Spanning both Europe and Asia, Russia is one of the world’s dominant political entities. Its rich cultural traditions have enhanced world literature, theatre, art, film, and dance. As the world’s first socialist state, it became a major political rival of the United States after the Second World War. In the past decade, Russians have abandoned their socialist system and are now in the process of making a rocky transition to capitalism. Although Russia lost sizable amounts of territory in this transition, the Russian language now serves as the lingua franca throughout many areas formerly controlled by the Soviet Union.

While the demand for specialists in various sectors of government has eased, relationships between our countries at other levels of society are growing more active and business opportunities are exciting and rewarding. Other areas in which the need for Russian language competence is evident right now include trade, environmental protection, social services, law, medicine, and technology.

All students in Russian language courses are encouraged to take part in the UC Education Abroad Program and spend a portion of their junior or senior year studying in Russia. Visit the Study Abroad Center website for additional information.

The Russian Studies minor is a multidisciplinary curriculum combining the Humanities and Social Sciences. It is designed to introduce students to the rich history and culture of Russia and provide them with the intellectual and linguistic tools necessary for sustained engagement with this area of the world.