Russian Studies, B.A.

Saint Louis University has taught Russian studies for more than 50 years and is the only institution in the St. Louis region that provides a major in Russian studies.

Russian is often in the news from political scandals and international hacking incidents to interference in regional and global conflicts and sanctions by the international community.  Yet Russia remains a leading player on the world stage, since it covers about one-eighth of the world's surface with lands that are rich in oil and natural resources.  Bordering more than a dozen nations in Europe and Asia (many of which were once part of its empire), it has a strong military force with nuclear capabilities, but students who visit the nation find that its residents share the same economic, environmental, and security issues that face the rest of the globe.

Highlights of SLU's Russian studies major include:

• Russian studies students at Saint Louis University participate in study abroad opportunities that include a SLU-sponsored program in St. Petersburg, Russia thereby allowing them to improve their fluency and to enhance their intercultural competence.
• Advanced Russian studies students work on independent projects with full-time faculty members in order to focus on their own interests while using the language.
• Faculty members actively encourage and coordinate co-curricular activities (film screenings, cultural excursions, and visiting lectures), including those sponsored by our chapter of the National Slavic Honor Society and by the Russian Club.
• Russian studies majors may also qualify for the Dr. Nelly Grosswasser Scholarship in Russian at Saint Louis University, as part of their current SLU merit scholarship administered by Student Financial Services.

Curriculum Overview

Requiring 30 credits of upper-division courses, SLU's Russian studies major emphasizes a communicative learner-centered approach.  Students immerse themselves in Russian language, literature, film, and culture by analyzing a wide range of issues, attending cultural events, and conducting digital research for independent projects.

The study of Russian remains popular, particularly due to its prominent contribution to the arts and sciences.  Students will learn about such writers as Fedor Dostoevsky, Lev Tolstoy, Anton Chekhov, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, and Victor Pelevin; innovations by Mikhail Lomonosov and Dmitri Mendeleev; talented artists such as Mikhail Baryshnikov and Marc Chagall; and famous directors, including Sergei Eisenstein, Andrei Tarkovsky, and Nikita Mikhalkov.  The Russian studies program has cross-listed courses in film studies, fine and performing arts, theological studies, and women's and gender studies and additionally supports courses for the major in international studies and the minor in Catholic studies.

Fieldwork and Research Opportunities

Russian studies students at SLU have the opportunity to integrate their study of Russian with a variety of fields––including criminology, chemistry, biology, engineering, literature, theater, theology, business, and history––to prepare for future careers in intelligence, the non-profit sector, journalism, law, and medicine.  The interdisciplinary major collaborates with the departments of history, philosophy, political science, and theological studies to provide courses with Russian-related content.

Careers

There is a demand for Russian speakers in several expanding and in-demand fields, including intelligence, law, political science, computer science, and cybersecurity, as well as various opportunities for graduates of the Russian studies program to receive federal grants to further study the language.

Current and former SLU students have earned prominent scholarships (Fulbright-Hays, Fulbright, STARTALK, and Critical Languages) and have advanced to professional and graduate programs in Russian and East European studies, diplomacy, social work, law, medicine, and political science at leading institutions across the country.

Our graduates work in a range of sectors and professions, including the armed services, business, health care, intelligence, federal services, and NGOs.

Admission Requirements

Freshman

Begin your application for this program at www.slu.edu/apply. Saint Louis University also accepts the Common App.

All applications are thoroughly reviewed with the highest degree of individual care and consideration to all credentials that are submitted. Solid academic performance in college preparatory course work is a primary concern in reviewing a freshman applicant’s file. College admission test scores (ACT or SAT) are used as an additional indicator of the student’s ability to meet the academic rigors of Saint Louis University and are used as qualifiers for certain University scholarship programs. To be considered for admission to any Saint Louis University undergraduate program, the applicant must be graduating from an accredited high school or have an acceptable score on the General Education Development (GED) test.

Begin Your Application

Transfer

Begin your application for this program at www.slu.edu/apply. 

