(For information on a major in Russian language and literature, Russian language and civilization, or Polish language and literature, see Slavic Languages and Literature.)
The undergraduate certificate program in Russian, East European, and Central Asian studies seeks to provide undergraduate students with area knowledge of the societies and cultures of the peoples of Eastern Europe and Eurasia, drawing on the disciplines of anthropology, communication arts, economics, folklore, geography, history, language and literature, law, political science, and sociology. The certificate can be a valuable addition to a major in business, economics, education, geography, history, international studies, political science, Slavic languages and literature, and other departments.
Applicants must fulfill the UW–Madison requirements for an established major in their school or college and achieve a minimum GPA of 2.5 in all courses they wish to count toward the certificate. Courses may not be taken on a pass/fail basis. At least two years of a Slavic, East European, or Central Asian language are strongly recommended for the certificate, but are not formally required.
certificate requirements
Seven courses are required, at least one from each of the following three groups. 2
Interdisciplinary courses (group 1)
Complete at least one course:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| HISTORY/POLI SCI/GEOG/SLAVIC 253 | Russia: An Interdisciplinary Survey | 4 |
| HISTORY/POLI SCI/GEOG/SLAVIC 254 | Eastern Europe: An Interdisciplinary Survey | 4 |
History and the Social Sciences (group 2):
Complete at least one course from any of these areas:
Agricultural and Applied Economics
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| A A E/ENVIR ST 244 | The Environment and the Global Economy | 4 |
| A A E/INTL ST 373 | Globalization, Poverty and Development | 3 |
| A A E/INTL ST 374 | The Growth and Development of Nations in the Global Economy | 4 |
| A A E/ECON 474 | Economic Problems of Developing Areas | 3 |
Anthropology
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ANTHRO 606 | Ethnicity, Nations, and Nationalism 1 | 3-4 |
Economics
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ECON 364 | Survey of International Economics 1 | 3-4 |
| ECON 464 | International Trade | 3-4 |
Geography
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| GEOG 318 | Introduction to Geopolitics 1 | 3 |
| GEOG 353 | Russia and the NIS-Topical Analysis | 3 |
History
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| HISTORY 200 | Historical Studies 1 | 3 |
| HISTORY 201 | The Historian's Craft 1 | 3-4 |
| HISTORY 223 | Explorations in European History (H) 1 | 3-4 |
| HISTORY/MEDIEVAL 313 | Introduction to Byzantine History and Civilization | 3-4 |
| HISTORY 350 | The First World War and the Shaping of Twentieth-Century Europe | 3-4 |
| HISTORY 357 | The Second World War | 3-4 |
| HISTORY 359 | History of Europe Since 1945 | 3-4 |
| HISTORY/JEWISH 373 | Modern Political History of the Jews: 1655-1919 | 4 |
| HISTORY/JEWISH 374 | Modern Political History of the Jews: Era of Mass Movements, 1870-1970 | 4 |
| HISTORY 417 | History of Russia | 3-4 |
| HISTORY 418 | History of Russia | 3-4 |
| HISTORY 419 | History of Soviet Russia | 3-4 |
| HISTORY 420 | Russian Social and Intellectual History | 3-4 |
| HISTORY 424 | The Soviet Union and the World, 1917-1991 | 3-4 |
| HISTORY 425 | History of Poland and the Baltic Area | 3-4 |
| HISTORY 434 | American Foreign Relations, 1901 to the Present | 3-4 |
| HISTORY/RELIG ST 439 | Islamic History From the Origin of Islam to the Ottoman Empire | 3-4 |
| HISTORY 475 | European Social History, 1914-Present | 3-4 |
| HISTORY 500 | Reading Seminar in History 1 | 3 |
| HISTORY/CURRIC/JEWISH 515 | Holocaust: History, Memory and Education | 3 |
