FACULTY

<CENTER><TABLE CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 WIDTH="100%" HEIGHT="100%" > <TR> <TD ALIGN=CENTER VALIGN=CENTER> <CENTER><P><FONT COLOR="#FF0000"><FONT SIZE=+3>Russian Studies at GMU</FONT></FONT></P></CENTER> <P><IMG SRC="kiosk.GIF" HEIGHT=126 WIDTH=224></P> </TD> </TR> </TABLE></CENTER> <DL> <P><A NAME="one"></A> <FONT COLOR="#FF0000"><FONT SIZE=+2>Overview</FONT></FONT> <BR> <IMG SRC="red.gif" HEIGHT=1 WIDTH=100%></P> <DD>Welcome to George Mason University's program in Russian Studies. We are happy that you have decided to explore the possibility of learning to communicate in Russian, and of studying the history and culture of Russia from the earliest times to the present. GMU has an exciting, nationally recognized, interdisciplinary program with eight full-time faculty members from five departments, an active Russian Club, and our own study-abroad program providing opportunities for summer and semester study at Moscow State University and Herzen State Pedagogical University in St. Petersburg. </DD> <DD><BR> </DD> <DD>This is a fascinating time for the field of Russian Studies. Over the past decade major changes have occurred in the political, social and economic structure of Russia which have not only affected every facet of Russian life, but have had far-reaching effects around the globe. Geographically the largest country in the world, post-Soviet Russia continues to be vitally important to a broad range of U.S. interests. For example, Russia plays a crucial role in areas such as the United Nations, nuclear energy, ecology, scientific research, space exploration, and international law enforcement. Aside from the importance of Russia in the world, the Russian language is an important means of communication and cultural transmission throughout the countries of the former Soviet Union as well as in Central and Eastern Europe. From the standpoint of the number of people who speak it, Russian ranks with English and Chinese as one of the three major world languages. </DD> <DD><BR> </DD> <DD>The George Mason B.A. degree program in Russian Studies has two principal objectives. </DD> <DD><BR> </DD> <OL> <LI>to provide students with the opportunity to develop a working proficiency in the Russian language, i.e., the ability to use Russian effectively in academic, professional and personal contexts. </LI> <LI>to provide students with a generalist's knowledge of the history, politics, literature, culture, geography, and economics of Russia. </LI> </OL> <P><BR> </P> <DD>Because of its interdisciplinary nature, strong emphasis on language learning and Russian/American cross-cultural perspective, the B.A. in Russian Studies also addresses a significant part of the general education needs of students. </DD> </DL> <P><BR> <A NAME="two"></A> <FONT COLOR="#FF0000"><FONT SIZE=+2>Employment Opportunities</FONT></FONT> <BR> <IMG SRC="red.gif" HEIGHT=1 WIDTH=100%> </P> <DL> <DD>Employment opportunities for those with a sound knowledge of Russia and the Russian language are expanding rapidly. In recent years Russia has opened up to Westerners to an unprecedented degree, and as a result, governmental, business, professional, and personal contacts between Russians and Americans have greatly increased. Recent graduates from GMU's Russian Studies program have found employme nt as translators/interpreters and analysts at international organizations such as the World Bank; at U.S. Government agencies, including the Department of Agriculture, Library of Congress, CIA , and its Foreign Broadcast Information Service; in import-export companies, joint venture, and consulting firms. </DD> </DL> <P><BR> <A NAME="three"></A><FONT COLOR="#FF0000"><FONT SIZE=+2>Graduate School/Professional Opportunities</FONT></FONT> <BR> <IMG SRC="red.gif" HEIGHT=1 WIDTH=100%> </P> <DL> <DD>The Russian Studies major also