HISTORY 434S · also RELIGION 434S, RUSSIAN 434S
The Holy Fool in Russian Spirituality, Literature, and Social Imagination
Daria Smirnova
Description from DukeHub
This course examines the Holy Fool (yurodivy) -- a paradoxical saint embodying divine wisdom through apparent madness -- as a central thread in Russian spirituality and social imagination. Tracing the figure from its ascetic roots in Kievan Rus' through key theological concepts (theosis, sobornost'), the course analyzes its evolution into a radical moral and political voice. By blending literary analysis with historical inquiry, the seminar engages questions of sanctity, spiritual resistance, and the challenge to conformity from the medieval past to modernity.
Skills
No skill passed the confidence bar. Weak matches go to review instead of this page: an AI pass that has to quote the description, then a person.
AI-resilient: 3 of 5
- No: Physical, lab or field work
- No: Live work with people
- Yes: Judgment someone is accountable for · "moral"
- Yes: A craft you practice with your hands or body · "voice"
- Yes: Small, in-person format · seminar, 18 seats per section
The checks lean on Microsoft Research, Working with AI (2025), which found generative AI applies least to physical work and hands-on work with people. A signal, not a promise. How the score works
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