• Major Program
• Minor Program
• First-year Focus
• Current Courses

First-year Focus

Why study Slavic Languages and Literatures?

The Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures offers a full program of study in Russian language and literature and a range of other courses on the languages, culture, film, poetry, drama, and history of Eastern Europe. Russian study encompasses a broad discipline that touches on many others. The rich heritage of Russia includes much that is fundamental to Western culture. For example, Turgenev, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, and Chekhov probe philosophical, social, political, and psychological issues that are central to the modern experience. Courses in Russian literature open up the artistry and ideas of this intellectual tradition. Russian language study may also serve as an entrée into other Slavic languages; with a foundation in Russian, one can branch off into related Slavic traditions.

Exam Credit

*Our department offers placement exams for students who want to continue studying Russian, Polish or Czech (as well as Macedonian and Bulgarian). If you have prior knowledge of one of these languages, either from home or from previous study, you must take a placement exam before enrolling in a course. Once you have completed the exam, you will be told what course you should enroll in and when that course will next be offered.

Good Classes for First-year Students

Our department offers many courses that require no language knowledge or prerequisite course credits. These include introductory courses in Russian, Polish, and Czech as well as a range of literature, poetry, film, and drama courses. (Note: If you have prior knowledge of of the languages listed above, you are obligated to take a placement test before enrolling.) Such courses include the 210 cycle (Slavic 210-1, 210-2, 210-3), which address the major prose writers of nineteenth-century Russia, Slavic 211-1 and 211-2, which address twentieth-century Russian literature, and Slavic 261, which is dedicated to Polish literature, culture, and history in the twentieth-century.

Questions?

You can take a look at major and minor requirements on our website, but if you have questions about our major and courses, please contact Dr. Elisabeth Elliott, Director of Undergraduate Studies and Director of Slavic Languages, at eelliott@northwestern.edu.