RUSSIAN AND SLAVIC LANGUAGES AND LITERATURES

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

Subjects covered :  Slavic languages and literatures, with particular emphasis on Russian language, literature, and culture, which form the focal points of the Russian Program. 

There is a Ukrainian exchange program, which is also supported by the sister city program between Cincinnati and Karkiv, and provides students with exchange program opportunities.

The program is an undergraduate program concentrating on basic, intermediate, and advanced study of Russian language, literature, and culture. A sample of the course offerings are as follows:

• Elementary Russian
• Intermediate Russian
• Russian Conversation and Reading
• Advanced Russian
• Ukrainian Exchange
• Independent Study

Departments and users served :  The Russian Program is administratively located in the Department of Germanic Studies.  The Russian and East European Studies Program, as well as departments and programs in the humanities and social sciences are the other major areas of the university interested in and supportive of the program course offerings, as well as library collection.

Quantitative information :  There is one member of the faculty, as well as several adjunct instructors. 

Degrees granted :  Currently, there is no major in the field of Russian. However, undergraduate, as well as graduate credit can be earned from the Russian Program.  The College of Arts and Sciences does offer a certificate in Russian and East European Studies, however, which requires "proficiency in either Russian or one of the languages of Eastern Europe," and provides further student interest in the program. 

Special programs :  The Ukrainian exchange program with Karkiv has been in place now for the past decade, and provides students with the opportunity to spend an academic quarter of study there. 

Research focus, grants, special funding :  In addition to university funding, the department draws on the Slavic Fund for library materials. This is not a research program, but an undergraduate instructional program designed to equip students with a basic understanding of language and culture. 
 

GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE COLLECTION

Location of the collection :  The collection is housed in Langsam Library. 

Other collections supporting the program :

Internal :  Various other collections are used by the students and faculty in the program, most particularly in the humanities and social sciences in Langsam Library.

External :  The Public Library would be the central repository of materials supporting the program in the Greater Cincinnati area. 

Collection history :  Courses in Russian began in the post-Sputnik time period, and the Slavic Fund was initiated some time in the 1960s, so that most of the materials have been acquired since that time, especially materials in Russian. 
 

SPECIFIC ASPECTS OF THE COLLECTION

Call numbers :  Slavic languages and literatures are located in the LC classification of PG, which is located on 6 North of Langsam Library.

Time period collected :  All chronological periods are covered.

Collection levels :  Materials collected are to support instruction at the undergraduate level. 

Languages :  Acquisitions are made of materials in Russian, as well as translations of works in Russian. Also, important works from other Slavic literatures are selected in English translation. Grammars, dictionaries, and other language guides to Russian are collected, and works for other Slavic languages are also selectively collected. 

Geographic areas :  As the emphasis is on Russia, materials focus on that country, but works are selectively collected as noted for other Slavic countries as well. 

Types of resources :  The library materials are most often books, journals, or newspapers. Videos and documentaries are also of interest, and housed in Langsam Library. 

Resource formats :  Monographs, series, journals, and newspapers. Also, Slavic language newspapers and journals are increasingly becoming available via the web through UCLID and OhioLINK. 
 

ACQUISITION PROCESSES

Approval plans :  The program makes use of the approval plan profiles by means of the Yankee Book Peddler.

Firm orders :  The majority of books received are acquired by means of firm orders.

Standing orders :  Standing orders are used to acquire newspapers, journals, sets, and selected series.

Special vendors :  Slavic book dealers are used for obtaining publications from Russia and various East European countries. 
 

Don Heinrich Tolzmann
May 2001