International & Global Studies

Concentrations

About the Concentration

ПРИВЕТ!

Russian Studies is a regionally focused interdisciplinary concentration of the major and minor levels of the Special Program in Liberal Studies/International & Global Studies (SPLS/IGS). It is ideal for undergraduate students who desire to study Russia and the former Soviet satellites of Central and Eastern Europe in multiple historical contexts and from a variety of complementary perspectives. Courses focusing on Russian politics, foreign relations, social and human rights issues, history, geography, economics, culture, and the arts (plastic, literary, cinematic, and performance-based) are especially suitable for this major.

Major in SPLS/IGS with a concentration in Russian Studies. Students pursuing the major-level concentration in Russian Studies complete 30 semester hours of course work to include:

• 6 s.h. of course work, at the 300-level or higher, on the Russian language (or a primary language of the former Soviet Union [excluding German], with approval from the Director);
• 6 s.h of IGS core courses: IGS 200: “Introduction to International and Global Studies” or IGS 213: “Introduction to Russian Studies” (preferred); and IGS 400: “Capstone Seminar in International and Global Studies*;
* Students with this concentration will develop their end-of-major capstone research project for IGS 400 around a topic inspired by an issue of concern in present-day Russia (or a former Soviet republic or satellite).
18 s.h. of Additional Course work (at least 9 s.h. of which must be at the 300-level or higher) on international and/or global topics corresponding to the four content categories of IGS: Society and Politics; Economics and Development; Arts and Literature; Belief Systems and Cultures** At least 12 s.h. must comprise course work whose content focuses 51% or more on Russia or the former Soviet Union (and its republics and satellites); 6-9 s.h. of these courses must be at the 300-level or higher.
** To ensure category breadth, no more than 9 s.h. may come from a single category; after that, no more than 6 s.h. may come from any other category.
International/Global Experience Requirement: Starting fall 2014, new majors must complete a qualified study abroad experience by the end of their studies. Russian Studies majors will complete this requirement in Russia or an approved former Soviet republic or satellite (excluding Germany).

Second major in SPLS/IGS with a concentration in Russian Studies. The second major must meet the same requirements as the Major, with at least 12 s.h. taken outside the student’s first major.

Minor in SPLS/IGS with a concentration in Russian Studies. The minor must complete 18 s.h., including the IGS foreign language requirement (6 s.h.), an Intro Core course (IGS 200 or IGS 213) (3 s.h.), and 3 Additional Courses whose content focuses 51% or more on Russia or the former Soviet Union (and its republics/satellites) (9 s.h.), with at least 2 courses (6 s.h.) at the upper-level and representing at least 2 program categories.

Recommended Courses

Download All Courses for this Concentration

2014 – 15 Undergraduate Bulletin

The following list contains the recommended concentration-specific “Additional Courses” for IGS majors who pursue the concentration in Russian Studies. It reflects the preferred selections made by students since 2006, and in all cases the course content must have a 51% or greater focus on Russia and/or the former Soviet Union and its “satellites.” Other courses that meet concentration requirements are provided on the “Additional Courses Guide” for Russian Studies.

Note: IGS-marked offerings taught in a given semester appear in the Course Schedules (consult the “IGS” category listing) published by the University Registrar’s Office. This Guide and the Registrar’s Course Schedules are subject to change as courses are added to or deleted from the curriculum. Final IGS credit decisions are subject to approval by the Director of IGS or a designated Program advisor.

A. 200-LEVEL COURSES

CATEGORY 3: ARTS & LITERATURE (A&L)

MUS 242 Music for Film (when 51%+ Russian)

B. UPPER-LEVEL COURSES

CATEGORY 1: SOCIETY & POLITICS (S&P)

HIS 377                Russian History to 1900
HIS 378                Russian History since 1900
HIS 575                Modern Russian History: Selected Topics
PSC 352               Nationalism and Ethnic Politics (when 51%+ Russian)
PSC 355K            Russian Politics
PSC 361               Central and East European Politics
SOC 300               Post Soviet Societies

CATEGORY 2: ECONOMICS & DEVELOPMENT (E&D)

GEO 306               World Economic Geography (when 51%+ Russian)
GEO 504                Political Geography

CATEGORY 3: ARTS & LITERATURE (A&L)

BLS 322               The Russian Novel of Conscience
RUS 306               Slavic Life and Letters: Topics
RUS 313               Major Authors in Russian Translation
RUS 314               Major Movements in Russian Literature and Culture
RUS 315               Twentieth-Century Russian Literature in Translation
RUS 316               Modern Polish Literature in Translation
RUS 511               The Russian Novel in Translation

Faculty

Kathleen Macfie, Ph.D. (UNC- Chapel Hill) is Associate Professor in the Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures at UNCG. Dr. Macfie’s specialty is Modern Russian Literature, and her work in African-American literary ties to Russian intellectual thought was instrumental in UNCG receiving UCEA/Peterson’s Innovative Distance Education Program Award in 2000.

William E. Crowther, Ph.D. (University of California, Los Angeles) is a Professor in the Department of Political Science at UNCG. Teaching areas: comparative politics, democratization. Research areas: Central Europe and the Former Soviet Union, nationalism, and inter-ethnic politics.

Jeff Jones, Ph.D. (UNC – Chapel Hill) is Assistant Professor in the History Department at UNCG.

Sarah A. Krive, Ph.D.(University of Chicago) Slavic Languages and Literatures, is Assistant Director of the Lloyd International Honors College. Her research looks at the intersection of language, culture, and emotion, as well as all periods of Russian poetry, and Russian folklore. She most recently co-edited “Space, Time, Place: A Festschrift for Anna Lisa Crone,” and has been awarded a Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Humanities. She teaches courses in Honors.

Carrie Levesque, Ph.D. (Duke University) is a full-time lecturer in the Department of German, Russian, Japanese and Chinese Studies at UNCG. She completed her dissertation on women’s autobiographical responses to war and terror in the Soviet Union and Croatia.

Joan Titus, Ph.D. (Ohio State) is Associate Professor in Musicology and joined the UNCG faculty in 2007. Her research interests include Russian music, twentieth-century music, film music, and Native American popular music of the Southwest. Her work has been supported by multiple research and language study trips to Russia.