Applicants must be a graduate of an accredited high school or have an acceptable score on the GED. An official high school transcript and official test scores are required only of those students who have attempted fewer than 24 transferable semester credits (or 30 quarter credits) of college credit. Those having completed 24 or more of college credit need only submit a transcript from previously attended college(s). In reviewing a transfer applicant’s file, the office of admission holistically examines the student’s academic performance in college-level coursework as an indicator of the student’s ability to meet the academic rigors of Saint Louis University.

International Applicants

Begin your application for this program at www.slu.edu/apply. 

All admission policies and requirements for domestic students apply to international students along with the following:

• Demonstrate English Language Proficiency
• Proof of financial support must include:
  • A letter of financial support from the person(s) or sponsoring agency funding the time at Saint Louis University
  • A letter from the sponsor's bank verifying that the funds are available and will be so for the duration of study at the University
• Academic records, in English translation, of students who have undertaken postsecondary studies outside the United States must include the courses taken and/or lectures attended, practical laboratory work, the maximum and minimum grades attainable, the grades earned or the results of all end-of-term examinations, and any honors or degrees received. WES and ECE transcripts are accepted.

Scholarships and Financial Aid

There are two principal ways to help finance a Saint Louis University education:

• Scholarships: awarded based on academic achievement, service, leadership and financial need.
• Financial Aid: provided in the form of grants and loans, some of which require repayment.

For priority consideration for merit-based scholarships, applicants should apply for admission by Dec. 1 and complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by March 1.

For information on other scholarships and financial aid, visit the student financial services office online at https://finaid.slu.edu.

1. Graduating majors in our program will feel comfortable in actively participating in conversations in Russian at a minimum Intermediate-Mid level (ACTFL) on familiar and prepared topics.  They will be able to navigate confidently social interactions in everyday situations by asking and answering a variety of questions in a culturally appropriate manner.

2. Graduating majors will be able to present personal information about themselves in Russian in connected sentences with a logical progression and with attention to temporal frameworks.  They will also be able with a minimum Intermediate-Mid level of Russian to write for a page or more, present for at least fifteen minutes, and discuss a variety of prepared and/or researched topics.  Such presentations and discussions would be understood by native speakers of Russian.

3. Graduates will critically engage Russian studies in the areas of history, literature, political science, religion, and philosophy in order to examine in a comparative manner their native culture's attitudes, traditions, beliefs, and patterns of behavior.  Therefore, they will be able to interact with respect and cultural sensitivity in a variety of formal and informal situations.

4. Graduates will be able to compare how different disciplines approach language, form, genre, and media as they investigate the representation of abilities, class, creed, ethnicity, race, and gender in Russian artistic, literary, historical, and religious or philosophical works.  These examinations will be informed by established research methods and innovative analysis learned and refined by means of oral presentations, substantial writing assignments, and other creative media.

The B.A. in Russian Studies explores the language, literature, and culture of this vast region of the globe with the completion of a minimum of 30 credits (10 courses).  No single course may fulfill more than one requirement or category, and coursework is to be distributed as follows:

Continuation Standards

All Russian studies courses for the major must be completed with a grade of "C" or higher in order to count for the major.  If a student earns a grade of "C-" or lower in a course, the student may retake the course or take an additional course in the major in which the grade earned is a "C" or higher.

Bachelor of Arts Core Curriculum Requirements

Graduation Requirements

• Complete a minimum of 120 credits (excluding pre-college level courses [numbered below 1000]).
• Complete either the College of Arts and Sciences Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science Core Curriculum Requirements
• Complete Major Requirements: minimum 30 credits required.
• Complete remaining credits with a second major, minor, certificate, and/or elective credits to reach the minimum of 120 credits required for graduation.
• Courses listed under the intensive English program do not count toward graduation requirements.   EAP 1500 College Composition for International Students (3 cr), EAP 1900 Rhetoric & Research Strategies (3 cr) and EAP 2850 Nation, Identity and Literature (3 cr) count toward graduation requirements as equivalents to Department of English courses. In addition to those courses, six credits from EAP/MLNG courses at the 1000 level or higher may count toward graduation requirements
• Achieve at least a 2.00 cumulative grade point average, a 2.00 grade point average in the major(s) and a 2.00 grade point average in the minor/certificate, or related elective credits.
• Complete Dept/Program specific academic and performance requirements.
• Complete at least 50% of the coursework for the major and 75% for the minor/certificate through Saint Louis University or an approved study abroad program.
• Complete 30 of the final 36 credits through Saint Louis University or an approved study abroad program.
• Complete an online degree application by the required University deadline.

