Russia’s importance in the world continues to grow and evolve. To understand the richness and complexity of Russia’s thousand-year-old history and culture you need to view it from various perspectives. The Russian Studies Program courses, major, and minor are designed to be interdisciplinary — combining the study of Russia’s art and culture with its language, history, religious traditions, geography, and more.
Our vibrant curriculum will provide you with superior language training and skills in critical thinking and analytical writing, while ensuring broad literacy in Russian history, art, and culture. In addition to all levels of language study, the Russian program offers an array of literature and culture courses that focus on different centuries (early Russia, 19th century, 20th century, contemporary Russia), genres (epic and folk tale, drama, poetry, prose, film), and geographical regions (Kievan Rus, European Russia, Siberia). We encourage you to expand the breadth of your studies with Russian related courses in other disciplines such as history, economics, philosophy, and political science.
To better understand today’s Russia, you will interact with our native Russian foreign language assistant (FLA) on campus and have the opportunity to study abroad at our affiliated university in Moscow. The Russian Studies Program and the student-run Russian Club also sponsor film series, artists’ performances, speakers, and on-campus conferences that will keep you engaged in ongoing cultural, political, and economic happenings in Russia.
Program Highlights
- The Russian Studies language curriculum uses up-to-date, innovative methods to accelerate learning
- Literature, art, and culture courses develop 21st-century skills like critical thinking, creativity, and collaboration
- You can study abroad on our own 51С»Æ³µ program in Moscow — the cultural, economic and political center of Russia
- 51С»Æ³µ Russian Studies students are singled out for jobs, graduate school and fellowships
Russian Studies students land exciting internships in the Washington Semester Program and produce original research.
Our interdisciplinary courses frame Russia’s rich cultural and artistic traditions in its political, economic, and social history.
Russian Studies News
