Russian

The Russian Program at Colby stands by the independence and sovereignty of Ukraine that is being subjected to an atrocious war by the Putin government. We applaud those Russians who have come out in open support of the anti-war movement despite severe repressions against free expression in today’s Russia.

A Russian Major at Colby, Journalist Mike Eckel ’93 Reports from Ukraine

The Russian Program at Colby is a small, particularly active and close-knit group of students and faculty. Equipping students with the critical thinking skills necessary to succeed in any profession, our curriculum features rigorous language and culture training alongside a broad range of multidisciplinary courses taught in Russian and English. We offer many pathways to study the cultures and peoples of Russia and the former Soviet republics, as well as a wealth of study abroad opportunities in Russian-speaking countries. The major requires four years of Russian-language study (including content courses in Russian literature, cinema and culture at the advanced level) and four courses taught in English: two semesters of Russian literature and/or film and two electives chosen from courses pertaining to Russia and/or the post-Soviet space offered in the Russian Program or in other departments. Students entering the major in their sophomore year take an intensive Russian course in the summer.  Students are encouraged to participate in extracurricular activities on campus, including guest lectures, film screenings, weekly Russian Table or Russian Teas, the Russian Poetry Evening, the annual Colby-Bowdoin-Bates Russian Student Research Symposium, and a program of cultural events.

Many of our students double major in Russian and other disciplines, ranging from history and global studies to music, sociology and economics, but students interested in studying Russian in conjunction with another major may also elect a minor in Russian language and culture. The minor requires seven courses in language and literature that offer a basic foundation in grammar and an introduction to 19th-century Russian literature and 20th-century Russian film.