Campuses:
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Twin Cities Campus
Russian B.A.German, Nordic, Slavic & Dutch
College of Liberal Arts
Russian is the native language of some 150 million citizens of the Russian Federal Republic. It is one of the five official languages of the UN, and ranks with English, Chinese, Hindi, Urdu, and Spanish as a major world language. Russian remains the unofficial lingua franca of the former Soviet republics, an indispensable communications tool across all of the Caucasus and Central Asia. Russian is a major language for scientific publication, and it is an increasingly important language for business and trade as Russian institutions, both public and private, integrate with their European and American counterparts.
Besides a thorough grounding in the Russian language, students in the Russian major become conversant with the enormous wealth of Russian cultural heritage in literature, visual art, theater, and music. In particular, Russia has produced one of the world's most vibrant and exciting literary traditions, including the works of poets like Pushkin, Lermontov, Blok, and Akhmatova, and writers like Gogol, Turgenev, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, and Chekhov. Despite the upheavals caused by the fall of communism, Russian literary culture remains vibrant today, and only a fraction of this fascinating contemporary work is available in translation.
Further information on the value of a Russian major can be found at http://modules.russnet.org/why/.
Program Delivery
This program is available:
Admission Requirements
For information about University of Minnesota admission requirements, visit the
Office of Admissions
website.
Required prerequisites
Beginning and Intermediate Russian
These courses, or equivalent, must be taken in sequential order. In select cases, students with advanced proficiency may be exempt from taking some or all of these courses. See the departmental advisor for more information.
Take 0 - 4 course(s) totaling 0 - 20 credit(s) from the following:
·
RUSS 1101 - Beginning Russian I
(5.0 cr)
·
RUSS 1102 - Beginning Russian II
(5.0 cr)
·
RUSS 3001 - Intermediate Russian I
(5.0 cr)
·
RUSS 3002 - Intermediate Russian II
(5.0 cr)
General Requirements
All students in baccalaureate degree programs are required to complete general University and college requirements including writing and liberal education courses. For more information about University-wide requirements, see the
liberal education requirements.
Required courses for the major, minor or certificate in which a student receives a D grade (with or without plus or minus) do not count toward the major, minor or certificate (including transfer courses).
Program Requirements
Students are required to complete 4 semester(s) of
Russian.
with a grade of C-, or better, or S, or demonstrate proficiency in the language(s) as defined by the department
or college.
CLA BA degrees require 18 upper-division (3xxx-level or higher) credits outside the major designator. These credits must be taken in designators different from the major designator and cannot include courses that are cross-listed with the major designator. The major designator for the Russian BA is RUSS.
At least 17 upper-division credits in the major must be taken at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities campus.
Students may earn a BA or a minor in Russian, but not both.
All incoming CLA first-year (freshmen) must complete the First-Year Experience course sequence.
All incoming CLA first-year (freshmen) students earning a BA, BS, or BIS degree must complete the second-year career management course CLA 3002.
All students must complete a capstone in at least one CLA major. The requirements for double majors completing the capstone in a different CLA major will be clearly stated. Students must also complete all major requirements in both majors to allow the additional capstone to be waived. Student completing an addition degree must complete the capstone in each degree area.
Required Courses
Take exactly 3 course(s) totaling exactly 9 credit(s) from the following:
·
RUSS 3421 - Literature: Middle Ages to Dostoevsky in Translation
[LITR]
(3.0 cr)
or
RUSS 5421 - Literature: Middle Ages to Dostoevsky in Translation
[LITR]
(3.0 cr)
·
RUSS 3422 - Literature: Tolstoy to the Present in Translation
[LITR]
(3.0 cr)
or
RUSS 5422 - Literature: Tolstoy to the Present in Translation
[LITR]
(3.0 cr)
·
RUSS 3512 - Russian Art and Culture
[AH, GP]
(3.0 cr)
Electives
Take exactly 4 course(s) totaling 12 or more credit(s) from the following:
·
RUSS 3105 - Russian Poetry and Prose
(3.0 cr)
·
RUSS 3900 - Topics in Russian Language, Literature, and Culture
(1.0-4.0 cr)
·
RUSS 5900 {Inactive}
(1.0-4.0 cr)
·
RUSS 3404 - Tolstoy in Translation
[LITR, GP]
(3.0 cr)
or
RUSS 5404 - Tolstoy in Translation
[LITR, GP]
(3.0 cr)
·
RUSS 3411 - Dostoevsky in Translation
[LITR, GP]
(3.0 cr)
or
RUSS 5411 - Dostoevsky in Translation
[LITR, GP]
(3.0 cr)
·
RUSS 3604 - Russia At The Movies: A Survey Of The History Of Russian Cinema
[AH]
(3.0 cr)
or
RUSS 5604 - Russia At The Movies: A Survey Of The History Of Russian Cinema
[AH]
(3.0 cr)
·
Other course approved by the department's director of undergraduate studies.
Capstone
The capstone is an individual directed study under the close supervision and mentoring of a member of the faculty. The subject is determined in consultation between student and mentor, who will continue to meet at regular intervals as the study proceeds. The outcome of the study is an analytical or interpretive essay of not less than twenty typed, double-spaced pages, showing evidence of appropriate use, as determined by the faculty mentor, of Russian-language sources.
Take exactly 1 course(s) totaling exactly 3 credit(s) from the following:
Students who double major and choose to complete the capstone requirement in their other major may waive the Russian BA capstone, and they do not need to replace the 3 credits.
·
RUSS 3311W - Russian Major Project
[WI]
(3.0 cr)
or
RUSS 3311V - Honors Major Project in Russian
[WI]
(3.0-4.0 cr)
Upper Division Writing Intensive within the major
Students are required to take one upper division writing intensive course within the major. If that requirement has not been satisfied within the core major requirements, students must choose one course from the following list. Some of these courses may also fulfill other major requirements.
Take 0 - 1 course(s) from the following:
·
RUSS 3311W - Russian Major Project
[WI]
(3.0 cr)
·
RUSS 3311V - Honors Major Project in Russian
[WI]
(3.0-4.0 cr)
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Credits: | 5.0 [max 5.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | Russ 1101/Russ 4101 |
Typically offered: | Every Fall |
Credits: | 5.0 [max 5.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | Russ 1102/Russ 4102 |
Typically offered: | Every Spring |
Credits: | 5.0 [max 5.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | Russ 3001/Russ 4103 |
Typically offered: | Every Fall |
Credits: | 5.0 [max 5.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | Russ 3002/Russ 4104 |
Typically offered: | Every Spring |
Credits: | 4.0 [max 4.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | Russ 3101/Russ 4111 |
Typically offered: | Every Fall |
Credits: | 4.0 [max 4.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | Russ 3102/Russ 4112 |
Typically offered: | Every Spring |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | Russ 3421/5421 |
Typically offered: | Every Fall |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | Russ 3421/5421 |
Typically offered: | Every Fall |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | Russ 3422/5422 |
Typically offered: | Every Spring |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | Russ 3422/5422 |
Typically offered: | Every Spring |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Typically offered: | Fall Odd Year |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Typically offered: | Periodic Fall |
Credits: | 1.0 -4.0 [max 16.0] |
Typically offered: | Periodic Fall & Spring |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | Russ 3404/5404 |
Typically offered: | Spring Odd Year |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | Russ 3404/5404 |
Typically offered: | Spring Even Year |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | Russ 3411/5411 |
Typically offered: | Spring Even Year |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | Russ 3411/5411 |
Typically offered: | Spring Even Year |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | Russ 3604/Russ 5604 |
Typically offered: | Every Spring |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | Russ 3604/Russ 5604 |
Typically offered: | Every Spring |
Credits: | 1.0 -4.0 [max 16.0] |
Typically offered: | Every Fall & Spring |
Credits: | 1.0 -4.0 [max 16.0] |
Typically offered: | Every Fall & Spring |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | Russ 3311H/3311/3312 |
Grading Basis: | A-F or Aud |
Typically offered: | Every Fall & Spring |
Credits: | 3.0 -4.0 [max 4.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | Russ 3311H/3311/3312 |
Grading Basis: | A-F only |
Typically offered: | Every Fall & Spring |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | Russ 3311H/3311/3312 |
Grading Basis: | A-F or Aud |
Typically offered: | Every Fall & Spring |
Credits: | 3.0 -4.0 [max 4.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | Russ 3311H/3311/3312 |
Grading Basis: | A-F only |
Typically offered: | Every Fall & Spring |