Russian

Russian Program

The Russian Program has been part of the curriculum at Queens College for over sixty years. Our program seeks, through the achievement of an accurate reading knowledge, adequate aural comprehension, and conversational proficiency, to prepare students to understand, appreciate and use professionally the language, literature, and culture of the Russian-speaking world. Courses offered under the Program’s auspices stimulate the exchange of knowledge and technological skills, strengthening cooperation and understanding among individuals, businesses, and organizations.

The Russian Program plays a leading role in the online education at the College. A number of courses are regularly taught online, among them Russian Culture and Thought, Keys to Russian Literature, Russian Short Story, Russian Fairy Tales, The Russian Silver Age and Avant-Garde, Chekhov, Survey of Russian Literature: The Nineteenth Century and The Twentieth Century, and other courses.

Famous Russian writers, including Nobel laureate Joseph Brodsky, Bella Akhmadulina, Bulat Okudzhava, Vladimir Voinovich, Andrei Voznesensky, and Yevgeny Yevtushenko have lectured or taught at the College.

The department houses a chapter of the National Slavic Honor Society, Dobro Slovo. Membership is open to students who fulfill the following requirements:

1. A cumulative index of at least 3.0
2. At least four (4) Russian courses beyond 203, totaling 12 credits
3. An average of 3.3 in all Russian electives.

Applications are available in Queens Hall, Room 200.

Why Study Russian

Find the answers to this and other related questions from the best experts in the field – American Association of the Teachers of Slavic and East European Languages (AATSEEL) and American Council of Teacher of Russian (ACTR). ​​​