| HISTORY/HIST SCI/MED HIST/MEDIEVAL/S&A PHM 562 | Byzantine Medicine and Pharmacy | 3 |
| HISTORY 600 | Advanced Seminar in History 1 | 3 |
| HISTORY 270 | Eastern Europe since 1900 | 3-4 |
Jewish Studies
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| JEWISH 490 | Topics in Jewish Studies 1 | 3 |
Journalism and Mass Communication
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| JOURN 620 | International Communication 1 | 4 |
| JOURN 621 | Mass Communication in Developing Nations 1 | 4 |
Gender & Women's Studies
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| GEN&WS/AFROAMER 624 | African American Women's Activism (19th & 20th Centuries) | 3 |
Legal Studies
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| LEGAL ST 450 | Topics in Legal Studies and the Humanities (Introduction to Islamic Law) | 3-4 |
Political Science
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| POLI SCI 120 | Politics Around the World | 4 |
| POLI SCI 323 | Islam and World Politics | 3-4 |
| POLI SCI 340 | The European Union: Politics and Political Economy | 3-4 |
| POLI SCI 351 | Politics of the World Economy | 3-4 |
| POLI SCI 401 | Selected Topics in Political Science 1 | 3-4 |
| POLI SCI/INTL ST 439 | The Comparative Study of Genocide | 3-4 |
| POLI SCI 421 | The Challenge of Democratization | 3-4 |
| POLI SCI 534 | Socialism and Transitions to the Market | 3-4 |
| POLI SCI 432 | Comparative Legal Institutions | 3-4 |
| POLI SCI/RELIG ST 618 | Political Islam 1 | 3-4 |
| POLI SCI 334 | Russian Politics | 3-4 |
| POLI SCI 659 | Politics and Society: Contemporary Eastern Europe | 3-4 |
Sociology
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| SOC 496 | Topics in Sociology 1 | 1-3 |
| SOC 621 | Class, State and Ideology: an Introduction to Marxist Social Science | 3 |
| SOC/ECON 663 | Population and Society 1 | 3 |
| 1 | When topic is Russia, Eastern Europe, or Central Asia |
Literature and the Arts (group 3)
Complete at least one course from any of these areas:
Asian Langauge & Culture
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ASIAN/RELIG ST 236 | Asia Enchanted: Ghosts, Gods, and Monsters | 3 |
| ASIAN/AFRICAN/RELIG ST 370 | Islam: Religion and Culture | 3-4 |
Communication Arts
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| COM ARTS 456 | Russian and Soviet Film | 3 |
| COM ARTS 463 | Avant-Garde Film | 3 |
Comparative Literature
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| COMP LIT 202 | Introduction to Modern and Contemporary Literature 1 | 3 |
| COMP LIT 350 | Problems in Comparative Literatures and Cultures | 3-4 |
English
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ENGL/LITTRANS 223 | Vladimir Nabokov: Russian and American Writings | 3 |
Folklore
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| FOLKLORE/LITTRANS 347 | In Translation: Kalevala and Finnish Folk-Lore | 3-4 |
| FOLKLORE/RELIG ST 352 | Shamanism | 3 |
| FOLKLORE/SCAND ST 443 | Sami Culture, Yesterday and Today | 4 |
| FOLKLORE/SLAVIC 444 | Slavic and East European Folklore | 3 |
| FOLKLORE 460 | Folk Epics 1 | 3 |
Jewish Studies
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| JEWISH/GERMAN/LITTRANS 269 | Yiddish Literature and Culture in Europe | 3 |
Literature in Translation
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| LITTRANS 201 | Survey of 19th and 20th Century Russian Literature in Translation I | 3 |
| LITTRANS 202 | Survey of 19th and 20th Century Russian Literature in Translation II | 3 |
| LITTRANS 203 | Survey of 19th and 20th Century Russian Literature in Translation I | 4 |
| LITTRANS 204 | Survey of 19th and 20th Century Russian Literature in Translation II | 4 |
| LITTRANS/GEN&WS 205 | Women in Russian Literature in Translation | 3-4 |
| LITTRANS 207 | Slavic Science Fiction through Literature and Film | 3 |
| LITTRANS 208 | The Writings of Vaclav Havel: Crtitique of Modern Society | 3 |
