Regulations for all Slavic Majors and Concentrators

Senior Thesis

A senior thesis is not required for any Slavic Department major. Students who wish to undertake a thesis project should confer with the director of undergraduate studies during the registration period in April of their junior year and register to take the Senior seminar (RUSS V3595) in the fall term of their senior year. Those who opt to expand the thesis into a two-semester project register for Supervised individual research with their thesis adviser (RUSS W3998) in the spring. Senior seminar may be used to satisfy one elective requirement; the optional second semester of thesis work adds one course to the 15 required for the major.

Grading

Courses in which a grade of D has been received do not count toward major or concentration requirements

For a Major in Russian Language and Culture

This major is intended for students who aim to attain maximal proficiency in the Russian language. Intensive language training is complemented by an array of elective courses in Russian culture that allow students to achieve critical understanding of contemporary Russian society and of Russian-speaking communities around the world.

Since this major emphasizes language acquisition, it is not appropriate for native Russian speakers.

The program of study consists of 15 courses, eight of which meet language requirements. Of the remaining seven courses, two are introductory surveys in either Russian culture or Russian literature (in translation), and the other five are electives, chosen in consultation with the director of undergraduate studies.

The course requirements are distributed as follows:

1. Eight semesters of coursework in Russian language (from first- through fourth-year Russian) or the equivalent
2. Two of the following surveys: at least one of these should be a Russian culture survey(RUSS V3223 or RUSS V3227):
   • RUSS V3220 Literature and empire: the rise of the novel in Russia (19th century)
   • RUSS V3221 Literature and revolution: tradition, innovation, and politics in Russian culture (20th century)
   • RUSS V3223 Magical mystery tour: the legacy of Old Rus’
   • CLRS W4431 Theatricality and spectacle in the history of Russian culture
3. Five additional courses in Russian culture, history, literature, art, film, music, or in linguistics. At least one of the selected courses should be taught in Russian.

For a Major in Russian Literature and Culture

The goal of this major is to make students conversant with a variety of Russian literary, historical and theoretical texts in the original, and to facilitate a critical understanding of Russian literature, culture, and society. It is addressed to students who would like to complement serious literary studies with intensive language training, and is especially suitable for those who intend to pursue an academic career in the Slavic field.

The program of study consists of 15 courses, six of which meet language requirements. Of the remaining nine courses, three are introductory surveys in Russian literature and culture (in translation), and the other six are electives, chosen in consultation with the director of undergraduate studies.

The course requirements are distributed as follows:

1. Six semesters of coursework in Russian language (from first- through third-year Russian) or the equivalent
2. Three of the following surveys:
   • RUSS V3220 Literature and empire: the rise of the novel in Russia (19th century)
   • RUSS V3221 Literature and revolution: tradition, innovation, and politics in Russian culture (20th century)
   • RUSS V3223 Magical mystery tour: the legacy of Old Rus’
   • CLRS W4431 Theatricality and spectacle in the history of Russian culture
3. Six additional courses in Russian literature, culture, history, film, art, music, or in advanced Russian language. At least one of the additional courses should be taught in Russian.

Students considering graduate study in Russian literature are strongly advised to complete four years of language training.

For a Major in Slavic Studies

This flexible major provides opportunities for interdisciplinary studies within the Slavic field. Students are encouraged to choose one target language (Czech, Polish, Russian, Serbian/Croatian/Bosnian, or Ukrainian), though there are possibilities for studying a second Slavic language as well. Generally, the major has one disciplinary focus in history, political science, economics, religion, anthropology, sociology, art, film, or music. In addition, this program allows students to focus on a particular Slavic (non-Russian) literature and culture or to do comparative studies of several Slavic literatures, including Russian. Students should plan their program with the director of undergraduate studies as early as possible, since course availability varies from year to year.

The program of study consists of 15 courses, six of which meet language requirements. Of the remaining nine courses, two should be history courses targeting Russia, Eastern and Central Europe, or Eurasia; two should be literature or culture courses in Slavic; and the other five should be relevant electives, chosen in consultation with the director of undergraduate studies. Students may also opt to include a second Slavic language in their program, in which case they may count up to two language courses as electives toward their major requirements.

The course requirements are distributed as follows:

1. Six semesters of coursework in one Slavic language (from first- through third-year Russian, Czech, Polish, Serbian/Croatian/Bosnian, or Ukrainian) or the equivalent
2. Two relevant courses in Russian, East/Central European or Eurasian history
3. Two relevant literature or culture courses in Slavic, preferably related to the target language
4. Five additional courses with Slavic content in history, political science, economics, literature, religion, anthropology, sociology, art, film, or music. Two of these electives may be language courses in a second Slavic language.

Altogether students should complete four courses in a single discipline, including, if appropriate, the required history or literature/culture courses.

For a Concentration in Russian Language and Culture

This program is intended for students who aim to attain proficiency in the Russian language. Intensive language training is complemented by an array of elective courses in Russian culture that allow students to achieve critical understanding of contemporary Russian society and of Russian-speaking communities around the world.

