Secondary Fields

The Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures teaches a broad array of courses in the languages, literatures, and cultures of Bosnia-Croatia-Serbia, the Czech Republic, Poland, Russia, and Ukraine. For a secondary field, we offer two options: Central European Studies or Russian Studies. Both require students to take 5 related courses, and provide ample scope for interdisciplinary and comparative work. We offer students the chance to work closely with Slavic faculty in order to develop a program of study suited to their own interests, rather than just an accumulation of five loosely related courses.

Central European Studies Requirements: 

5 courses

• At least three courses in Central European literature and culture (broadly speaking, Bosnian-Croatian-Serbian, Czech, Polish, or Ukrainian) in the Slavic Department.
• Up to two thematically relevant courses offered by departments such as Art, Film, and Visual Studies, Comparative Literature, German, Government, History, Jewish Studies/NELC, and Social Studies may be counted with the approval of the Slavic Department's Director of Undergraduate Studies.
• One language course in Bosnian-Croatian-Serbian, Czech, Polish, or Ukrainian may be counted.

Russian Studies Requirements: 

5 courses

• At least three courses in Russian literature and culture from the Slavic Department (including Slavic-related General Education courses taught by Slavic Department faculty).
• Up to two thematically relevant courses offered by departments such as Art, Film, and Visual Studies, Comparative Literature, German, Government, History, Jewish Studies/NELC, and Social Studies may be counted with the approval of the Slavic Department's Director of Undergraduate Studies.
• One language course in Russian may be counted.

Other Information

All courses (except for First-Year Seminars) must be letter graded. Slavic-related Gen Ed courses are permitted, as well as up to one Slavic-related First-Year Seminar. In accordance with university guidelines, no more than one course can be used to double-count for a concentration and a secondary field. Students may use Harvard-approved study-abroad credit to count for up to two courses toward the secondary field; interested students should be sure to get their plan of study abroad approved in advance by the Director of Undergraduate Studies, and credit approval must be sought at OIE before participation in any program. Students are required to take a minimum of two 100-level courses. 

Advising Resources and Expectations

All interested students should contact the Director of Undergraduate Studies (DUS) as soon as they have decided to pursue a secondary field in Slavic. The DUS will help them develop a coherent plan of study that fits their goals and interests; students are also welcome to consult with any other faculty in the department as they pursue and deepen their interest in Slavic cultures.

Additional secondary field information can be found at the Harvard College website.