Russian Studies Program
The Russian Studies Program is interdisciplinary and housed in the Thomas Harriot College of Arts and Sciences (THCAS). The Program draws its principle faculty from the THCAS departments of Foreign Languages and Literatures, History, Political Science, Economics, and Sociology. Faculty from ECU professional schools such as Art and Design, Theatre and Dance, Music, and Communication also participate in the Russian Studies program. Our innovative interdisciplinary approach designed for the 21st century global economy integrates Russian language with Russian area studies in Humanities, Social Sciences and Fine Arts, making our program distinctive in the UNC-system and eastern U.S.
The Russian Studies program at East Carolina University offers a broad spectrum of disciplines, providing a solid background in Russian area studies from both historical and contemporary perspectives.
Russian studies courses explore Russia from linguistic, literary, aesthetic, philosophical, historical, religious, political, psychological, gendered, sociological, and economic dimensions.A study of Russian civilization from its origins to its present reality – with a view to understanding the strengths, complexities and dilemmas of the Russian cultural experience – affords students a great opportunity to think about the eternal problems of the human experience and the meaning of our shared humanity.
Through face-to face and online courses, multimedia and global-classroom environments, as well as directed readings, undergraduate thesis and study-abroad options, the Russian Studies program educates students to be adaptable to a technologically advanced and multicultural world in the 21st century and provides a liberal arts education for life-time learning, and success in academia or professional fields. The Russian Studies program prepares students to succeed in an increasingly global and culturally diverse society.
Our faculty members are experienced lecturers and recognized scholars in their fields who speak Russian fluently and would like to share with you their knowledge and fascination with this enormous and beautiful country. Their research and teaching expertise covers aspects of Russian area studies, as diverse as the 18th-21st Cent. Russian Literature, Literary Theory and Criticism, Cultural Studies, Media and Film Studies, 20th-21st Cent. Film History, Intellectual History, Russian Contemporary Culture, International Journalism, Interdisciplinary Education in Humanities, Digital Humanities, Russian Language Acquisition, Media and Politics, Security Studies, Russian Politics, Russian Economic Transition, Human Rights and Gender, Russian Social and Cultural History, Theatre and Film Adaptation, Art History, Opera and Vocal Performance, Ballet and Ethnic Dance, and more. The Russian Studies faculty publish scholarship in the U.S., U.K., Russia, Ukraine and Eastern Europe; they have received numerous awards, grants, and are members of academic and professional boards nationally and internationally. Our magnificent ballet professor Galina Panova is a world-known prima-ballerina, and her presence attracts to ECU the most spectacular dance and music companies from Russia and around the world.
The progressive nature of our RUSI curricula developed in 2005, and the exceptional level of instruction provided by our highly qualified faculty with degrees from Stanford, Columbia, Berkeley, Princeton, Ann Arbor, Ohio, Moscow, Saratov, and Yekaterinburg, have already attracted students to the ECU campus from origins as varied as Alaska, New York, Arizona, Michigan, Switzerland, Italy, Finland, Poland, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan. The quality of our instruction, advising and mentoring can be measured by the success of our majors and minors in gaining graduate admissions to leading research universities, and their achievements in undergraduate research funding, including a U.S. Fulbright grant, a Phi Kappa Phi Award of Excellence, and URCA awards.
We also offer our students and campus community a wide-range of extra-curricular activities: a Russian Film Series, Russian Culture Club, Russian Food Day, Russian Tea & Conversation, Kabachok Russian Tavern, and welcome guest speakers to the Russian Studies Lecture Series and Great Decision Series. The program enthusiastically participates in musical concerts, dance and theatre events and art exhibitions at East Carolina and at sister institutions in the UNC-system.
The Russian Studies program at ECU is the only program which offers Russian language courses east of the Triangle, and has qualified Russian language instructors east of I-95. In addition to serving the educational needs of our students, the Russian program is strongly involved in community outreach. Russian faculty are continuously involved in community service, helping the local schools, hospitals, governmental and private agencies with translation and advising, helping the NC Russian diaspora, even providing simultaneous translation in urgent medical situations.
You can find more information about ECU Russian Studies by exploring our program website, or by visiting us during Fall or Spring Open Houses. You can always e-mail us if you have questions about whether Russian Studies is right for YOU.
Welcome to Russian Studies!