Zhanna Yablokova
Professor
English
EMAIL: zyablokova@bmcc.cuny.edu
Office: N-751L
Office Hours: Fridays 11:30 AM-1:00 PM (N751L / Main Building) and Saturdays 12:00 -1:30 PM (3408 / Brooklyn College)
Phone: +1 (212) 220-8286
Professor Yablokova, a BMCC graduate, initially returned to BMCC as a tutor before becoming an Adjunct Instructor. She is now a Full Professor, teaching various English courses with a focus on close reading techniques and interdisciplinary approaches to literature analysis.
Expertise
* Comparative literature
* Russian literature
* Literary translation
* Film studies
* Interdisciplinary studies
Degrees
Ph. D. in English and Comparative Literature
M. A. in English
Courses Taught
- ENG 100.5 is a co-requisite first-year writing course that offers additional instructional support. The course introduces students to the academic writing process through the study of culturally-diverse nonfiction prose. Emphasis will be placed on developing thesis-driven responses to the writing of others, practicing revision, following the conventions of MLA style, and completing a research project. Since this course is equivalent to ENG 101, by its successful conclusion students will be ready for English 201 and for the writing they will be asked to do in advanced courses across the curriculum.
Prerequisite: English Proficiency Index 64 and lower OR a score of 43-55 on the CAT-W and Exemption from developmental reading OR successful completion of developmental reading. This course is not open to ESL students.
Please note: Tuition for this corequisite course is charged by the equated credit (hours) not per credit. - English Composition is the standard first-year writing course. The course introduces students to the academic writing process through the study of culturally-diverse nonfiction prose. Emphasis will be placed on developing thesis-driven responses to the writing of others, practicing revision,
following the conventions of MLA style, and completing a research project. By its successful conclusion, students will be ready for English 201 and for the writing they will be asked to do in advanced courses across the curriculum.
Prerequisite: Writing PI 65+ - This is a course that builds upon skills introduced in English 101. In this course, literature is the field for the development of critical reading, critical thinking, independent research, and writing skills. Students are introduced to literary criticisms and acquire basic knowledge necessary for the analysis of texts (including literary terms and some literary theory); they gain proficiency in library and internet research; and they hone their skills as readers and writers. Assignments move from close readings of literary texts in a variety of genres to analyses that introduce literary terms and broader contexts, culminating in an independent, documented, thesis-driven research paper. By the conclusion of English 201, students will be prepared for the analytical and research-based writing required in upper-level courses across the curriculum; they will also be prepared for advanced courses in literature. Prerequisite: ENG 101
- The objective of this course is to sharpen students' creative writing skills in the genres of the short story, poetry and drama, depending on students' interests and ability. Pre-Requisite: ENG121 or ENG201
- This is a film history and appreciation course, with special emphasis on style, techniques, genres and themes. During one double period in which a full-length film is shown, students are encouraged to take notes. In the next class the film is discussed and analyzed. Students will read about the development of the cinema and write essays about well-known films. Pre-Requisite: ENG101 and ENG201 or ENG121
- This course acquaints students with the wide range and varied forms of the short story as it developed in America, Europe, and other continents. Readings will include works by male and female authors of different periods and nationalities, and some attention may be paid to the historical development of the short story as a genre, as well as the cultural contexts in which the assigned stories were written. Pre-Requisite: ENG101 and ENG201 or ENG121
- This course studies and analyzes outstanding classical, contemporary and multicultural literature for children and adolescents, arranged by genre. Students are given an overview of the evolution of the literature from its cultural roots in myth and legend to its present role as a reflector of modern society. Pre-Requisite: ENG 101 and ENG201 or ENG121
Research and Projects
In her current research project, Professor Yablokova is focusing on the depiction of World War I in the films of Vladimir Pudovkin, Sergei Eisenstein, and Alexander Dovzhenko.
Publications
A Critical Study of Vladimir Nabokov’s Theory and Practice of Translation
Published by the Edwin Mellen Press in 2018
Translation: “Sylvia Hirch’s Cheesecake” in A Jewish Professor’s Political Punditry by Ron Rubin
Published by Syracuse University Press in 2013
“Self-Translation as Self-Exegesis: Vladimir Nabokov’s Translation of Lolita”
Published in Forum: International Journal of Interpretation and Translation, Volume 10, No.2 October 2012
“Learning Together: A Cross-Disciplinary Partnership” (in collaboration with Robin E. Brown)
Published in Declaration of Interdependence: The Proceedings of the ACRL Conference, April 2011
“Trajectory of Vladimir Nabokov’s Literary Translation Practices”
Published in Forum: International Journal of Interpretation and Translation, Volume 7, No.2 October 2009
Book Review on Georgy Orehavov’s The Cruel Judgment of Russia: V.G. Chertkov in the life of L.N. Tolstoy
Published in Tolstoy Studies Journal, Volume 21, 2010
Book Review of Alexander Dolinin’s “Pushkin i Angliya: tsikl statei” (Pushkin and Great Britain: Series of Essays)
Published in Slavic and East European Journal, Volume 53.1, Spring 2009
“Russian Words in English”
Published in Geolinguistics, Volume 29, 2003
Honors, Awards and Affiliations
BMCC Distinguished Teaching Award Nominee, 2016
BMCC College Discovery Award, 2016
Northeast Modern Language Association (NeMLA)
The National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE)
The Two-Year College English Association (TYCA)
New York College English Association (NYCEA)
