Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies Graduate Certificate
The Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies Program is devoted to the study of the peoples living in the eastern third of Europe, throughout the northern steppes of Central Asia, and across Siberia to the Pacific Ocean.
Settled over a territory that spans half the earth’s time zones, these peoples have created a complex mosaic of cultures, expressed in literature and art as well as in institutions and social forms.
Over the centuries, these lands have come under the sway of several great world-historical civilizations and empires:
- Byzantine
- Mongolian
- Ottoman Turkish
- Holy Roman
- Austro-Hungarian
- Russian
- Soviet
These lands have felt the influence of Orthodox Christianity, Catholicism, Protestantism, Judaism, Islam, and Communism.
At the intersection of many powerful forces, these lands experience the historical drama of what some call "modernization" with its challenge to customary ways of life. Yet, after centuries of massive transplantation and transformation, national and ethnic heritages survive.
Customary ways and native self-consciousness, more diverse than anywhere else on the globe, express themselves with new vigor.
The program offers a graduate certificate in Russian, East European, and Eurasian studies. The center is affiliated with the master’s and PhD programs in comparative literature and linguistics, and students in the center have also successfully applied to PhD programs in history, geography, and other fields.
Program Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this program, students will be able to:
- Be proficient in reading, writing, and speaking Russian consistent with completion of at least the fourth-year level.
- Translate specialized texts from the field of concentration into good professional English.
- Have a broad general understanding of the region of Russian, Eastern Europe, and Eurasia including its history and culture.
- Complete a significant (e.g. 25-page) research paper written in conjunction with a course, or written as part of an individualized reading course.
Graduate Certificate
The graduate certificate in Russian, East European, and Eurasian studies requires 32 graded graduate-level credits; courses must be passed with grades of B– or better. Credits used to fulfill the language requirement may not be applied to the 32-credit requirement.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Language Courses | ||
| Select one of the following: | ||
Four years of college study or equivalent in one Slavic language | ||
Total of four years of college study in two languages of the region | ||
| Field of Concentration Courses | ||
| Three graduate-level courses in chosen concentration | 12 | |
| Elective Courses | ||
| Four graduate-level courses 1 | 16 | |
| Total Credits | 28 | |
| 1 | One elective may be in the field of concentration. |
Additional Requirements
A research paper written in conjunction with a course or as a separate reading course in the field of concentration.
Fields of Concentration
- Russian literature
- Russian and East European history
- Contemporary Russia, East Europe, and Eurasia
The certificate may be earned in conjunction with any MA or PhD degree. Courses taken to fulfill the graduate degree may also be used to fulfill certificate requirements. Master’s candidates in the program may earn the graduate certificate if the field of concentration chosen for the certificate is not the same as the one for the master’s degree.