The Department of Modern Languages and Cultures offers courses in beginning through advanced Chinese and Japanese language, as well as in Japanese film, literature, civilization, art, architecture, cities, and issues in contemporary culture. You can study the culture of Zen, write haiku poetry, learn the tea ceremony, and discuss the latest developments in animé.
Students can pursue extensive study of Chinese or Japanese language and culture while combining their interest in language with coursework in Asian history, religion, and art and art history(concentration requirements are at end of this flyer).
Every course we offer fits into several of our clusters. You can ask for an exception to one element of a cluster or design one of your own. Click here for more information about the Japanese cluster.
Emphasize language study or combine language with literature and culture courses:
The rest of our ASIAN HUMANITIES CLUSTERS involve courses given in English, although majors and native speakers generally do some of the reading in the original languages
CHI 101 Elementary Chinese I
CHI 102 Elementary Chinese II
CHI 114 Conversational Chinese I
CHI 151 Intermediate Chinese I
CHI 152 Intermediate Chinese II
CHI 202 Advanced Intermediate Chinese I
CHI 203 Advanced Intermediate Chinese II
CHI 204 Conversational Chinese II
William Schaefer
Ph. D. (Chicago), Assistant Professor of Chinese
Shifang Yu
Senior Lecturer in Chinese
Ping Pian
Lecturer in Chinese
For more information about Asian language, literature and culture courses or about becoming a Chinese Minor, contact:
The minor in Latin American studies can serve to complement the student’s major field of concentration by giving him or her a broad view of Latin American cultures and their relations to the United States and the rest of the world.
Five courses with Latin American content are required for the minor, of which three must be at the 200-level from the Department of Modern Languages and Cultures, and one each (total of two) from two different related areas such as history, political science, religion and anthropology. The minor must be approved by the Spanish section in its beginning stages. Study abroad in a Latin American country is strongly encouraged.
Normal offerings in the Department of Modern Languages and Cultures include:
ANT 239 Latin American Immigration: Anthropology without Borders
Other courses with approval of the Spanish undergraduate advisor.
Beth E. Jörgensen
Ph.D. (University of Wisconsin-Madison), Associate Professor of Spanish
beth.jorgensen@rochester.edu
The University of Rochester offers degrees in Russian Studies. The Russian Studies major and minor can count in either the Humanities or the Social Sciences, and there are Russian Studies clusters in both these divisions as well.
Russian Studies, an interdisciplinary program of the College of Arts and Sciences, incorporates the perspective of several departments and the linguistic, historical and cultural background needed to understand Russia's past, to analyze its present, and to make responsible predictions about its future.
The four departments providing the core faculty for this program are MLC, History, Political Science, and Art and Art History, but a Russian Studies major or minor concentration includes courses in or cross-listed with Religion and Classics, Judaic Studies, Polish and Central European Studies, Film Studies, Women's Studies, Comparative Literature and Economics. An interdisciplinary approach comes naturally to our students, many of whom are doing a second major in history, political science or another area.
NOTE: The Russian Studies Major and Minor can be counted in either Humanities or Social Sciences, depending on your choice of courses.
For a detailed listing of the courses in each cluster click here.
These clusters involve courses given in English:
In addition to Russian language at all levels, the following courses are regularly offered in English.
AH 253 Art & Politics in the 20th Century
AH 260 Russian Avant-Garde Art (1871-1930)
AH 270 KINOFOT: Soviet Cinema & Photography
HIS 151 Imperial Russia
HIS 152 Stalin's Russia
HIS 198Q Russian Revolution
HIS 240 Russia's Women: Past & Present
HIS 244 Russian Religious Ideas
HIS 332 St. Petersburg: History & Culture
PSC 251 Old & New Nationalisms in Europe
RSC 256 Global Post-Communist Economy
PSC 262 Post-Communist Politics
PSC 268 Transitions to Democracy
PSC 270 International Politics
PSC 271 Russia & Eastern Europe
PSC 292 Politics & Economics of Post-Communist Transformations
RUS 123/124 Background Studies in Russian Culture
RUS 126/127 Russia Now
RUS 128 Russian Civilization
RUS 190/235 Tolstoy's War & Peace as Novel, History, and Film
RUS 191/237 Dostoevsky
RUS 214 Russian Folklore
RUS 231 Great Russian Writers
RUS 232 Superfluous Men, Superior Women
RUS 239 Tolstoy & Dostoevsky
RUS 243 Chekhov & His Contemporaries
RUS 247 Secret Nation: The Cult & Culture of Secrecy in Russia
RUS 248 Politics of Identity
RUS 264 Writers in Exile: Russian Literature Outside of Russia
RUS 265 Russian Literature Between the Revolutions: 1917-1991
RUS 267 Russia Goes to the Movies
RUS 289 Dangerous Texts: Literature and Politics in Russia
RST 160 The New Europe: Formations & Transformations
RST 390 Supervised Teaching
RST 394 Internship (in Rochester's Russian émigré community)
Study in St. Petersburg during the White Nights in June on the UR Summer Program (6 credits). Begin or continue your study of Russian. Eligible students receive grants from the Mildred Burton Fund for this program. Students also study for a semester or academic year in Russia through the CIEE and ACTR programs (up to four courses count toward the major).
Kathleen Parthé
Ph. D. (Cornell), Professor of Russian, Director of the Russian Studies Program
John Givens
Ph.D. (University of Washington), Associate Professor of Russian
Laura Givens
M.A. (University of Washington), Senior Lecturer in Russian.
Randall Stone
Ph.D. (Harvard), Associate Professor of Political Science
Matthew Lenoe
Ph.D. (University of Chicago), Associate Professor of History
Russian Studies Program, Professor Kathleen Parthé, Director, at 585-275-4251.
