General Requirements

Students must meet the following requirements by the end of his or her sophomore year to be eligible for admission to the certificate program.

• Satisfactory completion of the established requirements for admission to one of the cooperating departments or to a department whose plan of study may be combined with this interdepartmental program.
• Initiation of study of the Russian language or other target language. Students without previous training in Russian are advised to begin their study not later than the first term of the sophomore year and earlier, if possible.
• A student choosing to pursue a certificate, must complete the normal requirements in his or her department as well as the following requirements of the program. The proposed course of study must be approved each term by the director.
• To obtain the certificate, students must choose one of the two tracks currently offered by the program: Russian and Eurasian (RES) and East European Cultures and Societies (EECS).

Coursework Requirement

The certificate requires students to complete four regular courses (two 200-level courses and two 300-level courses) in the following disciplines:

• History: One upper-level course on the history of the Russian empire, the Soviet Union, or Eurasia.
• Literature: One upper-level course in the literatures of the Russia and/or Eurasia.
• Social Sciences: One course in the anthropology, sociology, politics and/or economics of Russia and/or Eurasia.
• Plus 1: One additional course from the three main subject areas or from a list of preapproved specialty courses.

Language Requirement

Expertise in a core language of Eurasia is central to the program. Applicable languages include Russian or Turkish. Students whose primary language of study is Russian must successfully complete one Russian language course beyond 207 or otherwise achieve this level of competence. Students in the program whose focus is Turkish must complete the equivalent of the second year in that language. Native speakers and students with previous training in any of the languages of Eurasia can fulfill the language requirement by passing a placement test.

Senior Thesis

A senior thesis or junior paper in the student’s home department related to Russia, Eastern Europe and/or Eurasia. Students should consult with the REEES director for approval of their independent work plans.