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The University of Texas at Austin Department of Slavic and Eurasian Studies http://www.utexas.edu/cola/depts/slavic/ Fall Semester 2019

INTRODUCTION TO SLAVIC CIVILIZATIONS “The in Slavic Cultures” REE 302 (42720), CL 305 (33345), EUS 307 (35430)

COURSE SYLLABUS

Instructor: Prof. Thomas Jesús Garza Office: Burdine BUR 458 (mailbox in BUR 452) Phones: 512-232-9126 (direct) or 512-471-3607 Email: [email protected] Office hours: M 2:30-4:00pm; T 11:00am-12:30pm in BUR 458, and any other time by appt.

Class time: MW 10:00am-11:30am in BUR 216

From Gogol’s “Viy,” Yuri Zverlin (2012)

Teaching Assistants: Alexandra (Allie) Guerrero and Alexandra (Lexi) Jovanovic

Office: BUR 582

Phone: 471-3607 (Slavic office) Office hours: Allie: TH 9:00am-12:00noon; Lexi: TBA; See Canvas for updates.

Required texts: • Slavic : in Russian and East European Cultures, Course Reader (abbr. SB in syllabus), T. J. Garza, ed., Cognella Press, San Diego: CA, 2018. [order copy online; see Canvas Announcements for details]

• The Vampire: A Casebook, Alan Dundes, Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 1998. [readings available online on Canvas]

• Twitter account.

Supplementary texts: [all available on amazon.com] • The Darkling, Jan L. Perkowski, Columbus: Slavica Publishers, 1989.

• Vampire : From the Writings of Jan Louis Perkowski. Jan L. Perkowski, Bloomington: Slavica Publishers, 2006.

• Blood Read: The Vampire as Metaphor in Contemporary Culture, J. Gordon and V. Hollinger, Philadelphia: U Penn Press, 1997.

T.J. Garza The Vampire in Slavic Cultures Syllabus Fall 2019

I. GENERAL

Eight hundred years before gave us the West's most memorable vampire in his novel (1897) and long before the real-life exploits of Vlad Țepeș ("The Impaler") Dracula (1431-46) horrified Europe, the Russian Primary Chronicles related the story of a Novgorod priest as upyr' likhii, or “wicked vampire” (1047). The Slavic, East European, and Balkan worlds abound in histories, legends, myths and literary portraits of the so-called undead, creatures that literally draw life out of the living while ensuring their own eternal existence. This course examines the figure of the vampire in the cultures of Russia, , and the , including its manifestations in , literature, religion, art, film and common cultural practices from its origins to present day 2019. Texts – from both print and non-print media – will be drawn from original sources. Participants will be asked to separate historical fact from popular fiction, and form their own opinions about the place of the vampire in Slavic and other East European cultures, particularly in contrast to the more portraits in US and European cultures. The course is conducted in English with all original source material in Russian or other languages provided in English. No knowledge of Russian required, though readings in Russian and other are available for majors and minors in these related fields from the instructor on request.

II. COURSE REQUIREMENTS

Attendance and Participation: You are expected to attend class meetings regularly, participate actively in discussions, do all assigned readings and film viewings, and prepare written assignments. While lecture slides and clips are posted on Canvas, class discussion of the live lecture material is crucial to earning a passing grade in the course. Because the readings, discussions, and critical approaches covered in this course are cumulative in design, your regular attendance and participation is required. Discussion, commentary, and participation in this course will be facilitated, among other ways, by the use of Twitter during class. Students missing more than three (3) class sessions will receive a reduction of their final grade based on the total number of classes missed. Students who miss more than five (5) classes, or who do not complete all four of the required components of the syllabus may not pass the course. In extreme documented circumstances (extended illness requiring hospitalization, death in the immediate family, accident, etc.), the instructor may excuse certain absences.

Reaction Paper: A brief (2-3 pages) reaction paper on one of the readings or media presentations covered in class is due on Monday, October 7. While this short paper is not research based, may contain references or support from external sources.

Film Review: A two-page critical popular review of any one of the Russian-language films treated in the syllabus is due on Monday, November 11.

NO LATE PAPERS ACCEPTED, SO PLAN AHEAD! Also remember: you MUST appropriately attribute and cite any words, thoughts, or ideas that are not you own, no matter how obtained (hard copy, lecture, website, etc.). Failure to do so constitutes plagiarism and will result in failure of the assignment and possible failure of the course (See UT Honor Code below).

