/

Slavic Languages and Literatures Courses

Slavic First-Year Foundations

SLA190H1 - Losing It

SLA190H1 - Losing It
Previous Course Number: SLA201H1
Hours: 24S

How does one cope with loss, be it a nose, a leg, a pet, a name, a lover, a battle, a fortune, or one’s sanity? Through literary texts from Central and Eastern Europe, we explore the trauma and poetics of losing, and the mechanisms of coping with and compensating for the lost object. Taught in English, all readings in English. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

Exclusion: SLA201H1
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA191H1 - The Criminal Mind

SLA191H1 - The Criminal Mind
Hours: 24S

In the mid-nineteenth century, European and American fiction became obsessed with the subject of criminals. This course examines this preoccupation and its literary and social ramifications. We discuss the changing image of the criminal in British, French, Russian and American fiction. Readings by Dickens, Dostoevsky, Balzac, Zola, Poe, Stevenson and Lombroso. Reading and discussion in English. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA192H1 - On the Road in Eastern Europe

SLA192H1 - On the Road in Eastern Europe
Hours: 24S

This course examines the function of travel within texts and films depicting journeys through Eastern Europe. We will distinguish various types of journeys, the narrative and cultural expectations they imply, and the ways that travel relates to individual identity, raising questions about nationality, race, gender, sexuality, and the Other. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA193H1 - Objects of War

SLA193H1 - Objects of War
Hours: 24L

An object or a thing always has a collective history. It speaks of the political and the social conditions under which it was made. In this course, objects of war – the material culture of conflict – from the 20th and 21st centuries will be critically and historically examined. How do these objects speak of violence, politics, and culture, but also rewrite and influence the arenas within which they circulate? Some objects include: canned food, drones, the journalists’ hotel, helmets, tents. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA194H1 - Utopia Interrupted: Late and Post-Soviet Russian Literature

SLA194H1 - Utopia Interrupted: Late and Post-Soviet Russian Literature
Hours: 24S

Almost 30 years after the collapse of the Soviet Union, what can we understand about its culture and people, and its impact on the popular imagination in the West? To answer these questions, the course introduces students to canonical literary and cinematic works from the post-Stalin era to the present, with particular attention to the literary and cultural peripheries. Some of the topics will include: Gulag, or Return of the Repressed, Counter-Culture, Space Race, Immigration, Gender, Perestroika, and Putin’s Russia. All readings in English. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA195H1 - Literature and Painting in Russia and the West

SLA195H1 - Literature and Painting in Russia and the West
Hours: 24S

What makes literature ‘visible’? How do the verbal and the visual coexist? This seminar explores the relationship between words and images, texts and pictures through history, in Russia and the West. Special attention will be paid to the figure of the artist. Is it a writer’s alter ego, the incarnation of creativity, or just a character among others? Literary texts (mainly short stories) from Balzac and Gogol to Chekhov and O. Henry, Maugham and Bunin, Nabokov and Camus will be studied along with the paintings of some major 19th-20th century artists. The comparative dimension of the course will help students contextualize Russian literature and think about its relationship with the Western canon. We will also watch some 21st century films about artists (such as Julie Taymor’s Frida [2002], Milos Forman Goya’s Ghosts [2006], and Mike Leigh Mr. Turner [2014]). All texts will be in English. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA196H1 - Russia at War

SLA196H1 - Russia at War
Hours: 24S

In its long history Russia has fought numerous wars, both defensive and offensive, and these wars have inspired a rich, complex, contradictory poetic response. We examine Russian war narratives starting with the medieval period and ending with the Second World War and including epic poetry, songs, stories, novels, paintings, and films. We will study the depiction of war and the image of the soldier (or warrior) in different genres and time periods, as well as the historical circumstances in which the different works were produced and the respective audiences for which they were intended. All texts will be in English. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA197H1 - The Imaginary Jew

SLA197H1 - The Imaginary Jew
Hours: 24S

The course examines the genesis and evolution of the image of the Jew, central to all European cultures, from the theology and psychology of Christian anti-Judaism to their reflection in folklore, visual, plastic, and verbal arts, and to the survival of the imaginary Jew in secular forms. Special attention is given to the Jews of Slavic and East European imagination. All readings are in English. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA198H1 - The Slavic Grecian Formula: From Ancient Rhapsode to Modern Slav Song

SLA198H1 - The Slavic Grecian Formula: From Ancient Rhapsode to Modern Slav Song
Hours: 24S

Slav singers of heroic tales about war, lust, honour and revenge have made a special contribution to our appreciation of classical literature and mythology. We will compare Slavic epics and African-American rap songs to reveal the connection between Homer's Iliad and Nas's iconic Illmatic, between the mythical image of the pagan goddess Aphrodite and the mystique of Nicki Minaj, Lauryn Hill, and other iconic singers today. As we read The Iliad closely, we will study songs from the Russian, Bosnian Muslim, Croatian and Serbian traditions. Employing new performance formulaic theory, we will learn that they share much, in melody and message, with the work of today's hip-hop artists, whose roots of rap "flowing" reach back to the beginnings of Western literature and the epic singers of ancient Greece. Students will have the opportunity to interact with a unique online multimedia edition of an epic song by a traditional Slavic singer.

No knowledge of languages other than English is required. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA199H1 - Invisible Kingdom, Imaginary Space

SLA199H1 - Invisible Kingdom, Imaginary Space
Hours: 24S

The Central European Region of Galicia gave rise to a remarkable array of literary representations -- Austrian, Jewish, Polish, and Ukrainian -- animating fantastic creatures, powerful myths, deviant pleasures, and sublime stories. Bruno Schulz created shimmering peacocks, Leopold von Sacher-Masoch seized ecstasy through pain, and Ivan Franko investigated the effects of avarice and social decay.

Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

Slavic Interdisciplinary Courses

SLA104H1 - Cities of the Mediterranean

SLA104H1 - Cities of the Mediterranean
Hours: 24L

This course examines the cultural history of Mediterranean ports and cities, with particular emphasis on Croatian cities in dialogue with cities in Italy and Greece, through works of art, architecture, and literature. Readings in English.

Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA200H1 - Culture and Politics in Europe

SLA200H1 - Culture and Politics in Europe
Hours: 24L

Introduction to the issues of the interaction between cultural expression and political life, with a historical focus on 1968 in Central and Eastern Europe. The mutually influential relationship between artistic activity and political dynamics in modern societies is examined through literature, visual arts, drama, music, and film. Taught in English, all materials in English.

Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Society and its Institutions (3)

SLA201H1 - Slavic and East European Civilizations

SLA201H1 - Slavic and East European Civilizations
Previous Course Number: SLA103H1
Hours: 24L

A survey of Slavic and East European civilizations through literature, art, architecture, and film. Key moments in the development of the cultures of Slavic and Baltic countries are examined in a comparative framework, juxtaposing the varied historical, cultural, linguistic, religious, social, and political developments of the countries involved. Taught in English, all readings in English.

Exclusion: SLA103H1
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA202H1 - Jewish Communities in Slavic Countries

SLA202H1 - Jewish Communities in Slavic Countries
Hours: 24L

Literature about the Jewish community in Slavic countries. How do these Jewish minorities perceive and identify themselves? How are they perceived by others? Taught in English, all readings in English.

Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Society and its Institutions (3)

SLA203H1 - Faking It

SLA203H1 - Faking It
Hours: 24L

The role of forgery in cultural, national, and personal identities. A scholar “discovering” an “ancient” manuscript, a noblewoman in disguise joining the army, an impostor conning a provincial town, a writer faking political loyalty. Literary texts from Central and Eastern Europe expose the porous boundaries between authenticity and lies, highlighting the artificiality and vulnerability of social and cultural conventions. Taught in English, all readings in English.

Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA214H1 - Slavic Languages through Creative Writing

SLA214H1 - Slavic Languages through Creative Writing
Hours: 24P

A course for students of Czech and Slovak, BCS and Russian. Improve your writing skills in a group of different Slavic language learners. Learn simple creative writing in different genres. This course presents a catalogue of different methods and strategies for individual learners at various stages of writing in a foreign language. Complements rather than substitutes for intermediate and advanced levels of the languages taught.

Prerequisite: SLA105Y1 or SLA107Y1 or ( SLA100H1 and SLA101H1)
Corequisite: SLA204Y1 or ( SLA257H1 and SLA277H1) or SLA220Y1 or SLA320Y1
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA222H1 - Forging Identities: The Roms of Central and Eastern Europe

SLA222H1 - Forging Identities: The Roms of Central and Eastern Europe
Hours: 24S

Both in popular culture and the headlines, Roma (Gypsies) are often depicted as either romantic or negative. Roma and Slavs have interacted for centuries and this course examines the history of that interaction with particular emphasis on linguistic and educational rights. Taught in English, all readings in English.

Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Society and its Institutions (3)

SLA229H1 - Writing with Images: Eastern and Central European History Through the Graphic Novel

SLA229H1 - Writing with Images: Eastern and Central European History Through the Graphic Novel
Hours: 24L

This course examines how East and Central European graphic novelists retell the history of the 20th century in images and words. Our focus is the medium. How do comics effect the relationship between the personal and national? Can graphic novels substitute history textbooks?

Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA235H1 - After Communism: Literature and Art Post-1989

SLA235H1 - After Communism: Literature and Art Post-1989
Previous Course Number: SLA377H1
Hours: 24S

This course examines the era inaugurated by the collapse of the state-socialist regimes in the former Eastern Bloc, marked by political turmoil, major economic restructuring, and social ambivalences. The course investigates topics such as: socialist legacy and nostalgia, mass emigrations and refugee crises, conflicts over national identity and borders, sociocultural anxieties about inclusion in the EU, perspectives on the future of socialist thought and practice in Eastern Europe.

Exclusion: SLA377H1
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA253H1 - Origins of Russia and Ukraine

SLA253H1 - Origins of Russia and Ukraine
Previous Course Number: SLA102H1
Hours: 24L

A survey of key periods and foundations of Russian and Ukrainian societies and cultures. Explores common elements, differences, and factors (social structure, religion, art, and literature) that shaped the Ukrainian-Russian historical encounter from the Middle Ages to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. Taught in English, all readings in English. No background knowledge required.

Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA254H1 - Stone Books to Sky Books: The Book as Institution, Commerce and Art

SLA254H1 - Stone Books to Sky Books: The Book as Institution, Commerce and Art
Hours: 24L

Evolution of the book and printed media in Central and Eastern Europe: legends (and forgeries) of ancient letters, mediaeval illuminated manuscripts, forbidden and "supernatural" books, hand-written and painted books of modernist and avant-garde artists, books as a way of living and dying. Readings in English.

Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA256H1 - Firebirds and Other Wonders: The World of Slavic and East European Folklore

SLA256H1 - Firebirds and Other Wonders: The World of Slavic and East European Folklore
Hours: 24L/12T

An introduction to the comparative study of folk narratives – fairy-tales, legends, epics, from Russia, Central and Eastern Europe, and the Baltic Region. Topics include the structural and psychological analysis and interpretation of oral folk traditions; the cultural specificity of Slavic and Baltic folklore; its adaptation and treatment in literature, music, and visual arts. Taught in English, all readings in English.

Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA268H1 - Cossacks!

SLA268H1 - Cossacks!
Hours: 24S

How are Cossacks depicted in literary and visual works? Were they the agents of a repressive Russian government, the hirelings of Polish kings, the tormentors of Eastern European Jews, the protectors of Europe from the Ottomans, or the liberators of the Ukrainian nation? We read works from the Jewish, Polish, Russian and Ukrainian cultural traditions.

Exclusion: CCR199H1 (First-Year Seminar: The Cossacks), offered in Winter 2012, Winter 2013, Fall 2013, Fall 2015, Fall 2016, and Fall 2017
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA280H1 - Introduction to Russian Asia: From Central Asia to Siberia

SLA280H1 - Introduction to Russian Asia: From Central Asia to Siberia
Hours: 24S

Introduction to geography, languages, people, literature, and the history of Russian Asia. Includes readings in history, exile narratives, articles on the linguistic geography of the languages of Russia including Russian, Siberian languages such as Yakut and Tungus, Turkic languages of Central Asia, Korean and Chinese as minority languages, with a special focus on language contact and language politics.

Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Society and its Institutions (3)

SLA286H1 - Russian and East European Science Fiction

SLA286H1 - Russian and East European Science Fiction
Previous Course Number: SLA486H1
Hours: 24S

Science fiction from Russia and Eastern Europe combines radical aesthetics, thought experiments, and engagement with socio-political conditions, censorship, and technological innovation. This course will study Russian and East European science fiction's cultural, historical, and political contexts, examining how the genre comments upon the texts’ present historical moment and imagines new possibilities.

Exclusion: SLA486H1
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA302H1 - The Imaginary Jew

SLA302H1 - The Imaginary Jew
Hours: 36S

The course examines the genesis and evolution of the image of the Jew, central to all European cultures, from the theology and psychology of Christian anti-Judaism to their reflection in folklore, visual, plastic, and verbal arts, and to the survival of the imaginary Jew in secular forms. Special attention is given to the Jews of Slavic and East European imagination. All readings are in English.

Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA303H1 - Literary Imagination and Jewish Identity in Modern Europe

SLA303H1 - Literary Imagination and Jewish Identity in Modern Europe
Hours: 24S

An exploration of Central and East European authors writing in different languages but united by Jewish ancestry. We examine the responses of artists and intellectuals of Jewish extraction (Sholem Aleichem, Babel, Bialik, Heine, Kafka, Mandelshtam, Sforim, Zhabotinskii, etc.) to cultural secularization and modernity. Taught in English. Readings in English.

Recommended Preparation: SLA302H1
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA318H1 - City of Saints and Sinners: Kyiv through the Centuries

SLA318H1 - City of Saints and Sinners: Kyiv through the Centuries
Hours: 24L

Captivating and elusive: the "new Jerusalem," Yehupets, a "Slavic Pompeii" and frontier city. This course examines Kyiv through works of literature, visual arts, architecture, and popular culture that reveal Ukrainian, Russian, Jewish, and Polish versions of the city. Gogol, Sholem Aleichem, Bulgakov, Vynnychenko, and many others. Taught in English, all readings in English.

Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA325H1 - Magic Prague

SLA325H1 - Magic Prague
Previous Course Number: SLA445H1
Hours: 24L

Inspired by Angelo Ripellino’s “Magic Prague,” this class explores Prague as a palimpsest of different genres in works by Jan Neruda, Franz Kafka, R.M. Rilke, G. Meyrink, G. Apollinaire, B. Hrabal and others. Selected secondary texts illuminate questions of literary cityscapes, center and margins, multiculturalism and nationalism and magic. Readings in English and for the specialists in the original.

