The course is definitely an easy elective but not necessarily an easy A. Professor Gorham teaches the course very well and we rarely have quizzes. There are 2 exams which account for most of your grade. I would definitely recommend taking the course if you need a 3000+ course outside your major.

We read numerous books that talked about different aspects of the Russian culture.

Professor was fantastic. There is absolutely no downside of his lectures.

You definitely need to read the books.