The department cooperates with Grinnell's specialist in Russian history and other colleaguesmost notably in music and political scienceto provide an interdisciplinary concentration of courses in Russian and Eastern European studies. In directing its attention toward Eastern Europe, Grinnell is entering an area of the world that is now undergoing dramatic changes, and one to which relatively little academic attention has been given. For students who do not have a command of the language, the department also offers modern Russian literature in translation and interdisciplinary courses on modern Russian culture and society. Grinnell has for several years hosted a group of undergraduate students from the Russian State Pedagogical University in St. Petersburg. A new off-campus program for students interested in Eastern Europe offers a semester of study in the Czech Republic, and Grinnell students have also participated in study programs in Poland and Hungary.
Language is, of course, a social phenomenon.
To extend their exposure to Russian culture outside the classroom, many students of Russian become involved in a lively extracurricular program. Russian Table, held weekly, is a meal at which only Russian is spoken. Students have recently completed internships at the Vavilov Research Institute of Plant Industry, Overseas Private Investment Corporation, Union of Councils for Soviet Jewry, the Center for Human Rights Advocacy, and business and nonprofit enterprises in Russia. Other extracurricular activities include parties, films, symposia, visits, lectures by American and Russian specialists, and even cooking lessons. A periodic newsletter alerts students to work opportunities, events, and study programs abroad.