Prerequisite: Completion of 4.0 credits
Exclusion: SLA445H1
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA330H1 - Old Church Slavonic

SLA330H1 - Old Church Slavonic
Previous Course Number: SLA330Y1
Hours: 36S

Structure and history of the first Slavic literary language. Reading and linguistic study of Old Slavonic texts.

Recommended Preparation: Two years of any Slavic language
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA331H1 - Modernism and Visual Arts

SLA331H1 - Modernism and Visual Arts
Hours: 24S

Synthesis of visual arts, music, and literature in the late Russian Empire-early Soviet Union. Baba Yaga's hut and levitating sculptures; symphony in words and the language of stars; from princesses and puppets to the first peeks into the fourth dimension. Kandinsky, Bely, Zamyatin, Malevich, and many others. Taught and read in English.

Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA333H1 - Animated Film in Europe

SLA333H1 - Animated Film in Europe
Previous Course Number: SLA233H1
Hours: 24L

Trends in the history of European animated film, focusing on Central and Eastern European cinematic traditions. Aesthetics of animated image and peculiarities of animation as an art form. Films are analyzed in their artistic, cultural and political contexts. Taught in English, English subtitles.

Exclusion: SLA233H1
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA380H1 - Language, Politics, Identity

SLA380H1 - Language, Politics, Identity
Hours: 24S

In this course we will examine the multi-faceted nature of language policy, language standardization, language contact and conflict. While focus will be on states that arose from the Former Soviet Union and the languages of Central and Southeastern Europe, discussion will open to cover a broad range of language issues, including, for example orthography shifts here in Canada and around the world, including China, Korea, Japan, and India. We will explore issues such as language standards, language rights, language conflict, languages of education, writing systems and linguistic identity.

Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Society and its Institutions (3)

SLA425H1 - Docufictions: Cinema, Authenticity, and Theory

SLA425H1 - Docufictions: Cinema, Authenticity, and Theory
Hours: 48L

This seminar will investigate how filmmakers and theorists have related the categories of fact and fiction to the production of films in Russian and (post-) Yugoslav cinemas. At the center of our inquiry will be the history and theory of cinematic authenticity, historical referentiality, and reality effects. Course work includes film viewings outside of class meeting times. Jointly offered with a graduate level course.

Prerequisite: 9.0 credits
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA435H1 - Contemporary East European Cinemas

SLA435H1 - Contemporary East European Cinemas
Hours: 24L

This course will examine stylistic innovations and production practices in contemporary national cinemas of Eastern Europe through the framework of film theory and critical writing concerned with cinema's audiovisual appeal to viewers, as well as questions of nationalism, historical memory, and the transitions to democracy and capitalism in the region.

Prerequisite: Completion of 9.0 credits
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA492H1 - Race, Empire, Gender in Eastern Europe and Russia

SLA492H1 - Race, Empire, Gender in Eastern Europe and Russia
Hours: 24S

This course examines recent scholarship dedicated to race, empire, and gender in Eastern Europe and Russia. The course will explore theoretical texts (e.g. decolonial criticism, “second world” feminisms), scholarship on particular case studies (e.g. Catherine Baker’s 2018 Race and the Yugoslav Region), and literature and art that speaks to these issues from the perspective of the East European, Russian, and Soviet experience. We will explore oft-sidelined topics, such as ideologies of race and historicizing whiteness as a colonial formation. The aim of the course is to address some of the silences within Slavic studies by foregrounding the complicated political legacies of the region.

Prerequisite: Completion of 4.0 credits
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA498Y1 - Independent Studies

SLA498Y1 - Independent Studies

A year-long research project (primarily for majors in Slavic POSts) on an approved major topic in a Slavic literature or culture, or Slavic linguistics, supervised by one of the Department’s instructors. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

Prerequisite: Permission of the Department
Distribution Requirements: Humanities

SLA499H1 - Independent Studies

SLA499H1 - Independent Studies

A semester-long research project (primarily for majors in Slavic POSts) on an approved major topic in a Slavic literature or culture, or Slavic linguistics, supervised by one of the Department’s instructors. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

Prerequisite: Permission of the Department
Distribution Requirements: Humanities

Czech and Slovak

SLA105Y1 - Elementary Czech

SLA105Y1 - Elementary Czech
Hours: 96P

Grammar, composition, and conversation. Readings from Czech literature. Open only to students with little or no knowledge of the language.

Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA204Y1 - Intermediate Czech

SLA204Y1 - Intermediate Czech
Hours: 96P

Using selected texts of diverse styles, this class surveys Czech grammar and introduces various aspects of syntax, composition and translation. Special attention will be paid to oral practice.

Exclusion: SLA205H1
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA215H1 - Czech and Slovak Cultures

SLA215H1 - Czech and Slovak Cultures
Hours: 24L

Some of the most important features of Czech and Slovak cultural history are introduced in a survey of the national myths, traditions and cultural trends. (Offered every three years)

Exclusion: SLA215Y1
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Society and its Institutions (3)

SLA225H1 - Czech and Slovak Cinema

SLA225H1 - Czech and Slovak Cinema
Hours: 24L

Czech and Slovak cinema of the sixties, generally known as the Czechoslovak New Wave, represents the ways the cinematographers viewed the past, examined the present and escaped into the world of fantasy. In addition, we will examine several theoretical, historical and cultural aspects of national culture and international cinematography.

Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA335H1 - Lifting the Iron Curtain: Czech Culture between 1960 and 1989

SLA335H1 - Lifting the Iron Curtain: Czech Culture between 1960 and 1989
Hours: 24L

This class explores the subversive power of literary, cinematic, and theatrical experiments of the 1960s and confronts them with the development of Czech culture during the so-called normalization that lasted until 1989. Topics include literary texts, cinema, and fine arts at home and in exile. Taught in English, readings in English and in the original.

Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA405H1 - On the Waves of the Avant-garde and Beyond: Czech Literature of the 20th Century

SLA405H1 - On the Waves of the Avant-garde and Beyond: Czech Literature of the 20th Century
Previous Course Number: SLA405Y1
Hours: 24S

The experiments of the 1920s serve as a point of departure for studies in Czech culture from the early 20th century to the present artistic innovations. Readings include works by Jaroslav Seifert, Karel Teige, Karel Čapek, F. Langer, V. Nezval, M. Kundera, V. Linhartová and others. (Offered every three years). Readings in Czech.

Prerequisite: SLA305H1 or permission of the instructor
Exclusion: SLA405Y1
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

Polish

SLA106H1 - Polish for Beginners I

SLA106H1 - Polish for Beginners I
Hours: 24L/24P

The course is aimed at a wide range of students with a general interest in Polish but no prior knowledge. A communicative based approach will be used throughout the course, where all four skills (speaking, reading, listening, and writing) will be practised, with the main emphasis on speaking. Students will engage in interactive language activities, participating in group and pair work according to a syllabus based on systematic grammatical progression.

Exclusion: SLA106Y1, SLA116H1
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA116H1 - Polish for Beginners II

SLA116H1 - Polish for Beginners II
Hours: 24L/24P

The course is aimed at a wide range of students with a general interest in Polish who have already completed SLA106H or who have comparable basic knowledge of Pol. A communicative based approach will be used throughout the course, where all four skills (speaking, reading, listening, and writing) will be practised, with the main emphasis on speaking. Students will engage in interactive language activities, participating in group and pair work according to a syllabus based on systematic grammatical progression.

