About Russian Studies
Why Russian?
Russian is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world, with over 140 million native speakers, and is considered a critical needs language by the U.S. government. W&M students have the opportunity to take four full years of Russian, live in the Russian House with a native Russian tutor, and study and research abroad in St. Petersburg, Russia, on a faculty-led summer program. Students of Russian are eligible for a number of scholarships to study in Russia. And with the increasingly important role Russia is playing in the global community, speakers of Russian are in high demand for a variety of different careers.
Love Dostoevsky, but have never heard of Pushkin?
The arts in Russia have long been considered among the greatest in the world, from the cosmopolitan creations of Pushkin and Tchaikovsky, to the profound philosophical and religious tracts of Tolstoy and Dostoevsky, to the musical magic of Stravinsky and Balanchine, to pioneering directors like Sergei Eisenstein and Andrei Tarkovsky. At W&M, you can learn more about these cultural giants and many others in a variety of courses that fulfill the university’s general education requirements and which are taught by dedicated and award-winning faculty. And if you fall in love with all things Russian, as we have, then we offer the Russian and Post-Soviet Studies Major, which is designed to make students proficient not just in the language, but in the history, politics, and culture, as well.
So, добро пожаловать! We look forward to seeing you in our classes!
