Slavic Languages and Literatures

The Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures supports the coordinated study of the Slavic languages, literature, literary and cultural history, and literary theory and criticism. As a core department within the Division of Literatures, Cultures, and Languages, we offer students entry into a diverse society that has defined major historical trends and continues to play an increasingly significant role in the world today.

Our courses are designed for students at all levels—from freshman seminars requiring no specialized knowledge to advanced graduate research seminars. In addition to Russian, which remains the lingua franca across the vast territory of the former Soviet Union, we also train our students in Ukrainian, Polish, and Czech and introduce them to Eastern Europe's and Eurasia’s diverse cultures, ethnicities, economies, and religions. This comprehensive knowledge of the region prepares them for successful careers in journalism, business, international relations, law, human rights, and academia.

Academic Programs and Multilingual Training

The Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures offers comprehensive undergraduate and graduate pathways designed to foster high language proficiency, critical analysis, and deep cultural literacy:

• Undergraduate Programs (B.A. and Minor): Offering several distinct tracks leading to a major, minor, or honors degree. 

• Coterminal B.A./M.A. Program: Allowing qualified Stanford undergraduates to concurrently work toward their bachelor's and master's degrees.

• Graduate Programs (M.A. and Ph.D.): Offering an M.A. in Russian and a rigorous Ph.D. in Slavic Languages and Literatures. Doctoral students must choose a minor in another national literature, linguistics, history, Jewish Studies, art and music history, theater, or film studies; they may also design their own minor or participate in the joint Graduate Program in Humanities.

• Russian Language Grants: In collaboration with the Center for Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies (CREEES), the department offers competitive summer grants to qualified undergraduates for intensive Russian language instruction in accredited programs in the US and Eastern Europe.

Research Frontiers, Publications, and Special Collections

Stanford students are in a privileged position due to the university's peerless faculty resources and world-class library archives in Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies:

• World-Class Libraries and Archives: Students and faculty conduct primary research using the premier collections of the Green Library and the Hoover Institution libraries and archives, which house some of the finest Russian and East European collections in the United States.

• Interdisciplinary Alignments: Academic programs can be combined with coursework in Russian, East European, and Eurasian history; Jewish Studies; Film Studies (focusing on Russian and East-European film); modern Russian theater; International Relations; and the Honors Program in Interdisciplinary Studies in Humanities.

• Colloquia and Publications: The department runs an active colloquium series that brings distinguished global speakers to Stanford, organizes international conferences and symposia, and has maintained its own continuing publication series, Stanford Slavic Studies, since 1987.