Russian Language

University of California, Berkeley

About the Program

Minor

The Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures offers a minor in Russian Language. There is no major in Russian Language. Students who wish to major in Russian language, literature, or culture should choose the appropriate major track offered by the Slavic Languages and Literatures major.

Heritage Speakers of Russian

Heritage speakers include those who grew up in Russian speaking families but are without a standard Russian language educational background. Heritage speakers of Russian are not eligible for this minor. However, heritage speakers may choose any of the department's other minors (see links below).

Declaring the Minor

Students considering a minor track involving language requirements must see the undergraduate student services adviser early on to have their minor study list plan reviewed and approved. Final approval for a minor rests with the major adviser. The paperwork for the minor, called an L&S Confirmation of Minor form, is completed with the undergraduate student services adviser no later than the semester before the student's Expected Graduation Term (EGT).

Other Minors offered by the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures

Armenian Studies (Minor only)
East European/Eurasian Languages and/or Cultures (Minor only)
Russian Culture (Minor only)
Russian Literature (Minor only)
Slavic Languages and Literatures (Major only)

Visit Department Website

Minor Requirements

Students who have a strong interest in an area of study outside their major often decide to complete a minor program. These programs have set requirements.

General Guidelines

  1. All minors must be declared before the first day of classes in your Expected Graduation Term (EGT). For summer graduates, minors must be declared prior to the first day of Summer Session A. 

  2. All upper-division courses must be taken for a letter grade. 

  3. A minimum of three of the upper-division courses taken to fulfill the minor requirements must be completed at UC Berkeley.

  4. A minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 is required in the upper-division courses to fulfill the minor requirements.

  5. Courses used to fulfill the minor requirements may be applied toward the Seven-Course Breadth requirement, for Letters & Science students.

  6. No more than one upper division course may be used to simultaneously fulfill requirements for a student's major and minor programs.

  7. All minor requirements must be completed prior to the last day of finals during the semester in which the student plans to graduate. If students cannot finish all courses required for the minor by that time, they should see a College of Letters & Science adviser.

  8. All minor requirements must be completed within the unit ceiling. (For further information regarding the unit ceiling, please see the College Requirements tab.)

Requirements

Lower Division Prerequisites
RUSSIAN 1Elementary Russian5
RUSSIAN 2Elementary Russian5
RUSSIAN 3Intermediate Russian5
RUSSIAN 4Intermediate Russian5
Upper Division Requirements
RUSSIAN 103A
& RUSSIAN 103B		Advanced Russian
and Advanced Russian		8
Select three from the following:
RUSSIAN 102
Readings in Specialized Russian [3]
RUSSIAN 105A
Advanced Russian/English/Russian Translation [3]
or RUSSIAN 105B
 Advanced Russian/English/Russian Translation
SLAVIC 181
Readings in Russian Literature [4]
SLAVIC 182
Pushkin [4]
SLAVIC 188
Russian Prose [4]
SLAVIC 190
Russian Culture Taught in Russian: Country, Identity, and Language [4]
SLAVIC 191
Russian Culture and Language in the Contemporary World [4]

Advising

The department provides programmatic and individual advising services to prospective and current students who are pursuing major and minor tracks. Advisers assist with a range of issues including course selection, academic decision-making, achieving personal and academic goals, and maximizing the Berkeley experience.

Students who are looking to explore their options or are ready to declare a major, double major, or minor should contact the undergraduate student services adviser.

Advising Staff and Hours

Amanda Minafo
issaug@berkeley.edu
6303 Dwinelle Hall
510-642-4661
Book appointments here.

Courses

Select a subject to view courses:

Russian

Slavic Languages and Literatures

Contact Information

Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures

6303 Dwinelle Hall

Phone: 510-642-2979

issa@berkeley.edu

Visit Department Website

Department Chair

Anne Nesbet

nesbet@berkeley.edu

Undergraduate Faculty Advisor

Darya Kavitskaya

6219 Dwinelle Hall

dkavitskaya@berkeley.edu

Undergraduate Student Services Advisor

Amanda Minafo

6303 Dwinelle Hall

Phone: 510-642-4661

issaug@berkeley.edu

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