March 29, 1999

Founded in 1959, the Russian and East European Center (REEC) at the University of Illinois serves as an intellectual and institutional center for members of the university community and the public interested in Eastern Europe, Russia, and the newly independent states of Eurasia. Devoted to promoting and disseminating knowledge about the region, the Center supports undergraduate and postgraduate training programs and seeks to foster a lively intellectual life through conferences, lectures, colloquia, visiting scholars, faculty and graduate student seminars and study groups, exhibits, films, and social activities. The Center combines commitment to the university community with regional and national service to the profession, individual scholars, the schools, and the public.

The University of Illinois has long served as a leader in national programs in Russian and East European studies, serving as the first home of the American Association for the Advancement of Slavic Studies and host to the association's journal, Slavic Review, from 1975 to 1985 and now again since 1996. The Slavic and East European Library, one of the largest Slavic collections in the country, provides the staff and resources for the Slavic Reference Service and the Summer Research Laboratory, both of which provide research access and assistance to a national and even international community of scholars.

In an era when internationalization and globality must be priorities for every university, a primary task is to train undergraduate and graduate students in Russian and East European area studies with an interdisciplinary approach. We offer our own interdisciplinary undergraduate major and minor degree programs as well as a M.A. program (soon to be expanded through joint degree programs with several professional schools). Beyond that we serve as a resource for the undergraduate major, minor, and teacher education programs in Russian and East European area studies and in Russian language and literature and for disciplinary M.A. and Ph.D. students and faculty focusing on this area. Key to this mission is the provision of high quality, proficiency based language instruction in Bulgarian, Czech, Polish, Russian, Serbian and Croatian, Ukrainian, and Yiddish (as well as other languages upon demand).

A sustained commitment to providing information and curricular assistance to teachers from kindergarten through college, the business community, and the general public is also part of our tradition and mission. An annual one-day workshop on themes of current urgency brings teachers and the public to campus every summer. The University's four area studies centers collaborate on a regular international studies newsletter, Update, which is distributed widely among elementary and secondary school teachers in the Midwest region. Center-sponsored events such as lectures, poetry readings, films, and exhibits are all open to the public.

With the support of our diverse and distinguished faculty, the Center is devoted to critical perspectives and innovation as well as to its own traditions. Recognizing the necessarily changing nature and valuation of international and area studies, the Center is playing an active role in rethinking area and international studies, in particular the development of greater comparative, thematic and transnational study while also promoting the continued recognition of the need for deep and interdisciplinary knowledge of particular cultures and histories. Moreover, we seek to combine intellectual inquiry with practical engagement, which in the post-Cold War era is both necessary and full of new possibilities.

Coursework and overall training for those receiving either a B.A. or M.A. in Russian and East European Studies involve several departments across campus. Among those departments are Accountancy, Anthropology, Architecture, Art History, Cinema, Communications, Comparative Literature, Economics, Educational Policy Studies, Geography, History, Labor and Industrial Relations, Law, Library and Information Science, Linguistics, Music, Political Science, Religious Studies, Slavic Languages and Literatures, Sociology, and Speech Communication. The specific course requirements for each of these degrees involve cooperation with and dependency on these various departments. Therefore, this Plan will only address those courses taught directly by the Center, but the overall student outcome assessment will encompass the total program.

The aim of the REES undergraduate major is to provide students with a knowledge base in one discipline that will permit them to qualify for graduate study, give them an interdisciplinary focus in issues critical to the region, and provide foundational language training necessary for professional specialization in the area.

1. General Goals: the undergraduate program in Russian and East European Studies seeks to develop:

1. effective learning and reasoning skills;
2. general competence in knowledge of the area chosen for concentration;
3. understanding of the overall history and current state of the field.

2. Learning Objectives:

1. Declarative Knowledge (facts, definitions, and vocabulary). The student should command:

1. general knowledge of the history and culture of Russia and Eastern Europe;
2. an understanding of the central concepts and language of the humanities and social sciences;
3. general competence in reading, writing and conversational skills in Russian or another language of Eastern Europe or the former Soviet Union.

