Department of Germanic and Slavic Languages and Literatures
Introduction
The Department of Germanic and Slavic Languages and Literatures offers instruction and conducts research in the languages, literatures, and cultures of central, northern, and eastern Europe. It offers multiple tracks for undergraduate study for those interested in German (one concentration), Russian (one concentration), and Slavic and East European (one concentration). A major in Germanic and Slavic languages and literatures provides preparatory training that will be useful in government employment, internationally oriented business, journalism, law, the sciences, and teaching; as well as preparing students for graduate study in a range of humanistic and social science disciplines.
Advising
Students can complete any concentration, even if they have no prior experience in the language, provided that they begin taking their language courses as first-year students. It is also very possible for transfer students to complete the concentrations, provided they enter the program with some knowledge of the associated language.
All majors and minors have a primary academic advisor as assigned by Academic Advising. Students should meet regularly with their primary advisor and review their Tar Heel Tracker each semester.
However, departmental academic advising is also important for all students majoring or minoring in the department. Current and prospective majors and minors should confer with the department’s director, or assistant director, of undergraduate studies regarding plans of study, study abroad course approvals, internship opportunities, and transfer credit.
Students seeking certification to teach German or Russian in public schools should consult advisors in the School of Education.
Graduate School and Career Opportunities
In an age of rapid internationalization and globalization, proficiency in a foreign language is no longer just an auxiliary skill but a necessary one. Courses offered in the department make up an important part of a liberal education, and a major or minor can provide excellent preparation for many careers, particularly when the major or minor is combined with courses in business, economics, political science, journalism, and various other fields. Recent graduates have entered careers in international business, journalism, publishing, the sciences, and the travel industry.
A bachelor of arts with a major in Germanic and Slavic languages and literatures also qualifies graduates for positions in the U.S. Department of State and other government agencies, educational organizations, foundations, and travel organizations. The presence of over 100 German and Swiss firms in the Carolinas testifies to the demand for a high degree of German linguistic and cultural literacy in college graduates. The department is also one among very few in the United States that offers a range of critical and/or less commonly taught languages of Central and Eastern Europe. People who know these languages are in particularly high demand in business and government.
In addition, the demand for language teachers provides career opportunities for those German and Russian majors who also receive teaching certification from the School of Education.
German, Russian, and Slavic/East European majors often go on to graduate programs in comparative literature, linguistics, history, law, international business and management, international relations, professional translation, medicine, education, and more. Some pursue careers as college professors. Many Chapel Hill German, Russian, and Slavic/East European majors have been welcomed by the most prestigious graduate programs in the country. The department’s faculty members can assist undergraduate majors in selecting appropriate graduate programs.
Majors
- Germanic and Slavic Languages and Literatures Major, B.A.–German Studies Concentration
- Germanic and Slavic Languages and Literatures Major, B.A.–Russian Language and Culture Concentration
- Germanic and Slavic Languages and Literatures Major, B.A.–Slavic and East European Studies Concentration
Minors
Graduate Programs
Courses
Professors
Ruth von Bernuth, Richard Langston, Priscilla Layne, David Pike.
Associate Professors
Radislav Lapushin, Inga Pollmann, Aleksandra Prica, Stanislav Shvabrin, Gabriel Trop.
Assistant Professors
Adi Nester, Eliza Rose, Sophia Strietholt, Tobias Wilke.
Teaching Associate Professors
Jocelyn Aksin, Natalia Chernysheva, Eleonora Magomedova.
Adjunct Associate Professor
Dan Thornton.
Teaching Assistant Professor
Matthew McGarry.
Lecturer
Agnieszka Majewska.
Professors Emeriti
Eric Downing, Clayton Koelb, Madeline G. Levine, Hana Pichova, Paul Roberge, Peter Sherwood.
Associate Professors Emeriti
Lawrence Feinberg, Walter K. Francke, Christopher R. Putney, Ivana Vuletic.
Department of Germanic and Slavic Languages and Literatures
426 Dey Hall, CB# 3160
(919) 966-1642
