By Kate Broderick, Global Strategic Communication ’13

There is to be no putting it off—I am determined to finally learn Russian. Thank goodness the department of Humanities and Communication offers courses to help me learn Russian!

Inspired by my Russian grandmother, I have always had a fascination with Russia.  Stately and statuesque, my grandmother was like an ethereal being that had been plucked from somewhere wonderful and illusive. On cold winter nights, she would tuck me snuggly into bed with family legends of life in the Old Country. I was bewitched.

Alas, somehow I have always managed to find an obstacle to prevent me from formally studying Russian: the Cyrillic alphabet is too hard, I don’t have enough time and other things… 2013 is the year this is going to change!

While it is perfect for a humanities degree or a communication degree, many students outside the field of humanities and communication elect to study Russian. The courses, Russian Language and Culture I and II, are offered as part of the Center for the Study of Critical Languages through the department of Humanities and Communication. Marked as a “Critical Language” by the U.S. Department of State, Russian is spoken by 255 million speakers and one of the official languages of the United Nations.