Germanic and Slavic Languages and Literatures Major, B.A.–Russian Language and Culture Concentration

The Russian language and culture concentration in the Department of Germanic and Slavic Languages and Literatures (GSLL) provides students with communicative and cultural mastery of a world language native for over 150 million speakers not only in the Russian Federation, Belarus, and Ukraine, but also in Central Asia and elsewhere. Russian is a less commonly taught language that the U.S. government designates as “critical” for national security.

Russian courses comprise five levels of language instruction from elementary to professional as well as offerings on Russian culture, literature, and civilization from 19th and 20th centuries to present. The GSLL Russian Program curriculum includes survey courses and chronological course sequences in addition to monographic courses focusing on major figures, genres, and cultural phenomena such as film, folklore, theater, as well as minority and expatriate cultures. The GSLL Russian Program equips students with a holistic critical perspective on Russian civilization in all its complexity and variety.

Students pursuing a Russian concentration may choose to have a second major in biology, chemistry, economics, environmental science, history, peace, war, and defense, philosophy, psychology, or public policy. Advanced levels of Russian linguo-cultural proficiency have specific career benefits for students interested in state service and ROTC cadets and midshipmen. Students of Russian have graduated to pursue a number of career paths, from academic to business, from law to medical professions, as well as careers in diplomacy, the military, intelligence, and defense.

Student Learning Outcomes

Students will acquire linguistic proficiency, cultural competence, and critical and analytical skills through the study of Germanic and Slavic languages and cultures in visual, textual, and oral forms. The curricula in Germanic and Slavic languages and literatures are broadly interdisciplinary and place the comparative study of languages, literatures, and cultures in dialogue with other germane fields of knowledge, such as philosophy, film and media studies, history, and music. Particular attention is paid to the development of student research interests that can bridge their acquired linguistic and cultural knowledge with their aspirations in other disciplines. Upon completion of the Germanic and Slavic Languages and Literatures program, students are able to:

Speak effectively in the target language in a variety of social, academic, and professional settings, as well as use their native language for effective cross-cultural communication
Write accurately in both the target language and English on a variety of topics relevant to the discipline
Understand another culture's practices as meaningful sites for the articulation of identities and the negotiation of values
Connect the critical interpretation of aesthetic texts to broader fields of intellectual inquiry
Gain knowledge of the cultural history of Germanic and Slavic lands and link its relevance to both American and global histories
Utilize disciplinary methods and theories in order to produce original, innovative research

Requirements

In addition to the program requirements, students must

earn a minimum final cumulative GPA of 2.000
complete a minimum of 45 academic credit hours earned from UNC–Chapel Hill courses
take at least half of their major core requirements (courses and credit hours) at UNC–Chapel Hill
earn a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.000 in the major core requirements. Some programs may require higher standards for major or specific courses.

For more information, please consult the degree requirements section of the catalog.

Course List
Code	Title	Hours
Core Requirements
RUSS 409	Intermediate-to-Advanced Russian Communication, Conversation, and Composition in Context I	3
RUSS 410	Intermediate-to-Advanced Russian Communication, Conversation, and Composition in Context II	3
RUSS 415	Introduction to Russian Literature	3
RUSS 445	19th Century Russian Literature and Culture	3
RUSS 455	20th-Century Russian Literature and Culture	3
Four additional courses (12 credit hours) selected from Russian language and literature/culture courses (RUSS) ¹		12
Additional Requirements
Students must establish credit for RUSS 204 as a prerequisite for a Russian major concentration.
Students who desire to pursue a major concentration in Russian language and culture should have a grade of B or better in RUSS 203 and RUSS 204
Other than the introductory and intermediate language courses mentioned above, at least four courses (12 credit hours) must be taken at UNC–Chapel Hill to fulfill the requirements of the major. Majors who study abroad or wish to transfer credit from another institution may apply to transfer a maximum of four courses counting toward the major. Before their departure for a study abroad program, students should consult with the relevant director of undergraduate studies about appropriate courses taken abroad for the major.
Total Hours		27

¹: GSLL courses numbered above 200 may count toward the major with the approval of the director of undergraduate studies.

Students who receive placement credit (PL) or By-Examination credit (BE) for RUSS 409 and/or RUSS 410 must substitute this credit with coursework (three credit hours each to replace each course with PL or BE credit) to complete the requirements for the concentration. Students may not re-enroll in a course for which they have received PL or BE credit.

Only one of the following courses may count toward the major:

Course List
Code	Title	Hours
GSLL 691H	Honors Course	3
GSLL 692H	Honors Course	3
GSLL 693H	Honors Seminar	3

Russian (RUSS) and Germanic and Slavic Languages and Literatures (GSLL) course descriptions.

On This Page

Honors in Germanic and Slavic Languages and Literatures
Student Involvement and Cultural Enrichment beyond the Classroom
Study Abroad
Languages across the Curriculum
Undergraduate Awards
Undergraduate Research

Special Opportunities in Germanic and Slavic Languages and Literatures

Honors in Germanic and Slavic Languages and Literatures

Students majoring in Germanic and Slavic languages and literatures who are qualified for honors work are strongly encouraged to consider writing an honors thesis during their senior year. Undertaking an honors project gives students the opportunity to explore a topic in depth under the direction of a faculty member. Students who wish to do honors work should confer with the director of undergraduate studies and choose an honors thesis advisor during the first or second semester of their junior year, and complete an honors thesis contract. Second-semester juniors or first-semester seniors will be enrolled in GSLL 691H (honors reading and special studies) for their first semester of honors thesis work, once the honors thesis contract is fully approved. For the second semester, once an updated contract is completed, students will be enrolled in GSLL 692H (writing the honors thesis). When GSLL 693H is offered, the course replaces GSLL 692H and provides an opportunity for students majoring in any of our concentrations to complete their thesis in the context of a small seminar with other honors students. One of these honors courses may count toward the major.

