Major and Minor Requirements

Four majors are available to students in the Barnard Slavic Department:   (1) Russian Language and Literature or (2) Slavic and East European Literature and Culture (humanities track); and (3) Russian Regional Studies or (4) Slavic and East European Regional Studies (social science track). Prospective Slavic majors are encouraged to consult with a member of the faculty as early as possible in order to determine the major track that will best serve their background and interests.

Barnard students may also minor in Russian, which requires a total of 5 courses beyond the second-year language level.

For more detailed information, including a sample four-year class schedule for the Russian major, see the "Undergraduate Programs" pages on our main Department website (www.columbia.edu/cu/slavic).

For a printer-friendly checklist of major requirements, click here (PDF).

Major Requirements (divided by track):

1. Russian Language and Literature
2. Slavic and East European Literature and Culture (Czech, Polish, Serbian/Croatian/Bosnian, Ukrainian)
3. Russian Regional Studies
4. Slavic and East European Regional Studies (Czech, Polish, Serbian/Croatian/Bosnian, Ukrainian)
5. Minor Requirements

1.Russian Language and Literature

(a) Completion of four years of the Russian language, or the equivalent (for those who enter with a high level of fluency).

Native speakers of Russian who place out of the standard Russian language courses must substitute at least two of the following:

• V3430 Russian for Heritage Speakers
• W3010 Masterpieces of 19th-Century Russian Literature
• W3340 Masterpieces of 20th-Century Russian Literature

(b) Six Courses in Russian literature, to include:

• V3333-3334 Introduction to Russian Literature I and II;
• V3220 Literature and Empire: The Reign of the Russian Novel;
• V3221 Literary Avant-garde and Revolution: The Century of Russian Modernism;
• V3595 Senior Seminar;
• and at least one further course with required reading in Russian. Other Russian Literature courses may be substituted upon consultation with adviser.

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2. Slavic and East European Literature and Culture:

(a) Completion of the third-year course (or the equivalent) in Czech, Polish, Serbo-Croatian, or Ukrainian language.

(b) Six courses in literature, theater or film of the region, potentially including independent study courses.

(c) Two courses in related fields (history, art history, music, etc.), including at least one course in the history of the region.

(d) Two semesters of a senior research seminar or the equivalent, leading to the completion of a senior thesis.

NOTE: A student in this major must design her program in close consultation with her advisor in order to insure intellectual, disciplinary, and regional coherence.

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3. Russian Regional Studies:

(a) Completion of the four years of Russian or the equivalent (see Russian Language and Literature major requirements above)

(b) Two courses in Russian or Soviet Literature (in translation or in Russian)

(c) Two courses in Russian history

(d) One course in Soviet/post-Soviet politics

(e) One course on Russia or the Soviet Union in any discipline (history, art history, geography, sociology, economics, literature, political science, etc.)

(f) Two semesters of a senior research seminar or the equivalent in independent study with research to be conducted predominantly in Russian language sources.

NOTE: In consultation with her advisor, a student may elect to take one or more courses devoted to a region other than Russia that is located on the territory of the former Soviet Union.

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4. Slavic and East European Regional Studies Major--Czech, Polish, Serbo-Croatian, Ukrainian:

(a) Completion of the third-year course (or the equivalent) in Czech, Polish, Serbo-Croatian, or Ukrainian language.

(b) Two courses in literature of the chosen region (in the original or in translation)

(c) Two courses in Slavic/East European history

(d) One course in Slavic/East European politics

(e) One course on the relevant region in any discipline (history, art history, geography, sociology, economics, literature, political science, etc.)

(f) Two semesters of a senior research seminar or the equivalent in independent study with research to be conducted predominantly in Russian language sources.

NOTE: A student in this major should design her program in close consultation with her advisor in order to insure intellectual and regional coherence.

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Minor Requirements
A total of five courses beyond the second year of Russian are required.

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