Russian Culture through Language

This course will focus on helping students toward a better understanding of Russian culture through the tool of Russian lexicon. We will discuss words that reflect and convey Russian modes of thought – things that native speakers take for granted, since the worldview encoded in these words is usually presented in non-assertive components of meaning (that is, connotations, presuppositions, etc.). However, most of those words are language-specific and defy translation; when translated directly or naively into other languages, they may cause cross-cultural miscommunication. Students will write short essays two-three times a week discussing various aspects of Russian culture as it may be understood through its key-words. Grades will be based on class participation and essays.