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Undergraduate Concentration

The Bachelor's Degree Program in Russian and East European Studies (REES) offers concentrators a broad background in the history, economy, government, geography, culture, international relations, languages, and literatures of the countries of the former Soviet Union and/or Eastern Europe. The degree prepares concentrators for graduate study as well as professional opportunities in areas ranging from government to business to teaching. As Russian and East European participation in global economics and politics continues and evolves, REES concentrators find themselves in numerous and varied professions. Through interdisciplinary study involving the Departments of Anthropology, Economics, History, Political Science, Screen Arts and Cultures, Slavic Languages and Literatures, and Sociology, students may develop a comprehensive program or one with a specialization. The REES program provides graduates with additional skills that may be applied to their knowledge of a specific region. These include awareness of other cultures and peoples, as well as analytic, interpersonal, and language skills.

The REES Concentration Program

The undergraduate curriculum in REES offers broad, interdisciplinary training for students who wish to acquire extensive knowledge of a country or countries of the former Soviet Union and East Central Europe. Proficiency in a language of the region is an important component of the REES concentration. The requirements for the B.A./B.S. program are as follows:

Prerequisite

Russian 231 (Introduction to Russian Culture) OR Slavic 225 (Arts and Cultures of Central Europe)

Requirements

A minimum of 30 credits, including:

  • One of the following REES courses: 395 (Survey of Russia: The Russian Empire, the Soviet Union, and the Successor States) OR 396 (Survey of Central and Eastern Europe and the Enlarged European Union) OR 397 (The Political Economy of Transformation in East Central Europe).
  • Completion of REES 401 or its equivalent.
  • Completion of Russian 301/302; OR completion of 201/202 of Armenian, Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian, Czech, Polish, or Ukrainian; with a grade of at least "B" or satisfactory performance on a proficiency test in one of these languages.
  • At least 20 credits of REES-approved upper-level (300-400) courses distributed over four or more of the following fields: anthropology, economics, history, literature, music, political science, screen arts and cultures, and sociology, chosen in consultation with and approved by the Academic Advisor. For examples of REES-approved courses, see CREES courses.

REES Undergraduate Concentration Worksheet

For a form to track completion of REES concentration requirements, click here or contact the CREES Student Services Associate at 734.764.0351 or crees.admissions@umich.edu.

Honors Concentration

Undergraduate REES concentrators who have maintained a 3.5 average in REES courses and a 3.4 overall GPA may apply for admission to the REES Honors concentration program. For further information, contact the CREES Academic Advisor.

Appointments

Appointments with the CREES Academic Advisor are held at CREES, 1080 S. University Avenue, Suite 4668. Students can schedule appointments by calling 734.764.0351 or emailing crees@umich.edu. The first meeting with the Academic Advisor should be scheduled during the second term of the sophomore year to declare the concentration as a major.

For more information on the REES undergraduate concentration, please consult the LSA Bulletin. For a range of information on undergraduate programs and resources in the College of Literature, Science and the Arts, see Why Choose LSA?

Applications for admission to the University of Michigan are available through the Office of Undergraduate Admissions.

Other undergraduate degree options:  
Minor in Russian Studies     
Minor in East European Studies   
Concurrent Undergraduate-Graduate Study (CUGS) Program