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 2.500 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.
(For information on the major in Russian, the major in Polish, and/or the certificate in East Central European Languages, Literatures, and Cultures, see German, Nordic, and Slavic+.)
How to Get in
Students interested in declaring the undergraduate certificate should contact the advisor.
Requirements
Seven courses are required, at least one from each of the following three groups. 1
Interdisciplinary Courses (group 1)
Complete at least one course:
Course List | Code | Title | Credits |
| Russia: An Interdisciplinary Survey | |
| Eastern Europe: An Interdisciplinary Survey | |
| An Introduction to Central Asia: From the Silk Route to Afghanistan | |
History and the Social Sciences (group 2):
Complete at least one course from any of these areas:
Agricultural and Applied Economics
Course List | Code | Title | Credits |
| The Environment and the Global Economy | |
| Globalization, Poverty and Development | |
| The Growth and Development of Nations in the Global Economy | |
| Economic Problems of Developing Areas | |
Anthropology
Course List | Code | Title | Credits |
| Ethnicity, Nations, and Nationalism | |
Economics
Course List | Code | Title | Credits |
| International Trade | |
Geography
Course List | Code | Title | Credits |
| Introduction to Geopolitics | |
| World Regions in Global Context (Check with instructor to verify 25% or more regional content ) | |
History
Course List | Code | Title | Credits |
| Europe and the Modern World 1815 to the Present | |
| Eastern Europe since 1900 | |
| The First World War and the Shaping of Twentieth-Century Europe | |
| The Second World War | |
| History of Europe Since 1945 | |
| The Cold War - From World War II to End of Soviet Empire | |
| History of Russia | |
| History of Russia | |
| History of Soviet Russia | |
| Russian Social and Intellectual History | |
| The Soviet Union and the World, 1917-1991 | |
| History of Poland and the Baltic Area | |
| American Foreign Relations, 1901 to the Present | |
| Holocaust: History, Memory and Education | |
Political Science
Course List | Code | Title | Credits |
| Introduction to Comparative Politics | |
| Introduction to Comparative Politics (Honors) | |
| Islam and World Politics | |
| Russian Politics | |
| The European Union: Politics and Political Economy | |
| The Russian War on Ukraine: Causes and Consequences | |
| Nuclear Weapons and World Politics | |
| The Challenge of Democratization | |
| Comparative Legal Institutions | |
| The Politics of Human Rights | |
| The Comparative Study of Genocide | |
| Socialism and Transitions to the Market | |
| Politics and Policies in the European Union | |
| Politics and Society: Contemporary Eastern Europe | |
Sociology
Course List | Code | Title | Credits |
| Class, State and Ideology: an Introduction to Marxist Social Science | |
| Population and Society | |
Literature and the Arts (group 3)
Complete at least one course from any of these areas:
Asian Language & Culture
Course List | Code | Title | Credits |
| Asia Enchanted: Ghosts, Gods, and Monsters | |
| Islam: Religion and Culture | |
Communication Arts
Course List | Code | Title | Credits |
| Avant-Garde Film | |
Comparative Literature
Course List | Code | Title | Credits |
| Introduction to Modern and Contemporary Literature | |
| Problems in Comparative Literatures and Cultures | |
English
Course List | Code | Title | Credits |
| Vladimir Nabokov: Russian and American Writings | |
Folklore
Course List | Code | Title | Credits |
| In Translation: Kalevala and Finnish Folk-Lore | |
| Shamanism | |
| Sami Culture, Yesterday and Today | |
| Slavic and East European Folklore | |
| Folk Epics | |
German, Nordic and Slavic
Course List | Code | Title | Credits |
| Folklore of Central, Eastern and Northern Europe | |
| Cultures of Sustainability: Central, Eastern, and Northern Europe | |
| Introductory Topics in GNS | |
| Literatures of Central Asia | |
| Readings in Turkish: Contemporary Turkey through Literature and Media | |
| Advanced Topics in East European and Central Asian Languages and Cultures | |
Jewish Studies
Course List | Code | Title | Credits |
| Elementary Topics in Jewish Literature | |
| Yiddish Literature and Culture in Europe | |
Literature in Translation
Course List | Code | Title | Credits |
| Survey of 19th and 20th Century Russian Literature in Translation I | |
| Survey of 19th and 20th Century Russian Literature in Translation II | |
