slavic| Welcome to the Slavic Program |
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As a nation situated on the threshold between Europe and Asia, Islam and Christianity, East and West, Russia offers the fascinating case of a culture whose self-identity has always depended on its changing relationship with other cultures and nations. As a postcolonial empire grappling with the legacy of one of the most gigantic social experiments in world history -- socialism, Russia today is coming to terms with unprecedented changes in its social, economic and political institutions. The emerging nations of Central and Eastern Europe (such as Poland, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, and the nations of the former Yugoslavia) have a diverse heritage whose contribution to European culture has long been underestimated. The achievements of Slavic literature (Akhmatova, Andric, Dostoevsky, Kundera, Milosc, Nabokov, Tolstoy), music (Dvorak, Prokofiev, Tchaikovsky), film (Eisenshtein, Vertov, Wajda), and the visual arts (Chagall, Kandinsky, Malevich), form part of the core of western civilization. By studying Russian, students achieve a greater awareness not only of the literature and culture, but also of the role the newly independent states of the former Soviet Union play in our current political and economic life. Learning the language is key to unlocking the cultural, historical, and contemporary significance of this most important area of the world. |
