Program Overview

Overview of the Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies MA Program

The Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies (REEES) MA program is an interdisciplinary professional degree that focuses on Russian language proficiency and the cultures of Russia, East Europe, and Eurasia. The program is designed to provide students with a strong foundation in the history, politics, and culture of the region, as well as advanced Russian language skills.

Program Requirements

The REEES MA program requires students to complete at least 30 credit hours of coursework, which includes 14 hours of required courses and 16 hours of elective courses. Students may choose to pursue a thesis or non-thesis option.

Required Courses

• RUSS 5010: Advanced Russian Seminar 1
• RUSS 5020: Advanced Russian Seminar 2
• REES 5110: Slavic Culture and Society
• REES 5120: Russia after Communism: Post-Soviet Politics and Culture

Elective Courses

Students may choose from a variety of elective courses, including:

• RUSS 5050: Professional Russian 2
• REES 5210: Topics in Russian, East European and Eurasian Culture
• REES 5211: History of Russian and Soviet Cinema
• REES 5221: Stalinism: Culture and Society
• RUSS 5220: Topics in Russian, East European and Eurasian Culture (in Russian)
• RUSS 5230: Russian Cultural Idioms 2
• REES 5251: Russian and Soviet Queer Culture
• REES 5301: American-Russian Cultural Relations
• REES 5321: Mythological Russia and Ukraine
• REES 5352: Russian Novel: Theory and Practice
• REES 5431: Dostoevsky
• REES 5441: Tolstoy
• REES 5451: Chekhov
• REES 5471: Women in 20th-21st Century Russian, East European and Eurasian Cultures
• REES 5481: Rogues to Revolutionaries: Russian Rebels, Past and Present
• REES 5821: 20th Century Russian Literature and Art
• REES 5830: Topics in Literature and History
• REES 5831: Contemporary Russian Literature
• RUSS 5841: History of Modern Russian Drama
• REES 5851: Critical Thinking: Russian Film and Society
• RUSS 5850: Russian Film and Society
• REES 5861: Absurd and Supernatural in Russian Literature
• REES 5871: Understanding Ukraine: Culture, Diversity, Conflict
• REES 5900: Independent Study

Degree Plans

The REEES MA program offers two degree plans: the thesis option and the non-thesis option.

Thesis Option

Students who choose the thesis option must complete at least 30 credit hours of coursework, including 24 hours of coursework and 6 thesis hours. Students must submit a thesis and pass a one-hour oral defense.

Non-Thesis Option

Students who choose the non-thesis option must complete at least 30 credit hours of coursework, then pass a written MA final exam and a one-hour oral defense.

Learning Outcomes

By the completion of the program, students will be able to:

• Demonstrate an advanced level of understanding of and critical engagement with historical periodization and major cultural shifts in the region.
• Demonstrate awareness of and engagement with important and relevant current and past academic scholarship in Russian, East European and Eurasian studies.
• Formulate independent research questions, utilize advanced research methodologies and apply critical thinking in order to analyze complex regional issues, works of literature and arts, develop original scholarship and contribute to academic discussions.
• Recognize cultural, linguistic, ethnic and religious diversity of the countries on the territories of Eastern Europe, the former Russian Empire and the Soviet Union and to be able to apply this knowledge to a critical and comparative interpretation of their cultural and political life.
• Develop proficiency in Russian language or other regional languages, written and spoken, to the level of advanced low on the ACTFL scale, in order to enable culturally appropriate communication, professional communication, self-expression and creativity.