The Russian Language Program

The Department of Slavic and East European Studies is proud to offer one of the most extensive and prestigious Russian language programs in the country. Students who study the Russian language at Ohio State have a great many opportunities, which are not practical at other, smaller universities and colleges including Individualized Instruction and 4 years of classroom instruction offered annually.

The Slavic Department encourages students of all levels to take instruction in the Russian language. Students of Russian study for a great variety of reasons. Some students wish to discover their Russian heritage. Other are interested in opening up research opportunities in a great variety of academic studies, including political science, international studies, history, art, linguistics, literature and many more. Other students are interested in government or NGO work, as well as the many business opportunities available from this vast and diverse country. Still others are simply interested in getting to know Russia, its vast history, culture, and peoples!

The Russian Language Program

*Note: if you already have some language experience you should take the Profiency Exam and/or apply for Transfer Credit.

*Please note that in addition to the many Russian language courses offered by the Department for Slavic and East European Studies there are also many culture and literature courses taught as well. For more information on these courses, please visit the course listings.

Students have the option of learning Russian through Individualized Instruction, or through a traditional classroom environment. Either way, the sequence of classes is as follows (until 3 rd year, when only classroom instruction is available):

First Year Courses:

• Russian 101: Elementary Russian I
• Russian 102: Elementary Russian II
• Russian 103: Intermediate Russian I

Second Year Courses:

• Russian 104: Intermediate Russian II
• Russian 405: Russian Conversation and Composition
• Russian 407: Intermediate Russian Conversation and Composition

Third Year Courses:

• Russian 560: Contemporary Russian in Cultural and Literary Contexts I
• Russian 561: Contemporary Russian in Cultural and Literary Contexts II
• Russian 562: Current Events Through the Russian Media

Fourth Year Courses:

• Russian 609: Advanced Reading, Conversation, and Composition I
• Russian 610: Advanced Reading, Conversation, and Composition II

Additional Russian Language Courses:

In addition to the 4 years of formal Russian language instruction, there are a number of additional courses that are also designed to aid in Russian language skills. The master schedule of classes lists these courses on a quarter to quarter basis. A few examples of these courses are:

• Russian 580.51: Reading Russian I (Individualized Instruction)
• Russian 581.51: Reading Russian II (Individualized Instruction)
• Russian 582.51: Reading Russian III (Individualized Instruction)
• Russian 617: Business Russian
• Russian 635: Practical Russian Pronunciation
• Russian 640: Introduction to the Structure of Russian

Also, for those who desire only reading skills in the Russian language, or those skills required for Research in Russian, the following courses are available from time to time:

• Russian 571: Basic Russian for Graduate Students
• Russian 572: Russian for Research I
• Russian 573: Russian for Research II

Study Abroad in Russia

There are a number of study abroad opportunities to improve your language abilities. For details, please see our Study Abroad page.

*For more information on the Russian language program, such as how to become a Major or a Minor, or how to what the requirements are, please check out our Undergraduates section.

Resources

On-campus Resources