The Russian Program at Tulane offers intellectually rigorous and interdisciplinary pathways for both majors and minors, combining advanced language study with courses in literature, history, politics, and culture. Whether students are interested in classical authors such as Tolstoy and Dostoevsky, Soviet-era film and Jewish experience in Russia, or post-Soviet politics and identity, our curriculum offers a dynamic and globally relevant education rooted in the richness and diversity of the Russian-speaking world.
Russian Studies Major
The Russian Major consists of 27 credits (nine courses) beyond Russian 2030. Students are required to complete:
- At least four upper-level courses taught in Russian, including Russian 2040
- At least five courses taught in English, such as:
- Tolstoy and Dostoevsky
- The Soviet Jewish Experience
- Russian Art and Architecture
- Special Topics (may count multiple times)
Each semester, the program offers RUSS 4810/4820 Special Topics courses that reflect contemporary issues and faculty expertise. These courses allow students to explore areas such as empire, identity, memory politics, and cultural resistance in both historical and modern contexts.
Recent special topics courses include:
- Spring 2025 – Writing the Empire: Russian Literature and Colonial Encounters
- Fall 2024 – Disentangling Eurasia: Identity and Conflict in the Post-Soviet Space
- Spring 2023 – Revisiting the Dead House: Russian Narratives of Political Imprisonment
- Fall 2022 – Narratives from the Post-Soviet Borderlands: Russia and the Caucasus
- Spring 2022 – Russian Film: Soviet and Post-Soviet Cinema and Society
- Fall 2021 – 19th-Century Russian Literature in Translation
- Fall 2020 – Russian Modern Literature, 1930 to Today
- Fall 2019 – Post-Soviet Borderlands: Ukraine, Belarus, the Caucasus, and Central Asia
Students may also petition to count up to two courses outside the department (such as Russian history or political science courses) toward the major. Study abroad credits from accredited institutions in the U.S. or abroad are generally accepted. Students who study abroad may count up to four courses toward the major for a full academic year abroad, and up to three for one semester. Upon returning, students are expected to enroll in at least two advanced Russian-language courses.
Russian Studies Minor
The Russian Minor consists of 15 credits (five courses) beyond Russian 2030. Students are required to take:
- Two courses taught in Russian, including Russian 2040
- Three courses taught in English, which may include:
- Tolstoy and Dostoevsky
- The Soviet Jewish Experience
- Russian Art and Architecture
- Special Topics (may count multiple times)
Students may petition to count one relevant course from outside the department toward the minor. The department also accepts transfer credit from accredited summer or semester programs. Students may count up to three courses toward the minor from a full academic year abroad, and up to two courses from one semester abroad.
The Russian Major and Minor prepare students for careers and graduate study in international relations, policy, journalism, public health, law, and global education. Through courses that blend literary analysis, historical depth, and geopolitical insight, students gain cultural fluency and critical skills that are increasingly essential in today's interconnected world.
RUSS Courses:
- RUSS 2040 Intermediate Russian ll
- RUSS 3030 Masterpieces Russ Lit l
- RUSS 3040 Masterpieces Russ Lit ll
- RUSS 3250 Advanced Russian Grammar
- RUSS 3330 Adv. Russ. Conversation
- RUSS 3450 Tolstoy/Dostoevsky-Trans
- RUSS 3530 Russian Art and Architecture
- RUSS 3700 Russian Poetry
- RUSS 3780 Soviet Jewish Experience
- RUSS 4810/4820 Special Topics (may count multiple times)
- RUSS 4910/4920 Independent Study
- RUSS 4990/5000 Honors Thesis
- RUSS 5110 Capstone (Departmental Approval Required)
Elective courses outside of the Department:
- HISE 1510 Napoleon in Russia 1812
- HISE 2250 Russia since 1825-Present
- HISE 3250 Russia at War, 1939-1945
- HISE 3260 Putin's Russia
- HISE 6510 The Russian Revolution: 1900-1924
- HISE 6511 Stalin's Russia, 1924-1953
All questions related to the Russian courses and to the Russian Major/Minor Program please address to Prof. Lidia Zhigunova Reveal Email Address and to Prof. William Brumfield Reveal Email Address