Prerequisite: SLA106H1 or permission of instructor
Exclusion: SLA106Y1
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA206H1 - Intermediate Polish I

SLA206H1 - Intermediate Polish I
Hours: 12L/36P

Students who completed SLA106H1 and SLA116H1 or who have comparable basic knowledge of Polish further develop their speaking, listening, reading and writing skills by revising, consolidating and building on their knowledge. Upon completion, they will be able to communicate in more advanced everyday situations and have substantial familiarity with Polish grammar.

Prerequisite: SLA106Y1 or ( SLA106H1 and SLA116H1)
Exclusion: SLA206Y1
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA207H1 - Intermediate Polish II

SLA207H1 - Intermediate Polish II
Hours: 12L/36P

Students with a general interest in Polish who have completed SLA206H1 or who have a comparable level of Polish further develop their speaking, listening, writing, and reading skills by revising, consolidating, and building on their knowledge. Upon completion, they will be able to communicate in more advanced everyday situations and have substantial familiarity with Polish grammar.

Prerequisite: SLA206H1 or permission of instructor
Exclusion: SLA206Y1
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA216H1 - Introduction to Polish Culture

SLA216H1 - Introduction to Polish Culture
Hours: 24L

Major cultural traditions, historical processes, myths, and figures that have shaped and redefined Polish civilization and national identity are problematized and contextualized with the help of works of literature, history, philosophy, political science, music, visual and performing arts. Readings in English (also available in Polish). (Offered in alternate years)

Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA226H1 - Film and Ethics: Polish Cinema

SLA226H1 - Film and Ethics: Polish Cinema
Hours: 24L

The Polish School in cinema, its predecessors and successors, their artistic accomplishments, major theoretical and thematic concerns, and their place on the map of European cinema. Films of Ford, Wajda, Polanski, Konwicki, Borowczyk, Has, Kawalerowicz, Zanussi, Kieslowski, and of the new generation of Polish film makers. Films and discussions in English. (Offered every three years)

Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA236H1 - Polish Culture in 10 Images

SLA236H1 - Polish Culture in 10 Images
Hours: 8S

We examine the most important aspects of Polish historical experience and cultural identity by looking at ten iconic images from Polish culture. These images may include a historical painting by Matejko, a photo of the Solidarity strikes in 1980, a screenshot from a Wajda film, or a literary passage from a Gombrowicz novel. Apart from serving as an introduction to Polish cultural studies, this course provides students with analytical tools to read diverse cultural texts. This is a blended course combining online modules with four on-site discussion meetings per semester.

Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA266H1 - War and Culture

SLA266H1 - War and Culture
Hours: 24S

Poland and Europe 1914-1945. As we commemorate the centenary of the outbreak of WWI, this cataclysmic event that launched the 20th century and was followed by another total war soon after still defines our view of the world and understanding of it. It may be time now to look anew at how various forms of expression, including literature, film, theatre, painting and sculpture produced during the two wars, between them or many decades later deal with the extreme and everyday experiences, with shattered worlds of individuals, ethnicities, and nations.

Prerequisite: SLA216H1 or permission of the instructor
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA306H1 - Conversations-Inspirations: Everyday Polish

SLA306H1 - Conversations-Inspirations: Everyday Polish
Hours: 48P

Through a series of thematic modules based on everyday communicative situations in contemporary Poland students develop Polish language skills in the four linguistic competencies: listening, reading, writing, and speaking. The course is based on a communicative-functional approach to language. It means that even though students are regularly exposed to new grammatical structures, their work focuses primarily on practical, diverse uses of language in real-life situations.

Prerequisite: SLA206Y1 or SLA207H1 or permission of instructor
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA336H1 - Let's Talk! Advanced Polish

SLA336H1 - Let's Talk! Advanced Polish
Hours: 48P

Students expand their practical knowledge of Polish by engaging with online media and current issues in culture and society. They enrich their vocabulary, grammatical structures, and use of diverse stylistic registers while fine-tuning reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills.

Prerequisite: SLA306H1 or permission of instructor
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA346H1 - Communism and Culture

SLA346H1 - Communism and Culture
Hours: 24S

Probes the paradoxes of politics, culture and everyday life by analyzing the complex coexistence of art and literature with changing cultural politics in a totalitarian and post-totalitarian system, with simplistic ideology and political dissent, and with prevailing myths about the West and the East. Readings in English (Polish for majors).

Recommended Preparation: SLA216Y1
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA356H1 - What's New? Polish Culture Today

SLA356H1 - What's New? Polish Culture Today
Hours: 24S

The amazing cultural transformations of Poland in the last fifteen years within a changing Europe. The impact of these changes on Poland's social consciousness and perception of identity, history, and nationhood. The most recent literature, fine arts, music, and popular culture. Readings in English (Polish for majors).

Recommended Preparation: SLA216Y1
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA406H1 - Transgressions: Drama, Theatre, Performance

SLA406H1 - Transgressions: Drama, Theatre, Performance
Hours: 24S

Study of drama as a literary and theatrical genre in its thematic and formal diversity in Polish literature from the 16th to the 20th century is combined with investigations of the role of the theatre as cultural institution in different periods of Polish history. Readings in English (in Polish for students in the major program). (Offered every three years)

Exclusion: SLA406Y1
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA426H1 - Polish for the 21st Century

SLA426H1 - Polish for the 21st Century
Hours: 48P

Polish language course for heritage speakers and advanced students who want to master the language through interactions with broad and diverse cultural materials such as mass and popular culture, contemporary literature, film, and theatre, mass media and the Internet.

Prerequisite: SLA306H1, SLA336H1 or permission of instructor
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA427H1 - Polish Culture for the Curious

SLA427H1 - Polish Culture for the Curious
Hours: 24S

The fourth year seminar whose specific topic is decided depending on the needs of the students and the interests of guest and permanent instructors.

Prerequisite: SLA216Y1 or permission of instructor
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA436H1 - Rebels, Scoffers, and Jesters: Polish Culture from Different Perspectives

SLA436H1 - Rebels, Scoffers, and Jesters: Polish Culture from Different Perspectives
Hours: 24S

An advanced course on artistic, political, aesthetic, philosophical, and ideological dissenters who questioned, undermined, and redefined the main traditions in Polish culture from the 18th to the 21st centuries. Readings in English (Polish for majors).

Prerequisite: SLA216Y1
Recommended Preparation: SLA336H1
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)

Russian

SLA100H1 - Elementary Russian I

SLA100H1 - Elementary Russian I
Hours: 60P

Basic features of the grammar. Acquisition of essential vocabulary for practical conversation and for comprehension. Development of reading and writing skills. (May not be taken by students who, in the judgment of the Department, qualify for entry into SLA210H1 or SLA220Y1).

Exclusion: native speakers of Russian and heritage speakers of Russian (unless permitted by the instructor).
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA101H1 - Elementary Russian II

SLA101H1 - Elementary Russian II
Hours: 60P

Basic features of the grammar. Acquisition of essential vocabulary for practical conversation and for comprehension. Development of reading and writing skills. (May not be taken by students who, in the judgment of the Department, qualify for entry into SLA210H1 or SLA220Y1).

Prerequisite: SLA100H1 or permission of instructor
Exclusion: native speakers of Russian and heritage speakers of Russian (unless permitted by the instructor). 
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA121H1 - Russian Cultural History in Twelve Images

SLA121H1 - Russian Cultural History in Twelve Images
Hours: 24L

Russian Cultural History in Twelve Images An introductory survey of Russian cultural history through key images, exploring the historical, intellectual, artistic, and mythical significance of these images in Russian cultural identity and in foreign perceptions. Among the images are: Rublev’s “Trinity,” The Bronze Horseman, the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, and Tatlin’s Tower. Taught in English, readings in English. No prior familiarity with Russian language or culture is expected.

Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA210H1 - Russian for Heritage Speakers

SLA210H1 - Russian for Heritage Speakers
Hours: 48P

This course is designed for students with Russian background, students raised in homes where Russian is/was spoken, who speak or merely understand basic Russian but are otherwise illiterate in Russian (cannot/have difficulty reading or writing). This course helps heritage learners of Russian develop/maintain writing and reading skills as well as develop cultural literacy. (Online course in 2011-2012).

Prerequisite: Permission of instructor
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA211H0 - Russian in Action

SLA211H0 - Russian in Action
Hours: 48P

Emphasis on expansion of vocabulary, developing conversational and listening skills, and intensive practice in real-life situations. Offered as part of Summer Program in Russia. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

Prerequisite: SLA101H1 or SLA210H1
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA212H1 - The Russian Novel

SLA212H1 - The Russian Novel
Hours: 24L/12T

Introduction to the Russian novelistic tradition at the height of its creative power. We examine the Russian novel’s universal appeal and influence, and its impact on modern art and thought. Authors may include (depending on instructor) Gogol, Turgenev, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Belyi, Nabokov, Pasternak, Solzhenitsyn. Taught and read in English.

Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA220Y1 - Intermediate Russian

SLA220Y1 - Intermediate Russian
Hours: 120P

Continuation of development of proficiency in speaking, reading, listening and writing. Review the basic and learning of new grammatical and syntactical structures, study of word formation and acquisition of active vocabulary. Reading of classical, contemporary, adapted, and non-adapted literary and mass-media texts. Culture and listening through animation.

Prerequisite: SLA101H1
Exclusion: native speakers of Russian, heritage speakers of Russian (unless permitted by the instructor), SLA210H1
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA221H1 - Speak Like a Russian

SLA221H1 - Speak Like a Russian
Hours: 24P

A course on practical phonetics. Get your Russian sounds right. Improve your intonation. Reduce your foreign accent.

Prerequisite: SLA100H1, SLA101H1
Corequisite: SLA220Y1 or SLA320Y1
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA224H1 - Russian-Jewish Writing

SLA224H1 - Russian-Jewish Writing
Hours: 24L

This course explores the writings of Russian authors of Jewish origin. Subjects include: assimilation; identity; the existence or non-existence of Russian – Jewish literature. The works studied may vary from year to year.

Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA234H1 - Russian and Soviet Cinema

SLA234H1 - Russian and Soviet Cinema
Hours: 12L/24P

A survey of the Russian cinematic tradition from its beginnings through the first decade following the disintegration of the USSR. The course examines the avant-garde cinema and film theory of the 1920s; the totalitarian esthetics of the 1920s-1940s and the ideological uses of film art; the revolution in film theory and practice in the 1950s-1960s; cinema as medium of cultural dissent and as witness to social change. Students also acquire basic skills of film analysis. Taught in English, all films subtitled in English.

Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA245H1 - The Golden Age of Russian Literature

SLA245H1 - The Golden Age of Russian Literature
Hours: 24L

A survey of Russian literature from1820-1900. Topics include: Romanticism and Realism; the myth of St. Petersburg; the Russian Empire and its borders; the individual and society; man and nature; the “woman question”; freedom and rationality. Readings may include: Pushkin, Lermontov, Gogol, Goncharov, Tolstoi, Turgenev, Dostoevskii, Saltykov-Shchedrin, Chekhov. Taught and read in English.

Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA252H1 - Russian Short Fiction

SLA252H1 - Russian Short Fiction
Hours: 12T/24S

An exploration of the elements of the short story through close readings of works by 19th and 20th century writers. Stories in translation by Pushkin, Gogol, Turgenev, Dostoevsky, Chekhov, Olesha, Babel, and others. All readings in English.

Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA260H1 - Constructing Space: A History of Russian Art and Architecture

SLA260H1 - Constructing Space: A History of Russian Art and Architecture
Hours: 24L

Chronologically organized and covering a period of ten centuries, from the eleventh to the twenty-first, the course has a special focus, the rendering of space and perspective. Beginning with the so-called “reverse perspective” of Russian Icons and the devotional world of churches and cathedrals, continuing with the geometrically organized, rational space of the 18th century and St. Petersburg, and moving on to the distorted reality of the Russian avant-garde and Socialist Realism’s attempt at reproducing reality “as it is,” the course concludes by asking where this oscillating acceptance and rejection of illusion leaves us in the 21st century. Consideration of paintings, buildings, sculptures, selected literary texts and films.

Recommended Preparation: FAH102H1
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA263H1 - Studies in Russian-French Cultural History

SLA263H1 - Studies in Russian-French Cultural History
Hours: 24L/12T

A survey of Russian-French intellectual, literary, and artistic contacts and mutual influences, from the 18th through the 20th centuries. Topics may include: transnational circulation of genres, styles, aesthetic programs, philosophical concepts, and political ideas; cultural tourism; cultural appropriation and misreading; direct contacts between French and Russian intellectual and artistic elites. Lectures in English. Students taking the course from the French Department will read the texts in French, have tutorials in French, and write assignments in French. All others will read texts in English, have tutorials in English, and write assignments in English.

Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA300H1 - Russian Literature in the Age of Empire

SLA300H1 - Russian Literature in the Age of Empire
Hours: 24L

Survey of major movements and institutions, familiar and less studied writers and intellectuals of the first half of the nineteenth century. Imperial culture between and within Europe and Asia. Romanticism as literary movement, cultural ideology, and lifestyle. Emergence of literature as profession and public sphere. Literature and nationalism. Taught in English, all readings in English.

Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

JSH300H1 - Literature and History in Russia

JSH300H1 - Literature and History in Russia
Hours: 24L

History and Literature were always interconnected in Russia. Writers not only sought to reflect the society around them, but were themselves often social critics and political figures. The course examines key texts in Russian literary tradition both as works of art and as primary sources for the historian. All readings in English.

Recommended Preparation: HIS250H1/ HIS250Y1 or SLA240H1/ SLA241H1
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA310H1 - Russian Literature Between Tradition and Modernity

SLA310H1 - Russian Literature Between Tradition and Modernity
Hours: 24L

Survey of major movements and institutions, genres, familiar and less studied writers and intellectuals of the second half of the nineteenth century. Imperial culture in the reform era. Realism as literary movement, professionalization of literature and criticism, the novel and serialization, the short story and drama. Taught in English, all readings in English.

Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA311H1 - Gogol

SLA311H1 - Gogol
Hours: 12L/12S

Fantastic and grotesque works by the most hilarious, obsessive, and delusional character in Russian literature, who teased, fascinated, and polarized readers. Gogol’s writings are examined through various theoretical approaches. Includes cinematic (Taras Bulba, Viy, Overcoat) and musical (Shostakovich’s “Nose”) re-creations of Gogol’s works. Taught in English, all readings in English.

Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA312H1 - Nabokov

SLA312H1 - Nabokov
Hours: 24S

A study of Vladimir Nabokov's novels written in Europe and the United States. Special attention is paid to the nature and evolution of Nabokov's aesthetics; the place of his novels in European and American literary traditions; Nabokov's creative uses of exile to artistic, philosophical and ideological ends; the aesthetic and cultural implications of the writers' switch from Russian to English. Novels studied: Defense, Despair, The Gift, The Real Life of Sebastian Knight, Lolita, Pnin, Pale Fire. Taught in English, all readings in English.

Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA314H1 - Dostoevsky

SLA314H1 - Dostoevsky
Hours: 24L

Crime and Punishment, The Brothers Karamazov, and short works. Dostoevsky's political, psychological, and religious ideas as they shape and are shaped by his literary art. Readings in English. Taught in English, all readings in English.

Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA317H1 - Tolstoy

SLA317H1 - Tolstoy
Hours: 24S

War and Peace or Anna Karenina, and some shorter works. Tolstoy's political, psychological, and religious ideas as they shape and are shaped by his literary art. Taught in English, all readings in English.

Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA320Y1 - Advanced Russian

SLA320Y1 - Advanced Russian
Hours: 120P

A survey of Russian culture and history of the 20th century through non-adapted readings and film. Development of advanced speaking, reading, listening and writing skills on a wide variety of topics. Work on grammar and vocabulary building. Subordinate and relative clauses, aspect, verbs of motion, participles and gerunds. Class is conducted primarily in Russian.

Prerequisite: SLA220Y1 or permission of instructor
Exclusion: native speakers of Russian, heritage speakers of Russian (unless permitted by the instructor), SLA210H1
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA321H1 - Conversational Russian

SLA321H1 - Conversational Russian
Hours: 36P

Expansion of vocabulary and development of conversational skills. Discussion of a variety of topics (history, culture, art, politics, law, social and economic problems, contemporary events). Class is taught in round-table format.

Prerequisite: SLA220Y1 and permission of instructor
Exclusion: native speakers of Russian and heritage speakers of Russian (unless permitted by the instructor). 
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA322H1 - News from Russia

SLA322H1 - News from Russia
Hours: 24P

Language, life and the media in contemporary Russia. The course will be based on reading Russian newspapers, listening to Russian media, and discussing contemporary events in Russia.

Prerequisite: SLA220Y1
Exclusion: Heritage and native speakers of Russian
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA323H1 - The Mysteries of Russian Revealed

SLA323H1 - The Mysteries of Russian Revealed
Hours: 12P/12S

This course introduces Russian's sounds, structures, and alternations. Russian’s tricky morphologic alternations and their historical causes are explored while students master the hidden encoding of forms through study of the writing system, root structures, and variation.

Prerequisite: SLA220Y1 or permission of instructor
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA334H1 - Film Genre in Russia

SLA334H1 - Film Genre in Russia

An examination of the understanding and practice of film genre in Russian and Soviet cinema. Various genres and generic hybrids – comedy, melodrama, action, war, horror, fantasy, etc. – are studied in the context of critical literature on the problem of film genre and against the backdrop of international cinematic traditions. Taught in English, all films subtitled in English.

Recommended Preparation: CIN105Y1, SLA234H1
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA342H1 - Theatricality and Spectacle in the History of Russian Culture: From Jesters to Meyerhold

SLA342H1 - Theatricality and Spectacle in the History of Russian Culture: From Jesters to Meyerhold
Hours: 24S

We will study Russian public spectacles from the eighteenth century imperial court festivities all the way through the Revolutionary festivals of the 1920s. We will also look at the 2003 celebration of the 300 year anniversary of St. Petersburg and the 2014 Sochi Olympics. Special emphasis on those figures who influenced twentieth century theatre and film in the West (such as Konstantin Stanislavsky, Vsevolod Meyerhold, Sergei Diaghilev). All readings in English. No knowledge of Russian required.

Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA343H1 - Studies in Late Soviet Culture

SLA343H1 - Studies in Late Soviet Culture
Hours: 24L

A survey of artistic and intellectual life in the USSR from the post-Stalinist “Thaw” period to the collapse of the Soviet empire and its cultural aftermath in the 1990s. Topics include: the recovery of suppressed cultural memory; the fluid boundaries between official and unofficial cultures; internal and external exile; Aesopian language; alternative modes of creation and dissemination (samizdat, tamizdat, unauthorized exhibitions and concerts, etc.); Russian conceptualism and post-modernism. Taught in English, readings in English.

Recommended Preparation: SLA245H1, SLA246H1
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA345H1 - Russian Modernism

SLA345H1 - Russian Modernism
Previous Course Number: SLA246H1
Hours: 24L

A history of Russian modernist culture from the 1890s to 1940. Topics include: Russia’s fin-de-siècle art and thought in European context; the aesthetic and philosophical evolution of Russian modernism as a cultural community; modernist experiments in literature; conservative reactions to modernism before and after the communist takeover in Russia; the modernist strategies of survival. Taught and read in English.

Exclusion: SLA246H1
Recommended Preparation: SLA245H1
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA367H1 - Chekhov

SLA367H1 - Chekhov
Hours: 24S

Selected stories, plays; stylistic, structural, and thematic analysis, literary and historical context, influence in Russia and the West. Taught in English, all readings in English.

Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA400H1 - Studies in Medieval Russian Literature

SLA400H1 - Studies in Medieval Russian Literature
Hours: 24S

Explores the development of the types of writing (e.g. chronicles, vitae, epics, tales, poetry) used to capture the cultural, political, religious, and aesthetic experiences of Mediaeval Rus' from the 11th to 17th century. Readings in English. Where appropriate, majors will read some excerpts in the original.

Recommended Preparation: Some reading knowledge of Russian desirable but not required
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA404H1 - Russia Across Centuries I

SLA404H1 - Russia Across Centuries I
Hours: 24S

A survey of Russian Culture from the tenth century to the early nineteenth century. Topics may vary by year. Includes literature, music, art, architecture, dance, film, history and politics. Taught in Russian, all readings are in Russian. Fosters advanced language skills of conversational fluency, listening comprehension, writing and composition, expanded vocabulary, recognition of stylistic registers, and advanced syntax. Students will read literary and non-literary texts as well as watching contemporary films and television programs.

Prerequisite: SLA320Y1 or SLA210H1
Recommended Preparation: SLA410H1
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA410H1 - Russian for Heritage Speakers II

SLA410H1 - Russian for Heritage Speakers II
Hours: 48P

The course helps advanced heritage learners further to develop their active command of Russian. Special focus on speaking and writing skills, as well as cultural competence. Taught in Russian, all materials in Russian.

Prerequisite: SLA210H1 or permission of instructor
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA412H1 - History of Russian

SLA412H1 - History of Russian
Hours: 24P

Historical phonology, morphology, accentuation of Russian in its East Slavic context. Further topics include dialectology and historical syntax. Readings of a variety of Old Russian-East Slavic texts in the original.

Prerequisite: Permission of instructor.
Recommended Preparation: Good reading knowledge of Russian and/or SLA320Y1 (Advanced Russian).
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA413H1 - Pushkin

SLA413H1 - Pushkin
Hours: 24S

Select lyrical poetry, narrative poems, drama, and prose. Topics may include: poet and society; poetry, nation, and empire; Pushkin’s life, death, afterlife, and cultural mythologies; Pushkin in visual arts, music, and film. Readings in Russian.

Prerequisite: SLA320Y1 or permission of the instructor.
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA414H1 - Russia Across Centuries II

SLA414H1 - Russia Across Centuries II
Hours: 24S

A continuation of SLA404H1. Survey of Russian culture from 1917 to the present. Topics may vary by year. Includes material on literature, music, art, architecture, dance, film, history and politics. Taught in Russian, all readings in Russian. The course fosters advanced language skills of conversational fluency, listening comprehension, writing and composition, expanded vocabulary, recognition of stylistic registers, and advanced syntax. Students will read literary and non-literary texts and watch contemporary films and television programs.

