Why Russian and East European Studies?
The Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures offers a range of courses in Russian, Polish and Czech languages, literatures and cultures. Introduction to Russian Literature remains one of the most popular courses at Northwestern University. Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Chekhov, Bulgakov: Russia's great writers explore the philosophical, political, and psychological issues that have shaped the modern world.
Beyond literature, courses in History, Art History, Political Science, Economics, Theater, Film and Humanities may be counted towards a major or minor in Slavic.
Hear from other students about why they decided to study Polish or Russian at Northwestern!
Russia continues to be a major international force in the world today, and NU Slavic majors have gone on to careers in the State Department, the Department of the Treasury, international relations, law, business, journalism, medical school, and education. Students also have been accepted into top programs at Yale, Harvard, University of Virginia, University of London and other institutions, as well as winning Fulbright and Mellon Fellowships. See our Career Paths and Alumni pages.
A recent Wall Street Journal article notes that students with liberal arts degrees--particularly in language and area studies--showed the largest gains in employment and salaries last year.
View our 2022 Winter Quarter Course Flyers for a list of upcoming courses.