Russian

SMU is one of the few universities in Texas that offers the Russian language. Established in 1964, the SMU Russian program has a rich tradition. Russian language courses are taught in the context of culture and new developments in Russia which makes language acquisition engaging, effective, and exciting. The Department of World Languages and Literatures offers a major in World Languages: Russian, B.A., and a minor in Russian Area Studies (an ideal pairing with many majors, including international studies, history, political science, world languages, English, computer science, engineering, journalism, art history, music, and education). There are also study abroad opportunities during the summer or regular semester, and cultural enrichment activities supported by the SMU Society for Russian Studies (Russian Club). 

Why Study Russian?

1. Russian is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world and one of the 6 official languages of the United Nations. Russian is spoken by 293 million people. There are more Russian speakers in the world than there are speakers of German and French combined. 

 

2. Russia continues to play an important role in global economy, politics, and culture. Russia is the world’s largest producer of natural gas, second largest steel producer, third largest producer of oil and fourth largest in the mining of coal.

 

3. Knowledge of Russian is a valuable and marketable skill in the workplace. Russian language skills can be combined with other disciplines such as law and business, politics and government, science and technology, engineering and computers. 

 

4. Russia has a rich cultural and scientific history. Russian scientists and mathematicians have been at the cutting edge of research in a variety of scientific pursuits, especially in geology, geophysics, chemistry, engineering, and aeronautics. Over a quarter of world’s scientific literature is published in Russian.

 

Read the 2022-23 newsletter .

Read the 2023-24 newsletter . 

What SMU alumni say about how learning Russian has impacted their careers:

   

“Studying Russian and participating in the Russian Club were two major highlights of my college career. Learning Russian gave me a new appreciation for Russian poetry, music, literature, and film. Being in the Russian club exposed me to Russian cuisine (which is delicious) and allowed me and my peers to interact with the Russian community in Dallas at our events, most memorably our music festival and our speaker events. There are many reasons to study Russian; taking up the language is a great first step to understanding the people, their past, and their present. I have used my Russian skills on several occasions while working in a law firm where since I graduated, and I hope to use it even more and to keep expanding my knowledge and enthusiasm for the language as I return to higher education.” - Laura Wildman (’23) B.S. Anthropology 
 

“I studied Russian for three years under both Drs. Zimakova and Kruchkova. Not only were these some of the most enjoyable classes I took while at SMU, but they ultimately proved to be some of the most beneficial. From receiving a Russian and European Studies minor to reading Russian academic papers for research on Siberian languages to making conversation with actual Russians while on an archaeological project in far northern Mongolia, learning Russian was one of the best decisions I made during my undergraduate career. Now, I have returned to SMU for graduate school, where I am studying American and Siberian paleo archaeology.” - Reagan Johnson (’23) B.S. Anthropology and B.A. Film and Media Arts
 

“In 2024, I graduated from St. Louis University Law School and started working in a law firm in Houston. My fondest memories of SMU undergrad are related to our Russian club activities and studies abroad in Prague. I took all Russian classes at SMU, and they were my favorite. Those small classes made it easier to improve my skills and growing with a small cohort throughout the years in Russian really helped with that because we could all help each other and felt close enough to ask each other any questions. My background with Russian always gets discussed during interviews because it’s so unique, especially now with Russia in the news so often because of the war, and I got to use my knowledge of the Russian language and politics in some cases. I would like to continue my studies in Russian while working in a law firm.” - Bibiana Schindler (’21) B.A. History and Psychology

 
 

“Russian classes at SMU not only gave me a professional advantage but also provided me with a good background about Russian culture and broadened my knowledge about the world we live in.” - Nina Sadauskas (Rangelova) (’15) B.A. Corporate Communications and Public Affairs and Public Relations and Strategic Communications. The 3-time Olympian, NCAA All-American swimmer, and former captain of the SMU swim team is currently the founder and CEO of Delfina Athletics. 

 
  “Thanks to the quality of the language instruction, I received in the French and Russian departments, I have been able to pursue advanced degrees and pursue a career international in scope. I wanted to study a new language at SMU besides French and chose Russian. I never realized it at the time, but studying Russian would profoundly impact my life and grant me rich experiences that I could have never imagined. Moreover, it would also teach me the values of discipline, focus, and patience – also necessary attributes in law practice. During my time at SMU, I studied abroad for two summers in Moscow (SMU-in-Moscow). After graduation, I attended law school at American University Washington College of Law in Washington DC. Through an international dual law degree program, I spent my last two years of law school at Université Ouest Nanterre La Défense where I obtained my French law degrees in addition to a J.D. I spent a decade in Paris working as a lawyer and am qualified to practice law in both the US and France. Today, I currently work as an in-house counsel for a private global investment firm based in my hometown of Austin, Texas, where I practice European Union law with respect to their European financial products.” - Drew Hoeffner (’11) B.A. Finance and International Studies
 
   

“The highlight of my time at SMU was studying Russian with Professor Zimakova. I chose to study Russian in college because of my interest in Russian history, literature, and culture. In Professor Zimakova’s class, I enjoyed the company of a small but fun group of Russian learners. In 2008, I was fortunate to spend three months in Moscow studying Russian at Moscow State University. Learning Russian allowed me to build useful language skills and relationships. After graduating from SMU, I joined the Ursuline Academy in Dallas. It is always a pleasure to be able to incorporate my knowledge of Russian culture in my teaching. Many thanks to Professor Zimakova and Professor Orlovsky for all that I learned! Though it has been many years since I was an undergraduate, being able to speak Russian has helped me to connect with students who come from Russian-speaking families. Recently, I have renewed my efforts to learn Russian through private lessons. I look forward to the possibilities and interactions that come with improving language skills.” - Andrea Stewart (’07) B.A. History. Andrea Stewart is the Social Studies Department Chair of Ursuline Academy of Dallas.
  Wrenn Schmidt

“I loved all the cultural aspects of Russia we discussed in class and outside the classroom. I felt like the language became easier the more I understood the culture. It's been a long time since I took Russian at SMU, but I now have some real-world opportunities to use what I learned for my job! I work on an Apple TV+ show, For All Mankind, and I needed to speak Russian in Season 4. I also used many of my books from a Russian history class I took with Dr. Orlovsky . It was a huge challenge. I've worked on some other projects where my Russian language studies and History degree have been integral to my preparation: The Americans, I Saw the Light, and The Looming Tower. It's wild how much my education outside of the Theatre Department at SMU has served me in my acting work.” - Wrenn Schmidt (’05) B.F.A. Theater Studies, B.A. History

 
 

“I’m a 1992 graduate of SMU, with a degree in Russian Area Studies, minors in History and Political Science. I now work for the U.S. State Department as a Spokesperson and Office Director for Public and Congressional Affairs, Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration.  I’ve been very fortunate to use my knowledge of Russian while serving in Dushanbe as the Cultural Affairs Officer (2013-2015), in Moscow as an Embassy spokesperson (2016 – 2020), and in Brussels as the Department’s Russian Language Spokesperson (2020-2023).  Studying Russian area studies at SMU was pivotal to my career decisions in life:  I worked many years for American Councils, IREX, Eurasia Foundation, and CRDF, before finally joining the State Department.” - Andrea Kalan (’92) B.A. Russian Area Studies