| LITTRANS 214 | Literatures of Central Asia in Translation | 3 |
| LITTRANS 215 | Polish Literature in Translation: 14th to the Mid-19th Century | 3 |
| LITTRANS 218 | Polish Literature in Translation: Late 19th and 20th Centuries | 3 |
| LITTRANS 220 | Chekhov in Translation | 3-4 |
| LITTRANS 221 | Gogol in Translation | 3-4 |
| LITTRANS 222 | Dostoevsky in Translation | 3-4 |
| LITTRANS/ENGL 223 | Vladimir Nabokov: Russian and American Writings | 3 |
| LITTRANS 224 | Tolstoy in Translation | 3-4 |
| LITTRANS 229 | Representation of the Jew in Eastern European Cultures | 3 |
| LITTRANS 233 | Russian Life and Culture Through Literature and Art (to 1917) | 3-4 |
| LITTRANS 234 | Soviet Life and Culture Through Literature and Art (from 1917) | 3-4 |
| LITTRANS 236 | Bascom Course-In Translation 1 | 3 |
| LITTRANS 240 | Soviet Literature in Translation | 3-4 |
| LITTRANS 241 | Literatures and Cultures of Eastern Europe | 3 |
| LITTRANS 247 | Topics in Slavic Literatures in Translation | 3 |
| LITTRANS/RELIG ST 257 | Literatures of Muslim Societies in Translation 1 | 3 |
| LITTRANS/GERMAN/JEWISH 269 | Yiddish Literature and Culture in Europe | 3 |
| LITTRANS 329 | The Vampire in Literature and Film | 3 |
| LITTRANS/FOLKLORE 347 | In Translation: Kalevala and Finnish Folk-Lore | 3-4 |
| LITTRANS/THEATRE 423 | In Translation: Slavic Drama in Context | 3 |
| LITTRANS 454 | History of Serbian and Croatian Literature | 3 |
| LITTRANS 455 | Modern Serbian and Croatian Literature in Translation | 3 |
| LITTRANS 471 | Polish Literature (in Translation), Middle Ages to 1863 | 3 |
| LITTRANS 473 | Polish Literature (in Translation) since 1863 | 3 |
Scandinavian Studies
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| SCAND ST/FOLKLORE 443 | Sami Culture, Yesterday and Today | 4 |
| SCAND ST/MEDIEVAL 444 | Kalevala and Finnish Folk-Lore | 4 |
Slavic Languages and Literature
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| SLAVIC 242 | Literatures and Cultures of Eastern Europe | 3 |
| SLAVIC 245 | Topics in Slavic Literatures | 3 |
| SLAVIC 285 | Slavic Culture in Context: An Honors Course | 3 |
| SLAVIC 302 | Zarys historii literatury polskiej | 3 |
| SLAVIC 342 | Uvod u srpsku i hrvatsku literaturu | 3 |
| SLAVIC 350 | Special Topics in Russian Language, Literature, and Culture | 3 |
| SLAVIC 405 | Women in Russian Literature | 3-4 |
| SLAVIC 420 | Chekhov | 3-4 |
| SLAVIC 421 | Gogol | 3-4 |
| SLAVIC 422 | Dostoevsky | 3-4 |
| SLAVIC 424 | Tolstoy | 3-4 |
| SLAVIC 433 | History of Russian Culture | 3 |
| SLAVIC 434 | Contemporary Russian Culture | 3 |
| SLAVIC/FOLKLORE 444 | Slavic and East European Folklore | 3 |
| SLAVIC 440 | Soviet Literature | 3-4 |
| SLAVIC 449 | Istorija srpske i hrvatske literature | 3 |
| SLAVIC 454 | Moderna srpska i hrvatska literatura | 3 |
| SLAVIC 470 | Historia literatury polskiej do roku 1863 | 3 |
| SLAVIC 472 | Historia literatury polskiej po roku 1863 | 3 |
| SLAVIC/THEATRE 532 | History of Russian Theatre | 3 |
| SLAVIC 560 | Capstone Seminar in Russian Literature and Culture | 3 |
| SLAVIC 699 | Directed Study 1 | 1-6 |
Theatre & Drama
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| THEATRE/SLAVIC 532 | History of Russian Theatre | 3 |
| 1 | When topic is Russia, Eastern Europe, or Central Asia |
| 2 | A course that is listed in more than one group will only apply to one group. A course that is more than minimally required in one group may apply to a different group. |
residence and quality of work
- Minimum 2.500 GPA for all coursework approved for the certificate
- 11 credits, counting toward the certificate, taken in residence
Certificate COMPLETION REQUIREMENT
This undergraduate certificate must be completed concurrently with the student’s undergraduate degree. Students cannot delay degree completion to complete the certificate.
