Russian, Central European, and Eurasian Studies Concentration

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Russian, Central European, and Eurasian Studies

Chair(s):

Todd Armstrong

Faculty:

Edward Cohn
Raquel Greene
Kelly Herold
Danielle Lussier
Deborah Michaels
Daniel Reynolds
John Rommereim

Russian, Central European, and Eurasian Studies (RCEES) is an interdisciplinary concentration focusing on the integrated humanistic and social scientific study of Russia, the other republics of the former Soviet Union (including territories of the Caucasus and Central Asia), and the nations of Central Europe (with particular emphasis on parts of Europe previously under Russian or Habsburg imperial and subsequent rule). RCEES students pursue an interdisciplinary study of the region by completing coursework in at least three different departments that reflects both social scientific and humanistic approaches to regional study, engaging in the study of a language from the region, and pursuing an integrated research project that brings together themes from their course of study. While students are not required to study off-campus, a summer or semester spent in the region are strongly encouraged.

Concentration requirements: 24 as follows*:

1. Study of Politics, History, and Society - 8 credits

Eight credits from the following list:

ANT 355 - Collective Memory in Anthropological Perspective 4 credits *
ECN 370 - Seminar in Political Economy 4 credits *
EDU 217 - Comparative and International Education 4 credits
HIS 238 - The Making of Modern Germany 4 credits
HIS 242 - The Rise and Fall of the Soviet Union 4 credits
HIS 244 - Ivan and Fritz Go to War: World War II on the Eastern Front 4 credits
HIS 34x - Advanced Studies in Russian History 4 credits
POL 250 - Politics of International Relations 4 credits
POL 251 - International Political Economy 4 credits
POL 257 - Nationalism 4 credits *
POL 258 - Democratization and the Politics of Regime Change 4 credits *
POL 273 - Politics of Russia 4 credits
POL 335 - Advanced Seminar in Comparative Politics 4 credits *
POL 352 - Advanced Seminar on the U.S. Foreign Policymaking Process 4 credits *
POL 354 - Political Economy of Development 4 credits *
PSY 315 - Advanced Social Psychology: Cross-Cultural Differences in Self-Construal 4 credits
Relevant Special Topic courses as approved by RCEES faculty - 4 credits

2. Study of Literature, Art, Film, and Cultural Expression - 8 credits

8 credits from the following courses:

ARH 212 - The Global Mongol Century: In the Footsteps of Marco Polo 4 credits
ARH 231 - From Beasts to Revolutionaries: Modern Art in Europe, 1900–1940 4 credits *
ARH 400 - Seminar in Art History 4 credits *
GRM 263 - German Cinema 4 credits
GRM 270 - The Holocaust Remembered 4 credits or the cross-listed GLS 270
GRM 274 - Race, Gender, and Sexuality in Modern Germany 4 credits
GRM 335 - German Media Revolutions 4 credits
GRM 360 - German Comics and Graphic Novels 4 credits
PHI 215 - Existentialism 4 credits *
PHI 234 - 19th-Century Continental Philosophy 4 credits
PHI 266 - Reading Hannah Arendt 4 credits or the cross-list POL 266
RES 291 - Perspectives in 20th-Century Central and Eastern European Literature 4 credits or the cross-listed GLS 291
RUS 214 - Comrades in the Kitchen: Russian Food and Culture in the Soviet Century 4 credits
RUS 247 - The Russian Short Story 4 credits or the cross-listed GLS 247
RUS 248 - The Russian Novel 4 credits or the cross-listed GLS 248
RUS 251 - The Theme of the African in Russian Literature and Culture 4 credits
RUS 261 - History of Russian Film 4 credits or the cross-listed GLS 261
RUS 281 - Major Russian Writers 4 credits or the cross-listed GLS 281
RUS 313 - Present through the Past: Russian Cultural Traditions 4 credits
RUS 389 - Advanced Russian Seminar 4 credits
One 300-level (or higher) course offered by the Russian or German Departments

Note:*

*Students in courses marked with an * are expected to complete their course research project on a theme related to the region in order for the course to count. Students are expected to consult on this point with the course instructor and their concentration advisor at the beginning of the course.

3. Electives - 4 credits

Four additional credits from the courses listed for requirements 1 and 2. Students can also earn credit towards this requirement with Plus-2’s connected to one or more of those courses, with short courses related to the region, or with any courses listed under the RES catalogue designation.

4. Research Project - 4 credits

Students must complete a 4-credit research project, which can take the form of an independent study or MAP and should generally be completed under the supervision of a Grinnell faculty member. Generally speaking, this project should be the culmination of a student’s concentration study, taking place after the coursework on lists 1 and 2 are completed. In consultation with their concentration adviser, students may fulfill this requirement with a substantial research project completed for a 300-level seminar. Concentrators should generally make an on-campus presentation about their research.

5. Language Proficiency

One of the following: A, B, or C

A. RUS-222 or GRM-222

Russian Proficiency

Students who complete the language requirement by demonstrating 200-level proficiency in Russian should complete at least one course on Central Europe from among the following courses:

GRM 263 - German Cinema 4 credits
GRM 270 - The Holocaust Remembered 4 credits or the cross-listed GLS 270
GRM 274 - Race, Gender, and Sexuality in Modern Germany 4 credits
GRM 335 - German Media Revolutions 4 credits
GRM 360 - German Comics and Graphic Novels 4 credits
HIS 238 - The Making of Modern Germany 4 credits
HIS 244 - Ivan and Fritz Go to War: World War II on the Eastern Front 4 credits
RES 291 - Perspectives in 20th-Century Central and Eastern European Literature 4 credits or the cross-listed GLS 291

German Proficiency

Students who demonstrate 200-level proficiency in German or another Eurasian language should complete at least one course on Russia or the former Soviet Union from among the following courses:

HIS 242 - The Rise and Fall of the Soviet Union 4 credits
HIS 34x - Advanced Studies in Russian History 4 credits
POL 273 - Politics of Russia 4 credits
RUS 247 - The Russian Short Story 4 credits or the cross-listed GLS 247
RUS 248 - The Russian Novel 4 credits or the cross-list GLS 248
RUS 251 - The Theme of the African in Russian Literature and Culture 4 credits
RUS 261 - History of Russian Film 4 credits or the cross-listed GLS 261
RUS 281 - Major Russian Writers 4 credits or the cross-listed RUS 281

B. RUS-102 or GRM-102

RUS 102 or GRM 102 together with one semester of study of a regional language, not taught at Grinnell, through OCS in the region (for example, Polish in Poland, Czech in Czech Republic, etc).

C. High School Degree

Completion of high school degree in which the primary language of instruction was a language of the region (some possible examples include Polish, Czech, Serbo-Croatian, Hungarian, Bulgarian, Georgian, Azeri Armenian, etc).

6. Other Requirements

Students can count a maximum of 12 credits toward the concentration from any one department or program and need to take courses in at least three different departments.
A maximum of 8 credits of coursework completed during off-campus study may be counted toward the concentration, pending approval of the concentration chair.
Students may petition the concentration committee to count any course toward the RCEES concentration (including a special topics course) if at least 30% of the material covered by the course deals with Russia, Central Europe, or Eurasia.
Each individual course can only be used to meet one of the concentration requirements.

Russian, Central European, and Eurasian Studies Courses

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