| Unit name | Engineers of the Human Soul: Soviet Culture and Politics 1917 - 1941 |
|---|---|
| Unit code | RUSS20060 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | I/5 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Dr. Connor Doak |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
This unit requires knowledge of the Russian language. |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | Department of Russian |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
Why is this unit important?
Sweeping to power in the revolution of October 1917, the Soviets aimed to transform not only politics and society, but also culture, including literature, film, visual art, and music. For Soviet leaders, culture was not merely a form of entertainment, but rather a tool to forge the New Soviet Man and Woman. Writers and artists were expected to become, in a popular phrase of the day, ‘engineers of the human soul’. We begin by considering competing ideas about the function of art in a socialist state after the Revolution. The 1920s saw a lively debate about what type of art would be appropriate for the Soviet Union, as well as a wave of experimentation in all of the arts. However, by the early 1930s, Socialist Realism had become established as the only acceptable art form in the Soviet Union, and those who did not comply were repressed. You will study both officially approved Soviet culture and examples of underground dissident work.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study?
The Bolshevik Revolution of October 1917 led to the world’s first attempt to create communism, while the Stalinist regime oversaw one of the largest programmes of state terror in human history. These events had enormous ramifications not only for Russia and the Soviet Union, but for global history. Their legacy remains relevant today, as we can see with the contested place of the Soviet era generally, and the Stalin period particularly, in contemporary Russia, and Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The knowledge and skills that you acquire on this unit will provide a foundation not only for the Russian programme, but also for units across the School of Modern Languages, and indeed in our joint programmes.
While our first-year programme provides an introduction to Soviet history and culture, this elective unit allows you to deepen your enquiry into this period. The unit provides skills training in oral presentations, as well as academic writing, and will support you in reflecting on your own learning. The unit also links to your Russian language programme, as you will read shorter works in Russian (with supporting English translation as needed), improving your reading knowledge of the language. The unit provides a foundation for your Year Abroad, where populations across the post-Soviet region continue to reckon with the Soviet legacy, and for final year, where you can take your studies of the history, literature, and culture of this period further.
An overview of content
Russia, in the years between 1917 and 1941, experienced some of the most momentous events in human history. In this unit, we trace the dynamic relationship between culture and politics from the Bolshevik Revolution of October 1917, through the foundation of the Soviet Union, to the rise of Stalin and the cult of personality, including the use of mass terror and surveillance, before ending with the Second World War. Students will become familiar with the key figures in Soviet cultural policy in the period (Lenin, Lunacharskii, Stalin, Trotskii), as well as major cultural movements (futurism, socialist realism), individual writers (who might include Akhmatova, Bulgakov, Gor’kii, Maiakovskii, Panova) and filmmakers (e.g. Eisenstein, Vertov). We pay attention both to canonical Soviet figures and dissidents who wrote underground works challenging the regime. Students will evaluate the competing ideas about art and culture in a socialist society, the implications of state policy, as well as looking in detail at key works from the time.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit?
This unit presents students with the opportunity to study a society and era with radically different values from our own, as well as an authoritarian regime that used terror on a mass scale against its own citizens. Students confront major ideological questions as they navigate the culture and politics of the Soviet era, as well as ethical questions about how citizens can respond to state terror.
Learning outcomes
Upon successful completion of the unit, students will be able to:
1. identify major movements, writers and filmmakers in the Soviet Union of the 1920s and 30s, and explain the key differences between their ideologies and approach to their craft;
2. analyse primary texts from the period, including imaginative literature, film, manifestoes and political writings, particularly with an eye to their ideological context;
3. evaluate the function of art in early Soviet Russia, as well as how the mutual relationship between culture and politics played out in that society;
4. demonstrate skills of research and oral presentation at a standard appropriate to level I, including the ability to reflect critically on their own learning.
Each week, you will have 2 x 50 minute sessions that will include, broadly, four types of learning: lecture, discussion, student presentations and workshop.
Lectures: Lectures equip you with foundational subject knowledge. Far from being a passive mode of learning, lectures help you build critical analysis and evidence-gathering skills by modelling interpretation and posing key questions related to the discipline. Typically, the earlier of the two sessions of the week will take the form of a lecture.
Student-led seminars: Typically, the second session of the week will take the form of a student-led seminar. Through participation in presentations, both as a presenter and an audience member, you will become familiar with the key critical debates on the topic, while also learning to engage with and critique existing ideas. Students will also sharpen their presentation skills.
Discussion: Discussions are a student-centred and interactive mode of learning. In pairs or small groups, you will discuss key questions about the texts, developing, sharing and defending your own arguments.
Workshop: Workshops are dedicated to a specific skill, such as academic writing, giving a presentation, or reflecting on your own work. Workshops are held occasionally, usually in advance of assessment.
Beyond the classroom, you will devote much time to primary and secondary reading and viewing. You should expect to read a large number and variety of primary and secondary sources. Primary sources will include literary fiction, films, political posters, etc. Secondary sources will include books and scholarly articles. Reading is sometimes misunderstood as a ‘passive’ activity, but engaged reading is an active process, as you will not only be expanding your subject knowledge, but developing your sense of empathy and judgement. Online activities and digital resources will be used as appropriate.
In total, you will have 22 hours of classroom learning and 178 hours of independent learning.
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative):
(1) Preparation for summative assessment 1. You will meet in groups to plan your presentation, receiving instructor input as well as peer feedback.
(2) Preparation for summative assessment 2. You will prepare an introductory paragraph, including a thesis statement, and a bullet point plan for your final essay. You will have the opportunity to receive feedback during a workshop.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
Research presentation, 5-8 minutes, and reflection on the presentation, 800 words (30%) [ILOs 1 and 4]. A list of possible topics will be provided.
Essay, 2000 words (70%) [ILOs 2&3]. A list of possible topics will be provided.
When assessment does not go to plan
When required by the Board of Examiners, you will normally complete reassessments in the same formats as those outlined above. However, the Board reserves the right to modify the form or number of reassessments required. Details of reassessments are normally confirmed by the School shortly after the notification of your results at the end of the academic year.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. RUSS20060).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
