Russ,East European,Eurasian St 210 - Environment and Ecology in Russian Culture

How does a culture conceptualize its natural environment in aesthetic, political and even religious terms, and what does a landscape "mean" in this context? This interdisciplinary course explores how Russian writers, filmmakers and artists have represented the vast territory comprising Imperial Russia, the USSR, and the Russian Federation, from the Enlightenment to present. In addition to considering how artistic production has reflected and shaped understanding of the Russian "anthropocene," students compare these works with cultural production of the Western tradition. The course also explores initiatives to legislate and transform the Russian environment, which often precipitated ecological and social disasters.