Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies

This certificate program offers students the opportunity to take advantage of the significant multidisciplinary resources in the Five Colleges on Russia, Eastern Europe and Eurasia.

The Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies (REEES) Certificate Program works to offer students an opportunity to draw on rich resources of the faculty members at the Five Colleges and to coordinate curricula across the five campuses. The program also sponsors special events of interest to students and faculty members working in the field.

Ukrainian field that is the colors of the Ukrainian flag

Summer field in Ukraine. Photo: Olga Subach.

Joint Statement by REEES Faculty
on the Russian Invasion of Ukraine

The faculty of the Russian, Eastern European, and Eurasian (REEES) Programs of the Five College Consortium on the Russian Invasion of Ukraine issue the following joint statement:

The Five Colleges have long been a home for students, artists, and scholars who are from and who study Russia, Eastern Europe, and Eurasia. We have welcomed everyone from young, inquisitive minds wishing to know more about these regions to dissidents and exiles who were fated to never return to them. Our community has always sought to apply its knowledge, curiosity, and love for the cultures and peoples of these spaces such that the world might become a better place–a better home–for all.

The invasion of the sovereign nation Ukraine by the Russian Federation represents the antithesis of these values. We are outraged by the violence that Vladimir Putin has inflicted upon the Ukrainian people. We unequivocally condemn his act of war, and categorically reject the malicious distortions of history by which he seeks to justify it. We stand strong with all of those who resist it—from those in Ukraine who fight for their freedom, to the Russian citizens who risk losing theirs by engaging in anti-war protest. Our thoughts remain with the people and democratically elected leaders of Ukraine, and with everyone in the Pioneer Valley who stands to lose friends and family in this senseless conflict. No to war! Ні війні! Нет войне!

On This Page

    Faculty

    Catherine Ciepiela (Russian)
    Sergey Glebov* (History)
    Michael Kunichika (Russian)
    Boris Wolfson* (Russian)

    *Certificate Advisor

    Polina Barskova* (Russian Literature)

    *Certificate Advisor

    Stephen Jones* (Russian and Eurasian Studies)
    Jeremy King (History)
    Susanna Nazarova (Russian and Eurasian Studies)
    Peter Scotto (Russian and Eurasian Studies)

    *Certificate Advisor

    Justin Cammy (Jewish Studies, World Literatures)
    Sergey Glebov* (History)
    Thomas Roberts (Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies)
    Vera Shevzov* (Religion)

    *Certificate Advisor

    Audrey Altstadt (History)
    Evgeny Dengub (Russian)
    Olga Gershenson (Judaic and Near Eastern Studies)
    Julie Hemment* (Anthropology)
    Lauren McCarthy (Legal Studies)
    Robert Rothstein (Slavic Studies, Emeritus)
    Regine Spector (Political Science)

    *Certificate Advisor

    Certificate Requirements

    This certificate program offers students the opportunity to take advantage of the significant multidisciplinary resources in the Five Colleges on Russia, Eastern Europe and Eurasia. The certificate consists of a minimum of six courses. Courses applied to the certificate may also be used to fulfill major requirements. The list of courses fulfilling particular requirements is maintained and regularly updated by the Five College Committee for Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies.

    Course Requirements

    A. The program's core course, normally taken in the first or second year. The core course is offered every year on a rotating basis at one of the campuses and introduces an interdisciplinary perspective on the historical and contemporary experiences of the peoples of Russia, Eurasia (here understood as the former republics of the Soviet Union) and East (and Central) Europe. The course includes guest lectures by noted specialists in the Five Colleges.

    B. Five additional elective courses, distributed as indicated below. (Independent study courses may be included with approval from the student's campus program advisor.) 

    C. At least four courses, including the core course, must be taken within the Five Colleges.

    Language Requirement

    Students receiving the certificate must possess proficiency in a language of one of the certificate regions equivalent to the level achieved after four semesters of post-secondary course work. This proficiency may be demonstrated by course work or examination.

    Study Abroad

    Students are encouraged to study abroad in one of the certificate regions.

    Elective Course Distribution

    In choosing the five elective courses satisfying the certificate requirements, the following guidelines should be observed:

    Courses should be drawn from more than one of the three geographical areas: Russia, Eurasia (here understood as the former republics of the Soviet Union) and Eastern (and Central) Europe.

