Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies, MA
for the degree of Master of Arts in Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies
About the Major
Electives outside Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies should complement the student's core courses, research, and professional interests. A master's thesis or major research paper is required, to be based on research using primary sources, including sources in the language used to meet the competency requirement.
Admission
Prospective graduate students should have completed at least two years of Russian or another language of Eastern Europe or Eurasia. Applicants must submit the Graduate College application for admission, certified transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate work, Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores (verbal, quantitative, and written), three letters of reference, and a writing sample. International students must submit Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) scores. All applicants must meet the requirements of the Graduate College. Admission is ordinarily in the fall semester, but occasional exceptions are made for spring and summer admission.
Faculty Research Interests
The faculty affiliated with the Center represent a broad range of interests and methodological approaches in the social sciences and the humanities, as well as the professional schools.
Facilities and Resources
The Russian, East European, and Eurasian Center was founded in 1959 and designated a National Resource Center by the U.S. Department of Education. It serves as an intellectual and institutional hub for the University community and the public through conferences, lectures, colloquia, visiting scholars, study groups, exhibits, films, and other activities.
The annual Summer Research Laboratory on Russia, Eastern Europe, and Eurasia features special workshops, seminars, lectures, films, and other events, most of which are free and open to the public.
The International and Area Studies Library at the University of Illinois has one of the country's three outstanding Slavic library collections. The Slavic Reference Service serves all faculty and students with expert bibliographers.
Language training is provided by the Departments of Germanic Languages & Literatures, Linguistics, and Slavic Languages & Literatures in:
- Bulgarian
- Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian
- Czech
- Old Church Slavonic
- Polish
- Russian
- Turkish
- Ukrainian
- Yiddish
Financial Aid
Financial aid is awarded on an academic-year basis. All fellowships and assistantships include a stipend plus tuition and fee waiver. Qualified incoming students who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents should also apply for U.S. Department of Education Title VI Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) fellowships offered through REEEC or other FLAS-granting campus centers.
Qualified students may also be eligible for other fellowships at the campus or departmental level. A limited number of teaching and graduate assistantships, which include a tuition and fee waiver, may also be available to outstanding students through REEEC and other units. The Graduate College maintains a list of available assistantships; additional information on need-based financial aid may be obtained from the Graduate College Fellowships Office.
for the degree of Master of Arts in Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies
Electives outside Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies should complement the student's core courses, research, and professional interests. A master's thesis or major research paper is required, to be based on research using primary sources, including sources in the language used to meet the competency requirement.
For additional details and requirements refer to the department's Graduate Programs and the Graduate College Handbook.
Thesis Option
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| REES 550 | Seminar in REEE Studies | 4 |
| IS 530 | Collection Development (Section C: REEES Bibliog Research Methods) | 4 |
| Core courses in Russian, East European, or Eurasian studies (4 hours at the 500 level, exclusive of REES 599), selected from the list of approved courses, found on the Course List tab, and including coursework earned in at least three disciplines outside REEES. Up to 8 hours of REES 599 (Thesis Research) may count toward the 24 hour core. | 24 | |
| Electives, at least one at the 500 level. | 6 | |
| Language Requirement: third-year competency in Russian or another language of Eastern Europe or Eurasia. Language courses cannot count toward the 24 hour core, but those taken beyond the third-year requirement can count as electives. Approved language courses that focus on literature (see list maintained by REEEC) may also meet the core or elective requirement. | ||
| REES 599 | Thesis Research | 8 |
| Total Hours | 38 | |
Other Requirements
| Other requirements may overlap | |
| Minimum 500-level Hours Required Overall: | 12 |
| Minimum GPA: | 3.25 |
Non-Thesis Option
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| REES 550 | Seminar in REEE Studies | 4 |
| IS 530 | Collection Development (Section C: REEES Bibliog Research Methods) | 4 |
| Core courses in Russian, East European, or Eurasian studies (4 hours at the 500 level), selected from the list of approved courses, found on the Course List tab, and including coursework earned in at least three disciplines outside REEES. | 24 | |
| Electives, at least one at the 500 level. | 6 | |
| Language Requirement: third-year competency in Russian or another language of Eastern Europe or Eurasia. Language courses cannot count toward the 24 hour core, but those taken beyond the third-year requirement can count as electives. Approved language courses that focus on literature (see list maintained by REEEC) may also meet the core or elective requirement. | ||
| Total Hours | 38 | |
Other Requirements
| Other requirements may overlap | |
| Minimum 500-level Hours Required Overall: | 12 |
| Minimum GPA: | 3.25 |
The requirement for Core courses in Russian, East European, or Eurasian studies can be met by selecting from the list of approved courses maintained by REEEC, shown below. Coursework must be earned in at least three disciplines outside REEES. For students writing a thesis, up to 8 hours of REES 599 (Thesis Research) may count toward the 24 hour core.
