Courses

All of the courses listed on this page count towards Notre Dame’s Globally Engaged Citizens Program. For more information, visit the Center for the Study of Languages and Cultures website. 

Please visit Class Search for our full range of courses, which include a large assortment of offerings in both Russian and English. 

Courses offered every Fall 

RU 10101 – Beginning Russian I

Develops students’ skills in listening, speaking, reading, and writing while also fostering an appreciation for Russian culture. Emphasis is placed on the acquisition of basic structures, vocabulary, and sound systems. Students will be encouraged to use their language skills to communicate and interact in a variety of situations and contexts. 4 credits; meets 3 days a week.

RU 20101 – Intermediate Russian I

This is the first half of a 2-semester review of Russian grammar designed to facilitate a near-native proficiency with the form and function of Russian nouns, verbs, and adjectives. Exceptional forms are stressed, and reading selections on contemporary Russian life and excerpts from literature are employed to improve comprehension and build conversational and writing skills. Open to students who have completed RU 10102 or have placed into the course via online placement exam. 3 credits.

RU 30101 – Advanced Russian I

The first half of a year-long course designed to significantly improve students’ comprehension and self-expression skills in Russian, serving as a preparation for Russian literature courses in the original. The course will include an intensive review of Russian grammar; Russian stylistics, syntax, and grammar at the advanced level; reading and analysis of a wide range of 19th-century Russian literary texts; writing essays in Russian; and extensive work on vocabulary building and advanced conversation skills. Open to students who have completed RU 20102. 3 credits.

Courses offered every Spring 

RU 10102 – Beginning Russian II

Continuation of Beginning Russian I. Develops students’ skills in listening, speaking, reading, and writing while also fostering an appreciation for Russian culture. Emphasis is placed on the acquisition of basic structures, vocabulary, and sound systems. Students will be encouraged to use their language skills to communicate and interact in a variety of situations and contexts. Open to students who have completed RU 10101 or have placed into the course via online placement exam. 4 credits; meets 3 days a week. 

RU 20102 – Intermediate Russian II

This is the second half of a 2-semester review of Russian grammar designed to facilitate a near-native proficiency with the form and function of Russian nouns, verbs, and adjectives. Exceptional forms are stressed, and reading selections on contemporary Russian life and excerpts from literature are employed to improve comprehension and build conversational and writing skills. Open to students who have completed RU 20201 or have placed into the course via online placement exam. 3 credits.

RU 30102 – Advanced Russian II

This is the second half of a year-long course designed to significantly improve students’ comprehension and self-expression skills in Russian, serving as a preparation for Russian literature courses in the original. The course will include an intensive review of Russian grammar; Russian stylistics, syntax, and grammar at the advanced level; reading and analysis of a wide range of 20th-century Russian literary texts (including fiction, poetry, interviews, songs, and newspaper materials); writing essays in Russian; and extensive work on vocabulary building and advanced conversation skills. Open to students who have completed RU 40102. 3 credits.

Slavic language courses in languages other than Russian

RU 10505 - Introductory Ukrainian (Tetyana Shlikhar)

This is an introductory course for complete beginners in Ukrainian. The course aims to provide a solid foundation in four major communicative skills: speaking, listening, reading, and writing. Students will learn to communicate effectively across cultural and linguistic boundaries while developing knowledge of the Ukrainian language, traditions, and culture. Emphasis is placed on the acquisition of basic structures, vocabulary, and sound systems. Students will be encouraged to use their language skills to communicate and interact in a variety of situations and contexts. Cultural awareness will be enhanced with authentic audio-visual materials, literary texts, and cultural artifacts. By the end of the course, students will be able to read short original Ukrainian texts and communicate on everyday topics. No prerequisite. 3 credits.

Spring 2024 courses taught in Russian

RU 10001 – Introduction to Russian (Galiia Sadykova)

This one-credit class is designed to prepare students for an easy transition into our Beginning Russian I course, which is offered in the fall. By the end of the semester, students will 1) use the Cyrillic alphabet with confidence, 2) understand the fundamentals of Russian phonetics and grammar, and 3) be able to speak and write briefly about their personal and university biographies. The course will be scheduled to accommodate student schedules. 1 credit.

