Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies

Thomas Newlin, Professor of Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies; chair (Fall 2023)
Stephen F. Crowley, Professor of Politics; chair (Spring 2024)

Vladimir V. Ivantsov, Assistant Professor of Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies
Anna Lordan, Visiting Assistant Professor of Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies
Maia V. Solovieva, Senior Lecturer of Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies

Affiliated Faculty
Nicholas Bujalski, Visiting Assistant Professor of Russian History
Stephen F. Crowley, Professor of Politics
Sheila Miyoshi Jager, Professor of East Asian Studies
Kristina Paabus, Associate Professor of Studio Art and Director of the Oberlin Center for Russian, East European, and Central Asian Studies
Annemarie H. Sammartino, Professor of History
Veljko M. Vujacic, Professor of Sociology

Visit the program web page for up-to-date information on program faculty, visiting lecturers, and special events.

The multidisciplinary Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies Program at Oberlin College is dedicated to understanding the vast, complex, and extraordinarily diverse region that stretches from Eastern Europe and the Baltics through European Russia, the Caucasus, and Central Asia to Siberia and the Russian Far East. The program combines an array of courses in history, politics, sociology, literature, and culture with rigorous training in the Russian language.

We offer two majors: the Russian major, for students who want to focus primarily on the Russian language and Russian and Russophone literature and culture; and the Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies major, which is explicitly interdisciplinary in its focus and combines linguistic training with a range of content courses in the social sciences and the humanities. While most students choose to study Russian, with careful planning it is possible for Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies majors to count another relevant language studied elsewhere (such as Ukrainian, Georgian, or Uzbek) toward the major.

Students interested in this region and in learning Russian should consider living in Russian House.

Learn more about program housing supported by the program.

OCREECAS

Created in 1998 through support from The Clowes Fund and a private donation, the Oberlin Center for Russian, East European, and Central Asian Studies (OCREECAS) promotes greater awareness of the region at Oberlin. OCREECAS sponsors internship opportunities in Eastern Europe, the Balkans, and the Baltic states, as well as the Caucasus and Central Asia; until recently it also sent many students to Russia. OCREECAS also enhances the Oberlin curriculum through guest lectures and occasional on-campus residencies by visiting scholars and artists.

See information about Research, Internships, Study Away, and Experiential Learning (RISE).

Explore Winter Term projects and opportunities.

Departmental Policies

Initial Placement

Incoming students with previous training in Russian should consult with the program chair to determine the level at which they should continue. Students beginning at Oberlin can enroll in RUSS 101 during the fall semester or take the Winter Term Intensive Elementary Russian course.

Majors and Minors

Curriculum

Our multi-year sequence of Russian language courses gives students extensive training in speaking, reading, and writing in Russian and provides them with a working understanding of Russian and Russophone culture. The program places a strong emphasis on building functional communicative skills so that students acquire the linguistic and cultural tools necessary to live, study, and undertake research in Russian-speaking regions.

We also offer a wide range of literature and culture courses that are taught in English and require no prior knowledge of Russian. These include first-year seminars as well our 200-level topical courses, which are open to everyone without prerequisite.

Note that our 400-level literature and culture courses are in Russian.

Students interested in pursuing the Russian, East European, and Eurasian studies major or minor should explore the courses offered by various other departments (history, politics, sociology, East Asian studies) that focus on that part of the world. These include many courses at the 100- and 200-level that have no prerequisites.

Courses

Russian

Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies