Russian and East European Studies, Minor (451)
This interdisciplinary minor is designed with two main goals in mind. The first is to familiarize students with the most significant political and economic issues facing both Russia and the states of Eastern Europe. The second is to provide students a foundation for effective communication in Russian.
Because of Russia’s dominant global role, it is essential that students become familiar with Russia and its language. With Russian being the language of approximately 250 million people, students minoring in REES will study one of the major languages of the world. Furthermore, Russian is recognized as a Critical Language by the US Departments of State and Defense. Fortunately, the language is not as hard as most people think; the alphabet takes less than a week to master. Learning Russian allows students to travel to Russia and witness first-hand the changes taking place in religious, economic, and cultural behaviors. Russian makes an excellent language for those pursuing careers in sociology, anthropology, criminology, political science, international law, geology, journalism, and international business.
Knowledge of East European and Russian societies opens the door to many exciting opportunities. A minor in Russian and East European Studies is not just for translators, diplomats, and teachers. Knowledge of Russia and East Europe can be helpful in landing a job in many fields. Having a REES minor makes any job candidate stand out from the crowd, whatever the field. A REES minor can careers in business, law enforcement, political analysis, work in international aid organizations, natural resource management, and computer science. For those seeking a career in research, Russia and East Europe is a massive field for study in disciplines like Religious Studies, Economics, Sociology, Anthropology, History, Political Science, and more.
Program Requirements (21 hours)
The minor requires seven courses, for a total of 21 credit hours. Students minoring in Russian and East European Studies construct their programs of study around two components.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Area-Specific Course Requirement | ||
| Select three of the following: 1 | 9 | |
| Russia to 1900 | ||
| Twentieth Century Russia | ||
| Government and Politics of Russia and Eastern Europe | ||
| Central European Politics | ||
| Russian Language Requirement | ||
| RUSS 101 | Elementary Russian I | 3 |
| RUSS 102 | Elementary Russian II | 3 |
| RUSS 201 | Intermediate Russian I | 3 |
| RUSS 202 | Intermediate Russian II | 3 |
| Total Hours | 21 | |
| 1 | Courses in this category must represent at least two difference departments. |
Students in the minor are encouraged to participate in study abroad programs in Russia and/or Eastern Europe. By petition, credits earned through study abroad courses can fulfill minor requirements outlined above.