This module consists of an extensive introduction to the poems and prose works of Aleksandr Pushkin, generally acclaimed as Russia’s most important and...

This module consists of an extensive introduction to the poems and prose works of Aleksandr Pushkin, generally acclaimed as Russia’s most important and best-loved national poet. The works studied include: some thirty lyric poems; the ‘Southern’ narrative poem Tsygany; the novel-in-verse Evgenii Onegin; the five stories (and editor’s introduction) which constitute Povesti Belkina; and the historical novel Kapitanskaia dochka. All the texts are studied in Russian. We will be examining the evolution and development of Pushkin’s writing career within a broadly Romantic context, investigating the ways in which he pioneered a bewildering array of poetic and prose genres, and exploring the colourful but tragic nature of his life, both public and private. An introductory lecture on the lyric poetry at the beginning of the module gives important biographical information and discusses the complex relationship between autobiography and the psychology of creation. Some previous study of poetry – for example the second-year Russian poetry module– is helpful for an appreciation of Pushkin’s verse.

The texts of all the lyrical poems are available on Moodle. Ideally, these should be accessed and read before teaching begins.

This module aims to enable students to function in simple everyday situations and get by in straightforward social settings in Slovene. This includes...

This module aims to enable students to function in simple everyday situations and get by in straightforward social settings in Slovene. This includes knowledge of basic vocabulary (e.g. lexis used to introduce yourself, to travel and find your way around, to shop, to use a library, and key concepts of the culture particular to the language), grammar, morphology (e.g. verbs in the present, past and future tense, noun cases), syntax (word order in simple sentences), and phonetics. The module prepares students to continue their studies of Slovene on the Slovene B off-track language module, and ultimately for a study year abroad, or other extended stay or holiday visit to places where Slovene is used as a first language, particularly Slovenia.