Since this concentration emphasizes language acquisition, it is not appropriate for native Russian speakers.

The program of study consists of 10 courses, six of which meet language requirements. Of the remaining four courses, at least one is an introductory survey in either Russian culture or Russian literature, and the other three are electives, chosen in consultation with the director of undergraduate studies.

The course requirements are distributed as follows:

1. Six semesters of coursework in Russian language (from first- through third-year Russian) or the equivalent
2. One of the following surveys:
   • RUSS V3223 Magical mystery tour: the legacy of Old Rus’
   • CLRS W4431 Theatricality and spectacle in the history of Russian culture
3. Three additional courses in Russian culture, history, literature, art, film, music, or in linguistics; at least one of the selected courses should be taught in Russian

For a Concentration in Slavic (Non-Russian) Language and Culture

This program is intended for students who aim to attain proficiency in a Slavic language other than Russian. Intensive language training is complemented by an array of elective courses in Slavic cultures that allow students to achieve critical understanding of the communities that are shaped by the Slavic language of their choice.

Since this concentration emphasizes language acquisition, it is not appropriate for native speakers of the target language

The program ofstudy consists of 10 courses, six of which meet language requirements. The four others are electives, chosen in consultation with the director of undergraduate studies.

The course requirements are distributed as follows:

1. Six semesters of coursework in one Slavic language (from first- through third-year Czech, Polish, Serbian/Croatian/Bosnian, or Ukrainian) or the equivalent
2. Four additional courses in Slavic literature, culture or history, or in linguistics; at least two should be directly related to the target language of study

For a Concentration in Russian Literature and Culture

The goal of this concentration is to make students conversant with a variety of Russian literary texts and cultural artifacts that facilitate a critical understanding of Russian culture. It is addressed to students who would like to combine language training with study of the Russian literary tradition.

The program of study consists of 10 courses, four of which meet language requirements. Of the remaining six courses, two are introductory surveys in Russian literature and culture, and the other four are electives, chosen in consultation with the director of undergraduate studies.

The course requirements are distributed as follows:

1. Four semesters of coursework in Russian language (first- and second-year Russian) or the equivalent
2. Two of the following surveys:
   • RUSS V3220 Literature and empire: the rise of the novel in Russia (19th century)
   • RUSS V3221 Literature and revolution: tradition, innovation, and politics in Russian culture (20th century)
   • RUSS V3223 Magical mystery tour: the legacy of Old Rus’
   • CLRS W4431 Theatricality and spectacle in the history of Russian culture
3. Four additional courses in Russian literature, culture, and history

For a Concentration in Slavic Studies

This flexible concentration provides opportunities for interdisciplinary studies within the Slavic field. Students are encouraged to choose one target language (Czech, Polish, Russian, Serbian/Croatian/Bosnian, or Ukrainian), and one disciplinary focus in history, political science, economics, religion, anthropology, sociology, art, film, or music. In addition, this program allows students to focus on a particular Slavic (non-Russian) literature and culture, or to do comparative studies of several Slavic literatures, including Russian.

The program of study consists of 10 courses, four of which meet language requirements. Of the remaining six courses, one should be a history course targeting Russia, Eastern and Central Europe, or Eurasia, one should be a literature or culture course in Slavic, and the other four should be relevant electives, chosen in consultation with the director of undergraduate studies.

The course requirements are distributed as follows:

1. Four semesters of coursework in one Slavic language (first- and second-year Czech, Polish, Russian, Serbian/Croatian/Bosnian, or Ukrainian) or the equivalent
2. One relevant courses in Russian, East/Central European or Eurasian history
3. One relevant literature or culture course in Slavic, preferably related to the target language
4. Four additional courses with Slavic content in history, political science, economics, literature, religion, anthropology, sociology, art, film, or music.

Altogether students should complete three courses in a single discipline, including, if appropriate, the required history or literature/culture courses.

For a Concentration in Russian Literature

This concentration is addressed to serious literature students who would like to pursue Russian literature but have no training in Russian. It allows students to explore the Russian literary tradition, while perfecting their critical skills and their techniques of close reading in a variety of challenging courses in translation.

The program of study consists of eight courses and no language requirements. It requires two introductory surveys of Russian literature. The remaining courses should focus primarily on Russian literature in translation but may include also courses in Russian culture, history, or in other Slavic literatures, as well as relevant literature courses from other departments, if approved by the director of undergraduate studies.

The course requirements are distributed as follows:

1. Two Russian literature surveys (in translation):
   • RUSS V3220 Literature and empire: the rise of the novel in Russia (19th century)
   • RUSS V3221 Literature and revolution: tradition, innovation, and politics in Russian culture (20th century)
2. Six additional courses, focused primarily on Russian literature, culture, and history, though courses in other Slavic literatures are also acceptable

Relevant literature courses from other departments may count toward the requirements for the concentration only if approved by the director of undergraduate studies.