Professor Ospovat is clearly passionate about the topics of the course which I found to be very interesting as well. There is a ton of reading required so be prepared for that. He's a very easy grader so long as you demonstrate you understand the material. I'd recommend learning about the Russian Revolution beforehand as it will help a lot.

Heavy reading material that are important for the attendance prompts and the essays. Overall, he is a very easy grader, unless it is clear you have not completed the assigned readings or comprehend the material. The lectures are composed of going over the reading from the assigned time period, but don't add much more to the topics.

You can tell that Prof Ospovat is passionate about the literature of the class. Lectures are very unstructured and odd to take notes on. He uses TopHat for attendance and questions on the readings. He is nice and accommodating but the class lacks involvement and structure.

Kirill was so great I wish my major was in literature just to take more classes. Only went to class to check off attendance, then once that was done it was sleepy time. Only need to read the readings, and you'll be fine. The quizzes and tests being timed are stressful but seriously, if you just read you'll know every answer, no tricks.

EEASSSsy A. Mainly did HW during lecture. Does not mark participation, but attendance is checked.

The class has 5 small (150 word) writing assignments and two 500 word papers and that's it. Prof Ospovat is super accommodating with any request and is a very understanding professor. Attendance is mandatory for lectures.

He co-taught this class and gave lectures specifically on Moscow and St. Petersburg--which he knows a lot about and I learned a lot from! Definitely recommend

He is somewhat knowledgeable about the subject but beware he does not do well online and "discussions" turn into lectures. A lot of reading required- some of it is incredibly boring and you can probably get away without reading it- and one very thorough discussion post a week, as well as a few formal papers. He is not a hard grader.

Also Slav245. KO is an amazing professor. As long as you write the 5 papers(3 on movies, 1 on a book, 1 on a current event in Russia) then you will get an A. I would say this class taught me more than any other class that I had to work for a grade it. It is super fascinating and KO is incredibly smart on the subject matter.