B2602 - Culture and Civilization of Russian-Speaking Countries (Second Language)

Course contents

The course on Culture and Civilization of Russian-speaking countries aims to provide the necessary information to understand the peoples of Russian-speaking nations, whose lives are governed by values, norms, and customs different from our own. The following topics will be covered:

Geography: territory of the Russian Federation and neighboring countries, rivers, seas, mountains, and climatic zones, cities, and administrative divisions.

Russian as the official language of the Russian Federation and its usage in former USSR countries.

Education system: development and current state, educational institutions, and universities.

History of Russia: the introduction of writing and literacy.

Architecture: the history of the architectural complex of the Moscow Kremlin and the formation of the architectural aspect of St. Petersburg.

The role of theater in Russian culture, both in history and modern times.

Development of Russian literature, both in history and modern times.

Development of Fine Arts: from icons to Art Nouveau.

Composers, musicians, and dancers: history and current situation.

Readings/Bibliography

Henri Troyat. La vita quotidiana in Russia al tempo dell'ultimo zar. Fabbri Editori

Jean Marabini. La vita quotidiana in Russia durante la Rivoluzione d'Ottobre. Fabbri Editori.

 

Vsevolod Pudovkin. La settima arte. Editori Riuniti.

 

Teaching methods

Interactive lectures.

Assessment methods

The vocabulary related to these topics will be provided by the teacher in the form of a glossary, and the students' knowledge will be assessed during the final exam.For the exam, students are required to read two works  into Italian, from the list provided in the program, and study the material in Italian provided during the course.

Office hours

See the website of Tatiana Issoupova