prepares students for a range of graduate and professional school opportunities. Because strong emphasis is placed on the Russian language, students who successfully complete the program will have received good preparation for M.A. and Ph.D programs in Russian Language and Literature and Slavic Linguistics. And because of the interdisciplinary nature of the Russian Studies degree, students will have met the prerequisites for graduate work in such fields as international relations, literature, and law. Recent graduates of GMU's Russian Studies program have been accepted for graduate study at the University of Chicago (Slavic Languages and Literatures), Stanford University and University of California at Berkeley (Russian Government and Politics), Columbia University (Sociology), and American University (School of Business). </DD> </DL> <P><A NAME="four"></A><FONT COLOR="#FF0000"><FONT SIZE=+2>Course Requirements for the Russian Studies Major</FONT></FONT> <BR> <IMG SRC="red.gif" HEIGHT=1 WIDTH=100%> </P> <UL> <P><BR> 1. All general requirements of the College of Arts and Sciences. <BR> 2. Russian language courses through the intermediate level <BR> 3. <B>RUSS 353 or HIST 328</B> <BR> 4. <B>RUSS 354 or HIST 329</B> <BR> 5. <B>GEOG 330 or GOVT 338 or GOVT 445</B> <BR> 6. Russian literature (two courses) <BR> 7. <B>RUSS 380 and 381</B> <BR> 8. <B>RUSS 480 or 481</B> (preferably both) <BR> 9. Three additional upper division courses taught predominantly in the Russian language <B>(RUSS 302, RUSS 303, RUSS 310, RUSS 311, RUSS 401, RUSS 480 or 481)</B> <BR> <BR> </P> <P><B>Upper Division Courses</B> </P> <P><B>RUSS 302</B> Russian Conversation and Composition <BR> <B>RUSS 300</B> Field Study in Russian Culture <BR> <B>RUSS 303</B> Russian Advanced Conversation <BR> <B>RUSS 310</B> Readings in Russian Literature <BR> <B>RUSS 311</B> Contemporary Soviet Short Fiction <BR> <B>RUSS 325</B> Major Russian Writers <BR> <B>RUSS 326, 327</B> A Survey of Russian Literature <BR> <B>RUSS 353</B> Russian Civilization <BR> <B>RUSS 354</B> Contemporary Post-Soviet Life <BR> <B>RUSS 380, 381</B> Advanced Russian <BR> <B>RUSS 401</B> Readings in the Social Sciences <BR> <B>RUSS 402</B> Scientific Russian <BR> <B>RUSS 407</B> Russian Drama and Theatre <BR> <B>RUSS 410</B> Russian Poetry <BR> <B>RUSS 415</B> The Slavs: A Cultural Survey <BR> <B>RUSS 470</B> Topics in Post-Soviet Film <BR> <B>RUSS 480, 481</B> Fourth Year Russian <BR> <B>RUSS 490</B> Independent Study <BR> <B>GEOG 330</B> Geography of the Soviet Succession States <BR> <B>GOVT 338</B> Government and Politics of the Former Soviet Union <BR> <B>GOVT 445</B> Soviet/Russian Foreign Policy <BR> <B>HIST 328</B> Rise of Russia <BR> <B>HIST 329</B> Modern Russia and the Soviet Union <BR> <B>ECON 385</B> Soviet Economic System </P> <P>(Note: Additional courses will be added when appropriate) </P> </UL> <P><BR> </P> <P><A NAME="five"></A><FONT COLOR="#FF0000"><FONT SIZE=+2>Study Programs in Russia</FONT></FONT> <BR> <IMG SRC="red.gif" HEIGHT=1 WIDTH=100%> </P> <P>Students in the Russian Studies program are strongly encouraged to apply for participation in a study abroad program in Russia. Through a cooperative agreement with the American Council of Teachers of Russian, qualified students may apply to summer or semester Russian language study programs at one of several leading Russian institutes of higher education, including Moscow State University and the Herzen State Pedagogical University in St. Petersburg. Students interested in participating should consult with their major adviser. </P> <P>Also, in order to improve language skills and the appreciation of Post-Soviet society, the Russian Studies program sponsors annual short tours to the former USSR. Information about these tours is normally available in the first part of the fall semeste r. <BR> </P> <P><A NAME="six"></A><FONT