OPEN DOORS WITH RUSSIAN STUDIES

You always hear students say, “Oh, Russian? No way! That’s too hard!” But it’s easier than you think! The alphabet looks daunting, but is easily conquerable in the first two weeks of classes. And Russian has only three verb tenses (whereas English has twelve). Russian is the most widely spoken language in Europe, the second most widely used language on the Internet, the eighth most widely spoken language in the world, and one of only two official languages spoken on the International Space Station. When you meet Russian speakers (wherever you are) you'll find that they will be impressed and appreciative even if you know only a little bit of their language.

Students of the UD Russian Studies Program also learn about significant moments in the long history of Russia and Russian speakers, and their unique, influential culture. It is not for nothing that Soviet propaganda advertised the USSR as “the most well-read country in the world”–today, still, literature holds special significance for Russian speakers. We draw on some of the most famous and popular Russian literary works to develop our students’ communication skills and cultural knowledge, as well as other Russophone media, including film, television, songs, social media, news articles, and even scholarly essays. 

Russian is one of the US Department of Defense’s six “strategic languages,” and it is classified as a “critical language” by the US Department of State, FBI, CIA, and NSA; Russian language skills and cultural knowledge, therefore, are very highly valued by recruiters and managers in these government agencies and the military. A background in Russian will also open doors to careers in politics, foreign service, NGOs and human rights’ organizations, cybersecurity, international business, the fuel industries, environmental science, space exploration, music, dance, ice skating, and hockey. Our interdisciplinary approach to teaching Russian language–drawing on authentic materials from Russian culture, politics, and history–prepares our students for professional success in any of these important fields.