The Transnational Subject
William Nickell




Schedule


Read: Fyodor Dostoevsky, “The Jewish Question,” “Funeral of the Universal Man,” Vladimir Solovyov “The Jews and the Christian Problem,” “Nationality From a Moral Point of View” (sendout)
 - Selections from Leonid Grossman’s Confession of a Jew (sendout)
– Selections from Harriet Murav’s Identity Theft: The Jew in Imperial Russia and the Case of Avram Kovner (sendout)

 Read: The Noise of Time (pp. 67-117), selected poems (sendout)
Read: “The Egyptian Stamp,” “Journey to Armenia” (in Noise of Time, 132-163, 191-225). Nadezhda Mandelshtam Hope Abandoned (excerpts, sendout)

Read: “Early Stories” in Collected Stories (41-128), sendout on the Odessa pogroms

Read: “Odessa Stories” in Collected Stories (129-195)

Read: “Red Cavalry Stories” (197-333)
Read: “Stories, 1925-1938” (599-709)

 and his ethnography, The Dybbuk (sendout)
Selections from Jeffrey Veidlinger, The Moscow State Yiddish Theatre: Jewish Culture on the Soviet Stage (sendout)
“Origin,” “February” and background (sendout)
Life and Fate, Part I, Chapters 1-34 (pp. 19-175)
Life and Fate, Part I, Chapters 35-68 (pp. 175-322)
Life & Fate, Part II, Chapters 1-29 (pp. 325-478)
Life & Fate, Part II, Chapters 30-63 (pp. 479-611)
Life & Fate, Part III, Chapters 1-40 (pp. 615-759)
Life & Fate, Part III, Chapters 41- 61 (pp. 759-871)
Excerpt from Into the Whirlwind: “Next Year in Jerusalem” (sendout)

Tues March 31:

Subjectivity & National Identity; Semitism and Anti-Semitism in Russia
Thurs April 2:
Historical background on the “Jewish question” in Russia
Tues April 7:
Avram Kovner
Thurs April 9:

Kovner II
Tues April 14:
Osip Mandelshtam’s early poetry and semi-autobiography
Thurs April 16
Mandelshtam’s Prodigal Son; Travel within the Self
Tues April 21
Babel’s Early Stories
Thurs April 23
Isaac Babel and Jewish Life in Odessa
Tues April 28Babel and the Cossacks
Thurs April 30
Finish Babel: Odessa again
Tues May 5An-sky
Thurs May 7
Yiddish Theatre:
Tues May 12
Eduard Bagritskii,
Thurs May 14
Leonid Grossman,
Tues May 19
Grossman,
Thurs May 21
Grossman
Tues May 26
Grossman
Thurs May 28:
Grossman
Tues June 2
Grossman
Thurs June 4:
Evgenia Ginzburg –



Films:

All films shown after class, in our classroom.



Thurs. April 9th Izydi! (Get Out!) 1988 88 min.
Thurs. May 7th The Dybbuk 1937 121 min.
Thurs. May 26th Commissar 1967 105 min.


Required Texts:

Available at Bay Tree Bookstore

The Complete Works of Isaac Babel (Norton, 2005) ISBN-10: 0393328244
Osip Mandelshtam, The Noise of Time (Northwestern Univ. Press, 2002) ISBN-10: 0810119285
 Vasilii Grossman - Life and Fate (NYRB Classics, 2006) ISBN-10: 1590172019
Selected readings provided electronically


Assignments:

1. Reading of all texts and viewing of all films is required, unless otherwise indicated. If you are unable to attend a film viewing, you may watch in the library or elsewhere. (All films will be available there for viewing).

2. One of the following writing assignments:

1) A final paper of 16-18 pages (minimum).
2) A midterm and final paper of 8-9 pages each.

If you choose to do a midterm, it is due at the beginning of class on May 5th. Final papers are due Thursday, June 11 at 4:00 in my office. Papers and exams should be typed and double-spaced. Please be sure that your paper is stapled and that the pages are numbered, and make an extra copy for yourself.

3. (Optional) You are also encouraged to sign up for a discussion facilitation, particularly if you tend to be reticent in class.


Evaluation:

The writing assignments account for approximately 80% of your grade, with the remaining 20% based on attendance and participation. Attendance in class is mandatory.



To contact me:

Bill Nickell
219 Cowell College
Office Hours: Friday 1:00-3:00 & by appt.
email: bnickell@ucsc.edu