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

Statement on the Invasion of Ukraine

The faculty and staff members of the Amherst College Russian Department wish to express our solidarity with the people of Ukraine as they endure the brutal and illegal takeover of their country being prosecuted by Vladimir Putin. We are horrified by the suffering and bloodshed the Russian invasion is causing the citizens of democratic Ukraine. We categorically reject Putin’s false claim that Ukraine and Russia are one country and affirm Ukraine’s absolute right to self-determination. We continue our efforts to educate our students and the public about the history and legacies of the Russian and Soviet empires. We join all those, in Ukraine, Russia and elsewhere, who oppose this act of aggression, and we join with the many in wishing for the safety of those threatened in the region.

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 252

Russia and the Representation of Race

Description

This course focuses on the modes by which race has been represented in Russian and Soviet culture, specifically how it has grappled with questions of race and served as a mirror in which minorities from other countries articulated their own experiences.

RUSS 257

Russian Performances

Description

What gives force to our actions, words and creations? How do their meanings shape our experience? We will examine these questions by drawing on the methods of performance studies and materials drawn from various points in Russia’s cultural history.

RUSS 310

Literature as Translation

Description

In this course, ee will read key statements about translation by theorists and translators, such as Walter Benjamin, Roman Jakobson, Lawrence Venuti, Peter Cole and Gayatri Spivak.

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.