The Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures is pleased to announce a call for applications for the Brad and Karen Radulovacki Travel and Study Grant to support study of Russian or other Slavic language, literature or culture. Northwestern undergraduate and graduate students are eligible for the grant.
Congratulations to our own Elizabeth Murray on receiving the 2026 BTAA Staff Development Award! This yearlong program for Big Ten staff focused on the internationalization of higher education and best practices in global partnership development. As a capstone experience, Liz traveled to Ireland with a cohort of 20 Big Ten colleagues.
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.
Congratulations to our graduating Slavic majors and minors
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 |
Congratulations to our Radulovacki travel grant award winners!
| Andi Griñé |
| Hyrum Rich |
| Aliyah Moad |
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 |
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.
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.
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.
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