Every undergraduate major at SLU can accommodate some type of study abroad experience.
Whether you're new to the language or fluent, join students, faculty and staff to practice your language skills at Polyglot Cafe, a monthly conversation hour held by the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures.
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:
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.
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.
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.
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.
To be considered for admission to any Saint Louis University undergraduate program, the applicant must be graduating from an accredited high school, have an acceptable HiSET exam score or take the General Education Development (GED) test. Beginning with the 2021-22 academic year, undergraduate applicants will not be required to submit standardized test scores (ACT or SAT) in order to be considered for admission. Applicants will be evaluated equally, with or without submitted test scores.
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.
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:
There are two principal ways to help finance a Saint Louis University education:
For priority consideration for merit-based scholarships, 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://www.slu.edu/financial-aid.
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:
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
Core Requirements | ||
College core requirements | 57-66 | |
For additional information about core courses | ||
Russian Language Requirement | 6 | |
Select two of the following: | ||
Oral and Written Proficiency in Russian I | ||
Oral and Written Proficiency in Russian II | ||
Russian Readings & Digital Resources in Cultural Contexts | ||
4000-level Russian Course | 3 | |
Select one of the following: | ||
Fluency in Russian | ||
Pragmatics of Conversation | ||
Cultural Requirement | ||
RUSS 3250 | Russia From Peter to Putin: Imperial, Soviet, and Post-Soviet Culture | 3 |
Political Science Requirement | 3 | |
Select one of the following: | ||
Soviet and Post Soviet Politics | ||
Russian Political Culture | ||
History Requirement | 3 | |
Select one of the following: | ||
Russia to 1905 | ||
Russia Since 1905 | ||
Philosophy Requirement | 3 | |
Select one of the following: | ||
Philosophy of Karl Marx | ||
The Russian Orthodox | ||
Literature and Film Requirement | 6 | |
Select one course on Russian literature and/or film from the 19th century from the following: | ||
Saints and Sinners in Russian Literature and Film: 19 c. | ||
Dostoevsky Through the Centuries | ||
Lev Tolstoy: Writer, Soldier, Lover, Activist | ||
In Prisons Dark: Confinement Literature in the Russian and Soviet Empires | ||
RUSS 3930 designation with related course material | ||
Select one course on Russian literature and/or film from the 20th or 21st centuries from the following: | ||
Chekhov as Dramatist: Performance, Adaptations, and Intermedial Transpositions | ||
In Prisons Dark: Confinement Literature in the Russian and Soviet Empires | ||
Art, Media, & Power in Post-Soviet Russia | ||
RUSS 3930 designation with related course material | ||
Russian Elective Requirement | 3 | |
Select one of the following: | ||
Russian Readings & Digital Resources in Cultural Contexts | ||
Russia From Peter to Putin: Imperial, Soviet, and Post-Soviet Culture | ||
Lev Tolstoy: Writer, Soldier, Lover, Activist | ||
Chekhov as Dramatist: Performance, Adaptations, and Intermedial Transpositions | ||
In Prisons Dark: Confinement Literature in the Russian and Soviet Empires | ||
Art, Media, & Power in Post-Soviet Russia | ||
Topics in Russian Grammar | ||
Topics in Russian Literature | ||
General Electives | 24-33 | |
Total Credits | 120 |
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.
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
Core Components and Credits | ||
Foundations of Discourse | 3 | |
Diversity in the U.S. | 3 | |
Global Citizenship | 3 | |
Foreign Language | 0-9 | |
Fine Arts | 3 | |
Literature | 6 | |
Mathematics | 3 | |
Natural Science | 6 | |
Philosophy | 9 | |
Social Science | 6 | |
Theology | 9 | |
World History | 6 | |
Total Credits | 57-66 |
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.
Year One | ||
---|---|---|
Fall | Credits | |
RUSS 1010 | Communicating in Russian I | 3 |
ENGL 2XXX | A. S. Core (English) | 3 |
A.S. Core (Fine Arts) | 3 | |
THEO 1000 | Theological Foundations 4 | 3 |
RUSS 3250 | Russia From Peter to Putin: Imperial, Soviet, and Post-Soviet Culture | 3 |
UNIV 1010 | Enhancing First-Year Success | 1 |
Credits | 16 | |
Spring | ||
RUSS 1020 | Communicating in Russian II | 3 |
POLS 2530 | Soviet and Post Soviet Politics | 3 |
THEO 2XXX | A. S. Core (Theology) | 3 |
HIST 1110 | Origins of the Modern World to 1500 | 3 |
ENGL 1900 | Advanced Strategies of Rhetoric and Research | 3 |
Credits | 15 | |
Year Two | ||
Fall | ||
RUSS 2010 | Intermediate Russian: Language and Culture | 3 |
RUSS 3930 | Special Topics (20th c.) | 3 |
MATH 1200 | College Algebra | 3 |
PHIL 1050 | Introduction to Philosophy: Self and Reality | 3 |
Minor | 3 | |
Credits | 15 | |
Spring | ||
RUSS 2020 | Intermediate Russian: Language and Culture II | 3 |
HIST 1120 | Origins of the Modern World (1500 to Present) | 3 |
HIST 3290 | Russia Since 1905 | 3 |
PHIL 2050 | Ethics | 3 |
RUSS | Elective | 3 |
Credits | 15 | |
Year Three | ||
Fall | ||
RUSS | 3000-level language | 3 |
RUSS | 19th C. Literature | 3 |
PHIL 3XXX/4XXX | 3 | |
Science | 3 | |
Minor | 3 | |
Credits | 15 | |
Spring | ||
RUSS | 3000-level language | 3 |
Minor | 3 | |
RUSS | 4000-level language | 3 |
A&S Science Core Course | 3 | |
Minor | 3 | |
Credits | 15 | |
Year Four | ||
Fall | ||
RUSS 4510 | The Russian Orthodox | 3 |
Minor | 3 | |
Elective | 3 | |
Elective | 3 | |
Elective | 3 | |
Credits | 15 | |
Spring | ||
Minor | 3 | |
Minor | 3 | |
Elective | 3 | |
Elective | 3 | |
Elective | 3 | |
Credits | 15 | |
Total Credits | 121 |
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.