America from the Russian perspective

[Elena Katsaros]

>I'm trying to put together a syllabus for an interdisciplinary course on
>"America Through Russian Eyes," focusing on the 20th century.  If anyone
>has suggestions for short stories, periodicals, anekdoty, songs, films,
>visual art, etc., etc. that exemplify Russian perspectives on life and
>culture in the U.S., I'd welcome them.
>
>Many thanks,
>
>Margarita Nafpaktitis
>University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
>
>mnafpakt at umich.edu
>ph:  313/213-2127

Margarita,
I have taught  a similar course  in the past.  I don't know how far back
you want to go, but the movie 'Circus' with Lubov' Orlova was a good start
for me. Il'f and Petrov's 'Kolumb prichalivaet k beregu' was also very
inspiring for a group discussion and a debate. A couple of pages from the
cookbook 'Kniga o vkusnoi i zdorovoi pish'e' (1952) had a lot of Stalin's
propaganda. Among the contemporary - Tatyana Tolstaya has written several
interesting articles. Zadornov has a book "S Privetom iz Ameriki'. There
are many more. I can send you some of them.

Elena Katsaros

Russian Department
Grinnell College
Katsaros at ac.grin.edu