
The Major
Students become sophisticated readers of Russia’s cultural traditions through the disciplines of literature, film, cultural studies, history and politics.
Learn MoreWe examine the rebels, deviants, dissidents and loners of Russian literature, and the interchange between art and politics, from the Russian Futurists to Pussy Riot. All of our literature and culture courses are taught in translation.
Students become sophisticated readers of Russia’s cultural traditions through the disciplines of literature, film, cultural studies, history and politics.
Learn MoreOur literature and culture courses—offered in translation—are part a broad liberal arts tradition.
Learn MoreMany students begin Russian language study for the first time at Amherst. Our language courses provide instruction at all levels.
At the Russian Culture Theme House in Porter Residence Hall, students speak Russian and participate in cultural and social events. Russian House hosts a Thursday night tea for students to polish their language skills.
Learn MoreWe are closely tied with the College’s nationally recognized Center for Russian Culture, which features an archival and rare book collection and a 20,000-volume Russian reference library.
Learn MoreAmherst holds more than 750 works of Russian art, the majority of which date from 1900 to 1950.
Learn MoreOur majors have gone on to graduate study in Russian literature, comparative literature and international affairs at leading universities, and to law, medical and business schools. A good number have worked or are now working in Russia.
Whether your passion is literature, politics, history, film, we offer courses on all of these subjects in English, so they are accessible to all comers, as well as a full Russian language curriculum. We have a remarkable resource called the Amherst Center for Russian Culture.
This introduction to Russian culture and history examines Russia’s vast and varied contributions to world culture, from literature and the arts to intellectual and political history.
Nikolai Gogol was perhaps the most mysterious and influential Russian writer of the nineteenth century and beyond. In this course, we will travel through his fictional universe—the world of menacing mermaids, flying dumplings, and meteorological cataclysms.
We will examine the distinctive contributions of Russian thinking about language, while also seeking to situate Russian views on this question within a comparative context. To that end, we will also read Vico, Herder, Rousseau, Saussure, and Benveniste, among others.