Russian Studies
Russian Studies at Davidson
The Russian Studies curriculum offers important opportunities to study Russian language, history, politics, and literature at this pivotal moment when Russia has unleashed a war of aggression against Ukraine that has upended the post WWII political order and sparked long-overdue examinations of Russian linguistic and cultural colonialism in Eastern Europe, the Baltics, the Caucasus, and Central Asia.
The U.S. State Department designates Russian a Critical Need language, underscoring the need to train a new generation of Russia experts after decades of neglect since the fall of the Soviet Union. Our graduates enter a world that needs their service in foreign policy, diplomacy, national security, energy, business, NGOs, publishing, and the arts.
We offer a regular sequence of Russian language courses, from beginning through advanced, and a range of surveys and seminars in Russian literature and Russian and Soviet history. Our students also take courses toward the Russian minor and majors from other departments and programs, including Political Science and Global Literary Theory. Outside the classroom, students have opportunities to engage with Russian through workshops, invited speakers, weekly Russian table, Russian club events, and volunteering in the community.
"Russian Studies has led me to more opportunities than I could have imagined when I signed up for Russian 101 in my first year. I have been able to travel abroad in Central Asia and the South Caucasus, work an internship in Washington, D.C., and begin a senior thesis. Pairing Russian Studies with my political science major has given me a unique focus in my studies that has inspired me to develop a unique skillset of Russian language, regional studies, and political science."
Russian Studies News
‘She Is Not a Footnote’: National Women’s History Museum Spotlights Pioneers, Changemakers
The National Women’s History Museum offers hundreds of biographies of women whose contributions helped shape America. From Supreme Court justices to educators, artists, scientists and top athletes, the digital-first museum documents their role in history. Museum president and CEO Frédérique Campagne Irwin, from Davidson College’s class of 1996, works to expand access and knowledge by reimagining what a cultural institution can look like in 2026 and in the age of AI.