Russian and East European Studies Certificate

Overview

REES is one of a select few National Resource Centers for Russian and East European Studies funded by the US Department of Education. REES has 68 affiliated faculty members, and has programs with 14 arts and sciences departments and five professional schools. Our many areas of focus include subjects such as the transformations of post-communist societies, history, foreign policy and international relations, anthropology, music, and contemporary culture and literatures. Recognizing that regional boundaries are constantly contested and redefined, our geographic scope includes Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, the Baltic states, Central Asia and the Caucasus, the Western Balkans, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova and Turkey.  REES currently offers Certificates in Advanced Russian and East European Studies, Russian Studies, or Soviet Studies, which may be earned in conjunction with most masters and doctoral programs in the School of Arts and Sciences and a number of professional schools.

Requirements for REES Certificates

The requirements for each of the REES graduate certificates are as follows:

• Completion of six approved Russian and Eastern European area studies courses, including four courses from at least two departments other than the student’s home department, for a total of 18 credits.
• Demonstration of language proficiency equivalent to three years of college-level study in a language of the former Soviet Union (plus Mongolia) or Eastern Europe (including Turkish). 
• Completion of a research paper of at least 15 pages in length, based substantially on primary sources in one or more languages of the REES world area.