Russian Area Studies Major

  • Russian Language and Area Studies
  • Majors, Concentrations
  • Russian Area Studies Major

Russian  Area Studies is a multidisciplinary area studies department that introduces students to the Russian world through several academic disciplines. On the eve of the Second World War (known to Russians as the Great Patriotic War) Winston Churchill broadcast to the English-speaking world “I cannot forecast to you the action of Russia. It is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma; but perhaps there is a key. That key is Russian…”

 

Russian Area Studies, in keeping with the college mission to provide a “global perspective,” offers a variety of courses that build upon Russian language proficiency to give students the knowledge and tools for successful career. Recent graduates have entered professions in higher education, business, government, the church, law, and the arts. Students may satisfy General Education requirements with Russian Area Studies courses such as The Russian World. They may fulfill the foreign language requirement by taking the necessary Russian language courses. Russian Area Studies majors often combine area studies with a second major in other disciplines such as Russian language, economics, history, political science, mathematics, etc.

Overview of the Major

The objective of the major in Russian Area Studies is to prepare students to comprehend, interact with and work in the area from a foundation of cultural literacy. The multidisciplinary approach provides students with a comprehensive view of the culture, history and contemporary problems of the area.

Requirements for the Major

To major in Russian Area Studies, a student must complete:

1. a minimum of four semesters of Russian language (Russian 111, 112, 231, and 232), though more is encouraged;

2. any five Russian Area Studies courses specified in the list below; and

3. a senior project (The senior project may be taken for course credit as Russian Studies 398.)

Russian Area Studies Courses

Students must complete any five of the following courses to fulfill the requirements for the Russian Language and Area Studies major:

Environmental Studies 283

History 121, 230, 231, 289, 320

Political Science 282, 382

Russian 250, 251, 254, 255, 256, 261, 262, 265, 298, 371, 372

Students completing both a Russian Language and a Russian Area Studies degree should note that upper level language courses (251, 254, 372 and the two language courses gained while abroad) DO NOT count for the Russian Area Studies degree.