Department Highlights
A tribute
Fall 2026 Slavic course offerings
Message from the Chair
The entire world is focused on the horrific war on civilians Russia is waging in Ukraine. As scholars in Slavic, we feel a special obligation to serve as a resource in this difficult time. One of our highest obligations is to education: we are committed to supporting all students, scholars, and institutions in Ukraine and Russia who oppose and are suffering the consequences of Putin's aggression and repression. Ani Kokobobo, a Tolstoy scholar and immigrant from eastern Europe, offers a helpful perspective on the devastating impact of war on education.
Undergraduate Student Excellence
Congratulations Class of 2026!
Congratulations to our graduating Slavic majors and minors
- Kylie Callender (major)
- Kalaiya Corbin (minor)
- Ewelina Cudzich (major)
- Laura Felix (minor)
- Ashna Patel (minor)
- Evelyn Rushall (major), with honors for her senior thesis Grybobranie: Rural Knowledge and Mushroom Foraging in the Polish Lands
- Tristan Weng (minor)
- Graham Yarden (major), with honors for his senior thesis Ukraine as a Training Ground for Russian National Leadership
2025-2026 Language Award Winners
Congratulations to our 2025-2026 language award winners!
| Chloe Hurd | Kultura i Lingvistika Honor in Russian: Advanced |
| Andi Griñé | Kultura i Lingvistika Honor in Russian: Intermediate |
| Selin Ozalp | Kultura i Lingvistika Honor in Russian: Elementary |
| Dylan Charlap | Kultura i Lingvistika Honor in Russian: Elementary |
| Samuel Petski | Kultura i Lingwistyka Honor in Polish: Elementary |
Irwin Weil Project/Essay Award Winners
This year, Slavic recognized a record number of winners in the Irwin Weil essay/project contest. We'd like to extend our appreciation to Professor Irwin Weil's family in continuing to support his legacy. Below follows our students and their winning essay/projects:
| Ewelina Cudzich | Exploring Highlander Culture: Cultural Symbolism in Clothing |
| Graham Yarden | Why Superstitions Persist: Domestic Folk Belief in Contemporary Russia |
| Cate Rose | The Virtue of Equality: Analyzing Eliza Orzeszkowa's Marta as a Tool for Women's Advocacy in Conservative Christian Poland |
| Isabella Toth | Normalization & Demoralization: Devices for Control in Coercive Power Structures |
| Chana M Lyubich | Lermontov’s Poet and His Declining Role in Society |
| Tristan Weng | Dítě’s Reflective Punishment |
| Emilia Bielanski | The Contributions of Jan Tylka to Podhale Folklore and Culture |
| Margaret Sprigg-Dudley | Wielding the Binary: The Paths to Agency for Women in Early 20th Century Eastern Europe |
| Anant Poddar | Living Within the Lie: Collective Ideals and the Construction of Reality from Prague to Northwestern |
| Olivia Cui | The Path to Respect |
| Sofia Sorochinskaia | Surviving the Empires: What It Takes For a Small Nation to Become Great |
| Mya Copeland | Eugenics, Class, and the Politics of Eastern Europe |
Our Programs
Undergraduate
We offer beginning, intermediate and advanced Russian and Polish (and, less often, beginning and intermediate Czech), in addition to Russian and East European literature and film courses. Many of our students are double majors, or are pursuing a minor in Russian and East European Studies to complement their studies. Many of our majors and minors have studied abroad in Russia, Poland or the Czech Republic.
Graduate
Our PhD program ranks among the best in the country. We offer individual attention and the opportunity to pursue a personalized program by way of coursework taken outside the department. Students specialize in Russian literature, but our faculty also includes specialists in Polish, Czech and South Slavic literatures and cultures. Our greatest strengths are in Russian prose and poetry, literary theory, and in the social and intellectual context of literary works.
News and Events
Joint Statement of Opposition to Banning Scholars Based on Citizenship
The statement below, along with its translation in Ukrainian and Russian, can found on the ASEEES website.
As international professional associations that foster the study of Slavic, East European, and Eurasian peoples and cultures, ASEEES, BASEES, and AATSEEL* are committed to promoting international communication among scholars of all countries and identities across the humanities and social sciences. Open exchange and mutual respect among our members are fundamental to our principles.
Upcoming Events
There are no upcoming events at this time