In 2014, Russia redrew the map of Europe by annexing Crimea; in 2016, Russia meddled in the U.S. presidential election. Russia is a country we must understand. Given Russia’s increasingly vocal and visible presence in international affairs, there is a growing need for professionals who speak Russian and understand the politics, economics, and social dynamics of Russia and its neighbors. This is the time to major or minor in Russian and East European Studies (REES) at UVM, which boasts a comprehensive academic major and minor as well as numerous opportunities for students to study abroad in Russian-speaking countries or countries with sizable Russian-speaking populations including Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Bulgara, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia.

There are funding opportunities for students wishing to spend a semester abroad, which you can learn about by going to the links below:

https://www.americancouncils.org/vital-regions/europe-and-eurasia

http://us.fulbrightonline.org/

http://www.collegescholarships.org/scholarships/country/russia.htm

The UVM REES Program, one of nine areas of study within the Global and Regional Studies Program, provides students with a broad-based, interdisciplinary major or minor that prepares them for a number of career opportunities in business, government, journalism, education, international development, and non-profit organizations. The major and minor also prepare students for the Peace Corps and graduate programs in international relations, human rights, and law.

The faculty consists of widely published scholars and award-winning teachers who have many years of field experience living, working, and travelling in Russia and other post-Soviet states as well as certain Eastern European countries like Poland. Disciplines represented include Russian Language and Literature, Political Science, Anthropology, Business, Economics, History, Mathematics, Philosophy, and Sociology.

To major in REES, beginning language students should enroll in Russian 001 in their first semester and continue courses in the language every semester thereafter. Incoming students with a previous knowledge of the language should consult a Russian instructor for placement at the appropriate level of language study. The two-track major in Russian/East European Studies or Russian/East European Economics/Business provides a firm foundation in language, literature (in translation or in the original), as well as regional/area information in economics, political science, sociology, and history for both Eastern Europe and the post-Soviet region.

See our requirements for the Russian & East European Studies major.