Prerequisite: SLA320Y1 or SLA210H1
Recommended Preparation: SLA410H1, SLA404H1
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA415H1 - Studies in Russian Literature of the 18th Century

SLA415H1 - Studies in Russian Literature of the 18th Century
Hours: 36S

The prose, poetry and dramaturgy of the most prominent literary figures of the eighteenth century, including Karamzin, Lomonosov, Fonvizin, Derzhavin and Krylov; aspects of literature during the reign of Peter I; literature and satirical journalism during the reign of Catherine II. (Taught in Russian)

Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA420Y1 - Studies in Russian Syntax and Stylistics

SLA420Y1 - Studies in Russian Syntax and Stylistics
Hours: 96P

Syntactic structures and their relation to meaning and style, word order, intonation. Consolidation of morphology, vocabulary building through extensive reading. Translation, composition, and oral practice.

Prerequisite: SLA320Y1 or permission of instructor
Exclusion: native speakers of Russian, including SLA210H1
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)

SLA421H1 - Introduction to Russian Poetry and Poetics

SLA421H1 - Introduction to Russian Poetry and Poetics
Previous Course Number: SLA424Y1
Hours: 36S

A study of the main principles of Russian prosody (meter, rhythm, rhyme, phonetic instrumentation, verse, stanza, genre) in relation to the creation of meaning of a poetic text. The formal aspects of Russian versification are examined in their historical evolution from the 18th century to the present, in both "classical" and "experimental" poetic modes. Taught in Russian, readings in Russian and English.

Prerequisite: SLA320Y1
Exclusion: SLA424Y1
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA422H1 - Nineteenth-Century Russian Poetry

SLA422H1 - Nineteenth-Century Russian Poetry
Previous Course Number: SLA424Y1
Hours: 36S

A survey of the golden age of Russian poetry with special attention to the evolution of verse forms and poetic genres. In this course students acquire advanced skills in the close reading of poetic forms and in their contextual historical analysis and interpretation. Taught in Russian, readings in Russian and English.

Prerequisite: SLA320Y1
Exclusion: SLA424Y1
Recommended Preparation: SLA421H1
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA423H1 - War and Peace

SLA423H1 - War and Peace
Hours: 36S

War and Peace in depth, and from various points of view, literary, political, philosophical, historical, and psychological. Various critical approaches; cognate literary works. Students are expected to have read the novel before the course begins. Readings in English.

Recommended Preparation: SLA317H1
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA430H1 - Advanced Russian Writing Skills

SLA430H1 - Advanced Russian Writing Skills
Hours: 48P

The course will support students in gaining proficiency in presentational mode and in improvement of language competence for communication in academic contexts. Students will elevate their skills to the advanced level. Emphasis is on grammatical structures, syntax, lexicon, content organization, construction of complex presentation and expression of scholarly ideas and critical thought with accuracy and consistency in use of the Russian language. Offered online only.

Prerequisite: SLA320Y1 or SLA210H1
Recommended Preparation: Advanced reading, writing, listening ability in Russian.
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA433H1 - Anna Karenina

SLA433H1 - Anna Karenina
Previous Course Number: SLA324H1
Hours: 36S

Anna Karenina in depth, and from various points of view, literary, political, philosophical, historical, and psychological. Various critical approaches; cognate literary works. Students are expected to have read the novel before the course begins. Readings in English.

Exclusion: SLA324H1
Recommended Preparation: SLA317H1
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA434H1 - Dostoevsky in Literary Theory and Criticism

SLA434H1 - Dostoevsky in Literary Theory and Criticism
Hours: 24S

Explores Dostoevsky’s works through the lens of Russian and Western novel theory. Theorists include: Viacheslav Ivanov, Georg Lukacs and Mikhail Bakhtin. Topics include: genre, history and modernity; the novelistic narrator; novelistic plot; novelistic narrative; time and space; the generic history and prehistory of the novel; the novel and the self; the novel’s relation to the present; novelistic subgenres including the Bildungsroman; the novel’s simultaneous status as fragment and totality; and the particular and the universal in novelistic representation. Taught in English, readings in either Russian or English.

Recommended Preparation: SLA314H1
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA449H1 - Russian Thinkers

SLA449H1 - Russian Thinkers
Hours: 36S

Social and political change, national and spiritual destiny in philosophical, journalistic and critical writings. From Slavophiles and Westernizers to revolutionary and apocalyptic thought. Reflections on Russia's position between Europe and Asia and on the place of Russia's East Asian neighbors in its history and culture. Taught in English, readings in English.

Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)

SLA463H1 - Themes in Russian Realism

SLA463H1 - Themes in Russian Realism
Hours: 24L/12S

What is distinctive about Russian realism? The course will examine nineteenth century Russian realist fiction in relation to various theoretical approaches, from Erich Auerbach to Roman Jakobson. We will read contemporary works of criticism and thought from Russia and Europe that may have influenced it.

Prerequisite: 1.0 credit in literature
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

South Slavic: Bosnian, Croatian, Macedonian, and Serbian

SLA107Y1 - Elementary Bosnian, Croatian, and Serbian

SLA107Y1 - Elementary Bosnian, Croatian, and Serbian
Hours: 96P

Basic phonology, orthography, morphology and syntax of Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian. Development of the four basic language skills: reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Acquisition of essential vocabulary for practical conversation and for comprehension.

Exclusion: native speakers of BCS, SLA257Y1, SLA237Y1
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA109Y1 - Elementary Macedonian

SLA109Y1 - Elementary Macedonian
Hours: 96P

The basic features of the grammar of the Macedonian literary language. Acquisition of essential vocabulary for practical conversation and for comprehension. Development of reading and writing skills. Open only to students with little or no knowledge of the literary language. (Offered in alternate years).

Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA209H1 - Intermediate Macedonian

SLA209H1 - Intermediate Macedonian
Hours: 48P

This course completes the basics of Macedonian grammar including the wide variety of past tenses, complex sentence structures, and word formation.

Prerequisite: SLA109Y1 or permission of instructor
Exclusion: SLA209Y1
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA213H1 - Reading Macedonia: A Cultural Exploration

SLA213H1 - Reading Macedonia: A Cultural Exploration
Hours: 48P

This course explores Macedonian culture as read through its literature, film, cuisine, music, folklore, architecture, and new media.

Prerequisite: SLA209H1 or permission of instructor
Exclusion: SLA209Y1
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA217H1 - Cultural History of the South Slavs

SLA217H1 - Cultural History of the South Slavs
Hours: 24L

Works of literature, history, music, and visual arts are examined in order to explore the complex cultural legacy of the Balkans, an area marked by Byzantine, Ottoman, and Austro-Hungarian colonial presence. The course will familiarize students with major cultural traditions, myths, and historical flashpoints. Readings in English.

Exclusion: SLA217Y1, SLA227Y1
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA227H1 - South Slavic Literature

SLA227H1 - South Slavic Literature
Hours: 24L

A survey of the most significant twentieth-century novels from Croatia, Serbia and Bosnia through a chronological selection of literary texts (poems, plays, novels) from the eighteenth to the twentieth century. The course places South Slavic literary developments within the broader context of European intellectual history as well as Balkan cultural and political life. Taught in English, all readings in English.

Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA247H1 - Cinema of the Balkans

SLA247H1 - Cinema of the Balkans
Hours: 24L

An overview of the cinematic tradition in Yugoslavia, Greece, Albania, and Bulgaria from the 1960s to the present. Topics include revolution and socialism; cinema as activism; ideology and politics; sex and gender; war and trauma. Taught in English. All films with subtitles.

