RUSS 354: Russian Media and Culture

RUSS 354-001: Cntmpry Post-Soviet Life
(Spring 2026)

12:00 PM to 01:15 PM TR

Innovation Hall 215G

Section Information for Spring 2026

In this course, we will explore life today in the countries that were once part of the Soviet Union and the Soviet Bloc. There countries include Russia, Ukraine, Central Asia, Eastern European countries like Hungary, Poland, and Yugoslavia, former Soviet allies like Cuba and Nicaragua, and more. What exactly happened in the late 1980s? Why did the Soviet Union end? How did people survive these enormous changes, recreate themselves, and build new cultural and political practices? To answer these questions, we will explore a wide range of topics: oligarchs, workers, KGB agents, economic reforms, democratic dreams, nationalism, vampires, gender, religion, Chernobyl, memory of the socialist past, socialism today, and Russia’s war in Ukraine. We will compare experiences across the post-Soviet world. We will also consider the United States as part of post-Soviet world and what that means for the United States and Russia today. 

Course Information from the University Catalog

Credits: 3

Considers how cultural forms shape political and social debates, with modern Russia as a central case within broader global trends. Examines how public discourses are produced and contested through media, journalism, political cinema and documentary art, music, and digital communication in a globalized world. Topics include propaganda, entertainment, popular culture, youth culture, sport, influencer politics, and protest art. Offered by Modern & Classical Languages. Limited to three attempts.
Mason Core: Mason Core, Global Understanding
Specialized Designation: Non-Western Culture
Recommended Prerequisite: 54 hours or Permission of Instructor.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Grading:
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.

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