| Survey of 19th and 20th Century Russian Literature in Translation I | |
| Survey of 19th and 20th Century Russian Literature in Translation II | |
| Women in Russian Literature in Translation | |
| Slavic Science Fiction through Literature and Film | |
| The Writings of Vaclav Havel: Crtitique of Modern Society | |
| Love and Death: Introduction to Polish Literature & Culture | |
| Polish Literature in Translation: Late 19th and 20th Centuries | |
| Chekhov: The Drama of Modern Life | |
| Russia's Greatest Enigma: Nikolai Gogol | |
| Dostoevsky in Translation | |
| Tolstoy in Translation | |
| Representation of the Jew in Eastern European Cultures | |
| Russian Life and Culture Through Literature and Art (to 1917) | |
| Soviet Life and Culture Through Literature and Art (from 1917) | |
| Soviet Literature in Translation | |
| Literatures and Cultures of Eastern Europe | |
| Topics in Slavic Literatures in Translation | |
| Elementary Special Topics in Russian Literature & Culture | |
| Yiddish Literature and Culture in Europe | |
| Vampires | |
| In Translation: Kalevala and Finnish Folk-Lore | |
| Living at the End of Times: Contemporary Polish Literature and Culture | |
| Intermediate Special Topics in Russian Literature & Culture | |
| History of Serbian and Croatian Literature | |
| Modern Serbian and Croatian Literature in Translation | |
| Polish Literature (in Translation), Middle Ages to 1863 | |
| Polish Literature (in Translation) since 1863 | |
Scandinavian Studies
Course List | Code | Title | Credits |
| Sami Culture, Yesterday and Today | |
| Kalevala and Finnish Folk-Lore | |
Slavic Languages and Literature
Course List | Code | Title | Credits |
| History and Ethics on Film: Polish Cinema | |
| Literature and Revolution | |
| Performance and Power | |
| Literatures and Cultures of Eastern Europe | |
| Contemporary Russia: History, Politics, and Culture | |
| Topics in Slavic Literatures | |
| Slavic Culture in Context: An Honors Course | |
| Study Abroad in Poland | |
| Polish Culture and Area Studies on Study Abroad | |
| Russian Area Studies on Study Abroad | |
| Topics in Russian: Study Abroad | |
| Introduction to Serbian and Croatian Literature | |
| Intermediate Special Topics in Slavic Languages and Literatures | |
| Women in Russian Literature | |
| Chekhov | |
| Gogol | |
| Dostoevsky | |
| Tolstoy | |
| History of Russian Culture | |
| Contemporary Russian Culture | |
| Soviet Literature | |
| History of Serbo-Croatian Literature | |
| Modern Serbo-Croatian Literature | |
| Advanced Readings in Russian Literature & Culture | |
| Advanced Special Topics in Slavic Languages and Literatures | |
| History of Polish Literature until 1863 | |
| History of Polish Literature after 1863 | |
| Capstone Seminar in Russian Literature and Culture | |
| Directed Study | |
Theatre & Drama
Course List | Code | Title | Credits |
| In Translation: Slavic Drama in Context | |
Residence and Quality of Work
- Minimum 2.500 GPA on all certificate courses
- At least 11 certificate credits must be completed in residence
Footnotes
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.
Advising and Careers
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
L&S Career Resources
Every L&S major opens a world of possibilities. SuccessWorks at the College of Letters & Science helps students turn the academic skills learned in their major, certificates, and other coursework into fulfilling lives after graduation, whether that means jobs, public service, graduate school or other career pursuits.
In addition to providing basic support like resume reviews and interview practice, SuccessWorks offers ways to explore interests and build career skills from their very first semester/term at UW all the way through graduation and beyond.
Students can explore careers in one-on-one advising, try out different career paths, complete internships, prepare for the job search and/or graduate school applications, and connect with supportive alumni and even employers in the fields that inspire them.
People
Faculty: Borowski, Castañeda Dower, Ciancia, Dale, Danaher, DuBois, Erbil, Evans-Romaine, Gerber, Glowacki, Hanukai, Hendley, Herrera, Hirsch, Karpukhin, Kinzley, Kydd, Livanos, McDonald, Michels, Miernowska, Neville, Ospovat, Radeloff, Reynolds, Shevelenko (director), Stoychuk, Tishler, Tumarkin, Walter, Wodzyński, Yudkoff.
For a full list of CREECA faculty and staff, visit this link.
Wisconsin Experience
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.
Resources and Scholarships
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.
