Jens Benjamin C

Jens Benjamin C is an Associate Professor of Practice at the University of Arizona. He holds a Ph.D. in Slavic Languages and Literature from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His research focuses on 19th-century Russian literature (particularly Fyodor Dostoevsky), the interplay between literature and Eastern Orthodoxy, Eastern European cinema, science fiction, and cultural connections between the Western Balkans and Russia. He directs the Arizona in Russia study abroad program in Moscow.

He teaches courses such as RSSS 275 – Eastern Europe & the Balkans, RSSS 280 – Sports and Empire, and specialized topics like RSSS 315 – Werewolves and Vampires: Slavic Folklore. Current offerings include RSSS 335 – Healthy Places, Toxic Spaces and RSSS 360 – Utopian Visions: East European Visual Culture.

His publications include analyses of Dostoevsky’s Brothers Karamazov and pedagogical approaches to Russian language instruction. His work bridges literary studies, cultural history, and educational innovation.