LIVING AT THE END OF TIMES: CONTEMPORARY POLISH LITERATURE AND CULTURE

SLAVIC 305

Vocabulary reinforced through literature, film and journalism. Readings and discussions related to issues of contemporary Polish society. Continued work on grammar and vocabulary with written exercises and compositions.

SLAVIC 246

The swift collapse of communist regimes across Central and Eastern Europe came as a surprise to both their opponents and political clients. How did culture mediate the experience of this political, social, and economic revolution? How does the experience of communism shape the historiography, identity, and vision(s) of the future of the affected nations? What is the condition of postcommunism? These are some of the questions we will be exploring as we examine Polish, Russian, Ukrainian, Czech, and South Slavic literature in translation and cinema from the decades following the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

SLAVIC 231

What constitutes heroism in the absence of universally shared moral frameworks? Who are we as individuals? What responsibility do we have for the way we represent reality to ourselves and to others? What constitutes "good life"? Engage with these questions and examine Polish cinematic tradition from the so-called Polish Film School to the present. Explore key works, themes, and creators of Polish cinema, and probe the ethical and existential dimensions these films open up. Consider various challenges faced by individuals when they lose connection to social, national, political, religious, and existential frameworks that used to define their identity, along with the strategies -- successful or not -- for maintaining one's selfhood and moral integrity in such crises

LITTRANS/SLAVIC 215

Examines major traditions, narratives, and ideas that have shaped Polish literature and culture from their beginnings to World War II. Gain broad and contextualized knowledge of Polish civilization by closely reading and analyzing literary and cultural texts in their historical context. Course contents are organized into four major paradigms: Christianity, Sarmatism, Romanticism, and Modernity.

LITTRANS 471

Intensive study of major writers such as Kochanowski, Krasicki, and Mickiewicz.