Certificate of Proficiency

To be eligible for admission to the Program in Russian and Eurasian Studies a student must meet the following requirements by the end of his or her sophomore year:

• 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.

Certificate applicant worksheet
Certificate requirements

A student choosing to pursue a Certificate of Proficiency in Russian and Eurasian Studies must complete the normal requirements in their department as well as the following requirements of the program. The proposed course of study must be approved each term by the director.

• 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: Advanced proficiency in the target language of study (Russian, Turkish, or Polish).

• Independent Work: Senior thesis or junior paper in the student's home department related to Russian and Eurasian studies.

Certificate Courses

The undergraduate courses of interest to RES certificate students are offered by an array of departments. Some courses, not listed below, may also qualify for the certificate. Please contact Program Manager Audrey Mainzer with any questions.

Course descriptions are available in the current Undergraduate Announcement, which can be found online at the Office of the Registrar.

Courses of Interest

Fall 2009

HIS 360 The Russian Empire: From Peter the Great to Nicholas II
HIS 559 The Soviet Empire and Successor States
RUS 101 Beginner's Russian I
RUS 105 Intermediate Russian
RUS 207 Advanced Russian Reading and Conversation I
RUS 405  Advanced Russian Grammar through Reading
RUS 407 Advanced Russian Reading, Composition, and Conversation
SLA 219  History of Russian Literature before 1860
SLA 416  Dostoevsky
SLA 531  Topics in Russian Literature or Literary Theory - Russian Women Writers
SOC 303/ EAS 303 Strategic Asia
SOC 307 National Identities and Great Powers  

Language Requirements

Expertise in a core language of Eurasia is central to the program. Applicable languages include Russian, Turkish, and Polish. Students whose primary language 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 or Polish 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.

Russian Language>>  
Polish Language>>
Turkish Language>> 

Study Abroad

The Program in Russian and Eurasian Studies strongly encourages and supports study abroad as a way for students to gain language proficiency and actively experience the region's culture. Study abroad includes dedicated language study, internships, and research.

Students may choose to spend a semester or an entire academic year in Russia or a Eurasian country. The program maintains information and offers advice on a number of study abroad programs. For more information contact Program Manager Audrey Mainzer or the University's Office of International Programs.

Other opportunities for study abroad are sometimes available. For instance, the Princeton Institute for International and Regional Studies offered six-week intensive courses in Istanbul and St. Petersburg as part of the Global Seminars study abroad program in the summer of 2009. These seminars included study, language instruction, travel, and community service.  In Istanbul, there were internship opportunities available at the conclusion of the seminar.

The undergraduate and graduate students in Russian- and Eurasian-area studies who conduct research abroad are supported by a variety of sources on campus, including the Princeton Institute for International and Regional Studies , Office of the Dean of the College, and various academic departments. The Program in Russian and Eurasian Studies assists in locating contacts for students throughout the many regions of Russia and Eurasia.

Russia>>
Turkey>>

Independent Work

When feasible, students will submit senior theses on a Russian or Eurasian topic within their departmental concentration using Russian, Polish, or Turkic language materials. Alternatively, the topic may fall under comparative studies relating to Eurasia. With approval from the director of the Program in Russian and Eurasian Studies, students majoring in one of the sciences, mathematics, or engineering whose senior thesis does not deal with a Russian or Eurasian subject may complete the program by submitting an original piece of research dealing with Russia or Eurasia (in an appendix to a study of Russian work in the given experimental field, for example). Junior independent work may also be considered.

Student Initiatives

Russian Club
Georgian Choir

Library Collections

Princeton University Library's Russian, Eurasian, and Slavic studies collections number over 300,000 volumes and are comprised of print and electronic texts, electronic databases, electronic data sets, maps, archival collections, currently published research materials in all formats, and solid historical collections in microformats. For information on these resources go to Russian Studies and Slavic Resources.

For more information contact Nina Shapiro, Slavic bibliographer at Firestone Library.

Research Focus Groups

Research Network 1989