National
Interests!
When I tell people that I am a Russian Studies major, the
first question they ask is always, why? What can you
do with Russian? Well, for starters Russian is the most
widely spoken language of Eurasia
and the most widespread Slavic language. It serves as
the primary language for some 145 million people, and
the secondary language for about 110 million. Russian
language holds great political importance in the 20th
century as it is one of the official languages of the
United Nations. It is also the official language of
Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova.
Recently,
the United
States declared Russian
a critical foreign language vital to our interests.
Russian and other critical languages are vital to our
national interests, extremely beneficial in cultural,
financial, and political arenas. Knowledge of Russian
can help the United
States be more competitive
in overseas business markets, promote cultural understanding,
and have a positive effect on diplomacy. The National
Security Language Initiative, recently enacted to reverse
current deficiencies in foreign language education,
includes $114 million designated to promote and support
the further education of critical languages. The Department
of State maintains that a deficit in foreign language
“prevents us from effectively communicating in foreign
media environments, hurts counter-terrorism efforts,
and hamstrings our capacity to work with people and
governments.” With our Russian Studies major we’re working
to reduce this deficit!
--Erin Grande,
’08 and Claire Young, ‘08
Improved
Communication !
I went on the Hillel spring break trip to Prague and used my Russian to help me get through.
There were many times where cab drivers did not speak
English. But when I asked the question: “Vi govoreetye
po rooskee?” they would usually say yes. People
in most eastern European countries that were under the
iron curtain during the cold war spoke Russian because
of the Soviet influence. In the Czech
Republic there were times when schools
were taught in Russian. The Soviet influence was so
strong in the Czech Republic
that there was even a giant statue of Stalin over looking
Prague (which was eventually torn down). Another
reason knowing some Russian helped get me around Prague was because Czech and Russian are very
similar because they are both in the Slavic family of
languages. They both have similar vocabularies and a
similar grammar structure. Knowing Russian can be helpful
for getting around in many countries like the Czech Republic,
Slovakia,
Poland,
Ukraine,
Belarus,
Estonia,
Latvia,
Lithuania,
Estonia,
and more.
--James Rohn,
'09
Interdisciplinary
Skills!
As I approach graduation from Muhlenberg as a Biochemistry
and Russian Studies double major and move on to biochemistry
graduate work at Harvard University, putting together
this electronic portfolio of my work in Russian Studies
was not a challenge due to the numerous and varied projects,
essays, and multimedia presentations that I have completed
during my tenure as a student here. To the right, I
have provided a rubric listing the components of the
major and a sample of the work that I completed in each
area. This portfolio is valuable keepsake, not only
for me, but also as a resource for potential employers
and graduate school committees as science-related and
pharmaceutical companies expand into Eastern
Europe.
--Matthew Jakubik,
‘06
