Unless you really like Russian literature (and I mean already know you like it, not just think you like it in theory) I would not take this class. The readings pile up super quickly, so if you like dedicating many hours of your personal time to reading Tolstoy, you will love this class. The main issue I had with this class was with the final essay. The entire grade is two tests and one essay. Prior to the essay you will have submitted no written work to Professor Lenhoff and will have no idea what she wants. She provides no guidelines other than a loose choice of prompts (no rubric or guidelines other than font and length) and the TA seemed to really have no idea what she wanted either. The essay was pretty much a shot in the dark. For the tests she really just wants you to regurgitate her lectures, for which she never provides slides or notes (missing class is a death sentence). I found that my "interpretations" were somehow always "incorrect" and since the texts are primarily obscure Russian stories, there is no help to be found anywhere on the internet. I think someone with experience in Russian lit or an english major might enjoy this class more than I did, but if you are a STEM major looking for a random interesting GE, this is not the class for you.