Spring 2025: April 29 — May 30 (5 weeks)
Subject: WRIT
Course Level: 200
Number of Credits: 1 U.S. / 2 ECTS
Max Enrollment: 22
Schedule: Tue, Fri 17:50 – 19:10 CET (Berlin) | 11:50 AM – 1:10 PM EDT (New York)
Language of Instruction: Russian
Course Prerequisites: Russian B2 / Equivalent or higher

This course explores ecocritical approaches to poetry analysis, with a particular focus on Russophone avant-garde and modernist ‘nature poetry’ of the first half of the 20th century. Additionally, the course uses the ecocritical lens to examine Soviet era ‘nonconformist poetry’, including works associated with the ‘philological school’, materialists, and other movements. A significant component of the course is dedicated to contemporary ecopoetry, with an emphasis on decolonial perspectives and  trans-local and transnational poetics, particularly in relation to Central Asia and Eastern / Central Europe.

Throughout the 20th century, numerous poets were influenced by the philosophical developments and scientific discoveries that prompted a reexamination of the human-nonhuman relationships and broader conceptions of nature. However, poetry from different periods often reveal internal contradictions: images that affirm the agency of non-human others coexist with speciesist metaphors or critiques of dominant linguistic frameworks intersect with aestheticizated representation of extractivism. In contrast, contemporary poetry frequently engages directly with the eco discourse, encompassing activism, politics, and environmental policy. Modern poets address global and local ecological crises, envision catastrophic or post-human futures, reflect on ecological ways of life, critique speciesist languages and metaphors, and explore alternative modes of communication that transcend human actors, incorporating plant and animal life.

We will engage in close reading of works such as Jelena Guro’s ‘Vegetarian’s Dream’, Mikhail Jeriomin’s ‘Foliage Speech’, Alexey Parshchikov’s ‘Oil’, Aya Musakhan’s ‘Chronicle of My Radioactive Days’, and Janis Sinaiko’s ‘From the Depths of the Species Defeat’, to consider how both contemporary ecopoetics and ecocritical reinterpretations of earlier poetry contributed to literature’s broader ecological imagination. Poetry by Osip Mandelshtam, Nikolai Zabolotskii, Vielimir Khlebnikov, Alexander Vvedienskii, Gennadii Aygi, Jaan Kaplinsky, Anna Glazova, Sergo Mushtatov, Nika Skandiaka, Sandra Shevchenko, Tatyjaas Filippova, Oleksandr Kocharian, and others is also on the syllabus.

Theoretical discussions of eco-criticism and literary ecopoetics will be followed by seminars dedicated on textual analysis. As a final project, students will be required to write an analytical essay or a piece of literary criticism on one of the assigned poems.

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.