Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures

SLA268. The Cossacks! Fall 2023

THE COSSACKS!

Class meets on Wednesdays from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM.

The Final Paper is to be emailed to the instructor directly after the last class and no later than Monday, Dec 11, 2023 at midnight. Sample topics are listed below, but you are free to suggest your own topic to the instructor. Don't write on your own topics without FIRST getting the instructor's approval. Papers should be 5–6 pages long, formatted with 1 inch margins, double spacing, and 12 point type.

Papers do not require any additional reading or research, beyond what was assigned in the course. You MAY choose to pursue further reading, but it is not necessary. Remember, whenever you quote any material, including what we have read in the course, you need at least one full citation. These papers are still in the category of “short essays.” That means you must organize your ideas compactly in an orderly way. Avoid unnecessary long introductions. Avoid repetition. Say exactly what you mean and say it clearly. DO NOT hand in work that you have not proofread. The spell checker in your word processor is helpful, of course, but it will not catch everything. Make sure you read over your own work. Ukrainian and Russian names and terms should be spelled the way you find them in the books you are writing about and should be consistent in your paper. The only exception is the name of the country, Ukraine. Old spelling rules used “the” Ukraine. This is no longer correct. Use “Ukraine” without the article “the.” The capital city is Kyiv not “Kiev.”

Here are some sample ideas for paper topics:

1. Your own topic. This is always the best idea, since it came from your own interest and understanding. Formulate an idea and email it to the instructor for approval.
2. Compare the depiction of two prominent cossack figures in two works that we have read. For example, Taras Bulba and Kyrylo Tur, or Yeroshka and Bohun (With Fire and Sword).
3. Compare the depiction of Hetman Ivan Mazepa (Mazeppa in many of the works) in Byron, Pushkin and the romantic era paintings where he is depicted. (Email the instructor for links to the paintings or google them yourself.
4. Explore the depiction of social differences among cossacks or between cossacks and other social groups (e.g. Polish nobility) in one or two works.
5. Explore the depiction of women and their roles in one or two works.
6. Explore the depiction of Tatars (and Turks) in one or two works.
7. Compare the literary and cinematic versions of any one work in their depiction of cossacks. (If you have seen the film.)
8. Explore the depiction of the causes of cossack wars or uprisings in one or two of the novels we have read. Why are the cossacks fighting?
9. Explore the relationship to actual historical events in one or two of the works we have read.