Russian is the sixth most spoken language in the world, with 164 million native speakers and 114 million second-language speakers in Russia, in other countries in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, and in communities across the globe. It is the language of one of the world’s leading cultures, whose achievements in literature, art, music, science, technology and sports have won worldwide acclaim, and whose history, internal politics and foreign policy have a significant impact on global events. For these reasons, Russian is classified as a critical needs language by the U.S. government.

The major offers students training in skills to communicate in Russian, to foster an understanding of Russian culture and society, and to develop critical reasoning, reading and writing skills.