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Major Requirements

Davidson does not currently offer a major in Russian, however students can create their own Russian Studies major through the Center for Interdisciplinary Studies.

Minor Requirements

Elementary and Intermediate Russian (RUS 101-102 and 201-202) are required for the minor. In addition, students must take six courses, three of which must be taken at Davidson. These must include:

1. At least four courses in literature or advanced language selected from the following Russian courses: 260, 270, 290, 293, 294, 295, 297, 301, 319, 320, 395, 396, 401, 410 and courses taken abroad with department approval (329-379). No more than two courses may be a course in literature or culture in translation.
2. HIS 125 (Modern Russia) and POL 336 (Post-Soviet State Politics) or comparable courses taken abroad.
 
The Department strongly recommends study abroad in a Russian-speaking country.

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Placement

Achievement tests taken at Davidson are used to place entering students at an appropriate level. (These tests are used only for placement; credit is awarded only through the AP or International Baccalaureate programs or through transfer of college courses.)

Students who have studied Russian prior to entering Davidson but have not been awarded college credit for it will take a placement test at Davidson and will be placed at a level appropriate to them on the basis of the test, their language experience, and an oral interview. No student with a background of Russian study may take Russian 101 for credit without the permission of the department.

Study Abroad

Students minoring in Russian are strongly encouraged to study abroad. Professor Ewington will help students interested in spending a summer, semester, or academic year in Russia choose a suitable study-abroad program. In recent years Davidson students have studied with Middlebury in Moscow, Middlebury in Yaroslavl', and CIEE in St. Petersburg.

Russian Courses and General Davidson Requirements

Core Requirements: Russian 260, 270, 290, 294, 297, 320, and 410 satisfy the core requirement in literature ( or "Literary Studies, Creative Writing, and Rhetoric" for students entering in 2012).

Cultural diversity: Russian 260, 270, 290, 293, 294, 297, 320, 410, and 410 fulfill the cultural diversity requirement.

Foreign Language Requirement: Russian 201 meets the foreign language requirement for graduation.

Writing: WRI 101: "Russia & the West" satisfies the Davidson writing requirement.