Exclusion: SLA427H1
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA257H1 - Intermediate Bosnian, Croatian, and Serbian I

SLA257H1 - Intermediate Bosnian, Croatian, and Serbian I
Hours: 48P

Systematic study of morphology and syntax. Intermediate composition and oral practice. Reading and translation of contemporary and more complex texts in BCS.

Prerequisite: SLA107Y1 or permission of instructor
Exclusion: SLA257Y1, SLA307Y1, SLA316Y1
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA277H1 - Intermediate Bosnian, Croatian, and Serbian II

SLA277H1 - Intermediate Bosnian, Croatian, and Serbian II
Hours: 48P

Continuation of SLA257H1. Systematic study of morphology and syntax. Intermediate composition and oral practice. Reading and translation of contemporary texts in BCS.

Prerequisite: SLA257H1 or permission of instructor
Exclusion: SLA257Y1
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA337H1 - Advanced Bosnian, Croatian, and Serbian

SLA337H1 - Advanced Bosnian, Croatian, and Serbian
Hours: 48P

Morphology, syntax, composition and translation, oral practice. Extensive reading, translation and analysis of contemporary Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian texts representing diverse styles.

Prerequisite: SLA257Y1 or permission of instructor
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA347H1 - The Imaginary Geography of the Balkans

SLA347H1 - The Imaginary Geography of the Balkans
Hours: 24S

This course examines the symbolic definitions of space in South Eastern Europe and the aesthetic, social, and political implications of these practices. It will draw on theories and the social construction of space to study cultural mapping through cartography, architecture, monumental sculptures, memorials, cemeteries, literature, and film.

Prerequisite: Completion of 4.0 credits
Recommended Preparation: SLA227H1 or SLA217H1
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA357H1 - Literature of Exile and Immigration

SLA357H1 - Literature of Exile and Immigration
Hours: 24S

This course examines novels and short stories by writers from the former Yugoslavia (including Dubravka Ugrešić, Aleksandar Hemon) that thematize exile, migration, and displacement. Alongside literary works, we will read theoretical essays that speak to concepts of home, nation, and language. Taught in English. Readings in English.

Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

Ukrainian

SLA108Y1 - Elementary Ukrainian

SLA108Y1 - Elementary Ukrainian
Hours: 96P

Basic vocabulary and grammar for practical conversation and comprehension.  Emphasis on communication. Development of reading and writing skills. Introduction to Ukrainian culture, history, and society through guided exposure to popular culture and media. Internet language modules complement in-class learning. Intended for students with little or no knowledge of the language.

Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA208Y1 - Intermediate Ukrainian

SLA208Y1 - Intermediate Ukrainian
Hours: 96P

Development of proficiency in speaking, reading, listening, and writing. Mastering grammar and syntax and expanding vocabulary in key practical communication areas (such as family, travel, education).  Exposure to contemporary Ukrainian culture and society through annotated literary texts, mass-media materials, and popular culture (song, film and TV, news). Internet language modules complement in-class learning.

Prerequisite: Permission of instructor
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA218H1 - Ukrainian Literature and Culture

SLA218H1 - Ukrainian Literature and Culture
Previous Course Number: SLA218Y1
Hours: 24L

Starting from the medieval Kyivan Rus' and extending to contemporary Ukraine, the course explores Ukraine's most iconic literary and artistic works and provides insight into the complex historical and cultural legacies and multi-ethnic traditions in Ukrainian lands as they continue to impact contemporary society. Cultural myths critically examined. Literary works aligned with visual arts, film, and media.

Exclusion: SLA218Y1
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA228H1 - 20th Century Ukrainian Fiction in Translation

SLA228H1 - 20th Century Ukrainian Fiction in Translation
Hours: 12L/12S

Most influential and daring works in English translation. From modernist sensibilities and avant-garde fervor of the revolutionary era, through socialist realism and dissident writing, to the internationally acclaimed experimental prose of contemporary Ukraine. Authors include Kotsiubynsky, Vynnychenko, Pidmohylny, Khvyliovy, Andrukhovych, Zabuzhko, and Zhadan.

Recommended Preparation: any course in literature
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA238H1 - Literature of the Ukrainian-Canadian Experience

SLA238H1 - Literature of the Ukrainian-Canadian Experience
Hours: 24S

A selection of literary texts depicting the experience and perceptions of Ukrainians in Canada from the first immigrants to the present. Texts include works originally written in English, French and Ukrainian, but all readings are in English. Authors include: Kiriak, Kostash, Ryga, Galay, Suknaski, Kulyk Keefer.

Recommended Preparation: any course in literature
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA248H1 - Women and Women's Themes in Ukrainian Literature

SLA248H1 - Women and Women's Themes in Ukrainian Literature
Hours: 24S

This course examines the presentation of women and women's themes in works of Ukrainian literature. The subjects covered include: role models, freedom, socialism, nationalism, feminism, and sexuality.

Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA308H1 - Advanced Ukrainian

SLA308H1 - Advanced Ukrainian
Previous Course Number: SLA308Y1
Hours: 48L

Development of advanced speaking, reading, listening, and writing skills on a wide range of topics by engaging with a variety of media: literature, film, popular culture, and social media. Building mastery of the fundamentals of grammar and syntax, expanding vocabulary, and mastering oral and written communication.

Prerequisite: SLA208Y1 or permission of instructor based on previous language knowledge by means of a placement test.
Exclusion: Fluent native speakers of Ukrainian, SLA308Y1
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA328H1 - The Culture of Contemporary Ukraine

SLA328H1 - The Culture of Contemporary Ukraine
Hours: 24S

Contemporary Ukraine is an amalgam of various cultural traditions. This course examines its languages, religions, nationalities, literature, cinema, arts, print and broadcast media, regions, education, and social groups. Special attention is given to the factors that influence public perceptions of identity. All readings are in English.

Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA338H1 - Ivan Franko

SLA338H1 - Ivan Franko
Hours: 24S

Ivan Franko is one of the most important and innovative figures in the history of Ukrainian literature. This seminar explores a selection of the belletristic writings by this fascinating and prolific poet and novelist in the context of Ukrainian culture and politics in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Taught in English. All readings are in English.

Recommended Preparation: Previous coursework in Ukrainian literature, e.g. SLA218Y1
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA358H1 - Breaking Away from Empire: Ukrainian Fiction Since Independence

SLA358H1 - Breaking Away from Empire: Ukrainian Fiction Since Independence
Hours: 24S

This course traces the extraordinary development of Ukrainian prose since the collapse of the Soviet Union. We will explore postmodernist euphoria, colonial angst, cultural entropy, hooliganism, national identity, gender issues, and other aspects of modern Ukraine. All readings in English.

Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA428H1 - The Ukrainian Novel

SLA428H1 - The Ukrainian Novel
Previous Course Number: SLA428Y1
Hours: 24S

Ukraine’s culture, history, and society through the prism of the novel genre (including historical and social, magical and autobiographical, intellectual, and war novels). Romantic aspirations and realist dissections of social conditions, modernist challenges to literary and societal conventions, scriptures of social realism, and contemporary experiments with genre, narrative, language, gender, and fictionality. Readings in English; native speakers are encouraged to read in the original.

Prerequisite: Completion of 9.0 credits
Exclusion: SLA428Y1
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

SLA429H1 - Shevchenko

SLA429H1 - Shevchenko
Hours: 24S

A critical study of Taras Shevchenko. Life, works, and significance. Readings in Ukrainian.

Prerequisite: Permission of instructor
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

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