- (Regional Understanding) Demonstrate an understanding of the cultural, political, economic, social, and historical factors that have shaped the development of societies in Eurasia, Russia, and East and Central Europe.
- (Multi-disciplinarity) Analyze the historical, political, economic, social, and cultural realities in the region from at least two disciplinary perspectives, including both humanities and social sciences approaches.
Advising for the certificate is administered by the Institute for Regional and International Studies (IRIS). The IRIS assistant director for students and curriculum can assist you in developing your plan of study for the certificate, track progress toward your certificate, explore study abroad and international internship options, and begin the career-exploration process. We offer walk-in advising, advising workshops, and scheduled appointments. We strongly encourage students to begin career exploration early on and to make use of the many resources available on campus.
Resources:
- Language and International Directions Advising (Language Institute)
- International Internship Program
L&S career resources
SuccessWorks at the College of Letters & Science helps students leverage the academic skills learned in their major, certificates, and liberal arts degree; explore and try out different career paths; participate in internships; prepare for the job search and/or graduate school applications; and network with professionals in the field (alumni and employers). In short, SuccessWorks helps students in the College of Letters & Science discover themselves, find opportunities, and develop the skills they need for success after graduation.
SuccessWorks can also assist students in career advising, résumé and cover letter writing, networking opportunities, and interview skills, as well as course offerings for undergraduates to begin their career exploration early in their undergraduate career.
Students should set up their profiles in Handshake to take care of everything they need to explore career events, manage their campus interviews, and apply to jobs and internships from 200,000+ employers around the country.
- SuccessWorks
- Set up a career advising appointment
- INTER-LS 210 L&S Career Development: Taking Initiative (1 credit, targeted to first- and second-year students)—for more information, see Inter-LS 210: Career Development, Taking Initiative
- INTER-LS 215 Communicating About Careers (3 credits, fulfills Com B General Education Requirement)
- Handshake
- Learn how we’re transforming career preparation: L&S Career Initiative
Faculty: Belodubrovskaya, Brenner, Chamberlain, Ciancia, Dale, Danaher, Derin, DuBois, Erkan, Evans-Romaine, Filipowicz, Gehlbach (director), Gerber, Glowacki, Hanukai, Hendley, Herrera, Hirsch, Kaiser, Karpukhin, Livanos, Longinovic, McDonald, Michels, Miernowska, Neville, Ospovat, Radeloff, Reynolds, Shevelenko, Tishler, Tumarkin, van de Water, Wink, Yudkoff, Zilbergerts.
As a regional center within the Institute for Regional and International Studies, we support and enhance international and global awareness in our student communities and inspire informed thinking about the complexities of our world. We encourage our students to connect to international networks and our regional communities through our program’s lecture series, film screenings, and varied outreach events and activities. We encourage our students to study abroad, do international internships, learn foreign languages, and expect them to gain an interdisciplinary grounding in global and regional affairs. We provide resources and expertise on our world area to students, and prospective students, and more broadly to K–12 teachers and students, postsecondary educators and graduate students, businesses, the media, the military, the community at large, and anyone else who is interested.
Information about resources, scholarships, and other funding through the Center for Russia, East Europe, and Central Asia is available from our website on the Resources tab. We also encourage our students to explore funding options available through the Institute for Regional and International Studies (IRIS) Awards Office.