Russian Literature's Golden Age: 1830-1880 (in English) Duels, ghosts, utopias, murders, prostitution, and adultery- these are the raw materials Russian authors turned into some of the world's greatest literature. This course is an introduction to Russian literature of the 19th century, from the short stories of Pushkin and Gogol to the great novels of Dostoevsky and Tolstoy. The centrality of literature in Russian society and the interrelations among the authors and texts will be discussed. How do the authors combine reality, fantasy, and philosophy to make these works both uniquely Russian and universal?

Intermediate Russian Systematic review of grammar and development of the spoken and written skills attained in Beginning Russian.

Intermediate Russian Continuation of the approach used in RUSS 0201. Reading of contemporary Russian texts, conversation, and written assignments in Russian based on reading assignments.

Russian Culture and Civilization II This course is a continuation of RUSS 0311 but may be taken independently with the approval of the instructor. It offers a bilingual approach to the study of Russian culture.  Works of literature, art, film, and music will be examined in their historical and political context. Particular attention will be devoted to the improvement of oral and written skills. As the course topics and emphasis change, depending on the levels of students enrolled, RUSS0312 may be taken a second time with instructor/chair approval.

Beginning Russian This course is an approach to the language using four skills (speaking, listening, reading, and writing). It provides a firm control of the sound system and the structure of Russian. Although much emphasis is put on the spoken colloquial language, reading, writing, and a conscious understanding of the fundamentals of grammar prepare a strong foundation for work in advanced courses or for reading in specialized fields.

Beginning Russian This course is a continuation of RUSS 0101.

Slavic Myths, Fairy-Tales, and Fantasy (in English) In this course we will explore the world of the Slavic folklore and get acquainted with its most prominent motifs and characters: Baba Yaga the Bone Leg, Vasilisa the Wise, Koschei the Deathless, and many others. We will trace the development of these motifs and characters from their earliest appearance in Slavic myths and fairy-tales, through the works of Russian literature of the 19th and 20th century (Gogol, Pushkin, Bulgakov, the Strugatsky brothers), and, finally, see how they make their way into the texts of contemporary Russian, Ukrainian, Croatian, Polish and American fantasy authors (Tokarczuk, Ugresic, Sapkovski, Arden, etc.).

Russian Culture and Civilization I This course offers a bilingual approach to the study of Russian culture . Works of literature, art, film, and music will be examined in their historical and political context. Particular emphasis will be devoted to the improvement of oral and written skills. As the course topics and emphasis change, depending on the levels of students enrolled, RUSS0311 may be taken a second time with instructor/chair approval.

Beginning Russian This course is a continuation of the approach used in RUSS 0102, but with increased emphasis on reading.

Sasha Portice

Reviews and ratings for Sasha Portice at Middlebury College.Sasha Portice teaches Golden Age Russian Literature, Intermediate Russian, Russ Cult and Civ II and more.  Explore top rated instructors and find the best for you.Is Sasha Portice good ? Find out on MiddCourses.

Professor Portice created a classroom environment where everyone was valued. Most classes had time for discussions on readings that were super easy to be involved with. From my experience, everyone in the classroom was able to have fun while learning more about Russian literature.

I loved this class. The content was engaging, and the class discussions created unparalleled engagement with the text. Each class started off with some historical context to the author, the region, or the period in which the text was written before jumping into discussion for the remainder of class. 

This was a very engaging class that teaches russian through the lens of whatever particular topic the students choose to talk about. We had a couple weeks where we talked about music for the heck of it. Prof. Portice is an amazing professor and is incredibly accomodating 