The Cyrillic alphabet was developed late in the ninth century, not long before the Dynasty of the Ruriks established themselves in Kiev.  Prince Vladimir converted to Christianity in 988.  Moscow was built as a defense outpost in 1147.  Moscow University was founded in 1755, 21 years before the United States was even "born."  This country represents much more than Communism and the cold war.  To help comprehend what you see, you will learn the language and meet the people.  And when you live with a Russian family, you'll discover how the spirit of the people is as enduring as the country itself.

The three main components of the Russian Studies Program are designed to integrate study of the culture, language, and history, thereby giving students the best possible opportunity to deepen their cross-cultural understanding. The components are:

• A Russian language course which continues throughout the semester, available for 4 or 6 credits. Previous language study is not required.
• A seminar program organized into three interdisciplinary seminars: History and Sociology of Religion in Russia; Russian Peoples, Culture and Literature; and Russia in Transition. A fourth seminar, International Relations and Business, is taken by students who choose to take four hours of language credit
• And third, experiential learning which involves excursions to Russia's historic sites, a service project component, and a six-week-long opportunity to live with a Russian family.
  
     Semester Overview--syllabus