Major in Russian and Slavic Studies

The prerequisite for declaring the major is proficiency in Russian or Czech at or above the Intermediate II level. Students with proficiency in Czech at or above the Intermediate II level must also have proficiency in Russian at or above the Elementary II level. Students who are not Russian heritage speakers and have proficiency above Intermediate II must take at least one Advanced Russian or Advanced Czech course. Heritage speakers with proficiency above Intermediate II must consult with the director of undergraduate studies when declaring the major.

The major in Russian and Slavic studies comprises nine 4-point courses (36 points) completed with a C or better, as follows:

• At least five courses (20 points) must be chosen from the department’s offerings on culture, literature, or language above the level of Intermediate Russian or Czech II or Russian Grammar and Composition II.
• Of the remaining four courses (16 points), some or all may be satisfied (with departmental permission) with courses pertaining to Russian and Slavic studies in other departments and programs.

No course toward the major may be double-counted toward a major in any other department.

The College Core Curriculum’s Cultures and Contexts course on Russia (when offered) can count toward the major with permission from the director of undergraduate studies. Other Core courses taught by faculty in the Department of Russian and Slavic Studies may be accepted, under certain conditions, toward the undergraduate major or minor. Consult the director of undergraduate studies.

Majors can take up to two graduate courses offered by the department with permission from both the director of undergraduate studies and the course instructor.

All Russian majors are strongly encouraged to spend a semester or summer in Russia.

Students with an overall GPA of 3.65 or above and a departmental GPA of 3.65 or above are urged to participate in the departmental honors program. (See “honors program” below.)

For more information, please contact the department director of the Honors program: ilya.kliger@nyu.edu.

Credit for Independent Study (RUSSN-UA 997, 998) is available for Russian and Slavic studies majors only, up to a maximum of 8 points. Credit for Internships (RUSSN-UA 980) is also available for majors only, up to a maximum of 4 points. Consult the director of undergraduate studies for additional requirements.

Only Russian and Slavic studies majors will be admitted to graduate courses in the department. A maximum of two graduate courses (8 points)—not taken in the same semester—may be counted toward the major.

Students wishing to pursue honors in the major must maintain at least a 3.65 average in all Russian and Slavic studies courses and a 3.65 average overall. Applications for admission to the program should be made to the chair of the department prior to the second semester of the junior year. An honors student must either write a 5,000-word thesis or take four additional courses (16 points) related to the major and selected in consultation with the adviser. A departmental honors committee determines, based on the student’s academic work, whether or not to recommend him or her for an honors degree.