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Russian majors who qualify for Pell Grants may also be eligible for up to $4000 in additional federal financial aid through the SMART Grant program.

Courses Offered

The following courses, which are normally offered each year, constitute the core undergraduate program:

Language Prerequisites*

Year Fall Semester  Spring Semester First Year  0010 Elementary Russian I  0020 Elementary Russian II Second Year  0030 Intermediate Russian I  0040 Intermediate Russian II

Language Requirements

Year Fall Semester  Spring Semester Third Year  0400 Advanced Russian I 0420 Non-Literary Readings  0410 Advanced Russian II  Fourth Year  1420 Fourth-Year Russian I  0430 Literary Readings 1430 Fourth-Year Russian II

Core Literature and Culture Offerings**

Any year Fall Semester  Spring Semester 0800 Masterpieces of Nineteenth-Century Russian Literature  0810 Masterpieces of Twentieth-Century Russian Literature 0850 Russian Culture I  0860 Russian Culture II   Any 1000-level course in Russian literature*** Any 1000-level course in Russian literature***

*Russian majors who have prior experience with the Russian language (whether from previous study, from growing up in a home where relatives speak Russian, from travel, etc.) are required to consult with the Language Program Coordinator (Dr. Gerald McCausland, gmmst11@pitt.edu) to determine proper placement.

**The core literature and culture courses are offered in English and, in addition to fulfilling Department major requirements, satisfy one or more University general-education requirements (non-western foreign culture, writing, etc.). Language courses (including the 0420 and 0430 reading courses) should be taken in the sequence shown here.

***Russian majors are required to complete one 1000-level course in Russian literature, which they may do in any semester of any year.

Electives

The Department offers additional elective courses in English that also satisfy one or more general-education requirement. In recent years these have included:

* Russian Literature: Russian 0325 (The Short Story in a Russian Context), Russian 0590 (Formative Masterpieces of Russian Literature), Russian 1202 (Dostoevskii), Russian 1203 (Tolstoi), Russian 1204 (Short Fiction of Tolstoi, Dostoevskii, and Turgenev);
* Russian Cinema: Russian 0870 (Russian Film I), Russian 0871 (Russian Film II)
* Russian Culture: Russian 0090 (Russian Fairy Tales), Russian 0600 (Russian Street Culture), Russian 0811 (Madness and Madmen in Russian Culture);
* Slavic Cultures: Slavic 0660 (Science Fiction: East and West), and Slavic 0880 (Vampire: Blood and Empire).

Major Requirements

1. All courses listed in the table of Language Requirements. Students who enter the program with some knowledge of or experience with Russian may apply for placement at a suitable level, and will be excused from lower-level language courses. Students who would like to accelerate their language study may complete one year of basic language coursework (two courses) by participating in an approved intensive summer program.
2. Both core literature courses (0800, 0810) and both core culture courses (0850, 0860).
3. One 1000-level course in Russian literature.
4. Two Russian-related courses in other departments (e.g., art, music, history, political science, economics).
5. For honors students: at least one additional 1000-level course, plus a twenty-page paper involving primary-source research and a two-page Russian summary, supervised by an appointed faculty committee.
6. Participation in an approved study-abroad program in Russia (summer or semester). The Department will adjust the course requirements in individual cases to accommodate this participation without delaying students' graduation. This requirement may be waived on an individual basis in consultation with the undergraduate advisor where it would pose significant hardship (financial, family-related, etc.).

Russian majors are strongly encouraged to earn an interdepartmental Russian and East European Studies Certificate, many of the requirements for which overlap the requirements for majoring in Russian. Interested students are invited to consult with the undergraduate advisor about this opportunity.

Special Policies

1. Students must obtain a C or better in language courses in order to advance to the next level.
2. Students must obtain a C or better in a course for it to count toward the major.
3. Students may not select the S/N option for courses counting toward the major.
4. The department does not allow the unregistered auditing of language courses.

 
Certificate Programs

Slavic Studies majors are strongly encouraged to earn an interdepartmental Russian and East European Studies Certificate, many of the requirements for which overlap with the requirements for majoring in Russian

For more information please visit the CREES homepage.