Russian Major
Goals for the Russian Major
A student majoring in Russian should be able to
- converse fluently in Russian;
- comprehend important primary and secondary texts from the Russian literary tradition;
- discover and delineate the major themes of nineteenth-, twentieth- and twenty-first century Russian literature and culture;
- express an understanding of Russian culture clearly and persuasively
Requirements for the Russian Major
A student majoring in Russian must take at least eight units in the department above RUSS 102, including:
- Language courses through RUSS 202, and at least 2 units of language at the 300 level
- RUSS 251
- Two 200-level courses above RUSS 251
- At least 2 of the following half-unit courses: RUSS 333H, RUSS 355H, RUSS 376H, and RUSS 377H, RUSS 386H
RUSS 101 and RUSS 102 are counted toward the degree but not toward the Russian major.
Thus, a student who begins with no knowledge of Russian would typically complete the following courses to major in Russian: RUSS 101 and RUSS 102, RUSS 201 and RUSS 202, and two courses from among RUSS 301, RUSS 302, RUSS 305, RUSS 306; RUSS 251; two 200-level literature courses above RUSS 251; and one unit from 300-level literature courses.
Honors in Russian
Students may graduate with honors in Russian by writing a thesis. To be admitted to the thesis program, students must have a grade point average of at least 3.5 in all work in the major field above the 100 level; the department may petition on their behalf if their GPA in the major is between 3.0 and 3.5. Students who wish to attempt an honors thesis should consult the chair early in the second semester of their junior year. See Academic Distinctions.
International Study in Russian
Majors are encouraged to enroll in summer language programs to accelerate their progress in the language. Credit toward the major is normally given for approved summer or academic-year study at selected institutions in the United States and abroad. Major credit is also given for approved junior year international study programs.
Russian Area Studies
Students interested in an interdepartmental major in Russian Area Studies are referred to the following and should visit the Russian Area Studies Web pages at www.wellesley.edu/russianareastudies. Attention is called to Russian Area Studies courses in history, comparative literature, and political science.
Courses for Credit Toward the Russian Major
| CPLT 284 | Magical Realism |
1.0 |
| CPLT 294 | Utopia and Dystopia in Literature |
1.0 |