Programs of Study in Russian

The Major in Russian
The Minor in Russian
Graduate Study
Advising & Theses
Placement Information

The Major in Russian

USC offers South Carolina's only undergraduate Russian major. The major requires 9 credits of prerequisites (RUSS 280, 201, 202) plus 24 additional credits, which must include third- and fourth-year Russian language and either RUSS 319 (Nineteenth-Century Russian Literature in Translation) or RUSS 320 (Twentieth-Century Russian Literature in Translation). Additional credits may include topics courses in Russian culture and language, ranging from Russian linguistics to Russian film to specialized courses in literature. Contact Dr. Ogden, the undergraduate advisor, if you are interested in majoring or have any questions.

Students are advised by the Director of the Russian Program in consultation with other Russian Program faculty. Program faculty know each individual student and help students map out a plan of study appropriate to their needs and career goals. Study abroad options as well as minor or cognate choices are important subjects to discuss during the advisement process. Russian students are encouraged to make appointments at any stage of their academic careers to consult with their advisor, go over their plan of study, and discuss their future goals and how best to meet them.

RUSSIAN MAJOR REQUIREMENTS

General Education Requirements
Same as College of Arts and Sciences

Other Major Prerequisites
Six credits in RUSS 201 and 202 (or equivalent), and three credits in RUSS 280.

Major Requirements
Twenty-four credits in Russian numbered 300 or above:
1. Twelve credits from RUSS 301, 302, 401, and 402.
2. Twelve credits from RUSS 319, 319L, 320, 320L, 398, 399, and 598.
(must include 319 or 320)
398 and 598 can be repeated for major credit under different suffixes

The Minor in Russian

The Russian Minor requires 18 credits, including Russian language through the third-year level and two courses in Russian culture. Contact Dr. Ogden, the undergraduate advisor, if you are interested in minoring or have any questions.

Graduate Study

The University of South Carolina does not have a graduate degree program in Russian. However, the Russian Program regularly offers courses in literature, culture, and linguistics at the 500 level, which may be taken for graduate credit. Russian faculty also teach graduate courses in USC's graduate programs in Comparative Literature and Linguistics, and students in those programs can choose Russian as one of their fields of study. These students may also enroll in RUSS 790, Directed Reading and Research, for graduate independent study credit.

Advising and Theses

Undergraduate majors and minors in Russian are advised by the Russian Program director, Dr. Ogden. All program faculty members take an active interest in their students' studies and are happy to be consulted about programs of study or other issues. Program faculty members are also active as directors or readers of Honors theses, master's theses, and dissertations in Russian, Comparative Literature, and English; theses recently directed by members of the program include:

Trimnal, Kathrin. Honors thesis, SC Honors College, 2002

Pross, Jennifer. "Tuvan Throat Singing in Western Popular Culture." Honors thesis, SC Honors College, 2002

Livingston, John. "The Life of Saint Seraphim of Sarov." Honors thesis, SC Honors College, 2002

Broom, Emma. Honors thesis, SC Honors College, 2002

Gudkov, Olga. M.A. thesis on Russian and English Romanticism. Comparative Literature, USC, in progress

Placement Information

Students with questions about placement in Russian classes and what level of Russian to take should contact Dr. Ford by email at cford@sc.edu

Graduate students majoring in other disciplines who need to take the Graduate Reading Proficiency Exam in Russian should also contact Dr. Ford.