Russian and East European Studies (REES) academic plans and courses

Minor in Russian and East European Studies

REES Minor: The Russian and East European Studies Minor requires successful completion of a minimum of four academic course units (eight courses) in Russian and East European Studies with a minimum cumulative minor average of 65%.

Required Courses

Two RUSS courses
Six courses from any of CROAT, REES, RUSS, or courses on the list of Russian and East European Studies approved courses:
- HIST 263, HIST 265, HIST 278, HIST 316, HIST 356
- PSCI 353, PSCI 355, PSCI 451

Courses in Russian and East European Studies

We use two rubrics to designate our courses in Russian:

RUSS (short for Russian) is used for courses in Russian language
REES (short for Russian and East European Studies) is used for courses taught in English that deal with Russian and eastern European culture, literature, and languages

The Schedule of Classes link on the sidebar will give you up-to-date information about the availability of these courses.

RUSS courses

Course	Requisites	Normally offered
RUSS 101 Elementary Russian 1: Students with little or no prior knowledge are introduced to the structure of Russian and develop their listening/comprehension, speaking, reading, and writing skills. Classes are communicative and emphasize interaction in Russian. The course aims to bring Russian language, culture, and everyday life into the classroom.	None This course is not open to students with native, near-native or similar advanced ability.	Fall term Winter term
RUSS 102 Elementary Russian 2: A continuation of RUSS 101.	RUSS 101 or equivalent knowledge This course is not open to students with native, near-native or similar advanced ability.	Occasionally

REES courses

The REES courses are all taught in English.

Course	Requisites	Normally offered
REES 180 German and Russian Literary Masterpieces: An examination of major Russian and German literary works that have influenced world literature. (Cross-listed with GER 180).	None	Occasionally
REES 220 Once Upon a Fairy Tale: Fairy Tales, Then and Now: This course studies fairy tales in the broader context of the history of childhood and practises of education and socialization. (Cross-listed with GER 220).	None	Occasionally
REES 230 The Devil: An examination of the Devil and demonic figures in the Russian and Slavic cultural traditions based on examples drawn from literature, music, the visual arts, and film. Connections to a larger Western cultural context are also explored.	None	Occasionally
REES 261 Understanding Conversation: This course examines the connection between conversation and cultural identities. Looking at conversation means looking at language structures and language choice but also at gesture, gaze, laughter, and emojis. We will analyze everyday conversation as well as interaction in digital contexts, with the goal of discovering how linguistic and multimodal choices convey and construct who we are. (Cross-listed with GER 261)	None	Occasionally
REES 262 Multilingualism: This course examines the concept of multilingualism in society from a social, cultural, and linguistic perspective. It covers topics such as multilingualism in the media, endangered languages, language and identities, language maintenance and loss, language planning and politics, and multilingual education. (Cross-listed with GER 262).	None	Occasionally
REES 272 Russian Thought and Culture: A survey of Russian culture from the nineteenth century to the present day.	None	Currently not offered
REES 364 German and Russian Film Pioneers: An examination of early German and Russian cinema, and the way these two film industries influenced each other. (Cross-listed with FINE 364 and GER 364).	Level at least 2A	Currently not offered
REES 385 Culture Behind the Iron Curtain: An examination of the culture of the Soviet Union, the German Democratic Republic, and other states that experimented with socialism in the 20th century. (Cross-listed with GER 385).	None	Currently not offered