The fourth most widely spoken language on Earth and second only to English as a language of science, Russian is accepted as a prime research tool in most graduate fields. Recent changes in the political and economic structure of Russia have made it a new frontier for international business and law, and for studies in politics, economics, sociology and history.
Most BYU Russian students live in Russia as part of their program for language and culture study. This experience builds on the unique language training available to students on campus. In addition to offering the student valuable insight into current life in Russia, the Russian program provides students with exceptional views on Russia's millennia-old literature and culture, which are essential elements of a broad education. The study of Russian affords students the chance to become intimately acquainted with a people whose language, philosophical and religious thought diverge sharply from that of the West. Yet threads of commonality can be discovered. Especially when undertaken in Russian, the study of both divergent and shared experiences yields wisdom.
More information about BYU's Study Abroad program in St. Petersburg.
Faculty - All full-time professors of Russian hold the Ph.D. degree from American universities or the Doktorat from Russian universities, and all have studied extensively in Moscow and St. Petersburg. Of the seven faculty members two are native speakers of Russian. All faculty members are involved in research and publication and all regard quality teaching as their first professional responsibility. While the Russian program at BYU has grown considerably in recent years close ties between students and professors have been maintained.
Facilities - Students have access to cutting-edge language lab facilities in the Humanities Learning Resource Center (HLRC). In addition to making numerous cd's, audiotapes, and videotapes in Russian available to students, the HLRC has on-line media to accompany various course offerings. BYU also receives Russian television programming 24 hours a day.
All Russian majors are expected to have residence experience in a Russian-speaking environment before graduation. For many students, this expectation can be satisfied by taking fifth semester classes in Russia during the spring/summer terms following Russian 202. Others will have served missions in Russian speaking areas or participated in the all Russian-speaking Russian House. Some students satisfy this expectation by accepting an internship in Russia or in another country where Russian is spoken as a first or second language.
Many students are involved as teaching assistants, research assistants, graders, part-time secretaries and librarians. An active Slavic Club provides many opportunities to improve students' understanding of Slavic cultures. The Russian Choir practices regularly and performs religious, folk, and popular music. Each year several Russian majors are accepted into Dobro Slovo, the national Slavic honor society.