RUSS 255 Catherine the Great and the Enlightenment: The Italian-Russian Connection

In this course students investigate the Italian-Russian connections in three major areas of cultural production during the reign of
Catherine the Great: music, literature, and architecture. Creative thinkers whose works will be studied include Bortnyansky, Paisiello,
Casanova, Beccaria, Rastrelli, and Quarenghi. Students will learn features of the European and Russian Enlightenments, study the
intricacies of Russian court culture, and explore the institution of patronage. The course aims to develop an understanding of crosscultural
fertilization and some major differences between Mediterranean and Slavic cultures. It is complemented by an optional, though
highly recommended, three-week study trip to Italy and Russia (See Russian 256). Offered in alternate years.