Russian, East European, & Eurasian Studies, BALAS

University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign

The Russian, East European, and Eurasian Center offers an interdisciplinary major and minor in Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies (REEES). These programs involve students in the study of an important and complex world area in a manner that draws together the approaches of different disciplines, while at the same time building knowledge in a single discipline. A student will construct an individual program of study, depending on the student's interests and career goals, in consultation with the undergraduate advisor of the Center.

The major in Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies consists of three components: 1) language study (Russian, Polish, Czech, Ukrainian, Bosnian-Croatian-Serbian, Turkish, and more); 2) a multidisciplinary area studies focus; and 3) concentration in a single discipline. Language study can be in Russian or in any of the other languages of the region offered at the University. Students also take courses in a variety of disciplines (history, sociology, political science) and develop a broad expertise in the history, politics, and culture of the region that includes Russia, but also many other countries, from the Czech Republic to Estonia to Uzbekistan. In addition, the concentration in a single discipline provides students with deep knowledge of a specific field that can qualify them for graduate or professional study. Many students also use this concentration to double major. With this program, the REEES major provides students with an interdisciplinary focus on issues critical to the region and foundational language training necessary for professional specialization in the area.