The requirement for Core courses in Russian, East European, or Eurasian studies can be met by selecting from the list of approved courses maintained by REEEC, shown below. Coursework must be earned in at least three disciplines outside REEES. For students writing a thesis, up to 8 hours of REES 599 (Thesis Research) may count toward the 24 hour core.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ANTH 488 | Modern Europe | 4 |
| ARTH 541 | Seminar in Modern Art | 4 |
| CWL 436 | Problems of Polish Literature | 3 or 4 |
| CWL 440 | Russian Culture Studies | 3 or 4 |
| CWL 444 | Problems in Romanticism | 3 or 4 |
| CWL 453 | Slavic Cultural Studies | 3 or 4 |
| CWL 457 | Modernism | 3 or 4 |
| HIST 439 | The Ottoman Empire | 2 to 4 |
| HIST 461 | Russia- Peter the Great to Rev | 2 to 4 |
| HIST 462 | Soviet Union Since 1917 | 2 to 4 |
| HIST 467 | Eastern Europe | 3 or 4 |
| HIST 560 | Problems in Russian History | 4 |
| HIST 561 | Research Seminar: Russia | 4 |
| MACS 410 | Media Ethics | 3 or 4 |
| MACS 419 | Russian & East European Film | 3 or 4 |
| POL 446 | Problems of Polish Literature | 3 or 4 |
| PS 546 | Comparative Political Behavior | 4 |
| REES 477 | Post-Communist Fiction | 3 or 4 |
| REES 493 | Honors Senior Thesis | 3 |
| REES 495 | Senior Seminar | 3 |
| REES 496 | Topics in REEE Studies | 3 or 4 |
| REES 550 | Seminar in REEE Studies | 4 |
| REES 590 | Individual Study or Research | 1 to 8 |
| REES 596 | Topics in REEE Studies | 4 |
| REES 599 | Thesis Research | 0 to 8 |
| RST 530 | Critical Issues Tourism Mgt | 4 |
| RUSS 418 | 18th Century Literature | 3 or 4 |
| RUSS 424 | Modernism | 3 or 4 |
| RUSS 444 | Problems in Romanticism | 3 or 4 |
| RUSS 460 | Russian Culture Studies | 3 or 4 |
| RUSS 461 | Russia and the Other | 3 or 4 |
| RUSS 465 | Jewish Culture in the Russian Empire | 3 or 4 |
| RUSS 474 | Russian Translation | 3 or 4 |
| RUSS 511 | Russian Literature 1800-1855 | 4 |
| RUSS 512 | Russian Literature 1855-1905 | 4 |
| RUSS 520 | Major Writers Seminar | 4 |
| RUSS 521 | Gogol | 4 |
| RUSS 522 | Dostoevsky | 4 |
| RUSS 523 | Tolstoy | 4 |
| RUSS 524 | Pushkin | 4 |
| RUSS 535 | Nabokov | 4 |
| SLAV 417 | 11th-17thC Literature & Lang | 3 or 4 |
| SLAV 418 | Language & Minorities in Europe | 3 or 4 |
| SLAV 419 | Russian & East European Film | 3 or 4 |
| SLAV 430 | History of Translation | 3 or 4 |
| SLAV 452 | Slavic Cultural Studies | 3 or 4 |
| SLAV 477 | Post-Communist Fiction | 3 or 4 |
| SLAV 525 | Problems in Slavic Literature | 4 |
| SLAV 576 | Methods in Slavic Grad Study | 4 |
| SLAV 591 | Individual Topics | 1 to 8 |
| UKR 498 | Problems in Ukrainian Lit | 3 or 4 |
for the degree of Master of Arts in Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies
The Master of Arts in Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies (REEES) is a two-year program designed to prepare students for further academic study in a particular discipline or for careers in government, NGOs, business, the media, international law, private foundations, or cultural exchanges. The program provides broad exposure to the history, cultures, societies, and politics of the area as well as to the variety of disciplinary and interdisciplinary approaches to its study. For individuals planning non-academic careers, such study is essential in preparing to respond to the growing opportunities and challenges presented by this region. The program also provides students pursuing academic careers with necessary language skills, disciplinary exploration, and an expanded knowledge base about the REEE region.
By the end of our program, students will have:
- An advanced understanding of the REEE region achieved through analyzing original scholarship and primary sources (or data) from Russia, East Europe, and Eurasia.
- An interdisciplinary perspective on the REEES field achieved through required coursework in at least three disciplines, together with exposure to pertinent approaches, paradigms, forms of data and their interpretation, and regional issues and content.
- An ability to begin to engage with REEES scholarship, cultures, and communities by achieving an intermediate-high proficiency (third-year competency)in at least one regional language.
- Advanced research skills developed through expert rigorous regional bibliographic and research training.
- Essential analytical writing skills developed through the production of a thesis or other extensive original research work mentored by a faculty expert.
Graduate Degree Programs in Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies
The Russian, East European, and Eurasian Center offers a two-year program of language and area studies courses leading to an interdisciplinary Master of Arts degree. The program is designed to meet the needs of students proceeding to disciplinary-based doctoral work and those planning non-academic professional careers with area expertise. Programs offered by the Center:
for the degree of Master of Arts in Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies
Russian, East European, and Eurasian Center
Director of Center and Graduate Studies: John Randolph
Russian, East European, and Eurasian Center website
Russian, East European, and Eurasian Center faculty
104 International Studies Building, 910 South Fifth Street, Champaign, IL 61820
(217) 333-1244
Russian, East European, and Eurasian Center email
College of Liberal Arts & Sciences
College of Liberal Arts & Sciences website
Admissions
Graduate College Admissions & Requirements