Students who have previously studied Russian formally or informally are required to take the Russian placement exam. This brief oral exam helps determine which Russian course best fits each student’s background. Contact the Russian language coordinator, Constantine Muravnik to schedule the oral placement exam or for registration information. 

Prerequisite to the major is second-year Russian, RUSS 140, 142, 145, or S140. The department offers three sequences of language courses to fulfill the prerequisite: either (1) RUSS 110, 120, 130, 140, or (2) RUSS 125, 145 or (3) courses for heritage speakers, RUSS 122, 142. Prospective majors should complete the prerequisites by the end of their sophomore year or accelerate their course of study by taking summer courses or studying abroad. While completing the prerequisite, students are encouraged to begin fulfilling the requirements of the major that do not presuppose advanced knowledge of Russian by taking courses in Russian history and Russian literature in translation.

In addition to the prerequisite, the major in Russian requires eleven term courses, which must include the following (some courses may fulfill more than one requirement):

1. Third-year Russian: RUSS 150 and 151.
2. Fourth-year Russian: RUSS 160 and 161.
3. Two terms of Russian literature in translation, one in 19th-century or earlier Russian literature and one in 20th-century or later Russian literature. Russian First-Year Seminars and courses numbered 200 or higher may fulfill this requirement.
4. One content course in which Russian is the language of instruction (RUSS 170–190).
5. One course in Russian, East European, or Eurasian history or social sciences.
6. RUSS 490 or 491. The senior essay is the intellectual culmination of the student’s work in the major. All primary sources used in the essay must be read in Russian.

If the language proficiency is met without coursework, these course requirements must be fulfilled through additional term courses to bring the overall total to 11 term courses. A Yale summer program in Russian culture may be used to fulfill the requirements, with DUS approval.

Credit/D/Fail Courses taken Credit/D/Fail may not be counted toward the requirements of the major.

All majors write a senior essay (RUSS 490 or 491), an independent project carried out under the guidance of a faculty member. The senior essay takes the form of a substantial article, no longer than 13,000 words, excluding footnotes and bibliography. By the end of the junior year, students should declare their general topic and arrange for a faculty adviser, in consultation with the DUS. Students planning to conduct summer research for the senior essay, especially if abroad, should contact the DUS early in the spring semester of the junior year and apply for fellowships. 

Students may opt to enroll in both RUSS 490 and RUSS 491, but only one of these courses counts toward the major requirements.

Optionally, students may opt to prepare for the senior essay in the term before they enroll in either RUSS 490 or 491. In this instance, students submit a proposal to their adviser (up to two pages double spaced) by the first day of the term before they enroll in RUSS 490 or RUSS 491. They also submit a draft of at least ten pages, or a detailed outline of the entire essay by the end of the midterm break. Students finalize their essay during the term in which they are enrolled in RUSS 490 or 491. The final essay is due April 15 (or ten days before the last day of classes, e.g., November 25, for students graduating in December). A member of the faculty other than the adviser grades the essay. Senior essays will be considered for prizes. 

Students pursuing two majors need to fulfill the senior requirement of both majors. If the second major allows, students may enroll in both RUSS 490 and 491 and write an essay longer than a single-term essay. In this case, students count the second term of the Russian senior essay as their twelfth course in the Russian major.

Incoming first-year students are automatically assigned an adviser (called a college adviser) for their first term; in spring term, students may continue to work with the same college adviser or may choose a faculty member in Yale College to be a sophomore-year adviser.

Find extensive information at the Yale College advising site

Learn more about the roadmap of the RUSS major.