COML1097 - Madness and Madmen in Russian Culture

Status
A
Activity
LEC
Section number integer
402
Title (text only)
Madness and Madmen in Russian Culture
Term
2025A
Subject area
COML
Section number only
402
Section ID
COML1097402
Course number integer
1097
Meeting times
TR 1:45 PM-3:14 PM
Meeting location
WILL 723
Level
undergraduate
Instructors
Molly Peeney
Description
Is "insanity" today the same thing as "madness" of old? Who gets to define what it means to be "sane," and why? Are the causes of madness biological or social? In this course, we will grapple with these and similar questions while exploring Russia's fascinating history of madness as a means to maintain, critique, or subvert the status quo. We will consider the concept of madness in Russian culture beginning with its earliest folkloric roots and trace its depiction and function in the figure of the Russian "holy fool," in classical literature, and in contemporary film. Readings will include works by many Russian greats, such as Pushkin, Gogol, Dostoevsky, Chekhov, Bulgakov and Nabokov.
Course number only
1097
Cross listings
REES0172402
Fulfills
Humanties & Social Science Sector
Cross Cultural Analysis
Use local description
No