About

barker centerThe Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures studies and teaches the languages, linguistics, literature, film, art, and cultural history of the Slavic world, from the medieval period up through the present. As a faculty, we share a commitment to interdisciplinary study. We encourage students to see literature in the broader context of cultural production in and beyond Slavic cultures. Our linguistics courses offer synchronic, historical, and comparative approaches to the study of Slavic languages. Our approaches to Slavic cultures reflect the diversity found in the broader world of humanistic study today.

We offer programs in Russian, Ukrainian, Czech, Polish, and Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian. Many of our courses are taught in English, some with readings in English translation and others with readings in the original. Most of our undergraduate courses are open to non-concentrators.

For undergraduates, we offer a concentration with two tracks: (1) Russian Literature and Culture and (2) Russian Studies, as well as two secondary fields: (1) Russian Studies and (2) Central European Studies. Our graduate program grants a Ph.D. in Slavic Languages and Literatures.

Our language courses place a high value on teaching the norms of social interaction, preparing students to navigate the many different kinds of situations they might encounter. The courses also emphasize speaking proficiency, reinforced through reading and writing on diverse themes. Literature, film, journalism, television, and other multimedia material provide topics for exploration in class discussion and written work. The department encourages study abroad and is glad to help students learn more about opportunities.

We invite you to explore our Department through this web site, and to visit us on the third floor of the Barker Center at the University. Please contact the Department via email at slavic@fas.harvard.edu for faculty office hours and for more information about our undergraduate concentration or graduate program.