RU 32102 – Russian Language Tutorial (Galiia Sadykova)

Students work with a native speaker in small groups of two or three to activate and intensively practice the material covered in Intermediate Russian II. Although this course focuses on all modes of language learning - speaking, listening, reading, writing, and cultural proficiency - particular emphasis is given to improving students' speaking abilities. Open to students who are concurrently enrolled in RU 20102, or with permission of instructor. 1 credit.

RU 43620 – Russian Journalism (Emily Wang)

This course guides Russian students in developing one of the most important - but most challenging - skills they will need as language learners: navigating the specialized discourse of SMI, or mass media. Students will learn to navigate the changing Russophone media landscape and regularly discuss how various organs present current events in class. In addition, the course will examine how documentary and journalistic modes of knowledge inform Russian artistic culture, from the revolutionary documentary filmmaking of Dziga Vertov to the Nobel Prize-winning writing of Svetlana Alexievich to the influential graphic journalism of the cartoonist Victoria Lomasko. 3 credits. Counts for ALLN and WKLC

Spring 2024 courses taught in English

RU 13186 – The Anti-Empire Empire: Russia, Center, and Periphery (Arpi Movsesian)

his course introduces students to Russian literature and culture while also serving as an introduction to the seminar method of instruction. The course is writing-intensive, with emphasis given to improving students' writing skills through the careful analysis of specific texts.3 credits. Counts for USEM, WKAL and LIT

RU 33101 – Nothing is True and Everything is Possible (Sean Griffin)

In 1987, the Soviet Union was the largest political entity on the planet. Four years later, it had vanished from the map entirely. In this interdisciplinary course, you will learn about the ‘new Russia’ that has emerged in the three decades since this stunning collapse. Drawing on an array of resources in English translation, you will explore the politics, media, and culture of the post-Soviet period: from the lawless years of the “wild 90s” under Boris Yeltsin to the return of totalitarianism under Vladimir Putin and his brutal invasion of Ukraine. In so doing, your study of contemporary Russia will lead us to discuss some of the most pressing questions in global politics today. What is the nature of truth and power in Putin’s dystopian propaganda state? Should the current leadership in Russia be described as a fascist regime or neo-Soviet? And, perhaps most importantly, how did Russia’s democratic experiment ultimately end with the launch of the largest war in Europe since 1945—and what lessons might this failure hold for America and the rest of the world? 3 credits. Counts for FNAR and WKAL

RU 40003 – Tour Across Russia (Galiia Sadykova)

This course surveys modern Russian traditions and culture from the perspective of the most significant Russian cities. Topics include a brief history of each city, its cultural heritage, and its contributions to Russian literature and modern society. Through lectures and discussion, we will consider cities in European Russia (St. Petersburg, Moscow, Ryazan', Kaliningrad), Siberia (Irkutsk, Novosibirsk), and the Russian Far East (Vladivostok, Khabarovsk, Yuzno-Sakhalinsk). We will learn which of them gave birth to a widely popular intellectual club, which one was visited by a famous Russian writer after an eighty-two day journey, which was the place where an extremely popular Russian band started its career, etc. We will uncover these and other gems of Russian culture by listening to songs, reading poems, training our brains playing smart games, and many other activities full of Russian Spirit. 1 credit

Previously Offered Electives

Generally, courses with 4xxxx course numbers are taught in the target language. Courses with 3xxxx course numbers and below are taught in English. Detailed class descriptions can be accessed via the ClassSearch tool on InsideND.

Fall 2023

RU 30202 - Tolstoy 

RU 30350 - Ukrainian and Russian Culture Through the Ages

RU 30355 - From Rasputin to Putin: Russia's Troubled 20th Century 

RU 33500 - Behind the Iron Curtain: Soviet Culture up to Stalinism

RU 43100 - Russian Short Stories

Spring 2023

RU 20355 – RusPutin to Putin

RU 30357 – Shadow of the Empire in Cinema

RU 33201 – Dostoevsky 

RU 43610 – Contemp Russ Culture 

Fall 2022

RU 30355 – From Rasputin to Putin

RU 30469 – Russia’s Revolutionary Century 

RU 33186 – Russian Seeks God 

RU 43620 – Russian Journalism 

Spring 2022

RU 33301 – Brothers Karamazov 

RU 43620 – Russian Journalism 

Fall 2021

RU 30113 – Russian in Revolution: Literature, Film, and the Arts, 1891-1924 

RU 30355 – From Rasputin to Putin

RU 30475 – Medieval & Early Modern Russia

RU 43102 - Twentieth-Century Russian Literature Survey