University of Southern Maine

Major in Russian Studies
Group-Contract Major
Coordinator: Charlotte Rosenthal, Ph. D.
E-mail: crosenth@usm.maine.edu

This group contract major prepares students for jobs and graduate-level programs which require Russian language skills and knowledge of the Russian people, culture, and civilization. It requires courses in the humanities (language and culture) and the social sciences (history, political science, and anthropology). Most majors spend at least a semester in Russia—on a USM exchange or through other programs. Study abroad can be financed with the help of federal government and other scholarships. USM students can also take upper-level Russian courses at Bowdoin College with the consent of their instructors. In the Greater Portland area there are a number of opportunities for students to engage with Russian speakers and Russian culture. Every year several Russian –speaking undergraduate and graduate students study at USM on various exchanges. WMPG (90.9 f.m.) runs a Russian pop music program weekly. There’s a Russian food store in Westbrook, a Russian Orthodox church in South Portland, a Russian Baptist church in Westbrook, and a sizable contingent of Russian native speakers in the area. We also have a sister city relationship with Archangel run by the Archangel Committee.

Students are encouraged to combine this major with a major in another field such as business, economics, environmental science and policy, international studies, social work, pre-law, math, a natural science, history, or women’s studies.

The minimum number of credits
The group-contract major in Russian Studies requires 36 credits. The distribution of credits is as follows:

Humanities—21 credits

RUS 281H
Russian Literature in English Translation
or
RUS 293G
Survey of Russian Cinema

RUS 291I
Russian Culture and Civilization (in English)

RUS 301
Advanced Intermediate Russian I

RUS 302
Advanced Intermediate Russian II

RUS 321
Advanced Russian

RUS 351
Seminar in Russian Literature

RUS 470
Independent Study



*Social Sciences—15 credits

HTY 317
Early Russian History

HTY 318
Russia and the Soviet Union since 1855

POS 336
Government and Politics of Russia

ANT 222I
Peoples of the North

a fifth course in the social sciences, such as POS 205 Introduction to Comparative Polotics or POS 333 Theories of Democratization.

*Note that all upper division courses have prerequisites.

Other courses recommended, but not required:

ECO 101J
Introduction to Macroeconomics

ECO 102J
Introduction to Microeconomics

POS 104J
Introduction to International Studies

HTY 101I
Western Civilization I

HTY 102I
Western Civilization II

GEO 101J
Principles of Geography

For additional information, contact Professor Charlotte Rosenthal, 55 Exeter Street, Portland.