Russian Area Studies Minor
The Russian Area Studies Minor provides students with an interdisciplinary background in the history, culture, and contemporary politics of a critically important region of the world. To earn the minor, students must complete six approved courses (18 hours) in History, Political Science, Humanities, Foreign Languages and Literatures, or English, including a Senior Essay written under the direction of an approved faculty member. Students preparing for graduate study in the Russian field or planning careers in government service, international business, journalism, teaching, or development work are strongly encouraged to pursue a minor in the Russian Language in conjunction with the Russian Area Studies minor. The required GPA for the minor is 2.0. For more information please contact the minor coordinator, Dr. Amy Nelson, Department of History, 413 Major Williams Hall. e-mail: anelson@vt.edu.
The coursework for the Russian Area Studies minor is distributed as follows:
History
1. Hist 3604
Russia to Peter the Great
2. Hist 3614
Imperial Russia
3. Hist 3644 20th-Century Russia
Politics
4. Psci 3524 Politics of Post-Communist Systems (pre-req. Psci 1024)
OR Psci 3626 Foreign Policies of the Super Powers (pre-req. Psci 1024)
OR Psci 5424 Communist and Post-Communist Systems (pre-req. for undergraduates: Permission of Instructor)
Culture
5. Rus/Hum 2734 Introduction to Russian Culture and Civilization
OR Rus/Engl 3424 Russian Literature in English Translation
OR Hist/Hum 3684 Cultural History of the Soviet Union
Senior Essay
6. Rus, Psci or History 4974 (Independent Study) Senior Essay in Russian Area Studies