Russian and East European Studies
Director of the Russian and East European Center: Donna A. BuchananDirector of Graduate Studies: Donna A. Buchanan
104 International Studies Building
910 South Fifth Street, Champaign, IL 61820
(217) 333-1244
Fax: (217) 333-1582
E-mail: reec@uiuc.edu
Graduate Degree Programs
The Russian, East European, and Eurasian Center administers a two-year interdisciplinary program of international, area studies, and language courses leading to a master of arts degree. The program is designed for the needs both of students preparing for further academic study in a particular discipline and students preparing for careers in government, business, the media, international law, private foundations, or cultural exchange. The program provides broad exposure to the history, cultures, societies, and politics of the area as well as to the variety of disciplinary and interdisciplinary approaches to its study.Admission
Applicants for admission to the master of arts program should have completed at least two years of Russian or another language of Eastern Europe or Eurasia and hold a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution of higher education. The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is required. Admission requirements of the Graduate College also apply. The minimum paper-based Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) score is 550 (213 on the computer-based test). Admission is ordinarily limited to the fall semester, but occasional exceptions are made for spring and summer admission.Master of Arts
Candidates for the master of arts degree must achieve third-year competency in Russian or another language of Eastern Europe or Eurasia and complete 38 graduate hours of graduate coursework. These include a 4 graduate hour introductory seminar in Russian and East European studies (REES 550), a 4 graduate hour course in Slavic Bibliography (LIS 530), and 32 additional graduate hours. Of these 32, 24 must be in core courses in Russian, East European, or Eurasian studies, earned in at least three different disciplines. At least two courses must be at the 500 level. Language courses do not count toward the 24 graduate hours in core courses, but may be counted toward the total of 38 graduate hours if taken at the 400 level or above. A master’s thesis or major research paper is required, to be based on research using primary sources, including sources in the language used to meet the competency requirement. Candidates for the master’s degree are expected to maintain a GPA of 3.25 in courses taken for the program.Specialization in Russian Language and Area Studies
A certificate of specialization in Russian language and area studies
is offered by the Russian, East European, and Eurasian Center in cooperation
with various departments and schools. It is for persons with the baccalaureate
who are enrolled in advanced studies in any discipline and who wish
at the same time to gain a knowledge of the Russian language and area.
Other languages and area concentrations may be approved by the director
of the center. The requirements are (1) a good command
of written and spoken Russian, equivalent to at least three years
of college study. (2) At least 24 graduate hours in coursework relating
to Russia, of which at least 4 graduate hours must be Slavic Bibliography
(LIS 530). The remaining graduate hours must be distributed among
at least three of the departments represented in the program (including,
but not limited to, anthropology, economics, geography, history, law,
library and information science, political science, Slavic languages
and literatures, and sociology), other than the student’s own
major department. (Up to 4 graduate hours from the major department
may be counted as part of this requirement.) (3) A special essay
based largely on Russian sources, which must meet, at the minimum,
the standard usually required in a master’s thesis. A copy of
the student’s master’s or doctoral thesis may be submitted
in fulfillment of this requirement.
Students in other disciplines and in professional schools and colleges
who seek knowledge of Russian and East European studies are invited
to consult with the director of the center in order to design individualized
programs.
Graduate Minor in Balkan Studies : The Balkan Studies graduate minor is designed for M.A. or Ph.D. students in other disciplines who desire to complement their degree program with interdisciplinary study of the Balkans. Students interested in pursuing the minor must have a minimum of two years of college-level study of a language of the region (e.g., Albanian, Bulgarian, Croatian or Serbian, modern Greek, Hungarian, Macedonian, Romani, Romanian, Slovene, Turkish, Yiddish). Requirements for the minor include LIS 530 (Slavic Bibliography) and 16 graduate hours of coursework (8 hours at the 500-level) that relates to the Balkans, 12 hours of which must be taken outside the student's enrolling department. Students must also submit a research paper primarily on the Balkans. A program of study can be tailored to the needs and interests of the individual student in consultation with Center staff; for admission to the program contact the Center.
Graduate Minor in Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies : The Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies graduate minor is designed for M.A. or Ph.D. students in other disciplines who desire to complement their degree program with interdisciplinary study of Russia , Eastern Europe , and Eurasia . Students interested in pursuing the minor must have a minimum of two years of college-level study of a language of the region. Requirements for the minor include LIS 530 (Slavic Bibliography) and 16 graduate hours of coursework (8 hours at the 500-level) that relates to Russia , Eastern Europe , or Eurasia , 12 of which must be taken outside the student's enrolling department. Students must also submit a research paper primarily on the region. A program of study can be tailored to the needs and interests of the individual student in consultation with Center staff; for admission to the program contact the Center.
Research Interests
Faculty affiliated with the Russian, East European, and Eurasian Center teach in more than a dozen different disciplines in the social sciences and the humanities. Research interests range widely and include both contemporary and historical studies of the region, studies of past transformations and of the current post-communist transitions, and inquiries into such topics as social identities, cultural values, artistic and literary expression, urbanization, revolution, labor, and gender.Facilities
Founded in 1959, the Center is a major national center for the training of specialists in the field of Russian, East European, and Eurasian studies and serves as an intellectual and institutional center for members of the university community and the public interested in this important and complex region. The Russian, East European, and Eurasian Center seeks to foster a lively intellectual life through conferences, lectures, colloquia, visiting scholars, study groups, exhibits, films, and social activities. In addition, the center offers an annual Summer Research Laboratory on Russia, Eastern Europe, and Eurasia, which attracts approximately 200 scholars to campus. The lab features special workshops, seminars, lectures, films, and other events, most of which are free and open to the public. The University also hosts a wide range of visitors from throughout Eastern Europe, Russia, and the Eurasia each year.The Slavic and East European Library is one of the leading collections in the country and ranks as one of the three largest Slavic and East European collections among American universities and the largest of any library west of Washington, D.C. Holdings in Slavic and East European languages total more than a half a million volumes. In addition, there are also over 111,000 volumes on Russian, Eastern Europe, and Eurasia in Western languages. The library also holds an exceptionally rich collection of microforms, often reproducing very rare materials. Current journal subscriptions from the area number over 4,000. The Slavic and East European reading room is unique, housing basic reference works, including bibliographies, serial indexes, library catalogs, archival guides and databases, dictionaries, and encyclopedias, as well as current issues of about 1,000 periodicals in Western and area languages and of 100 newspapers. A special feature of the Slavic and East European reading room is the presence of professional librarians, with strong area training, who regularly provide reference and bibliographical services to all users.