Roadmaps are recommended semester-by-semester plans of study for programs and assume full-time enrollment unless otherwise noted.  

Courses and milestones designated as critical (marked with !) must be completed in the semester listed to ensure a timely graduation. Transfer credit may change the roadmap.

This roadmap should not be used in the place of regular academic advising appointments. All students are encouraged to meet with their advisor/mentor each semester.  Requirements, course availability and sequencing are subject to change.

Program Notes

This roadmap is designed for undergraduates coming in with no knowledge of the Russian language. Those undergraduates with transfer credits in Russian, those who identify as heritage learners, or those with previous study of Russian can take a placement exam to enter into more advanced courses in the Russian language (through the 2000-level) before fulfilling the language requirements for the major or minor. Students interested in taking the placement exam should contact the coordinator of the program in Russian Studies, Elizabeth Blake, Ph.D. (elizabeth.blake@slu.edu). 

It is common for majors in Russian studies to have a second major or minor, and this roadmap shows how one can accommodate this, although only the minor is shown. There are seven minor courses and an additional six electives written into the roadmap above, so there is enough room for a second major.  Please note, many of the core requirements can be fulfilled in semesters other than they appear here.

• RUSS 3250 Russia From Peter to Putin: Imperial, Soviet, and Post-Soviet Culture (3 cr) is designed to offer a survey of the 18^th-21^st centuries, and students are advised to take this early in their studies, if they know that they will be majors/minors.
• The 3000-level courses in the Russian language that can fulfill the major requirements are currently: RUSS 3010 Oral and Written Proficiency in Russian I (3 cr), RUSS 3020 Oral and Written Proficiency in Russian II (0,3 cr), and RUSS 3060 Russian Readings & Digital Resources in Cultural Contexts (0,3 cr). 
• The 4000-level courses in the Russian language that can fulfill the major requirements are currently: RUSS 4010 Fluency in Russian (3 cr), RUSS 4150 Topics in Russian Grammar (1-3 cr), RUSS 4200 Topics in Russian Literature (3 cr), and RUSS 4400 Pragmatics of Conversation (3 cr).
• The three area studies requirements of Theology (RUSS 4510 The Russian Orthodox (3 cr))/Philosophy (PHIL 4740 Philosophy of Karl Marx (3 cr)), History (HIST 3280 Russia to 1905 (3 cr)/HIST 3290 Russia Since 1905 (3 cr)), and Political Science (POLS 2530 Soviet and Post Soviet Politics (3 cr) or POLS 4500 Russian Political Culture (3 cr)) have multiple options for fulfilling the requirements.
• The nineteenth-century literature requirement may be fulfilled with RUSS 3200 Saints and Sinners in Russian Literature and Film: 19 c. (3 cr), RUSS 3320 Dostoevsky Through the Centuries (3 cr), RUSS 3330 Lev Tolstoy: Writer, Soldier, Lover, Activist (3 cr), RUSS 3360 In Prisons Dark: Confinement Literature in the Russian and Soviet Empires (3 cr), or an approved RUSS 3930 Special Topics (1-3 cr) . 
• The twentieth-century literature requirement may be fulfilled with RUSS 3350 Chekhov as Dramatist: Performance, Adaptations, and Intermedial Transpositions (3 cr), RUSS 3440 Art, Media, & Power in Post-Soviet Russia (3 cr), RUSS 3360 In Prisons Dark: Confinement Literature in the Russian and Soviet Empires (3 cr), or an approved RUSS 3930 Special Topics (1-3 cr).  The final three credits may be fulfilled with a number of RUSS electives (three credits).