Specialization in Russian and East European Studies

The Specialization in Russian and East European Studies is administered by the College of Arts and Letters. The Specialization exists to help students select courses that will enhance their understanding of and appreciation for the regions of the former Soviet Union and East Europe. The Specialization offers an interdisciplinary, as well as a comparative and cross-cultural, approach to the study of the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. The Specialization is available to all undergraduate students at MSU.

The educational objectives of the Specialization in Russian and East European Studies are to:

Prepare students for graduate school or for work in non-academic careers in government or private sector fields such as research organizations, journalism, and business.
Help students to gain a broader understanding of their major disciplines within the context of a study of the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe incorporating courses and methodologies of the humanities and social sciences.
Stimulate student involvement in a comparative and cross-cultural approach to problems common to the United States and the societies of the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe.
Respond to the increasing interest of United States citizens of Russian and East European descent in better appreciating their cultural heritage.

The Director of the Center for European and Russian Studies coordinates the Specialization on behalf of the Dean of the College of Arts and Letters. There is no formal admission procedure for the Specialization. The Director of CERS assists students in developing programs of study that are tailored to their needs and interests, yet meet the requirements for the Specialization.

When the student feels that he or she has completed the requirements for the Specialization in Russian and East European Studies, the student should contact the CERS office at 205 International Center and meet with the CERS Director to discuss whether requirements for the Specialization are in fact fulfilled. Upon satisfactory completion of the Specialization requirements, the following procedure will be used to enter an appropriate notation on the student's academic record:

The student should contact the CERS office and request certification of the completion of the Specialization requirements. At that time, the student will be requested to supply an official transcript.
The Dean of the College of Arts and Letters will initiate and sign an administrative action form certifying the completion of the program (based on information supplied by the Director of the Center for European and Russian Studies), and will forward this to the Registrar.
The Registrar will then record the following on the student's permanent academic record so that the transcript will state: "Area Specialization in Russian and East European Studies, completed (date)."

Requirements

Students who elect the Specialization in Russian and East European Studies must meet the foreign language, humanities, social science, and elective course requirements. In addition to the foreign language requirements, the total number of credits required for the Specialization is 21: 9 from humanities, 9 from social science, and 3 from courses designated as electives. The courses that fulfill the requirements for the Specialization may also be counted toward other requirements.

I. Foreign Language

The student must demonstrate proficiency in Russian or in another approved language (normally another Slavic language) at a level equivalent to the completion of two years of study at the university level. Proficiency may be demonstrated either by completing the appropriate courses with a minimum grade of 3.0 or by passing a proficiency examination administered by CERS core faculty.

Students are encouraged to elect additional approved foreign language courses beyond those needed to meet the minimum requirement.

II. Humanities

Students must complete a minimum of 9 credits (normally 3 courses) selected from courses offered by various departments as listed:

Art

HA 410 Early Christian and Byzantine Art (4)

History

HST 342 Modern East-Central Europe (3)
HST 343 Russia from Peter the Great to Lenin (3)
HST 344 Russia in the 20th Century (3)
HST 411 European Jewish History (3)
HST 483 Seminar in Modern European History (3)

Philosophy

PHL 357 The Philosophy of Karl Marx (3)
PHL 416 Hegel (4)

Linguistics & Language

RUS 231 Russian Literature in Translation I: Early and Mid-19th Century (3)
RUS 232 Russian Literature in Translation II: Late 19th and 20th Century (3)
RUS 241 Cultural Traditions of Russia (3)
RUS 301 Third-Year Russian I (3)
RUS 302 Third-Year Russian II (3)
RUS 341 Russian Life and Culture of the 20th Century (3)
RUS 342 Contemporary Russian Life and Culture (3)
RUS 401 Fourth-Year Russian I (3)
RUS 402 Fourth-Year Russian II (3)
RUS 410 Reading Russian Without a Dictionary (5)
RUS 431 Russian Literature I (3)
RUS 432 Russian Literature II (3)

III. Social Science

Students must complete a minimum of 6 credits selected from courses offered by various units below:

Economics

EC 406 Economic Analysis of the Soviet Union and the Transition Economy (3)

James Madison College

MC 323b Great Power Foreign Policy: Russia (4)

Political Science

PLS 358 Politics of the USSR and its Successor States (3)

Sociology

SOC 415 Russian Contemporary Society (3)

IV. Electives

Students must complete a minimum of 6 credits (normally 2 courses) from the list below:

EC 306 Comparative Economic Systems (3)*
GEO 336 Geography of Europe (3)
HST 490 Independent Study (1-4)*
MC 324e Regional Politics, Cooperation, and Conflict in Europe (4)
MC 325 State & Society in Comparative Perspective (4)*
MC 386 Women & Power in Comparative Perspective(4)*
MC 492 Senior Seminar in International Relations (5)*
PHL 421 Topic in European Philosophy (3)*
PLS 460 Seminar in International Relations (W) (4)*
RUS 493 Overseas Internship (1-12)
SOC 490 Special Topics in Sociology (3)*

* Only if topic is related to the regions of the former Soviet Union or East Europe and is approved by the Director of the Center for European and Russian Studies.

Elective courses may count toward the requirements for the Specialization only if the topic is specifically related to or focused in the regions of the former Soviet Union or Eastern Europe and the CERS Director has approved the counting of the related credits toward the requirements of the Specialization. Students are encouraged to take independent study courses which may be particularly helpful to those students who are planning to study in the regions of the former Soviet Union or in the East European countries. Students who are interested in independent study should contact the CERS Director for additional information.