Independent Study.

For students without previous training in Russian. An introduction to contemporary standard Russian. Includes a cultural component. Topics include those which enable students to function in Russian in everyday situations (i.e. food, leisure activities, literature, transportation, music, sports, daily life).

Exploration of the relationship between mythology and culture as a part of the cultural identity of the Russian people, before the 1917 Revolution, during the Communist period, and since the fall of the Soviet Union. Focus on pre 1917 Slavic pagan, Christian, and folk mythology vis-a-vis Western mythology, on 20C propaganda and control of the "public mind" designed to reshape national identity and on the current deconstruction, reform, and rebirth of the old mythology.

This course will expose students to the exciting world of tropical agriculture and the ways that people in the tropics utilize a diverse array of food crops. Our lives as consumers in the developed world are touched by tropical products every single day. Whether it's the cinnamon in your tea, the vanilla in your cookies, the black pepper on your salad, or your cup of hot coffee, you likely consume tropical crops whether you know it or not. Ever stop to wonder where these items are from and how they are produced? We will examine agriculture and food culture throughout the tropical world's four principle areas: Latin America, Tropical Asia, Tropical Africa, and the South Pacific. Production systems ranging from large scale modern high input operations to home subsistence gardens are explored. Tropical crops are examined in five major groups: grains and legumes, starchy roots, exotic vegetables, tropical fruit, and herbs, spices, medicinal plants. Cultural uses of these crops throughout the tropical world are given special emphasis.