Russian Studies

  • Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)
  • Minor

The main purpose of the Russian studies program within Area Studies, housed in the Brooks College of Interdisciplinary Studies at Grand Valley State University, is to give students proficiency with the Russian language, along with knowledge of the nation's history and culture.

Program Offerings at Grand Valley

In addition to the Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Russian studies, a minor is also available. Students in this program can participate in a number of study abroad programs. Visit www.gvsu.edu/pic for more details.

Coursework

The Russian studies curriculum includes a set of language courses, courses about the country's history, and electives concerning other aspects of Russia. Some of the topics covered include:

  • Government and politics of Russia and Eastern Europe
  • Russian culture
  • Russian grammar
  • Russian literature

Career Options

There are many employment opportunities for persons with training in Russian studies. Graduates have a variety of career paths available, including jobs as:

  • Business people
  • Interpreters
  • Journalists
  • Officers in government agencies
  • Translators

Why Study Russian Studies at Grand Valley?

Grand Valley offers extraordinary support for its language students.

  • Small class sizes enable individual attention from faculty.
  • Language technology and programs are available to enhance learning.
  • The Language Resource Center offers access to state-of-the-art audio, video, and computer technologies. The LRC laboratories host 66 language-learning workstations that are reserved exclusively for Grand Valley language students and closed to general campus use.
  • Government agencies, multinational corporations, advertising agencies, publishers, import and export firms, libraries, and the media report that knowledge of a foreign language and culture is highly desirable in their new employees.

For More Information

Russian Studies Program
www.gvsu.edu/rs
(616) 331-8110
Admissions Office
www.gvsu.edu/admissions

“The Russian studies program gave me the comprehensive education needed to succeed in a major Ph.D. program and with an exciting career in international trade. The more I work in Russia, the more I am surprised to learn how often I need to reference Russian literature, history, geography, and, of course, language. In a globalized economy, knowledge workers need a competitive edge, and Grand Valley's Russian studies program did that for me.”

JAMES CLASS, PH.D. (GEORGETOWN)
DIRECTOR, GLOBAL PUBLIC POLICY, MERCK & CO, INC.

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