Slavic Languages and Literatures Undergraduate Program

The department supports the study of languages, literatures, literary and cultural history, theory, and criticism of the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. It prepares majors to think widely about the role of Slavic material in the modern world as well as its impact on history and culture. All students are required to choose from a list of courses taught in Russian as well as from some higher-level courses taught in both Russian and English.

Majors

The major in Slavic Languages and Literatures requires students to choose a specific subplan to study: Russian Languages and Literature, Slavic Studies, or Russian and Philosophy. Students will enroll in core literature and culture courses and a series of three (or two accelerated) intermediate-level Russian language courses or any other relevant language of the region, and to complete electives in the department. In their senior year, students complete a Capstone project under the supervision of a faculty member and participate in an Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) through the language center to assess their speaking ability in Russian or any other relevant language of the region. More information about Proficiency Notation.

Russian Languages and Literature Subplan

The Slavic Languages and Literatures field of study is designed for those students who wish to gain command of Russian or any other Slavic language and to study the relevant national literary tradition. Emphasis is placed on the linguistic and philological study of literature, as well as the history of Slavic and East European literature and related media in the broader context of cultural development. This major also welcomes students with an interest in Russian and Slavic linguistics.

Slavic Studies Subplan

The Slavic Studies track is for students who want to obtain command of the Russian or any other Slavic language and to pursue a broad, interdisciplinary study of Slavic literatures and cultures in a historical context. Emphasis is on the relation of the Slavic literary tradition to other arts, including film, as well as the disciplines that have enriched the historical understanding of literature: history, anthropology, art history, political science, and sociology.

Russian and Philosophy Subplan

Undergraduates may major in Russian with a special subplan in interdisciplinary studies at the intersection of literature and philosophy. Students in this option take courses alongside students from other departments that also have specialized options associated with the program for the study of Philosophical and Literary Thought. Learn about Philosophy + Literature at Stanford.

Honors Program

The department’s honors option offers motivated Slavic majors the opportunity to write a senior honors thesis. For more information, please visit the DLCL Undergraduate Honors page.

Minors

The department also offers a minor with two subplans in Slavic Languages and Literatures. Students can choose one of the following subplans:

Russian Language

Russian Language, Literature, and Culture

Each offers a different focus within the Russian language, culture, and geography. These subplans are designed for students who, while pursuing a major in another program, seek a comprehensive introduction to Russian culture through Russian language courses, a combination of minimal proficiency in Russian, and courses in the history of Russian culture.

Declaring

To declare, students should complete a declaration worksheet (linked below) to the best of their ability before sending it to the department Director of Undergraduate Studies (DUS) for approval. Once signed, the DUS should send the worksheet to the DLCL Undergraduate Student Services Officer (SSO) via email, copying the student. Once the worksheet is filed, the student may then complete the final step by formally declaring the program in Axess, which will then be routed for approval by the SSO.

Download your 2026-2027 program worksheet

Resources

The Slavic program is flexible in that its programs may also be combined with the programs in Russian, East European and Eurasian history, Jewish Studies, Film Studies (Russian and East-European film), modern Russian theater, International Relations, Stanford’s Overseas Studies, the Special Languages Program, and the Honors Program in Interdisciplinary Studies in Humanities.

Stanford students are in a privileged position in relation to Russian and, more broadly, East European and Eurasian Studies, because of Stanford's tremendous faculty resources that are without peer in the US. The Green Library and the Hoover Institution libraries and archives possess the premiere Russian and East European collections, which our undergraduates and graduate students use in their research.

Undergraduate Peer Advisor