Russian, Minor

Program Code: RUS_UMNR

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 world 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 world 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 world 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).

Prescribed Courses
Prescribed Courses: Require a grade of C or better
RUS 100Russian Culture and Civilization Keystone/General Education Course3
RUS 200Intermediate Russian II4
RUS 401Advanced Russian A4
Additional Courses
Additional Courses: Require a grade of C or better
Select one of the following:3
Russian Cinema Keystone/General Education Course
Russian Folklore Keystone/General Education Course
Russian Literature in English Translation: 1800-1870
Russian Literature in English Translation: 1870 to Present
The Culture of Stalinism and Nazism Keystone/General Education Course
Multicultural Russia: Narratives of Race and Ethnicity in Russian Literature and Culture Keystone/General Education Course
Putin¿s Russia and Its Protest Culture Keystone/General Education Course
Supporting Courses and Related Areas
Supporting Courses and Related Areas: Require a grade of C or better
Select 6 credits of 400-level Russian courses6

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

https://german.la.psu.edu/slavic/