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Russian Area Studies

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A WORLD OF OPPORTUNITIES

Study the many facets of Russia including, its history, language, literature, cinema and culture. Working closely with a faculty mentor, you’ll design your major or minor around the topics you are already passionate about and those that ignite your curiosity. You will be able to include courses in the humanities and social sciences that focus on Russia, Central Asia, and Eastern Europe. Finish the program with a capstone course that delves deeper into cultural theory and allows you to apply the knowledge you’ve collected in previous courses to a new project.

The Russian Area Studies Department offers two majors and two minors:

  • Russian History and Society Major
  • Russian Language and Culture Major
  • Russian Area Studies Minor
  • Russian Language Minor
Russian Area Studies News Student Resources

a statement from russian area studies regarding ukraine

The HWS Russian Area Studies program condemns the Russian Federation’s war against the Ukrainian people, language, and culture. We insist on the preservation of Ukrainian sovereignty and we express support for all those in both Ukraine and the Russian Federation who are striving for peace and truth.

 

Student SpotlightJackson Gellert '25

majors: history, economics 
Minor: Russian Language  

"The Russian Language classes are my favorite as they combine cultural and language studies and are a great way to understand Russia and its people. I thank Associate Professor of Russian Area Studies Christopher Lemelin for encouraging my interest in the minor and its subjects. It is through him that I learned about the Eastern European Culture Club, which I am now the president of. 
In the future, I hope to utilize my knowledge of the Russian language and culture as a lawyer to represent Americans accused of crimes in Russia."
 

Experiential EducationBringing Russia to You

Practice Russian recipes at the Intercultural Affairs Center, attend a lecture on Russian political dissidents, or test your language speaking skills in the New York State Collegiate Competition of Spoken Russian.

At Hobart and William Smith Colleges, learning goes beyond textbooks and classrooms. You’ll gain high-impact practical experience that deepens learning and opens doors.

Explore and Experience at the HWS Centers

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No Borders:Global Education

Russian Area Studies students at HWS delve deep into Russian language, history, and culture through language-intensive study abroad. The Russian Area Studies program is committed to providing engaging and valuable study abroad options in countries that also ensure the safety of its students. 

In the past, students have studied in Barnaul and Yaroslavl, including grant-funded summer opportunities through the Fulbright-Hays program. While the current political situation precludes students from traveling to Russia to study, there are many options available in other countries with large Russian-speaking communities, including European Union member countries Latvia and Lithuania. 

For the summer of 2022, the Russian Area Studies department's program took place in Daugavpils, Latvia, where students had one-on-one conversation sessions with college students who were native Russian speakers. 

Wherever you go, our top-ranked global education program will allow you to apply classroom knowledge, develop cultural understanding and build global connections that expand your personal capacity and sense of purpose.

Study Abroad Options
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Belonging, Diversity, and Equity

Courses in Russian Area Studies explore people of varied backgrounds and offer a diverse look into the history, culture and society of Russia.

A SAMPLING OF COURSES THAT ALIGN WITH THE COLLEGES’ COMMITMENT TO BELONGING, EQUITY AND DIVERSITY:

  • RUSE 101 - Blood and Ice: Russian Empires
    This course looks at the diversity of the Russian Empire, including the history of marginalization and discrimination of ethnic and religious minority peoples in Russia and the USSR.
  • RUSE 112 - Dangerous Words: Russian Literature and Society
    Issues of diversity that arise in this course include the African heritage of Russia’s greatest writer, Alexander Pushkin, and how his ethnic background has been perceived in Russia and by Black American artists; and perceptions and representations of Islamic and Asian cultures in Russian literature.
  • RUSE 251/351 Sexuality, Power, and Creativity in Russian Literature

    This course considers such topics as Russian perceptions of masculinity and femininity, gender bending, sexuality and the breaking of sexual mores, and how current Russian debates on gender and sexuality cite and relate to this cultural heritage.

Dobro Slovo

Dobro Slovo, an internationally renowned Honors Society, recognizes academic excellence in the study of Slavic languages and literatures and provides incentive for scholarly interest in Slavic life and culture. Since the Colleges’ Delta Mu chapter of Dobro Slovo was chartered in 2003, Hobart and William Smith have recognized students majoring or minoring in Russian Area Studies.

Learn More

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  • Students work on drawing symbols for Kristen Welsh's FSEM
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Here are some of the courses that allow you to explore and embrace all aspects and areas of Russia.

RUSE 203 RUSSIAN PRISON LITERATURE

Gain insight into the responses from those falsely imprisoned under the dictatorship of Josef Stalin.

RUSE 206 AMERICA THROUGH RUSSIAN EYES

View American culture and identity with a Russian lens by studying readings and films by American and Russian poets, novelists, and directors.

RUSE 208 FANTASTIKA: SCI-FI AND FANTASY IN THE RUSSIAN WORLD

Explore how science fiction and fantasy relate to the Russian cultural and historical context and the ideological stance they portray.

RUSE 237 RUSSIAN FOLKLORE

Survey a wealth of Russian and Slavic folk tales, epic songs, legends, riddles, and other elements of the oral tradition, as well as the later literatures these genres inspired.

Russian Area Studies Courses and Curriculum Russian Area Studies Faculty Directory

Alum ImpactSkills to Connect

bea hoffman '23

Current Position: 
Administrative Assistant, Preservation of Affordable Housing Communities
Current Location:
Boston, MA  
Majors:
Russian Language and Culture, Dance, English 

"HWS, and especially the Russian Area Studies program, prepared me for my current role as my day-to-day work consists of frequent interactions with residents who live in the affordable housing complex where my office is located. A majority of the residents speak solely Russian, or Russian with some English. While I am not fluent, I am able to put them at ease and communicate enough, which is something I could not have ever considered before attending HWS!"

COMPANIES THAT EMPLOY OUR GRADUATES

  • Columbia University
  • Federal Bureau of Investigation
  • MIT Skoltech Initiative
  • Overseas Strategic Consulting
  • Russian American Foundation
  • TechnoServe
  • U.S. Department of Defense (Dept. of the Air Force)
  • U.S. Department of State

UNIVERSITIES WHERE OUR GRADUATES ARE STUDYING

  • Columbia University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
  • Columbia University Teachers College
  • Georgetown University
  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  • Northeastern University
  • Simmons University 
  • University of Colorado Josef Korbel School of International Studies
  • University of Wisconsin-Madison Graduate School