Russian Studies Program

The Russian Studies Program is interdisciplinary and housed in the Thomas Harriot College of Arts and Sciences (THCAS). It draws its principal faculty from the THCAS departments of Foreign Languages and Literatures, History, Political Science, Economics, and Sociology. Faculty from ECU’s professional schools—including Art and Design, Theatre and Dance, Music, and Communication—also contribute to the program. Our innovative, interdisciplinary approach, designed for the twenty-first-century global economy, integrates Russian language study with Russian area studies in the humanities, social sciences, and fine arts, making the program distinctive within the UNC system and across the eastern United States.

The Russian Studies program at East Carolina University offers an interdisciplinary curriculum that provides a strong foundation in Russian area studies, examining both historical and contemporary perspectives.

Russian Studies courses examine Russia from multiple perspectives, including linguistic, literary, aesthetic, philosophical, historical, religious, political, psychological, gender, sociological, and economic dimensions. A study of Russian civilization, from its origins to its present reality, offers students a compelling opportunity to explore the strengths, complexities, and dilemmas of the Russian cultural experience, while also engaging with enduring questions about the human condition and our shared humanity.

Through face-to-face and online courses, multimedia and global classroom environments, directed readings, undergraduate thesis work, and study abroad opportunities, the Russian Studies program prepares students to thrive in a technologically advanced and multicultural world of the twenty-first century. It offers a liberal arts education that fosters lifelong learning and equips students for success across academic and professional fields in a global and culturally diverse society.

Our faculty members are experienced educators and recognized scholars in their fields. They speak Russian fluently and want to share their intellectual curiosity and knowledge with students. Their research and teaching span a wide range of topics within Russian area studies, including

  • eighteenth- to twenty-first-century Russian literature,
  • literary theory and criticism,
  • cultural studies,
  • media and film studies,

  • film history,
  • intellectual history,
  • and contemporary Russian culture.

Additional areas of expertise include

  • international journalism,
  • interdisciplinary education in the humanities,
  • digital humanities,
  • Russian language acquisition,
  • media and politics,
  • security studies,
  • Russian politics,
  • economic transition,
  • human rights and gender studies,
  • social and cultural history,
  • theatre and film adaptation,
  • art history,
  • opera and vocal performance,
  • and ballet and ethnic dance.

Russian Studies faculty publish their research in the United States, the United Kingdom, Russia, Ukraine, and across Eastern Europe. They have received numerous awards and grants, and they serve on academic and professional boards at both national and international levels.

The progressive design of our RUSI curriculum, developed in 2005, reflects a commitment to innovation in Russian Studies. The exceptional level of instruction provided by our qualified faculty, who hold degrees from institutions such as Stanford, Columbia, UC Berkeley, Princeton, the University of Michigan, Ohio State, and universities in Moscow, Saratov, and Yekaterinburg, has already drawn students to ECU from across the United States and Europe, including Alaska, New York, Arizona, Michigan, Switzerland, Italy, Finland, Poland, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan. The strength of our instruction, advising, and mentoring is demonstrated by our students’ success: graduates have gained admission to leading research universities for graduate study and have secured competitive undergraduate research awards, including a U.S. Fulbright grant, a Phi Kappa Phi Award of Excellence, and multiple Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement (URCA) awards.

We offer our students and the campus community a wide range of extracurricular activities, including a Russian Film Series, Russian Culture Club, Russian Food Day, Russian language conversation hours, Tea & Conversation, and the Kabachok Russian Tavern. We also host guest speakers through the Russian Studies Lecture Series and the Great Decisions Series. The program enthusiastically participates in musical concerts, dance and theatre events, and art exhibitions at East Carolina and partner institutions across the UNC system.

The Russian Studies program at East Carolina University is the only program offering Russian language courses east of I-95. In addition to serving the educational needs of our students, the program is deeply committed to community outreach. Russian faculty regularly support local schools, hospitals, and both governmental and private organizations through translation, consultation, and cultural advising. They also assist the Russian-speaking diaspora in North Carolina and have provided simultaneous interpretation in urgent medical situations.

For more information about ECU’s Russian Studies program, please explore our program website or visit us during our Fall and Spring Open Houses. You are also welcome to email us with any questions about whether Russian Studies is the right fit for you.

Welcome to Russian Studies!