Course Syllabus: REE 325/CL 323 “Russian Prisons in History and Literature” Instructor Information: Marina Potoplyak, PhD Class Meetings: Mon, Wed, Fri 10 – 11 AM in GEA 114 Office Hours: Wed 1:00 – 2:00 PM (Caffé Medici); Tue 2:00 – 3:00 PM (BUR 228) and by appointment E-mail: [email protected] Course Description: With its current prison population second only to the United States, Russia offers a rich and unique history of exile, incarceration, hard labor, deportation, and various other forms of legal punishment for both criminal and political transgressors. From the first medieval rudimentary holding cells, ostrogi, to Stalin’s sprawling GULAG system, to the overcrowded prisons of today, Russian penitentiary system underwent several waves of reforms that at times echoed similar developments in the West, but often reveal a unique Russian “way,” as evident in the phenomenon of Siberia, that proverbial locus of the worst imaginable punishment from the Tsarist times to our days, with its many important functions and the fame of an unlikely oasis of free thinking. Importantly, in its cultural and political significance, “zona,” a slang term for all forms of penal confinement, far exceeds its purely punitive function and affects all aspects of life in Russia, even dictating the norms of conducting business in the highest echelons of power. In addition, this course examines a broad range of popular attitudes toward the law, state, punishment, crime, prisoners, and subversion, the stereotypes about Russian lawlessness and the arbitrariness of law enforcement, and the role of prisons in the formation of Russian national identity. While reading a variety of texts, including memoirs, fiction, legal documents, and others, we will examine such concepts as criminality, social control, censorship, and punishment in a broader context of Russian history, paying special attention to the ways in which gender, ethnicity, and class affected individuals’ legal and penitentiary experiences. Requirements: Participation (including regularly updated reading diary/blog) – 10% Short response paper – 15% Presentation – 15% Two exams – 30% Final research paper or multimedia project – 30% Required Works: Babel, Isaac. Odessa Tales (Canvas) Chekhov, Anton. The Sakhalin Island (Canvas) Dostoevsky, Fedor. Notes from A Dead House (UT Coop) Foucalt, Michel. Discipline and Punish (Canvas) Shalamov, Varlam. Kolyma Tales (excerpts) Solzhenitsyn, Aleksandr. One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich (UT Coop) Various articles on Canvas Class Attendance: Class attendance is required. You are expected to read all assigned texts before the class and to participate actively in the discussion. Only three unexcused absences are allowed; each additional absence will result in a lower final grade (for example, B+ instead of A-). There will be no make-ups for exams and late papers will not be accepted. If you missed a class, it is your responsibility to borrow notes from your classmates and contact your instructor in case something is unclear. According to the General Information catalog, “[a] student who is absent from a class or examination for the observance of a religious holy day may complete the work issued within a reasonable time after the absence, if proper notice has been given” (page 71). The deadline for notification of such an absence is fourteen days prior to the class absence or the first class day for religious holy days that fall within the first two weeks of the semester. Special Accommodations: At the beginning of the semester, students with disabilities who need special accommodations should notify the instructor by presenting a letter prepared by the Services for Students with Disabilities Office. To ensure that the most appropriate accommodations can be provided, students should contact the SSD Office at 471-6259 or 471- 4641 TTY. Policy on Scholastic Dishonesty: Students who violate University rules on scholastic dishonesty are subject to disciplinary penalties, including the possibility of failure in the course and/or dismissal from the University. Since such dishonesty harms the individual, all students, and the integrity of the University, policies on scholastic dishonesty will be strictly enforced. Refer to the Student Judicial Services website for official University policies and procedures on scholastic dishonesty. Grade Evaluations: a. One Response Paper (15%): Response papers should reflect your thinking on assigned reading. Format: 5-6 pages, Times New Roman, 12 pt. You will be evaluated on the depth and quality of your reflections, clarity of style, and cohesive argumentation. After you receive your paper back, you will have about a week to revise and resubmit it, if desired. Detailed instructions will be provided two weeks before the paper is due. b. Two Exams (30% total): Each exam will test your knowledge of material discussed in class and studied independently at home. Exams will include ID (for both paintings and texts), multiple- choice, and short essay questions. Midterm: March 4th Final exam: Wednesday, May 11, 9:00-12:00 noon c. Presentation (15%): You will prepare a 20-minute oral presentation on one of the topics offered at the beginning of the semester. You will discuss your presentation with your instructor no later than one week in advance. If you are planning to assign readings, provide materials to your instructor for sharing via Blackboard at least two weeks before your presentation. Graduate students will prepare to teach or co-teach during one class meeting. Two meetings with your instructor are required (one before the class and one after). PowerPoint presentations and handouts will be posted on Blackboard. e. Participation (10%): Your instructor will determine this part of the grade based on your preparedness and participation in class. There are three components of success: regular attendance, advance reading/preparation of assigned materials, and insightful, well-formulated comments and questions during discussions. Important: Bring your text and reading diary to each class! In the diary, you will record your thoughts, questions, and observations while reading the assigned pieces and studying artworks. The diary is tremendously helpful when you are generating ideas for your papers and prepare for exams. Contact your instructor if you have any questions about other successful study strategies. f. Final Research Paper or Multimedia Project (30%): Your one-page paper or project proposal is due on April 16. More instructions to follow. Incarceration and Penal Systems: Overview and History January 20: Origins of Western Punitive System January 22: Culture, Society, Crime January 25: Michel Foucault’s Discipline and Punish Jan 27: Discipline and Punish Jan 29: Political Repression and Persecution. Perception of Crime and Deviance History of Prisons in Russia. Prisons under the Tsars. Feb 1: Ancient Times: Prisons and Torture Feb 3: Ivan the Terrible. Oprichnina. Sudebniki. Feb 5: Petrine Punishments. Feb 8: Catherine and Her Enlightened Rule. Siberia. Feb 10: Political Dissenters in the 18th century. Novikov and Radischev. Feb 12: The Economics of Hard Labor. Feb 15: The Decembrists and Siberian Exile. Feb 17: Pushkin and the Tsars. Feb 19: Dostoevsky’ Notes from a Dead House Feb 22: Dead House Feb 24: Dead House Feb 26: Faraway Lands: Chekhov’s Sakhalin Island Feb 29: Radicalized Youth. People’s Will March 2: Women’s Question. Brezhko-Brezhkovskaya. Perovskaya. Figner. March 4: Midterm Crime and Punishment in the 20th century. March 7: 1900s: Political Unrest and Hooliganism (Joan Neuberger) March 9: War Communism. Justice in the early days of the Soviet Union. Bonch-Bruevich. March 11: Benya Krik and Jewish Gangsters: Isaac Babel’s Odessa Tales March 14-19: Spring Break March 21: Crime in the 1920s: NEP, Besprizorniki and Experimental Prison Schools March 23: The GULAG: An Intro. March 25: The GULAG. One Day March 28. One Day March 30: The Thief (1997) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkjhQln-Gfo April 1: The Thief April 4: Eufrosinia Kersnovskaya http://www.gulag.su/albom/index.php?eng=&page=10&list=1&foto=1 April 11: Lidiya Ginzburg’s Into the Whirlwind (excerpts) April 18: Shalamov’s Kolyma Tales April 25: Exile, Punitive Psychiatry, and the Late Soviet Union May 2: The 90s. Political prisoners? A documentary May 4: Russian Prisons Today. Khodorkovsky, Pussy Riot, Pavlensky. May 6: Last Discussion – Summing it up. Final Exam: Wednesday, May 11, 9:00-12:00 noon .