2 T.J. Garza The Vampire in Slavic Cultures Syllabus Fall 2019

Midterm Exam I: A comprehensive midterm exam over all material covered (readings, films, slides, and lectures) in the first half of the course will be given on Wednesday, October 23. The specific format of the midterm will be discussed and posted on Canvas well before the exam date.

Midterm Exam II: A second midterm – comparable in format to the first midterm – covering the material (readings, films, slides, lectures) from the second half of the course -- will be given on the last day of class, Monday, December 9.

Special Accommodations: Any student with disabilities may request appropriate academic accommodations from the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement, Services for Students with Disabilities at 471-6259. Any necessary accommodations should be presented to the instructor in written form at the beginning of the course. Late notification may not be eligible for accommodations.

III. GRADING

In addition to regular attendance and active participation, there are four graded components of the final course grade. These components and their relative weights in determining the final course grade are:

Reaction Paper (2-3 pp.) 25% Midterm exam I 25% Film Review (2-3 pp.) 25% Midterm exam II 25%

All grades for this course will be assigned using the plus/minus system based on the UT Registrar’s scale and posted in a timely manner on the class Canvas site:

94 –100 = A 74 – 76 = C 90 – 93 = A- 70 – 73 = C- 87 – 89 = B+ 67 – 69 = D+ 84 – 86 = B 64 – 66 = D 80 – 83 = B- 60 – 63 = D- 77 – 79 = C+ 59 or less = F

For assistance with the writing assignments in the course, in addition to working with your instructor and TAs, I strongly encourage you to use the University Writing Center, PCL 2.330, 471-6222, uwc.utexas.edu). The University Writing Center offers free, individualized help with writing for any UT undergraduate, by appointment or on a drop-in basis. They work with students from every department on campus, for both academic and non-academic writing. This service is not just for writing with "problems." Getting feedback from an informed audience is a normal part of a successful writing project. The UWC consultants are trained to work with you on your writing in ways that preserve the integrity of your work and help you become a stronger, more independent writer.

3 T.J. Garza The Vampire in Slavic Cultures Syllabus Fall 2019

IV. UT HONOR CODE

The University of Texas Honor Codes reads:

“The core values of The University of Texas at Austin are learning, discovery, freedom, leadership, individual opportunity and responsibility. Each member of the university is expected to uphold these values through integrity, honesty, trust, fairness and respect toward peers and community.”

Each class participant is expected to adhere to these principles throughout the course, in interacting – including in class and on Twitter – with the course instructor, TAs, fellow students, and in completing all written assignments for the course. Your instructor and TAs will do the same with you.

V. EMERGENCY PROCEDURES

Occupants of buildings on The University of Texas at Austin campus are required to evacuate buildings when an alarm is activated. Alarm activation or announcement requires exiting and assembling outside. Familiarize yourself with all exit doors of each classroom and building you may occupy. Remember that the nearest exit door may not be the one you used when entering the building. Students requiring assistance in evacuation shall inform their instructor in writing during the first week of class. In the event of an evacuation, follow the instruction of faculty or class instructors. Do not re-enter a building unless given instructions by the following: The University of Texas at Austin Police Department, or Fire Prevention Services office. For other important Emergency Information, go to:

http://www.utexas.edu/safety/preparedness/

CLASS ASSIGNMENTS

Wednesday, August 28 Introduction to REE 302 Overview of syllabus, requirements, and course structure • Definition of terms: “Slavic” and “Vampire” • Establishment of scene: the Carpathians and the Balkans View scene from Coppola’s Bram Stoker’s ‘Dracula.’

For next class, read definitions of term “vampire” in SB pp. 2-8, and “The History of the Word Vampire” in Dundes, pp. 3-11 on Canvas.

Wednesday, September 4 On Vampires and Upyri • The relationship between Slavic upyr’ and European vampire

For next class, read “Heretics as Vampires and in Russia” by Oinas, “The Need Fire” by Fraser, and “’Spoiling’ and ‘Healing’” by Ivanits in SB pp. 10-30.

4 T.J. Garza The Vampire in Slavic Cultures Syllabus Fall 2019

Monday, September 9 Origins of Slavic Vampire Beliefs • Understanding the place of the vampire in the Slavic world

For next session, read “The Epic of Gilgemesh” by Kramer, “” by Guiley, “Tlahuelpuchi” by Fraser, and “Sirin” in SB pp. 32-41.

