An introduction to Dostoyevsky, Tolstoy, and Russia through their short stories and novels.
Dostoyevsky and Tolstoy deserve their reputations as challenging and profound thinkers. Students will examine at least three major elements. First, some of the novels introduce readers to sweeping events of history. The course will therefore try to use this literature as a source of history, including social history. Second, Dostoyevsky and Tolstoy keep the individual, the troubled soul, the psychologically unwell person, at the forefront. Their writings offer insights into human psychology, which we will discuss in class. This leads to the third major pillar of this course: Students will grapple with the religious and ethical dilemmas that these imperfect personalities encounter or themselves often create.

Course Objectives
By the end of this course, students will be able to articulate

• the psychological conditions and ethical dilemmas that humans face
• how these impact their relationships
• how these issues fit into Christian living.

Students will also be more familiar with Russian history, and how Russia fit into wider European history, particularly in the nineteenth century. They will see more clearly how literature can help us understand historical events.

Texts
Tolstoy: War and Peace; selections from Anna Karenina
Dostoyevsky: Crime and Punishment; White Nights; Bobok; The Gambler; Notes from the Underground; selections from other novels.
Grades 10-12
Course Description – Mondays, 9:00 EDT
$775