Why Study Russian Language and Culture?
Russia's geopolitical situation in the world has somehow always guaranteed its place as the bearer and protector of a unique truth. For example, until the Bolshevik revolution in 1917 Russia followed a calendar that was 13 days behind the calendar used in Western Europe. Russia is different – and rigorous study of Russia's language and culture challenges our own perceptions of right and wrong, good and evil, love and death. Russia's intellectuals have debated universal questions about the nature of space and time, justice and truth, to create some of the most entertaining and sophisticated literature, ballet, art, and film the world has known.
Our program empowers students to explore Russia's great writers and the language they employed, to analyze the images in art and film that iconically represent Russia to itself and others, to contemplate the layers of belief, ritual, and representation that emerge from Russia's blended European and Asian cultural history. Whether you were born in Russia or have no concept of it beyond its infamous tyrants, structured examination of Russian culture will not leave you unmoved or unchanged.
