Why Study Russian?
Wellesley's Russian Department has a rich history and was founded in 1943 by Vladimir Nabokov, the great Russian and American novelist. Now, in addition to the Russian language, you can study Nabokov in the department where he once taught. We also teach Pushkin, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, and other great Russian writers.
Our innovative language courses teach Russian through children's culture, humor, movies, music, and history. Our majors have ample opportunity to immerse themselves in the Russian language and culture.
You can study abroad for a semester or a year in Moscow, St. Petersburg, or a number of other cities. We offer а three-week Wintersession program in Moscow. As part of a unique course team-taught by the Russian Area Studies Program and the Environmental Studies Program, twelve students and two professors spend a month in Siberia studying the local culture and biology of Lake Baikal, the world's oldest, deepest, and most voluminous lake.
Russia, the 8th most commonly spoken language in the world, and one of the State Department's Critical Languages, can also get you a job. The department offers three internship opportunities in Russia. American emissaries with a nuanced knowledge of the Russian language and cultural norms are urgently needed. There have never been so many business opportunities in Russia.