Professor: Larissa Muravieva
Semester: Spring 2024 (January 29  – May 21)
Subject: LIT
Course Level: 300
Number of Bard Credits: 4
Course Title: French Modernism
Max Enrollment: 22
Schedule: FRIDAY 4:10 – 7:10 PM Berlin (UTC + 2)
Distribution Area: FLCL
Core module VI (BCB): Modernism
Language of Instruction: Russian

Modernism is generally thought of as a period characterized in literature and art by radical experimentation, by the invention and re-invention of new forms, and by an aesthetic that privileged the present, the modern, the new. French literature and culture was of particular importance for the formation of modernist aesthetics. French literature and culture became a space for philosophical reflection on the idea of modernity and experiments with form. The course will examine key figures, phenomena and trends within the space of French literary modernism, paying special attention to such literary phenomena — from Baudelaire to Céline — that influenced the formation of modernist aesthetics. Special attention will be paid to the problems of the crisis of representation, the construction of a new type of urban imaginary and the formation of new links between aesthetics and political reflection among French modernist writers. The course will focus on three related topics, which will be investigated in relation to each other through a variety of literary, philosophical and theoretical texts: 1) The Idea of Modernity in Space and Time; 2) Modernist Literature: Age of Experiments; 3) Modernist Aesthetics and Politics. By reading and discussing works by Baudelaire, Mallarmé, Huysmans, Proust, Gide, Valéry, Colette, Celine, Roussel and others, students will be able to delve deeper into the problem of modernist sensibility constructed at the intersection of poetics, aesthetics and philosophy of Modernism.

Guidelines for the Statement of Purpose:
Craft a reflective statement of purpose explaining your interest in the Smolny Beyond Borders online course. The file should be saved with your name and course title as the filename and uploaded accordingly. Your statement’s clarity and substance will significantly influence our selection. Convey your motivations and aspirations for this course succinctly but thoroughly. Kindly write your statement in the course’s Language of Instruction.

Application Portal Instructions:
1) Use the Latin alphabet for all entries on the portal, including your name. If the Language of Instruction is Russian, you may use Cyrillic only within the Statement of Purpose file, and the title of the file should still be in English.
2) Refrain from using email addresses associated with Russian or Belarusian educational institutions.
3) While completing the “Required Information” section, ensure you fill in the “Province” field for your address.
4) Provide an address outside Russia or Belarus in both the “Required Information” and “Geographic Location Confirmation” sections of the “Online Course Application”. This ensures we can send your transcript.
5) You must press the “Sign” button twice during the application.
6) If you hold a bachelor’s degree, select “4th+” in the “Academic Year (online)” section.
7) Applicants either unaffiliated or affiliated with educational institutions in Russia and Belarus should list ‘Smolny Beyond Borders’ as their educational institution.
8) In the student ID section, enter ‘SBB’.
9) Consider drafting your motivation letter ahead of time. Save it as a separate file with this format: LastName_FirstName_CourseTitle for a smoother application process.