< College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Russian and East European Studies

The Russian and East European Center sponsors an interdisciplinary major and minor in Russian and East European Studies. These programs involve students in the study of an important and complex world area in a manner that draws together the approaches of different disciplines, while at the same time building knowledge in a single discipline. A student will construct an individual program of study, depending on the student's interests and career goals, in consultation with the undergraduate adviser of the Center.

Major in Sciences and Letters Curriculum

E-mail: reec@uiuc.edu

Web address for most current program requirements:
http://www.las.uiuc.edu/students/programs/REES/f_REES.shtml

Degree title: Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts and Sciences

Minimum required major and supporting courses equate to 46 hours.

General education: The LAS General Education requirements are set up so students automatically complete the Campus General Education requirements.

Minimum hours required for graduation: 120 hours

Departmental distinction: To qualify for departmental distinction, a student must have at least a 3.5 GPA in the courses taken for Component 2 (see below) and must complete a senior thesis in consultation with a faculty member affiliated with the center. Students who wish to qualify for distinction in this major should consult with the center director at the beginning of the junior year or earlier to prepare a suitable plan.

HOURS     REQUIREMENTS

6         Component 1: Two courses in advanced conversation 

           and/or composition (beyond the level specified by 

           the LAS language requirement) in Russian or another 

           language of Eastern Europe or the former Soviet 

           Union, or equivalent proficiency. (Students 

           considering graduate work in this field are advised 

           to continue language study beyond these 6 additional 

           hours.)

20        Component 2: Russian and East European studies core 

           courses, including:

          REES 200-Introduction to Russia and Central Eurasia

          REES 295-Senior Seminar

          14 hours: Choose one course from each of three 

           departments other than the department used for 

           component 3 below. Although some of the courses 

           used to count under component 2 may be from the 

           same discipline as those under component 3, any one 

           course may be counted toward the total for only one 

           component.1 Language courses that concentrate on 

           the basic skills of speaking, listening, reading 

           and writing cannot be counted as part of this 

           component, although Russian language courses may 

           be used as part of component 3 as described below.

20        Component 3: Courses in a single discipline. Among 

           those disciplines that are most commonly used with 

           this specialization are anthropology, economics, 

           geography, history, political science, Russian 

           language and literature, and sociology.2 Among 

           disciplines also used are business administration, 

           comparative literature, education, English, fine

           arts, French, German, journalism, linguistics, 

           mathematics, music, philosophy, psychology, and 

           various natural sciences. Others are permitted. 

           Consult your adviser.

Twelve hours advanced-level (300- or approved 200-level) courses in the major must be taken on this campus.

All foreign language requirements must be satisfied.

A Major Plan of Study Form must be completed and submitted to the LAS Student Affairs Office before the end of the fifth semester (60-75 hours). Please see your adviser.

1. The Center maintains a list of applicable courses.

2. If a foreign language is used for this component, 20 hours must be taken beyond the requirement of 6 additional hours outlined under component 1 above.

Minor in Russian and East European Studies

The minor in Russian and East European studies allows students in diverse fields to complement their programs with interdisciplinary study of Russia and Eastern Europe. Programs of study can be tailored to the needs and interests of individual students, in consultation with the undergraduate adviser.

E-mail: reec@uiuc.edu

Web address for most current program requirements:
http://www.las.uiuc.edu/p_REES.html

HOURS     REQUIREMENTS

6-8       Completion of the 103-104 sequence in Russian, or 

           the completion of another East European language 

           through the second year of that language, or 

           equivalent.

15        Courses on Russia or Eastern Europe from at least 

           three different academic units. (Literature courses 

           are acceptable for this requirement; language courses 

           are not.) No more than 6 hours may be counted from any 

           one unit; 6 hours must be at the 300 level or in 

           courses designated as advanced in the LAS Student 

           Handbook. Courses must be approved by the Russian 

           and East European studies adviser.

21        Total hours1

1. No more than 9 hours may be taken at the 100 level.

< College of Liberal Arts and Sciences