    • At least one of the elective courses must focus on a period before the 20th century.
    • At least one course must be taken from each of the following disciplinary categories: history, social sciences and humanities/arts. No single course can fulfill more than one disciplinary distribution requirement. 
    • Elementary or intermediate language courses cannot be included as one of the five electives. A language course beyond the intermediate level can be counted toward one of the electives.
    • Credit for one-time courses, special topics courses and transfer or study abroad courses requires approval from the home campus faculty advisor to the program.
    Certificate Completion Form

    Courses

    Spring 2023 Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies Courses

    Subject Course # Sect # Course Title Instructor(s) Institution Meeting Times
    ASLC 206 01 Sino-Soviet Bromance Amherst College TU/TH | 11:30 AM - 12:50 PM
    EUST 249 01 Illustrated Exile Luke Parker Amherst College TU/TH | 1:00 PM - 2:20 PM
    RUSS 102 01 First-Year Russian II Tatyana Babyonyshev Amherst College M/W/F | 10:00 AM - 10:50 AM
    RUSS 102 01F First-Year Russian II Tatyana Babyonyshev Amherst College TU/TH | 10:00 AM - 10:50 AM
    RUSS 111 01 Understanding Russia Catherine Ciepiela Amherst College TU/TH | 11:30 AM - 12:50 PM
    RUSS 122 01 Love and Death Boris Wolfson Amherst College M/W | 3:00 PM - 4:20 PM
    RUSS 202 01 Second-Year Russian II Luke Parker Amherst College M/W/F | 10:00 AM - 10:50 AM
    RUSS 202 01F Second-Year Russian II Luke Parker Amherst College TU/TH | 10:00 AM - 10:50 AM
    RUSS 302 01 Third-Year Russian II Boris Wolfson Amherst College M/W | 12:30 PM - 1:50 PM
    RUSS 302 01F Third-Year Russian II Tatyana Babyonyshev Amherst College
    RUSS 304H 01 Adv Conversation & Comp Tatyana Babyonyshev Amherst College
    RUSS 327 01 The Brothers Karamazov Stanley Rabinowitz Amherst College TU | 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
    HIST 262 01 Stalinism in Central Europe Jeremy King Mount Holyoke College TTH 09:00AM-10:15AM
    JWST 225ST 01 Stalinism in Central Europe Jeremy King Mount Holyoke College TTH 09:00AM-10:15AM
    RES 102 01 Elementary Russian Daniel Brooks Mount Holyoke College MWF 08:30AM-09:45AM
    RES 102L 01 Elementary Russian Lab Daniel Brooks Mount Holyoke College F 10:00AM-10:50AM
    RES 102L 02 Elementary Russian Lab Daniel Brooks Mount Holyoke College -
    RES 210 01 Great Books: Lit of 19C Russ. Daniel Brooks Mount Holyoke College TTH 10:30AM-11:45AM
    RES 244ST 01 Stalinism in Central Europe Jeremy King Mount Holyoke College TTH 09:00AM-10:15AM
    HST 239 01 Imperial Russia, 1650-1900 Serguei Glebov Smith College M 3:05 PM - 4:20 PM; W 2:45 PM - 4:00 PM
    JUD 362yl 01 Sem: T-Yiddishland Justin Daniel Cammy Smith College M 1:40 PM - 4:20 PM
    REL 242 01 Russian Sacred Art Vera Shevzov Smith College TU TH 2:45 PM - 4:00 PM
    RES 100Y 01 Elementary Russian Ilona Sotnikova Smith College M W F 10:50 AM - 12:05 PM
    RES 100Y 02 Elementary Russian Ilona Sotnikova Smith College W F 1:20 PM - 2:35 PM; M 1:40 PM - 2:55 PM
    RES 222 01 Intermediate Russian II Ilona Sotnikova Smith College M W F 9:25 AM - 10:40 AM
    RES 242 01 Russian Sacred Art Vera Shevzov Smith College TU TH 2:45 PM - 4:00 PM
    RES 264 01 Dosteovsky Thomas Lee Roberts Smith College TU TH 1:20 PM - 2:35 PM
    RES 332 01 Advanced Russian Daniel Brooks Smith College M 1:40 PM - 2:55 PM; W 1:20 PM - 2:35 PM
    WLT 264 01 Dosteovsky Thomas Lee Roberts Smith College TU TH 1:20 PM - 2:35 PM
    HISTORY 450 02 JYW Seminar in History Audrey Altstadt UMass Amherst TU TH 1:00PM 2:15PM
    JUDAIC 385 01 Russian Jews Olga Gershenson UMass Amherst TU TH 2:30PM 3:45PM
    JUDAIC 491J 01 S- Holocaust Cinema Olga Gershenson UMass Amherst W 4:00PM 6:45PM
    LEGAL 318 01 RussianPoltcs,Law&Society Lauren McCarthy UMass Amherst TU TH 2:30PM 3:45PM
    POLISCI 318 01 RussianPoltcs,Law&Society Lauren McCarthy UMass Amherst TU TH 2:30PM 3:45PM
    POLISCI 394CI 01 Central Asian Politics Regine Spector UMass Amherst TU TH 1:00PM 2:15PM
    POLISH 297C 01 ST-IntroPolishLanguage&Culture Jeremi Marek Szaniawski UMass Amherst TU TH 11:30AM 12:45PM
    RUSSIAN 120 01 Elementary Russian II Anna Shkireva UMass Amherst M W F 2:30PM 3:45PM
    RUSSIAN 240 01 Intermed Russian II Anna Shkireva UMass Amherst M W F 1:25PM 2:15PM
    RUSSIAN 302 01 Advanced Russian II Anna Shkireva UMass Amherst M W F 11:15AM 12:05PM
    RUSSIAN 318 01 RussianPoltcs,Law&Society Lauren McCarthy UMass Amherst TU TH 2:30PM 3:45PM
    Course Lists From Previous Semesters

