Vicki Grove's research is focused on areas of interest related to her teaching. Because of the breadth of subjects of the courses she teaches, she has interests in diverse areas, such as Russian folk belief and its relevance to fairy and folk tale narrative and the representations of superstitious belief and customs in 19th and 20th-century Russian literature; she is also interested in significant literary figures of the 19th century, particularly Lermontov and Dostoevsky. In concert with new curriculum development Vicki Grove has also energetically researched space and climate in Scandinavian and Russian literature. Her recent research includes Nordic studies in folklore, culture, mythology, and Icelandic sagas, and humanistic geography.
keywords
russian history and culture, the medieval period, pre-and post-petrine period, imperial russia, the stalinist era, russian romanticism, realism, and the avant garde, russian folk belief and superstitions, russian fairy tales, russian literature, dostoevsky, tolstoy, norse mythology, nordic cultures, nordic folk belief, icelandic sagas, humanistic geography, nordic film
Teaching
courses taught
FYSM 1000 - First Year Seminar
Primary Instructor
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Fall 2018 / Fall 2020
Provide first year students with an immersive experience in an interdisciplinary topic that addresses current issues including social, technical and global topics. Taught by faculty from across campus, the course provides students with an opportunity to interact in small classes, have project based learning experiences and gain valuable communication skills. Seminar style classes focused on discussion and projects.
HUMN 4811 - 19th Century Russian Literature
Primary Instructor
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Fall 2018 / Spring 2019 / Spring 2020
Surveys background of Russian literature from 1800 to 1900. Russian writers and literary problems in the 19th century emphasizing major authors: Pushkin, Lermontov, Gogol, Dostoevsky, Turgenev, Tolstoy, and Chekhov. Same as RUSS 4811.
RUSS 2211 - Introduction to Russian Culture
Primary Instructor
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Fall 2018 / Fall 2019 / Fall 2020 / Fall 2021 / Fall 2022
Provides a chronological overview of civilization in the area now known as Russia, from its beginnings to the end of the Romanov dynasty, paying particular attention to the geographic, social, artistic, economic, and political forces that have combined to give the Russian people and their culture their unique characteristics. Taught in English.
RUSS 2221 - Introduction to Modern Russian Culture
Primary Instructor
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Spring 2018 / Spring 2019 / Spring 2020 / Spring 2021 / Spring 2022 / Spring 2023
Introduces students to major trends in Russian culture from the 1890's to the present, through the study of literature, art, architecture, music and film in an historical context. Addresses such questions as: how have past events affected Russian society? How can we use knowledge about Russia's past to understand social and cultural forces today? Taught in English. Degree credit not granted for this course and LIBB 2100.
RUSS 2231 - Fairy Tales of Russia
Primary Instructor
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Summer 2018 / Spring 2019 / Summer 2019 / Spring 2020 / Summer 2020 / Fall 2020 / Spring 2023
Provides a general introduction to fairy tales including various theoretical approaches to classifying and interpreting them; introduces students to a wide selection of Russian folk and fairy tales. Examines the cultural, social and political values they reflect, as well as the continuing influence of fairy tales and folk beliefs in Russian literature, music, folk art, and film, and in the political propaganda of the 20th century. Taught in English.
RUSS 2241 - The Vampire in Literature and the Visual Arts
Primary Instructor
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Spring 2018 / Spring 2022 / Spring 2023
Introduces students to the folkloric and historic origins of the vampire of contemporary culture. Students will read both Russian and Western literary works, analyzing the image of the vampire as represented in folk narrative, popular fiction and film. Students will learn to apply critical approaches to understanding the vampire metaphorically, symbolically and as a demonized "other". Taught in English.
RUSS 2471 - Women in Russian Culture: From Folklore to the Nineteenth Century
Primary Instructor
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Fall 2019
Explores the changing role and cultural images of women as reflected in Russian folklore, historical documents, costumes, icons, paintings and literature from medieval times to 19th century. Focuses on the way Russian women have transgressed boundaries of patriarchy and secured powerful positions in society and culture. Taught in English. Approved for GT-AH2.
RUSS 3251 - Arctic Noir: Environment, Landscape and Literature of the Far North
Primary Instructor
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Spring 2021 / Spring 2022 / Summer 2022 / Fall 2022
Explores 19th- and 20th-century Russian and Nordic literature, film and television with a special emphasis on the role of extremes of geography and climate and physical space on the development of plot and character. Taught in English. Same as SCAN 3251.
RUSS 4811 - 19th Century Russian Literature
Primary Instructor
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Fall 2018 / Spring 2019 / Spring 2020
Surveys background of Russian literature from 1800 to1900. Russian writers and literary problems in the 19th century emphasizing major authors: Pushkin, Lermontov, Gogol, Dostoevsky, Turgenev, Tolstoy, and Chekhov. Taught in English. Same as HUMN 4811.
SCAN 1202 - Tolkien's Nordic Sources and the Lord of the Rings
Primary Instructor
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Spring 2018 / Fall 2019 / Spring 2021
Examines the Nordic aspect of J.R.R. Tolkien's work, especially The Lord of the Rings. Concentrates on the Nordic saga tradition, mythology, folklore and fairy tales Tolkien used as his sources. Students will explore the transformations of these sources from prehistoric times to contemporary cinematic adaptations, while paying special attention to cultural appropriations, national revisions and political alterations. Taught in English.
SCAN 2241 - Death and the Undead in Slavic and Nordic Cultures
Primary Instructor
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Spring 2023
Focuses on the study of beliefs and practices related to the dead as represented in popular culture. This interdisciplinary course will introduce students to representations of the vampire/revenant and other denizens of the undead in Icelandic sagas, Russian epic song, folktales, folklore, literature, and film from the medieval period through contemporary popular culture. Through close analysis of these various sources, this course will focus on the metaphoric usefulness of the �restless undead� in explaining its relentless appearance in cultural artifacts, and pursue the question of why the vampire will not �die,� but instead continues to appeal to modern and post-modern imaginations. Taught in English. Same as RUSS 2241.
SCAN 3251 - Arctic Noir: Environment, Landscape and Literature of the Far North
Primary Instructor
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Spring 2021 / Spring 2022 / Summer 2022 / Fall 2022
Explores 19th- and 20th-century Russian and Nordic literature, film and television with a special emphasis on the role of extremes of geography and climate and physical space on the development of plot and character. Taught in English. Same as RUSS 3251.
