Featured Courses

Course Description: This course is designed as an interdisciplinary introduction to Russian civilization whose formation began in the northern part of Eurasia in the medieval period. From early on, Russian culture became connected in myriad ways with the multiethnic and multicultural space of the vast part of present-day Eurasia, and we will explore and analyze these ties. This course examines Russian history and Russia of the present day, relying on a variety of disciplinary perspectives and drawing on the expertise of guest speakers from UW–Madison and other institutions. It aims to impart a basic knowledge of Russian history, geography, literature, art, music, religious traditions, economy, and politics, to provide students with the tools to begin to grasp the complex issues with which Russian culture and society present us.

Course meeting days and times: Lecture: Tue & Thu 11:00 AM–12:15 PM,
Discussion: Wed 9:55 AM, 11 AM, 1:20 PM, 2:25 PM

Credits: 4 credits.

Instructor(s): Irina Shevelenko

Course Description: This course will introduce students to political science literature relevant to Russia’s invasion of and war on Ukraine. We will begin with the question of why Russia invaded, and consider factors related to domestic politics and international relations in order to develop an answer to the question throughout the semester. We will also consider the implications of the war on Ukraine, Russia, and the international system.

Course meeting days and times: Tuesdays & Thursdays 2:30-3:45 p.m.

Credits: 4 credits.

Instructor(s): Yoshiko Herrera

Course Description: Central Asia has been a borderland region contested by the world’s largest empires led by some of history’s most infamous figures, from Chinggis Khan in the thirteenth century through Stalin in the twentieth. This course introduces students to the history of Central Asia through the lens of imperial enclosure to make sense of the region’s staggering ethno-linguistic, racial, religious, political, and ecological diversity. During the semester, we will consider the following questions: How and with what consequences did imperial formations integrate territories, resources, and peoples into different political systems? How can we situate Central Asia in its regional and global contexts?

Course meeting days and times: Tuesdays & Thursdays, 11:00AM-12:15PM

Instructor(s): Geoffrey Durham

Course Description: We will explore the radical traditions that made possible the Russian Revolution of 1917. Starting in the mid-nineteenth century, we will explore political, theoretical, aesthetic and fictional writings of the radicals who stood at the center of Populist (Narodnik) and Marxist traditions, Russian and Ukrainian. Centering figures such as Mykola Kostomarov, Nikolai Chernyshevsky, Peter Kropotkin, and Vladimir Lenin, we will also highlight their interlocutors in the West, most prominently Marx. We will examine the radicals’ theoretical views as well as their historical triumphs and failures.

Course meeting days and times: Tuesdays & Thursdays 11 a.m.-12:15 p.m., 494 Van Hise

Credits: 3 credits.

Instructor(s): Kirill Ospovat

Course Description: What do a dumpling, a loaf of tandyr bread, and a bowl of tea have in common? In Central Asia, almost everything. Each one carries thousands of years of history from nomads moving across the steppe, caravans along the Silk Road, both Soviet Union and post-Soviet nation-building, famine and forced resettlement, migration and memory.

Course meeting days and times: Mondays & Wednesdays 4-5:15 p.m.

Credits: 3 credits.

Instructor(s): Gulnara Glowacki