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There are as many reasons for studying Russian language and culture as there are students of Russian. For centuries, westerners have been fascinated by popular Russian culture, the cosmopolitan creations of Pushkin and Tchaikovsky, the profound philosophical and religious tracts of Tolstoy and Dostoevsky, and the musical magic of Stravinsky and Balanchine.
Although the political and military threat of the Soviet Union is a thing of the past, a democratizing Post-Soviet Russia presents significant challenges and opportunities to the rest of the world in the areas of global security, nuclear non-proliferation, organized crime, international terrorism, to name just a few critical issues of the twenty-first century.
As Post-Soviet Russia develops economically and politically, the number and variety of career paths available to college graduates with a knowledge of Russian language and culture are constantly expanding. While the U.S. government remains the largest employer of Russian majors, high-tech computer, energy, and communications companies, law firms, consulting agencies and accounting groups are all in need of Russian-speakers to staff new offices in Russia. In addition, an increasing number of NGOs, including charitable, religious, academic, and political organizations, have begun to operate or expanded their operations in Russia.
Undergraduate Program
Why Study Russian at William and Mary?
There are as many reasons for studying Russian language and culture as there are students of Russian. For centuries, westerners have been fascinated by popular Russian culture, the cosmopolitan creations of Pushkin and Tchaikovsky, the profound philosophical and religious tracts of Tolstoy and Dostoevsky, and the musical magic of Stravinsky and Balanchine.
Although the political and military threat of the Soviet Union is a thing of the past, a democratizing Post-Soviet Russia presents significant challenges and opportunities to the rest of the world in the areas of global security, nuclear non-proliferation, organized crime, international terrorism, to name just a few critical issues of the twenty-first century.
As Post-Soviet Russia develops economically and politically, the number and variety of career paths available to college graduates with a knowledge of Russian language and culture are constantly expanding. While the U.S. government remains the largest employer of Russian majors, high-tech computer, energy, and communications companies, law firms, consulting agencies and accounting groups are all in need of Russian-speakers to staff new offices in Russia. In addition, an increasing number of NGOs, including charitable, religious, academic, and political organizations, have begun to operate or expanded their operations in Russia.
