After almost two years of review and restructuring, course development, and faculty and administrative approvals, the 2024–2025 academic year welcomes an extensively revised undergraduate curriculum in the IU Department of Slavic and East European Languages and Cultures.
Three New Major Tracks
The SLAV BA degree, which used to have two major tracks (Russian Track and Slavic Track [which had options for Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian, Czech, and Polish]) now has four tracks: BCS, Czech, Polish, and Russian. The three new tracks received an additional requirement of an "Intro to" 223 course for each, which brings their requirements into closer alignment with the rigor of the Russian Track.
Six New Minors
The SLAV BA went from one minor (general Slavic) to seven minors: BCS, Czech, Polish, Russian, Ukrainian, Slavic cinema, and general Slavic. The Slavic cinema minor may be the only one of its kind in North America, and the Ukrainian minor is one of only a handful in North America.
Fifteen New and Updated Courses
Four popular courses got permanent course numbers: Intro to Croatia (SLAV-S224), The Vampire in European and American Culture (SLAV-T260), Central and East European Immigration and Ethnic Identity in the US (SLAV-T271), and Intro to the Slavic Languages (SLAV-T282). Three existing courses were renumbered: Senior Honors Thesis (SLAV-T499), Russian and Soviet Cinema (SLAV-R366), and Central and East European Cinema (SLAV-T366). Five new courses were created: Structure of Polish (SLAV-P404), Russian Grammar and Phonetics (offered under SLAV-S320), Topics in Russian Literature and Culture (SLAV-R365), Topics in South Slavic Literatures and Cultures (SLAV-S365), South Slavic Cinema (SLAV-S366), Topics in Slavic and East European Literatures and Cultures (SLAV-T365). And two new courses are undergoing approval: Sustainability in the Adriatic (SLAV-S365) and Ukrainian for Slavic Speakers I (SLAV-U199). With the addition of these courses, all five of our cinema courses now carry a 366 number (and form the core of our new Slavic Cinema minor), and we now have a set of five variable topic seminars all numbered 365 (which will provide opportunities for new course development and joint-listing of courses with other departments).
Undergraduate Teaching Assistant (UTA) Program
The spring 2024 semester saw our first participant in our newly approved undergraduate teaching assistant program, which allows our undergrads to help faculty members teaching larger enrollment classes with student support, classroom management, material development, and more. UTAs can earn up to $1,350 in a semester, as well as valuable teaching experience, one-on-one mentoring, and a glimpse into the process and rigors of teaching a university course.
Revived and Revised Departmental Honors
With the IU College of Arts and Sciences' campaign to increase the percentage of students completing departmental honors, the Slavic departmental honors program has a revised Senior Honors Seminar course (with a new number: SLAV-T499), which can be repeated for up to 6 credits and which can count toward their major track, and it now has a syllabus that faculty sponsors can adapt to outline the student's work and clarify expectations on both sides.
Three New Study Abroad Options
With the closure of the CIEE-Petersburg study abroad program, our students of Russian who are not a part of the Russian Flagship were left without a study abroad option. This gap has now been filled with the new CIEE-Tallinn Russian Language and Area Studies program (in the Estonian capital), which was first offered in the spring of 2024. The Slavic department also developed a new study abroad program in Novi Sad, Serbia, which ran for the first time in May of 2024. Students of Ukrainian now have a summer study abroad option through SRAS's new program "Ukrainian in Warsaw." While this is a non-IU program (but accredited through Stetson University), we will work with students to transfer these credits to IU. And students in our Russian Flagship program now have several new summer study abroad options, in Yerevan (Armenia) and Riga (Latvia).
On the Horizon for 2024–2025
The new academic year will also see the development of several new courses: Ukrainian for Slavic Speakers II (SLAV-U299), a course on Siberia and Siberian literature (offered under SLAV-R365), a Ukrainian literature and culture seminar (SLAV-U365), a Ukrainian cinema course (SLAV-U366), and a permanent number for How to Translate Anything.
The department is very excited for the new degree options, courses, and experiential opportunities for our undergraduate students, which further establishes its profile and reputation among the leading Slavic departments in North America.
The College of Arts