Sirin

Wednesday, September 11 From Folktales and Myths: Harpies and Sirin • Folk belief, folklore and demons in the Slavic world • Relationship between religion, , and the vampire

For next class, read “The : An Introduction” by Ashley, and “Lycanthropy and the Undead Corpse,” by Keyworth in SB pp. 44-70.

Monday, September 16 Are Vampires, Too? • The meaning of “vukodlak” in Slavic • View scenes from Underworld (2003), The Wolfman (2010), and “Hemlock Grove” (2013)

For next class, read “A Journey into Dracula Country” by Mascetti and “The Historical Dracula: Tyrant from ” by McNally

and Floresçu in SB pp. 72-85.

Wednesday, September 18 Finding the Real “Dracula” • Getting to know Transylvania • The life and times of Vlad Țepeș Dracula

For next class, read “Crusader Against the Turks” by McNally and Floresçu, and “The Imprisonment and Final Reign of Dracula” by Treplow in SB pp. 86-104.

Monday, September 23 Vlad “Țepeș (The Impaler)” Dracula • Who was the real Dracula? • Why does the “myth” live on in Transylvania and beyond? • View scenes from (2014)

For next class, read “Elizabeth Bathory” by Melton, “The Blood Countess” by Sucking, and “The Passion of Bathory: Bloody Chr istmas 1610” by McNally in SB pp. 106-125 . Vlad Țepeș Dracula

Wednesday, September 25 Erszebet (Elizabeth) Bathory • “Vampirization” reports and the European tradition • View scenes from Daughters of Darkness and I Vampiri

For next class, read “Vampires and the ” in SB pp. 128-133.

Erszebet Bathory 5 T.J. Garza The Vampire in Slavic Cultures Syllabus Fall 2019

Monday, September 30 Vampires in the Slavic Lands • The Balkans as backdrop for the vampire • The vampire myth behind nationalism

For next class, read “In Defense of Vampires” in Dundes, pp. 57-66; and Serbian Vampires and Romanian Vampires” by Ashley in SB pp. 134-136.

Wednesday, October 2 South Slavic Vampires • The vampire as part of Balkan identity • The Age of Reason and Enlightenment and the “Vampire Epidemic”

For the next class, read “Vampires and the Gypsies” by Melton in SB pp. 137-141. Reaction Paper is due on Monday!

Monday, October 7 Roma (“Gypsies”) and Vampires • Roma: A culture within a culture • Dispelling and creating racial prejudices • Reaction Paper due today

For the next class, read Oinas’ “East European Vampires” in Dundes, pp. 47-56; and “Vampires in Russia,” by Melton, Selection from Isis Unveiled by Blavatsky, and “The Bite of the Vampire” by Taylor in SB pp. 142-151.

Wednesday, October 9 Russian Vampires • Differences in East Slavic from the South Slavic Balkans • Listen to part of Oinas’ lecture on vampires

For next class, read “The Roumanian Folkloric Vampire” in Dundes pp. 12-34; “Vampires in the Czech Republic and Slovakia” by Melton, and “The ” by DeBartolo in SB pp. 152-158.

Monday, October 14 Central European Vampires

• The vampire in its historical home • Beginnings of a literary tradition in vampire tales • View and discuss scenes from The Golem

For next class, read “Peter Plogojowitz,” “The Shoemaker of ,” and “Visum et Repertum” by Barber, and “Russian Stories” in SB pp. 160-176. Hungarian woodcut

Wednesday, October 16 Early Vampire Stories • Connections between Vlad Țepeș and European literature • How the vampire legend reached Stoker in literature

For next class, read “Racism and the Vampire” by , Selection from The Essential Dracula, and “From Dracula to ” in SB pp. 178-196. 6 T.J. Garza The Vampire in Slavic Cultures Syllabus Fall 2019

Monday, October 21 The Literary Vampire: From Byron to Bram Stoker’s Dracula • Connections between Vlad Tepes and European literature • How the vampire legend reached Stoker in literature

For next class, prepare for Midterm Exam (No new reading.). Exam covers material from the beginning of the course to the readings from 10/16.

Wednesday, October 23 Midterm Exam • In-class written exam over material covered (texts, films, slides, lectures)

For next class, take it easy.

Bram Stoker

Monday, October 28 The Literary Vampire: Film and the Slavic Tradition • Orientalism and the vampire as the “Other” in film • View scenes from Nosferatu (1922) and Gothic (1986)

For next class, read Neruda’s “The Vampire” in SB pp. 197-199; and watch Todd Browning’s film Dracula (1931) with Bela Lugosi.

