Russian

“Russia is broader and more diverse, stranger and more contradictory than any idea of it.” —Tatyana Tolstaya, author of On the Golden Porch and The Slynx

We 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.

Department Highlights

The Major

Students become sophisticated readers of Russia’s cultural traditions through the disciplines of literature, film, cultural studies, history and politics.

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Literature Courses

Our literature and culture courses—offered in translation—are part a broad liberal arts tradition.

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Language Instruction

Many students begin Russian language study for the first time at Amherst. Our language courses provide instruction at all levels.

Russian House

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.

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Center for Russian Culture:

We 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.

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Whitney Collection of Russian Art

Amherst holds more than 750 works of Russian art, the majority of which date from 1900 to 1950.

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After Amherst

Our 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.

Major Explorations: Russian

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.

Russian Courses

Current Courses

RUSS 111

Understanding Russia

Description

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.

RUSS 226

The Agony of Comedy: Nikolai Gogol and His Interlocutors

Description

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.

RUSS 315

What is Language? Russian and Soviet Views in Comparative Context

Description

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.

Meet Our Faculty

Each professor and lecturer in our department has achieved distinction as a published scholar in a different aspect of Russia’s literary and cultural history. Meet the entire department.