At which campus can I study this program?
Program Description
The Russian minor is designed for students who want to study the language, literature, and culture of Russia in order to broaden their horizons and meet an increasing demand for people with foreign language skills and international expertise. Russian is a major world language with a rich cultural and scientific heritage. It is spoken throughout the former Soviet Union and widely understood in the countries of Eastern Europe.
The Department of Germanic and Slavic Languages and Literatures offers an array of courses in Russian language, literature, and culture. Study abroad in Russia at St. Petersburg University under the University's study abroad program is available. For the Russian minor, students must select courses (at least 6 credits at the 400 level) in Russian to account for 20 credits.
The Russian minor opens employment opportunities for its graduates in fields and professions where proficiency in one or more foreign languages is desirable or required. Graduates of this program have found employment with businesses having contact with the former Soviet Union, with various agencies of the U.S. government, in the educational and publishing fields, and in the travel industry.
What is Russian?
Russian Studies is an interdisciplinary sub-field of the Humanities and Slavic Studies that pertains to linguistics, literature, arts, history, politics, and more, with a primary focus on the language, literature, and culture of historical and contemporary Russia, including the Soviet period and the Russian-speaking diaspora.
You Might Like This Program If...
- You understand the critical role that Russia plays in the world.
- You are considering an academic or professional career requiring strong training in a foreign language.
- Your major is History, Comparative Literature, International Relations, Journalism, Linguistics, or other fields in which a knowledge of Russian is advantageous.
- You want to discover the rich world of Russian literature, arts, and cinema.
- Mastering Russian is important in your field, for example, in aerospace engineering, the computer sciences, and other sciences.
Entrance to Minor
To be admitted to the minor students must have completed RUS 3 or RUS 410 or have an equivalent level of Russian.
Program Requirements
| Requirement | Credits |
|---|---|
| Requirements for the Minor | 20 |
Requirements for the Minor
A grade of C or better is required for all courses in the minor, as specified by Senate Policy 59-10. In addition, at least six credits of the minor must be unique from the prescribed courses required by a student's major(s).
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Prescribed Courses | ||
| Prescribed Courses: Require a grade of C or better | ||
| RUS 100 | Russian Culture and Civilization  | 3 |
| RUS 200 | Intermediate Russian II | 4 |
| RUS 401 | Advanced Russian A | 4 |
| Additional Courses | ||
| Additional Courses: Require a grade of C or better | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Russian Cinema | ||
| Russian Folklore | ||
| Russian Literature in English Translation: 1800-1870 | ||
| Russian Literature in English Translation: 1870 to Present | ||
| The Culture of Stalinism and Nazism | ||
| Multicultural Russia: Narratives of Race and Ethnicity in Russian Literature and Culture | ||
| Putin¿s Russia and Its Protest Culture | ||
| Supporting Courses and Related Areas | ||
| Supporting Courses and Related Areas: Require a grade of C or better | ||
| Select 6 credits of 400-level Russian courses | 6 | |
Academic Advising
The objectives of the university's academic advising program are to help advisees identify and achieve their academic goals, to promote their intellectual discovery, and to encourage students to take advantage of both in-and out-of class educational opportunities in order that they become self-directed learners and decision makers.
Both advisers and advisees share responsibility for making the advising relationship succeed. By encouraging their advisees to become engaged in their education, to meet their educational goals, and to develop the habit of learning, advisers assume a significant educational role. The advisee's unit of enrollment will provide each advisee with a primary academic adviser, the information needed to plan the chosen program of study, and referrals to other specialized resources.
READ SENATE POLICY 32-00: ADVISING POLICY
University Park
Liberal Arts Academic Advising
814-865-2545
Use the Liberal Arts Meet the Academic Advisers web page to see the contact information for the specific adviser(s) of this program
Career Paths
The US Department of State designates Russian as one of the “critical languages” and the Department of Defense lists it as a strategic language. It is one of the five official languages of the UN. It also remains the unofficial lingua franca of the former Soviet republics and an indispensable communications tool across all of the Caucasus and Central Asia.
Careers
A knowledge of Russian opens the door to a variety of careers in the US government and military, international business, international relations, international law, human rights, information technology, professional translation, publishing, education, the travel industry, and more.
Contact
University Park
DEPARTMENT OF GERMANIC AND SLAVIC LANGUAGES AND LITERATURES
442 Burrowes Building
University Park, PA 16802
814-865-5481
psugerman@psu.edu