Major requirements

1. Language. Three years of college study or equivalent competency in languages of the region. The language requirement is ordinarily fulfilled through three years of one Slavic language (ordinarily Russian), but students may petition to substitute one year of another Slavic language for one year of the first Slavic language.
   
2. Field of concentration.Four 4-credit, upper-division courses in one of the concentrations listed below, of which two must be at the 400 level.
   
3. Research. A research paper written in conjunction with one of the upper-division courses or as a separate reading and conference course in the field of concentration. This should represent your best work in college, and it should be submitted when you apply to graduate.
   
4. Electives. 24 credits of course work, of which at least 12 (typically three 4-credit courses) must be upper-division. Up to eight of these credits may be in the concentration area, but may not be used to satisfy both the concentration requirement and the elective requirement. Electives must include courses in at least two fields outside the concentration.

Concentrations

Russian literature

Russian language*

Russian & East European history

Slavic linguistics

Contemporary Russia, Eastern Europe, and Eurasia

*Special requirements for Language Concentration:

1. Language requirement. 

Language concentrators should finish the program with advanced mastery of Russian.  The fourth year of the language counts toward the concentration and is expected as the core of the concentration.  In addition, language concentrators are expected totake a translation exam from Russian into English, which is administered once a term.

2. Field of concentration. 

The language concentration, like the other concentrations, consists of 4 courses beyond the basic third-year sequence.  Three of them must be History 436 or the equivalent (in each concentration, students may substitute two courses taken abroad for two courses of the concentration -- see FAQ for details).  The other course may be any other 4-credit 300- or 400-level language course, such as RUSS 309  Russian through Theater or an independent reading course on a language topic.

3. Research paper. 

The paper must be written in Russian.  It should involve some outside reading, but the research component of the paper isless important than the writing of an 8-10 page (typed) paper in Russian.

4. Electives. 

Because language concentrators should have an analytical perspective on the language, they are required to take an advanced course in Slavic linguistics.  Because they should have a sense of theliterary use of Russian, they must also take a 400-level Russian literature course as one of their electives.

Click here to download a checklist of requirements for the REES major.