Wednesday, October 30 The Best of the Worst: Bad Vamps and Doggies • Sampling of filmic vampires that didn’t make it into the syllabus • What makes “bad” vampire films so good? • “Vampire Tales” after class!

Happy All Hallow’s !!

Monday, November 4 The Vampire and Sexuality • Question of sexuality and gender in • View scenes from Browning’s Dracula (1931)

For next class, read Karamzin’s “The Island of Bornholm,” Pushkin’s “The Bridegroom,” Evil Spirits,” and “The Drowned Man,” in SB pp. 200-220.

7 T.J. Garza The Vampire in Slavic Cultures Syllabus Fall 2019

Wednesday, November 6 The Vampire in Russian Literature, I • Creating a literary standard for Russian for horror • The works of Karamzin, Zhukovsky, and Pushkin

For next class, read Tolstoy’s “Family of the Vurdalak” in SB pp. 221-236.

Film Review is due on Monday!

“A.S. Pushkin

Monday, November 11 The Vampire in Russian Literature, II • A return to folk motifs in literary Russian • View selection from Bava’s The Wurdalak (1964) • Film Review due today.

For next class, read Gogol’s “Viy” and Turgenev’s “Phantoms” in SB pp. 237-286.

Wednesday, November 13 The Vampire in Russian Lit., III • The connection between death in 19th c. Russian literature • View selection from Ptushko’s Viy (1967)

For next class, read excerpt from Sukhovo-Kobylin’s play “The Death of Tarelkin” in SB pp. 287-303. Boris Karloff in The Wurdalak

Monday, November 18 The Vampire in Russian Literature, IV • The vampire as political figure • View selection from stage version of “The Death of Tarelkin”

For next class, read Bulgakov’s “When the Dead Rise from the Grave,” and “News from Yalta” from in SB pp. 304-315.

Wednesday, November 20 The Vampire in Russian Literature, V • moves from the 19th to the 20thcentury • View selection from Bortko’s Master and Margarita (2005)

For next class, read Pelevin’s “A Werewolf Problem in Central Russia,” and selection from Watch by Lukyanenko in SB pp. 316-349.

Monday, November 25 Russian Vampires for the New Century • The Postmodern Slavic vampire in literature and film • Scenes from Russia’s Blood Drinkers (1991) Night Watch (2004), “Dracula” (2007), and Nosferatu: Terror of the Night (2010)

For next class (after Thanksgving), read Barber’s “Forensic Pathology and the European Vampire” in Dundes, and “Protection from Blood Drinkers,” by Konstantinos and “The Rational Slayer” by McClelland in SB pp. 352-374.

Happy Vampiric Thanksgiving! 8 T.J. Garza The Vampire in Slavic Cultures Syllabus Fall 2019

Monday, December 2 How to Kill a (Slavic) Vampire • Death of the undead? • View scenes from Day Watch (2006) and Day Representative (2004)

For next class, read song lyrics for Vysotsky, Lika, Linda, Detsl, The Leg Cramps, B-2, Uma2rman, Night Snipers, Serioga, Grigorii Leps, and others in SB pp. 376-415. Night Watch (2004)

Wednesday, December 4 Vampires and Russian Pop Music • View Russian music videos of the 1990s and 2000s • Incorporating vampires into pop culture • Exam format

Prepare for in-class Second Midterm.

Monday, December 9 Second Midterm in class

Have a safe and very vampiric holiday season!

9 T.J. Garza The Vampire in Slavic Cultures Syllabus Fall 2019

STUDENT ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Please read the statements below and fill in the information requested. Once completed, please tear off this sheet from your Course Syllabus and give it to one of your TAs by Tuesday September 5, 2019 in order to continue to be enrolled in this course.

I, ______(please print name), acknowledge that I have read the course syllabus for “The Vampire in Slavic Cultures.” I understand the course structure, assignments, grading, and attendance policies. In addition, I understand that this course contains some content that may be considered disturbing to some individuals. I hereby agree to the terms of the syllabus and these considerations.

Please check the section in which you are enrolled: ☐ REE 302 ☐ CL 305 ☐ EUS 307

______Student email address (print)

______Student signature Date

Dr. Thomas J. Garza ______Faculty name (print)

August 28, 2019 ______Faculty signature Date

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