2018/19 Undergraduate Module Catalogue

SLAV2108 Not by Bread Alone: Everyday Culture under the Soviet Regime

15 creditsClass Size: 10

Module manager: Ilya Yablokov
Email: i.yablokov@leeds.ac.uk

Taught: Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) View Timetable

Year running 2018/19

This module is mutually exclusive with

SLAV2107

Not by Bread Alone: Everyday Culture under the Soviet Regime

Module replaces

SLAV3026 Russian Novel 20th Century

This module is not approved as a discovery module

Module summary

Traditionally, life in the Soviet Union is perceived to be polarized between the ideological constraints imposed by the state authorities on the one hand, and acts of resistance by dissidents on the other. This course approaches Soviet culture in a different way. The course examines how Soviet citizens translated the communist ideology into the language of everyday life: - objects, - practices and - rituals. The course will examine the issue in chronological order starting with the October revolution and finishing with the Chernobyl catastrophe of 1986.

Objectives

During the course, students will learn how Soviet ideology affected everyday culture, how it led to citizen's resistance and ultimate bankruptcy of the regime. The course will examine the issue in chronological order starting with the October revolution and finishing with the Chernobyl catastrophe of 1986.

Students will acquire knowledge of everyday culture in the Soviet Union and how it was recorded and reflected in the major texts of the 20th century, both literary and non-literary. Students will have an understanding of the politics of the object and the cultural specifics of the material.

Learning outcomes
On completion of this module, students should be able to:
- show an understanding of how Soviet culture was formed, what it meant and how it functioned and what caused its demise at the end of the 20th century;
- have knowledge of the major social and political events of the 20th century and their relations to the politics of the mundane;
- have an understanding of the forms of the intellectual resistance in the SU and the role of intelligentsia.

Skills outcomes
On completion of this module, students should be able to:
- conduct analysis of works in various media (visual art, music and film)
- discuss representation of everyday life in the Soviet Union
- demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between the communist ideology and cultural production of the time
- engage in critical debate around issues of ideology, material production, and cultural value
- demonstrate the capacity for independent thought and judgement
- show developed research skills.

Syllabus

Through reading primary accounts, fiction, film, visual arts and academic studies of the Soviet daily life, we will analyse the cultural logic of socialism. The material will be covered in chronological order.

Discussions will be structured around the following themes:
- revolution
- modernity and the modern world
- ordinary people - learning to live
- the tactics of daily life
- organizing space
- private life in public
- plans, shortages and queues
- Soviet consumption, Soviet style.

Teaching methods

Delivery type	Number	Length hours	Student hours
Seminar	23	1.00	23.00
Private study hours			127.00
Total Contact hours			23.00
Total hours (100hr per 10 credits)			150.00

Private study

- Preparation per seminar: 23 x 3 hours = 69 hours
- Examination prep: 28 hours
- Essay preparation: 28 hours.

Opportunities for Formative Feedback

Feedback on January Exam
Short in-class assignments

Methods of assessment

Coursework

Assessment type	Notes	% of formal assessment
Essay	2,000 words	50.00
Total percentage (Assessment Coursework)		50.00

Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated

Exams

Exam type	Exam duration	% of formal assessment
Standard exam (closed essays, MCQs etc)	2 hr 00 mins	50.00
Total percentage (Assessment Exams)		50.00

Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated

Reading list

The reading list is available from the Library website

Last updated: 13/11/2018 09:25:39

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