Why not try Russian?

Two semesters of Russian fulfill the Language requirement for the Connections Curriculum. In the new Compass Curriculum, they get you started on Global Honors.

Russian art and culture

Even one year of Russian introduces culture.
It gives you a glimpse of a huge, beautiful country which made compelling contributions to world culture. We also offer courses taught in English on Russian art, film, literature and politics.

Russian is good for your English.

All languages teach you about speech and grammar, and make you think about the way you speak and write English.

Plenty of opportunities for a semester study abroad

It is not required, not even for a major, but many opportunities are there.

Students and faculty

Our department is small. Students like the camaraderie, the individualized attention and support from the faculty. … Russian attracts bright and adventurous people. Just like you.

Russian After Wheaton

Immediately after graduating, our students have:

• Gone to Law school or Graduate school: Johns Hopkins, Ohio State, Indiana, University of Wisconsin, Durham (UK), Tufts School of International Relations, University of Michigan, Yale.
• Done a Fulbright year, either to teach English or to do research, in Russia and related states.
• Worked for a local EMT or elder care service with many Russian-speaking clients and patients.
• Worked on the family potato farm.
• Worked for banks, businesses, libraries, NGOs, law firms, foundations and academic associations, mostly in the U.S.

Russian and Careers/professions

Our students have jobs in the fields below.
Russian majors might consider these careers; several Russian majors combined their studies with another field (Political Science, Economics, English) to earn a double major. Russian is useful for many international activities; it is one of the six official languages of the United Nations.

• Teaching, high schools, prep schools and colleges.
• Directing study abroad programs, here and in Russia.
• Banking and business, local and international.
• Library work and some Journalism.
• Law, domestic and international.
• Government – especially State and national security agencies: there is a constant need and there are some relevant scholarships. View article  [article is still relevant today.]

But … Isn’t Russian Hard and Weird?

Perhaps, but Russian on your resume may impress friends, grad schools and potential employers. And keep in mind the friendly department and the terrific, adventurous students. It might be worth a year of something different.

Yes, but all languages are hard in their own way, and they’ll all require some memorization and hard work. You might as well do a more unusual language …

No, but that alphabet scares people. The fact is, students master reading the alphabet in a week or two, and writing in a few more weeks. Really. You will too.

Test your knowledge

Here’s your very first Russian word, in the Russian alphabet, the word for “atom”: ATOM.
This is koshka or cat: кошка, and the words for coffee and café: кофе, кафе.
Can you guess these two cities:  Москва, Бостон?
… One is near Wheaton college, the other is the capital of Russia.

Student Groups (2018 and earlier)