Academic Programs Catalog

College of Arts and Letters

Interdepartmental and Interdisciplinary Programs

Minor in Russian and Eurasian Studies

The Minor in Russian and Eurasian Studies, which is administered by the College of Arts and Letters, is available as an elective to students who are enrolled in bachelor's degree programs at Michigan State University.  With the approval of the department and college that administer the student's degree program, the courses that are used to satisfy the requirements for the minor may also be used to satisfy the requirements for the bachelor's degree.

The Minor in Russian and Eurasian Studies is designed to enhance the student's understanding of and appreciation for the regions of the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. The minor offers an interdisciplinary, as well as a comparative and cross–cultural, approach to the study of the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe.

Requirements for the Minor in Russian and Eurasian Studies

The student must meet the requirements specified below:

               
1. Foreign Language Proficiency  
  The student must demonstrate proficiency in Russian or in a relevant Eurasian language at a level equivalent to the completion of four semesters of study at the university level. Proficiency may be demonstrated either by completing the appropriate courses or by passing a proficiency examination.  
2. Completion of a minimum of 15 credits of course work which includes courses from at least three of the following areas listed below:  
  Economics  
  EC 306 Comparative Economic Systems 3
  EC 406 Economic Analysis of Russian and the Commonwealth of Independent States (W) 3
  Geography  
  GEO 336 Geography of Europe 3
  History of Art  
  HA 410 Selected Topics in Medieval Art 4
  History  
  HST 342 Modern East-Central Europe 3
  HST 343 Russia from Peter the Great to Lenin 3
  HST 344 Russia in the Twentieth Century 3
  HST 483 Seminar in Modern European History (W) 3
  HST 490 Independent Study 1 to 4
  James Madison College  
  MC 321 The Cold War: Culture, Politics, and Foreign Policy 4
  MC 324E Regional Politics, Cooperation, and Conflict in Europe 4
  MC 325 State and Society in Comparative Perspective 4
  MC 328 Russian Foreign Policy 4
  MC 329 European Security: Challenges and Strategies 4
  MC 386 Women and Power in comparative Perspective 4
  MC 492 Senior Seminar in International Relations (W) 5
  Philosophy  
  PHL 357 Philosophy of Karl Marx 3
  PHL 416 Hegel Seminar 4
  PHL 421 Topics in European and Continental Philosophy 3
  Political Science  
  PLS 358 Politics of the U.S.S.R. and Its Successor States 3
  Russian            
  LL 250D Topics in National Cinemas: Russian and Soviet Cinema 3
  RUS 231 19th-Century Russian Literature in Translation 3
  RUS 232 20th-Century Russian Literature in Translation 3
  RUS 242 Russian and Eastern European Science Fiction 3
  RUS 311 Advanced Russian: Oral Communication 3
  RUS 341 Russian Life and Culture of the 20th Century 3
  RUS 420 Russian Life and Culture Before World War I 3
  RUS 421 Russian Life and Culture in the 20th Century 3
  RUS 440 Contemporary Russian Life and Culture (W) 3
  RUS 441 Russian Literature (W) 3
  RUS 491 Special Topics in Russian Studies 1 to 6
  RUS 493 Overseas Internship 1 to 12
  Sociology  
  SOC 490 Special Topics in Sociology 3
  In order for EC 306, HST 482, HST 490, MC 386, MC 492, PHL 421, or SOC 490 to be counted toward the requirements for the Minor in Russian and Eurasian Studies, the topic of the course must be specifically related to the regions of the former Soviet Union or Eastern Europe and be approved by the Director of the Center for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies or the Dean of the College of Arts and Letters. Students are encouraged to take independent study courses that may be helpful to students who are planning to study in the regions of the former Soviet Union or in the East European countries.