Russian

OFFICE: Storm Hall 224A
TELEPHONE: 619-594-5111 / FAX: 619-594-8006
E-MAIL: russian.coord@sdsu.edu
WEBSITE: http://russian.sdsu.edu

Chair: Clarissa Clò, Professor of Italian (B.A., University of Bologna, Italy; M.A., University of Cincinnati; Ph.D., University of California, San Diego)

Russian Program Director and Undergraduate Adviser: Daria Shembel, Ph.D.

Emeriti Faculty:
Vytas Dukas, Ph.D., 1959-1988, Professor of Russian
Leland A. Fetzer, Ph.D., 1966-1992, Professor of Russian
Veronica Shapovalov, Ph.D., 1988-2019, Professor of Russian

Undergraduate Information

The Major

Russian is one of the most widely used languages in the world today. About one-third of all scientific articles are published in Russian. Some of the world’s great literature has been produced by Russian writers such as Tolstoy, Chekhov, and Solzhenitsyn. The political impact of the Commonwealth of Independent States is felt internationally. Knowledge of Russian will provide students with a better understanding of one of the world’s important and influential countries.

The Russian program offers a wide range of courses, including specialized courses in literature and linguistics. This major is useful preparation for graduate programs in international trade, international law, librarianship, public administration, and journalism. This program requires intensive scholarly investigation and may prepare students for careers in which fluency in Russian is essential.

Knowledge of Russian, particularly when combined with business related courses, is becoming a valuable asset. Many American firms have opened offices in Moscow and St. Petersburg, and the volume of American trade with Russia has been growing at a rapid pace. As a result, there are indications of an expanding interest in Russian graduates by American business organizations with employment possibilities in the United States and Russia. Moreover, students may consider the option of pursuing a double major in another European language.

Other career possibilities include Russian specialists, generally employed by the federal government; high school teachers, librarians, translators, and interpreters.

Russian majors and minors are encouraged to explore the opportunities for study in Russia that are now becoming available.

Advising

All College of Arts and Letters majors are urged to consult with their department adviser as soon as possible; they are required to meet with their department adviser within the first two semesters after declaration or change of major.

Impacted Program

The Russian major is an impacted program. To be admitted to the Russian major, students must meet the following criteria:

Complete preparation for the major;
Complete a minimum of 60 transferable semester units;
Have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0.

To complete the major, students must fulfill the degree requirements for the major described in the catalog in effect at the time they are accepted into the premajor at SDSU (assuming continuous enrollment).

Major Academic Plans (MAPs)

Visit http://www.sdsu.edu/mymap for the recommended courses needed to fulfill your major requirements. The MAPs website was created to help students navigate the course requirements for their majors and to identify which General Education course will also fulfill a major preparation course requirement.

Graduate Information

General Information

The Department of European Studies offers coursework in Russian which may be used toward fulfilling advanced degree requirements in Interdisciplinary Studies and other departments with the approval of the student’s graduate adviser.