Russian Studies Minor

Russian is great for the resume!

Not only is Russian a beautiful language – and the key to a rich cultural tradition of writers, composers, dancers, artists, and scientists – but it is also an extremely practical language for students entering today’s global economy.

The U.S. State Department designates Russian a Critical Need language and offers full study abroad scholarships, such as the Critical Language Scholarship, Fulbright, and Boren Scholarships. There is a dire need of young Russia specialists to go on to exciting careers in foreign service, academia, policy think thanks, and technology.

What will I learn?

With the Russian Studies Program, you can study the Russian language. You can also study important topics in English, such as Russia’s relationship with Europe and the U.S. in our Vampires course. We offer courses on a variety of exciting topics, such as folklore, science fiction, film, and contemporary Russia. Many of our courses fulfill General Education Humanities requirements and count for electives requirements in other programs, such as International Studies, Women’s and Gender Studies, and Film Studies.

Program Highlights

The Russian Studies Minor is a multidisciplinary course of study, combining the Russian language with literature, culture, history, and politics. The program is designed to provide students with the language skills, cultural exposure, and historical background needed to understand and interact with the over 280 million speakers of Russian in the world today. With its flexibility and interdisciplinary curriculum, the Russian Studies Minor makes for a great complement to a variety of Majors, such as international business, international studies, history, and political science.
  • Study Abroad

    The College has a partnership with the University of Tartu, the premier university of Estonia. Students can spend a semester or even a year studying Russian and a variety of other subjects in Estonia. The Harry and Reba Huge Foundation offers scholarships for College of Charleston students who want to spend a semester at the University of Tartu.

    Our students can also study abroad with SRAS in Poland, Latvia, Georgia, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, or Uzbekistan. You can spend a semester or summer exploring historic Riga, Latvia or the breathtaking mountains and delicious cuisine of Georgia as you gain fluency in Russian.

  • Location

    Russian-American relations have specific importance for the Lowcountry. The connection between Charleston and St. Petersburg dates back to the 1820s. Lord Henry Middleton of Charleston took an ambassadorial trip to St. Petersburg. The relationship is receiving increased attention now. Study first-hand the relationship between two historical cultural centers as well as two trading ports.

Carrers & Outcomes

Becoming proficient in Russian offers a tremendous advantage on the job market in a variety of fields. The Russian Program at College of Charleston can be a great fit for students interested in the following fields and many more:

  • Political Science, Law and Diplomacy
    The CIA and FBI both actively recruit students of Russian. It is also an essential language for diplomatic work in Eastern Europe and for employment in major policy think thanks in Washington, D.C.

  • Computer Science and Cybersecurity
    Large banks and corporations are hiring computer programmers and cyber security experts to deal with the increasing inflow of cybercrime originating from Russia. Knowledge of Russian is a great way to stand out for these jobs. 

  • Non Profits
    Many non-profits and NGO’s focus on the former republics of the Soviet Union, in a range of projects from urban development to sustainability and media.

  • Public Health
    The World Health Organization and non-profits work on extensive initiatives to help countries that emerged from the former Soviet Union to meet their present-day public health challenges.

  • Literature and the Arts
    The list of Russia’s cultural exports is lengthy and impressive: Tchaikovsky, Dostoevsky, Stanislavsky… The Russian Program at College of Charleston also has a long list of courses that introduce students to the rich world of Russian film, theater, and literature in English.