Russian is the world’s 8th most spoken language and is spoken by over 144 million people in nine different countries. A gateway to learning about fascinating literary and cultural heritage, Russian is also a strategically important language for many fields, including air and space, information technology, nuclear studies, security studies, and many others.
MIT’s Russian program offers instruction in the beginning and intermediate levels of language and culture, as well as courses in Russian literature, history, and political science. The Russian program’s goals are to prepare students to communicate effectively with native speakers as well as to acquaint them with Russian culture and civilization, and in this way prepare them to function successfully in a Russian-speaking environment. Students can fulfill their HASS concentration in Russian language or Russian and Eurasian Studies, as well as pursue a minor in Russian and Eurasian Studies.
All 21G subjects in IAP and Spring 2021 will be offered remotely, with synchronous class meetings in Zoom.
IAP 2021
21G.611 Russian I
Spring 2021
21G.612 Russian II
21G.614 Russian IV
21G.077/618 Introduction to the Classics of Russian Literature*
21G.086 Soviet and Post-Soviet Politics and Society: 1917 to the Present
*Taught in English with additional readings and a short writing project in Russian under 21G.618 (13 units).
Looking ahead
Fall 2021
21G.014 Introduction to Russian Politics and Society (3-unit First-Year Discovery)
21G.611 Russian I
21G.613 Russian III
21G.615 Russian V: Russian for STEM (NEW)
A note regarding the enrollment policy of the Global Languages section: Enrollment limited to 18 for pedagogical reasons. Preference will be given to pre-registered students, including pre-registered undergraduates who were cut from the same class the previous semester due to the enrollment cap. Please note that you have to attend the first day of class to maintain your preference level. In case of over-enrollment, preference will be given in the following order: declared majors, declared minors, declared concentrators, first-years, sophomores, juniors, seniors and graduate students.