Student Involvement and Cultural Enrichment beyond the Classroom

Numerous social and educational events hosted by the department, as well as by student clubs such as the German Club and Slavic Club, provide an atmosphere for effective learning and for enjoying German and Slavic cultures. There are weekly opportunities in German, Russian, and other languages for informal conversation suitable for both beginning and advanced students. The department periodically sponsors lectures, roundtables, small conferences, and film series for the various languages. Those considering an undergraduate major or minor should request to be added to the appropriate e-mail listserv, in order to ensure they receive information regarding special events and opportunities.

The department also hosts receptions and informational meetings for students interested in pursuing a major or minor, or for those seeking opportunities for internships, study abroad, graduate study, and employment in Germany, Austria, and Eastern or Central Europe. The department also often presents a poetry night with poems recited by learners of various languages, as well as full-length plays and dramatic readings in German performed by undergraduate students.

The German and Slavic clubs, sponsored by the department, encourage students to independently plan cultural events, films, and conversation opportunities.

A number of the above events will be approved for IDEAs in Action CLE credit.

Study Abroad

The department encourages students to study and/or engage in internships abroad. These opportunities maximize students’ linguistic and cultural proficiency, particularly once they have acquired sufficient language skills to benefit most from this immersion experience. Students may participate for a whole year, a single term, or a summer.

The Study Abroad Office offers German programs at all universities in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, as well as a dedicated exchange program with the Eberhard-Karls-Universität Tübingen; at the Freie University in Berlin; at the University of Zürich, Switzerland (new, starting in fall 2024); at the IES European Union and Environmental Programs in Freiburg, Germany; and at the IES Programs in Vienna and Berlin.

Most German programs require that participating students have passed GERM 204 (or its equivalent); however, students with no prior knowledge of German may attend programs at the Freie University in Berlin, the University of Zürich, in Tübingen, or the IES program in Freiburg, or also the Baden-Württemburg exchange at the University of Mannheim offers a number of courses in English. These programs generally include intensive language instruction in addition to content courses taught in English, and most programs offer an orientation course prior to the start of the semester. The yearlong term may begin in August but more commonly in October, with a two-month vacation between semesters that many students use for travel. Students going abroad for only one term generally do so in the spring semester, which typically begins in late February and ends in late July.

The DAAD in conjunction with German universities usually offers some summer internships. Please see an undergraduate advisor in the department office about these opportunities.

Students who choose to study Dutch may study abroad in Amsterdam through the IES, or attend one of SIT Netherlands’ semester or summer programs, for example "Human Traffic, Sex Trade, and Modern Slavery in Europe," or “International Perspective on Sexuality and Gender,” or exchange programs also are offered at Radboud University in Nijmegen, the University of Groningen, and the Erasmus University Rotterdam. Most courses are offered in English but students can study Dutch and even German. Students in economics and/or communication studies may take courses in English at the Erasmus University Rotterdam.

Students can study Russian during summer, semester, or yearlong terms through the RLASP (Advanced Russian Language and Area Studies Program) while earning credit towards their Carolina degree. UNC–Chapel Hill offers semester and summer programs in Prague, Czech Republic, Dobrovnik, Croatia, and Krakow, Poland, and also a semester program in Budapest, Hungary.

For more information about these and other programs in eastern and central Europe, go to the Study Abroad website. Majors and minors should consult with the director of undergraduate studies or the appropriate undergraduate advisor in advance of going abroad about courses they plan to take for the major or minor.

Opportunities specifically for language studies:

DTCH: SIT Netherlands
CZCH: NCSU Prague semester or summer programs, API Czech Republic, SIT Czech Republic, CET in Prague, Czech Republic
BCS: API Croatia, API Serbia, Bosnia, and Kosovo
PLSH: API Poland
HUNG: API Hungary

Languages across the Curriculum

The Languages across the Curriculum (LAC) Program encourages majors and minors to enroll in one-credit-hour recitation or discussion sections that are conducted in German or another of our languages, often associated with a variety of courses offered in English on a related subject. Each of these discussion and recitation sections counts as one German language credit (in addition to the credit granted for any associated course).

Undergraduate Awards

Membership in the Beta Rho chapter of Delta Phi Alpha, the German honors society, is available to majors and minors who have completed at least six credit hours of coursework at the 300 level or above, that was conducted in the German language, and who have maintained high cumulative grade point averages and high grade point averages in the major.

The department selects annually one outstanding graduating senior majoring in German to receive the Undergraduate Ria Stambaugh Award for Excellence in German, a monetary award that is presented at the Chancellor’s Awards Ceremony each spring. Ria Stambaugh was a popular professor of German. After her death in 1984 her sister, friends, and colleagues contributed to a memorial fund to establish the Ria Stambaugh Awards. The undergraduate award was first presented in 1987.

Established in 1999, the Paul Debreczeny Prize is awarded each spring to a graduating senior whose work in Slavic languages and literatures has been judged outstanding. This monetary prize honors one of the founding faculty members of the program in Slavic languages and literatures.

Undergraduate Research

In addition to honors thesis work, students are encouraged to work on course-complementary or independent research projects with department faculty. Funding may be available through the Office of Undergraduate Research.