The first of Dostoevsky’s five great novels, Crime and Punishment (1866) is widely acclaimed as one of the most exiting, innovative and influential works of fiction in world literature. Being a thriller, it is a most stimulating and thought-provoking read, at the same time it is a philosophical and psychological novel. Richly textured, this novel is populated by people from all strata of Russian society who in their different ways search for and come to terms with their own understanding of selfhood, life and God. The novel’s focus is on the plight of its protagonist, Rodion Raskolnikov, whose inner world we are invited to explore. Together with this character, we set out on a quest to contemplate life’s essential questions about human values, aspirations and predicaments, about the role and nature of our mind and consciousness. Reading assignments and discussion questions will be posted on the course web page found on www.slavdom.com (follow the COURSES link).