Russian
Academic Department Introduction
Wellesley’s Russian Department was founded in the 1940s by famed author and critic Vladimir Nabokov. We teach Russian in the broader context of Russian society, culture, visual art, and music. Our innovative language courses make use of movies, music, and history. Numerous activities both inside and outside the classroom are designed to enrich students’ appreciation of the achievements and fascinating traditions of Russian civilization.
Learning goals
- Converse fluently in Russian.
- Comprehend important primary and secondary texts from the Russian literary tradition.
- Discover and delineate the major themes of Russian literature and culture from the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries.
Programs of Study
Russian major
Students express an understanding of Russian culture clearly and persuasively.
Course highlights
Lev Tolstoy's Short Stories
RUSS377H
A Russian-language course designed to supplement RUSS 277 above, though RUSS 377H may be taken independently. Students will read and discuss, in Russian, major short works by Tolstoy.
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Fedor Dostoevsky: The Seer of Spirit (in English)
RUSS276
Probably no writer has been so detested and adored, so demonized and deified, as Dostoevsky. This artist was such a visionary that he had to reinvent the novel in order to create a form suitable for his insights into the inner life and his prophecies about the outer. To this day readers are mystified, outraged, enchanted, but never unmoved, by Dostoevsky's fiction, which some have tried to brand as "novel-tragedies," "romantic realism," "polyphonic novels," and more. This course challenges students to enter the fray and explore the mysteries of Dostoevsky themselves through study of his major writings. -
Lev Tolstoy: Russia's Ecclesiast (in English)
RUSS277
An odyssey through the fiction of the great Russian novelist and thinker, beginning with his early works (Sevastopol Stories) and focusing on War and Peace and Anna Karenina, though two major achievements of Tolstoy's later period (A Confession, The Death of Ivan I'lich) will conclude the course. Lectures and discussion will examine the masterful techniques Tolstoy employs for his intensive explorations of human existence, from mundane detail to life-shattering cataclysm. Students are encouraged to read as much of the Maude translation of War and Peace (Norton Critical Edition) as possible before the term begins.
Places and spaces
Study abroad
We support Russian-language study abroad programs in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Armenia, Latvia, and Georgia.
Russian lounge
Our cozy lounge fosters community among Russian faculty and students. Faculty meet informally here with students, as well as hold cultural events and share Russian meals.
Research highlights
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Senior Lecturer Alla Epsteyn and co-author Maia Solovieva wrote a chapter, “Extracurricular Activities in Russian Language and Culture Programs: Challenges and Perspectives,” in The Art of Teaching Russian (2020), an edited volume on Russian language instruction combining the latest research, pedagogy, and practice.
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Beware of House Slippers (2019) is a film written, acted, and produced by students in RUSS 306: Advanced Russian II. Set on the Wellesley campus, it imitates the stylistic and plot devices of the film Beware of the Car!, a 1966 comedy by Eldar Ryazanov.
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Shea McCarthy ’23 conducted an independent study of Natalia Rakhmanova’s 1976 Russian translation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit, paying particular attention to the translator’s methods for rendering the novel’s songs and riddles.
Opportunities
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Internships
During the summer, in collaboration with American Councils, we offer two Russian-language internships in Tbilisi, Georgia. We also offer one virtual internship with the American Association of Teachers of Slavic and East European Languages.
Beyond Wellesley
Beyond Wellesley
Russian, the eighth most commonly spoken language in the world, and considered a critical language by the U.S. State Department, can get you a job. American emissaries with a nuanced knowledge of the Russian language and cultural norms are urgently needed.
Recent Employers
Alum highlights
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E. B. Bartels ’10
E. B. Bartels ’10
While I no longer speak Russian daily, majoring in it taught me to think more deeply about grammar and word choice in my post-Wellesley pursuits: teaching English, pursuing an M.F.A. in nonfiction writing, and writing “Good Grief: On Loving Pets, Here and Hereafter” (HarperCollins, 2022). I am now senior editorial writer for the College’s communications and public affairs department.
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Amy Taswell ’76
Amy Taswell ’76
I designed my own major (Russian studies) because it seemed easier than a pre-med subject major. I never imagined it would lead to a career as a social worker/case manager with refuseniks, refugees, and immigrants. After graduation, I was hired because I knew Russian at a time when there were virtually no American-born Russian speakers.
For more
Explore the Russian Department
Visit our microsite to learn about our rich history, including our founding by Vladimir Nabokov. There you can access more detail on our study abroad, scholarship, and internship programs, as well as a video archive and additional resources.
Department of Russian
106 Central Street
Wellesley, MA 02481