Module manager: Sarah Hudspith
Email: s.f.hudspith@leeds.ac.uk
Taught: Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) View Timetable
Year running 2026/27
| SLAV2114 | The Others of Russian, Soviet and Post-Soviet Culture |
SLAV3430
This module is not approved as a discovery module
This module will use the concept of otherness to challenge stereotypical perceptions of the Russophone space and reveal its poly-cultural, poly-linguistic and poly-ethnic diversity. Students will examine how identities are formed in a process of boundary work: defining oneself in relation to imagined others, and those others ‘writing back’ to dominant cultures. The module will draw on a number of theories including those from postcolonial and gender studies, and aims to foreground marginalized voices and cultural works. Such marginalized subjects may include, for example, ethnic, linguistic and religious minorities, and gender-queer communities. Students will study cultural products, drawn from the 19th century to the 21st century, taken from different countries or regions within the former Tsarist Russian Empire, Soviet Union or post-Soviet space. Literary texts will be studied in English translation. No knowledge of Russian language is necessary. Please note this is an optional module and runs subject to enrolments. If a low number of students choose this module, then the module may not run and you may be asked to choose another module.
The objective of the module is to acquaint students with a broad selection of cultural works from the 19th up to the 21st century, to gain awareness of the diversity and complexity of the Russian, Soviet and post-Soviet space. Simultaneously, the module will introduce them to several theoretical concepts and approaches in literary and cultural studies that are associated with the notion of otherness. This will enhance students’ understanding of the cultures of the region and furnish them with analytical skills that may be applied elsewhere in their current or future studies.
On successful completion of the module students will have demonstrated the following learning outcomes relevant to the subject:
1. Critically evaluate the diversity and complexity of Russian, Soviet and post-Soviet cultures as portrayed in cultural works and relevant scholarship
2. Engage critically with the contextual factors that affect cultural production
3. Apply theories of otherness to the analysis of cultural works
On successful completion of the module students will have demonstrated the following skills learning outcomes:
4. Design a research question
5. Sustain an independent analytical argument in written work in response to a self-designed research question.
| Delivery type | Number | Length hours | Student hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lecture | 5 | 1 | 5 |
| Seminar | 15 | 1 | 15 |
| Private study hours | 180 | ||
| Total Contact hours | 20 | ||
| Total hours (100hr per 10 credits) | 200 | ||
Students will submit a formative oral presentation offering a plan and rationale for their chosen essay topic, on which they will receive feedback before commencing work on their essay. Students’ progress will also be monitored through their participation in seminar discussions.
| Assessment type | Notes | % of formal assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Coursework | Essay | 100 |
| Total percentage (Assessment Coursework) | 100 | |
Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated
Check the module area in Minerva for your reading list
Last updated: 30/04/2026
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