COLOR="#FF0000"><FONT SIZE=+2>Honor Society</FONT></FONT> <BR> <IMG SRC="red.gif" HEIGHT=1 WIDTH=100%> </P> <P>A chapter of the National Slavic Honor Society, Dobro Slovo, confers membership upon deserving students every spring. </P> <P><BR> <A NAME="seven"></A><FONT COLOR="#FF0000"><FONT SIZE=+2>Faculty Profile: Vassily Aksyonov</FONT></FONT> <BR> <IMG SRC="red.gif" HEIGHT=1 WIDTH=100%> </P> <DL> <DD>We are fortunate to have on our faculty the world-renowned Russian writer, Vassily Aksyonov. Compared by many with Salinger, Dostoyevsky, Hemingway and Tolstoy, Aksyonov is one of the giants of 20th century Russian literature -- and Clarence J. Robinson professor of Russian literature at George Mason. </DD> <P>One of the most popular prose writers in Russia during the 1960's and 1970's, Aksyonov got into trouble with the communist authorities over some of his writings, and for supporting the publication of dissident writers whose work had been rejected by the c ensors. In 1980, while a guest lecturer at UCLA, he was stripped of his Soviet citizenship by then leader Leonid Brezhnev. He settled in Washington, D.C., and joined the faculty at George Mason in 1987. </P> <P>His latest novel, published in two volumes as "Generations of Winter" and "The Winter's Hero," has been called by one critic a "20th century 'War and Peace,'" and Aksyonov himself has been hailed as the "new Tolstoy." As one might imagine, Aksyonov is am ong the most popular teachers at the university and his classes fill quickly every semester. Professor Aksyonov teaches courses on 19th and 20th century Russian literature. </P> </DL> <P><FONT COLOR="#FF0000"><FONT SIZE=+2>Core Faculty</FONT></FONT> <BR> <IMG SRC="red.gif" HEIGHT=1 WIDTH=100%> </P> <DL> <DD><B>Aksyonov, Vassily P.</B><BR> </DD> <DD>Robinson Professor of Russian Literature<BR> </DD> <DD>M.D. Leningrad Medical Institute <BR> </DD> <DD>(Russian and Soviet Literature)<BR> <BR> </DD> <DD><B>Christensen, Julie A.</B><BR> </DD> <DD>Associate Professor of Russian<BR> </DD> <DD>Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley <BR> </DD> <DD>(Russian Language and Literature, Soviet Film)<BR> <BR> </DD> <DD><B>Hecht, Leo</B><BR> </DD> <DD>Professor of Russian<BR> </DD> <DD>Ph.D., Columbia University <BR> </DD> <DD>(Russian Culture, Literature, and Film)<BR> <BR> </DD> <DD><B>Jensen, Ronald J.</B><BR> </DD> <DD>Associate Professor of History, Ph.D.<BR> </DD> <DD>Indiana University (Russian and Soviet History)<BR> <BR> </DD> <DD><B>Katz, Mark N.</B><BR> </DD> <DD>Associate Professor of Government and Politics<BR> </DD> <DD>Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology <BR> </DD> <DD>(Soviet and Post-Soviet Foreign Policy)<BR> <BR> </DD> <DD><B>Levine, James S.</B><BR> </DD> <DD>Associate Professor of Russian<BR> </DD> <DD>Ph.D., University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign <BR> </DD> <DD>(Russian Language and Linguistics)<BR> <BR> </DD> <DD><B>Wade, Rex, A.</B><BR> </DD> <DD>Professor of History, Ph.D.<BR> </DD> <DD>University of Nebraska <BR> </DD> <DD>(Russian and Soviet History) </DD> </DL> <P><A NAME="eight"></A><FONT COLOR="#FF0000"><FONT SIZE=+2>Additional Information and Applications</FONT></FONT> <BR> <IMG SRC="red.gif" HEIGHT=1 WIDTH=100%></P> <DL> <DD>For further information about admission to the program, please contact: </DD> <P>Professor James Levine <BR> Chair, Russian Studies program <BR> George Mason University <BR> Fairfax, VA 22030 <BR> 703 993-1220/1233 <BR> <A HREF="mailto:jlevin2@gmu.edu">jlevin2@gmu.edu</A> </P> <DD>For information about admission to George Mason University, please write to: </DD> <P>Undergraduate Admissions Office <BR> George Mason University <BR> Finley Hall <BR> MSN3A4 <BR> Fairfax, VA 22030 <BR> 703-993-2400 <BR> 703-993-2392 (fax) </P> </DL> <P><BR> <IMG SRC="red.gif" HEIGHT=1 WIDTH=100%></P>