Students can spend a summer, semester, or academic year in Russia through such nationally-recognized programs as the Council for International and Educational Exchange (CIEE), the American Council on the Teaching of Russian (ACTR),School of Russian and Asian Studies (SRAS), and American Institue for Foreign Study (AIFS). Summer Internships in Russia are available through Crossroads Eurasia.

A total of thirty-six (36) credits above Russian 201 as follows:

1. Russian 202. Intermediate Russian
2. Russian 205: The Russian Religious Mind; and either Russian 212: Prophets, Princesses, and Revolutionaries or Russian 300: Dostoevsky
3. Two courses from Russian 301, 302, 309 (All advanced Russian)
4. Russian 410: Analytical Reading, Russian 486: Senior seminar
5. Russian 285: Putin’s Russia and the Media and ML280: Introduction into General Linguistics

Majors are encouraged to spend at least one semester studying in Russia.

A total of twenty (20) credits as follows:

1.  Russian 202 (Intermediate Russian), 301 (Advanced Russian), 302 (Advanced Russian)
2. Two of the following: Russian 205: Russian Religious Mind, 212: Prophets, Princesses, and Revolutionaries, 285: Putin’s Russian and the Media, 300: Dostoevsky, 410: Analytical Reading

Substitutions are possible (say, you took a relevant course in IS or History, they can be applied toward your major or minor), which may make it easier to major or minor in Russian Studies.

101-102. Elementary Russian.

Fall, Spring. Credits: 4-4.

Elementary grammar, reading, and conversation, supplemented by materials on Russian culture.

201-202. Intermediate Russian.

Fall, Spring. Credits: 4-4.

Degree Requirement: F10 for 201.

Intermediate grammar and continued training in conversation and composition, supplemented by materials on contemporary developments in Russian society. Reading of Russian texts of graded difficulty, intermediate writing.

Prerequisites: Russian 101-102 or equivalent.

205. The Russian Religious Mind.

Fall. Credits: 4.

Degree Requirements: F1, F4

The course examines the distinct world-consciousness of Russian religious tradition and thought, with emphasis on the themes of God, good and evil, love, the search for divine justice on Earth, the material world as sanctified, and the moral content of spiritualized beauty. Reading materials are on wisdom of Orthodox monastics, form Russian religious philosophers, as well as contemporary writers.

209. Russian in Russia.

Summer. Credits: 4.

Degree Requirements: F10 for 209, F11.

A 3-4 week guided encounter with the language and culture aimed at solidifying vocabulary and grammar previously acquired. A significant cultural component is part of the course. Takes place in May-June.

212. Prophets, Princesses, and Revolutionaries: 19th-century Russian Voices.

Fall or Spring. Credits: 4.

Degree Requirements: F2i, F4. Elective for GSS minor.

Reading of representative works by major Russian writers of the nineteenth century (including Pushkin, Pavlova, Gogol, Goncharov, Soboleva, Turgenev, Tolstoy, and Dostoevsky). The literary works include Eugene Onegin, supernatural tales by Gogol, short stories by women writers, and novels by Turgenev and Dostoevsky. These works will be studied for their individual merit, what they illuminate about nineteenth-century Russian society, and their contribution to the rise of the Russian novel. All works are read in translation.

215. Giants of Russia’s Silver Age: Soloviev, Blok, and Rachmaninoff.

Spring. Credits: 4.

Degree Requirements: F5, F9.

Study of the aesthetic, thematic, and personal connections among three of Russia’s towering figures: Vladimir Soloviev, Alexander Blok, and Sergei Rachmaninoff. The course will examine in depth the creative works of the philosopher-poet Soloviev, the poet-dramatist Blok, and the composer-pianist Rachmaninoff (for whom poetry was second only to music). Master themes and global concepts linking the three creative artists include the yearning for harmony; exploration of Russian Orthodox religiosity; elevation of the –eternal feminineî of Sophia (the body of God); and connection between beauty and goodness. Representative philosophical, poetic, and musical works, respectively, of the three artists will be examined. Offered in alternate years. 

Prerequisite: At least one course from the following departments or programs: Music, Philosophy, Religious Studies, or Russian Studies.

285. Putin's Russia and the Media

Spring. Credits: 4.

Degree Requirements: F9. Elective for Media Studies major/minor.

This course explores a wide array of important media, print, and filmic sources that are underrepresented in Western narratives about contemporary Russia. Students utilize the study of these materials in order to better understand Russia today, and especially to gain awareness of how the media can shape public opinion. While calling attention to media bias, the course serves as an entry to contemporary Russian society, providing observers of Russia with a fuller understanding of her geopolitical perspectives and vision for the twenty first century. (Cross-listed with I.S. 285).

300. Dostoevsky.

Fall or Spring. Credits: 4.

Degree Requirements: F4, F9.

This course explores selected works by Dostoevsky in the context of the rise of the Russian novel. The course will examine in depth several short works by the writer, as well as the novels The Idiot and The Brothers Karamazov. Concentration is on the major literary, philosophical, and religious issues Dostoevsky raises in his prose, as well as how these issues better enable us to understand the Russian mind. All works are read in translation.

301-302. Advanced Russian.

Fall, Spring. Credits: 4-4.

Advanced grammar, with greater emphasis on the refinement of conversation and composition skills. Discussion of topics related to contemporary life in Russia.

Prerequisites: Russian 201-202 or equivalent.

309. Russian in Russia.

Summer. Credits: 4.

Degree Requirements: F11.

A 3-4 week guided encounter with the language and culture aimed at solidifying vocabulary and grammar previously acquired. A significant cultural component is part of the course. Takes place in May-June.

400. Russian Film: Film Theory.

Spring. Credits: 4.

Degree Requirements: F5.

Introduction to the ideological and aesthetic forces that have shaped the development of Soviet/Russian film, with particular attention to various film theories. Films of major directors, such as Eisenstein, Pudovkin, Tarkovsky, Kulidzhanov, and Sokurov will be studied. All films are subtitled; course is taught in English. Offered in alternate years.

410. Analytical Reading.

Fall. Credits: 4.

This course aims to teach students the strategies of understanding texts of high literary quality by analyzing elements of given texts in their complexity. While focusing mainly on psycho-poetic aspects of reading activity, the course also introduces formal approaches to text analysis, such as identifying the stylistic devices and expressive means employed by the authors.

486. Senior Seminar.

Spring. Credits: 4.

Students will be assigned individual research topics associated with the essential concept of the Russian Idea, give weekly progress reports, which will involve analytical discussion, and present their results orally and in writing at the end of the course. Special attention will be given to assigned readings from the Russian press and from Russian literature.

495-496. Honors Tutorial.

Fall, Spring. Credits: 4-8, 4-8.