Russian Folklore: Myth, Rumor, and Cultural Memory

Faculty:

Dmitry Bykov

Fall 2025: October– November (5 weeks)

Subject: LIT

Level: 200

Credits: 1 US / 2 ECTS

Max Enrollment: 22

Schedule

Language of Instruction: Russian

Prerequisites:No

This course investigates Russian folklore as a living and evolving cultural phenomenon, spanning from traditional fairy tales and oral narratives to urban legends, internet memes, protest songs, and grassroots rituals. Folklore will be treated as a key to understanding national character, collective memory, and forms of resistance. We will examine the links between Russian folk traditions and broader global folklore, including prison songs, revolutionary chants, and colonial myths. Readings will include classical and contemporary sources, along with theoretical approaches (Propp, Jung). Throughout the semester, students will experiment with creating their own folkloric texts and stylizations, exploring both the structure and the subversive potential of vernacular creativity.

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.