The Department of German and Russian Studies offers courses in German and Russian language, literature, film and civilization. It also offers instruction in Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Hebrew and Korean. Many courses, such as civilization, culture, literature in translation and film courses, do not require knowledge of a foreign language.

The department offers the Bachelor of Arts with majors in German, and in Russian, and the Master of Arts in German, and in Russian and Slavonic Studies. The department also offers minors in German, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. Many courses in the minor in East Asian Studies are taught in the Department of German and Russian Studies. The Film Studies program is also housed in the department.