    Study Abroad

    Semester and Academic Year Programs

    American Councils Study Abroad

    Study abroad for a semester or academic year. Operated in Moscow (Moscow International University), St. Petersburg (St. Petersburg State Pedagogical University) or Vladimir (KORA Center for Russian Culture). Offers a range of programs: Russian Language and Area Studies, Business Russian Language and Internship and Russian Heritage Speakers Program.

    Council on International Educational Exchange: St. Petersburg

    Study abroad for a semester or academic year. Operated through St. Petersburg State University. Geared toward intermediate and advanced students. Emphasis on language study with electives in literature, culture and history.

    Council on International Educational Exchange: Prague

    Study abroad for a semester or academic year. Central European Studies program run by CIEE, with courses available at Charles University and Prague Film and Television School. Czech language classes in addition to Czech literature, culture and film.  

    C.V. Starr- Middlebury College School in Russia

    Study abroad for a semester or academic year. Run by Middlebury College for intermediate and advanced Russian speakers, with an emphasis on intensive immersion. Choice of three program locations: Irkutsk (Irkutsk State University), Moscow (Russian State University for the Humanities) or Yaroslavl (Yaroslavl State Pedagogical University). 

    Herzen University 

    Study abroad for an academic year (although flexibility is possible). Programs in Russian language, history and culture. Students need to discuss transfer of credit arrangement with school in advance.  

    Study abroad for a semester or academic year (individualized plans of study). Most courses taught in Russian, with some English-language electives. 

    Study abroad for a semester. Mathematics and/or computer science intensive curriculum, with electives in other areas including Russian language and culture. All courses taught in English.

    Moscow State Institute of International Relations

    Study abroad for a semester or academic year. Designed for advanced level Russian speakers, with all classes conducted in Russian. Combines Russian language instruction with courses on international relations, diplomacy and economics.  

    National Theater Institute: Moscow Art Theater (MATS)

    Study abroad for a semester. Taught at Moscow Arts Theater, with emphasis on intensive theatrical training (acting, movement, voice, design and Russian language).

    School of Russian and Asiatic Studies

    Study abroad for a semester or academic year (with the possibility of a flexible program design). Russian as a Second Language Program, with emphasis on intensive language learning. Offered locations: St. Petersburg, Irkutsk, Moscow, Vladivostok, Kiev and Bishkek.

    University of Arizona: Russia Abroad

    Study abroad for a semester or academic year. Run by the University of Arizona, with choice of locations in Moscow (Moscow Humanities University) or St. Petersburg (St. Petersburg State University). Open to all levels of Russian speakers. 

    Vassar College European University

    Study abroad for a semester. Program operated by Vassar College, with classes taught at the Hermitage Museum, the Russian Museum and the European University. Art history focus with language component. 

    Vladivostok State University of Economics and Service

    Study abroad for a semester or academic year (second semester entails continued language and internship/research project). Strong language component in addition to courses on history, economics and international relations in relation to the Russian Far East. Courses taught in English, but Russian readings/assignments available for advanced students.  

    CET: Central European Studies 

    Study abroad for a semester or academic year. Organized by CET Academic Programs, a study abroad organization. Programs based in Prague. Choice of Central European Studies, Film Production, Jewish Studies or New Media.  

    NYU Prague

    Study abroad for a semester or academic year. Program run and operated by New York University. Non-NYU students apply as visiting students. Full range of courses, including language courses in Czech, Polish and Russian. 

    Resources

    Amherst Center for Russian Culture
    Through the generous gift of Thomas P. Whitney '37, Amherst College has acquired what has generally been considered the world's largest private holding of Russian books, manuscripts, newspapers and periodicals. 

    Identities, Cultures and Texts in East-Central Europe
    Two cities with complicated histories, rich cultures and promising futures will become case studies for this unique opportunity in global education. Among the theoretical foundations of this course will be the ever-shifting paradigm.

    Lorna M. Peterson Prize
    The Lorna M. Peterson Prize supports scholarly and creative work by undergraduate students taking part in Five College programs. The $500 prize is awarded annually based on nominations from Five College programs.

    Contact Us

    Program Director:

    Sergey Glebov, Five College Associate Professor of History

    Five College Staff Liaison:

    April Shandor, Academic Programs Coordinator