2. Intellectual Skills (knowledge of concepts, rules, and procedures needed for problem solving):

1. ability to reason about and interpret social, economic, and cultural behavior in comparative terms;
2. evidence of having developed critical thinking skills;
3. ability to formulate and solve research problems;
4. effective written and verbal communication skills both in English and Russian or another language of Eastern Europe or the former Soviet Union.

3. Attitudes: The student should:

1. promote interdisciplinary awareness and regional understanding in self, community, and future work;
2. subscribe to general university ethical and behavioral standards.

A. Declarative Knowledge Measures:

1. Completion of key courses as required for the undergraduate curriculum. 46 hours of course work are required, to be chosen from three components. Component 1 (6 hours) includes two courses in advanced conversation and/or composition (beyond the level specified by the LAS language requirement) in Russian or another language of Eastern Europe or the former Soviet Union, or equivalent proficiency. Component 2 (20 hours) includes REES 200 (Introduction to Russia and Central Asia), REES 295 (Senior Seminar in Russian and East European Studies) and an additional 14 hours chosen from each of three departments other than the department used for component 3 (following). Component 3 (20 hours) includes courses in a single discipline.
2. Minimum GPA of 2.0 is required for graduation.
3. Exit survey of graduating seniors in Russian and East European Studies. The interview and questionnaire will address student satisfaction with academic requirements of the program.
4. Departmental distinction. To qualify for departmental distinction, a student must have at least a 3.5 GPA in the courses taken for component 2 above and must complete a senior thesis in consultation with a faculty member affiliated with the center. Students who wish to qualify for distinction in this major should consult with the center director at the beginning of the junior year or earlier to prepare a suitable plan.

2. Intellectual Skills Measures:

1. UIUC Senior Survey results;
2. GRE scores for graduating seniors (provided to units by the Division of Management Information) will be evaluated relative to other groups, including:

1. Other UIUC seniors
2. GRE scores reported for the in-coming class of UIUC Russian and East European Studies graduate students;
3. GPA;
4. Successful completion of REES295, which is the capstone course of the program.

3. Attitude Measures: Items will be added to the core list of ICES questionnaires administered in each class directly controlled by the Russian and East European Center. The additional items will assess the extent to which the course materials promote increased awareness of the value of interdisciplinarity and knowledge of the region.



4. Integration of Declarative Knowledge, Skills, and Attitudes in the Workplace:

1. Alumni Survey. Center-sponsored mail surveys of graduates undertaken at 5 year intervals. This will assess the extent to which UIUC training has met their career needs.
2. Employer Survey. This survey will assess the extent to which our graduates’ capabilities and training should meet or exceed employer expectations. It will be conducted every 5 years. It will be a survey of the kinds of agencies, companies, and institutions that may hire our graduates, not a survey of employed graduates.

Master of Arts in Russian and East European Studies and Certificate of Graduate Specialization in Russian Language and Area Studies

Russia, Eastern Europe, and the newly independent states of the former Soviet Union represent one of the most dynamic and exciting regions in the world today and the scholarly study of its past and present is flourishing and increasingly innovative. The Master of Arts in Russian and East European Studies at the University of Illinois is a two-year program designed for the needs both of students preparing for further academic study in a particular discipline and students preparing for careers in government, business, the media, international law, private foundations, or cultural exchange. The program provides broad exposure to the history, cultures, societies, and politics of the area as well as to the variety of disciplinary and interdisciplinary approaches to its study. For individuals planning non-academic careers, such study is essential in preparing to respond to the growing opportunities and challenges presented by this region. For students planning academic careers, the program provides wide and multifaceted knowledge of the region and valuable experience in interdisciplinary study and interpretation.

The Certificate of Graduate Specialization in Russian Language and Area Studies is offered by the Russian and East European Center in cooperation with various departments. It is for persons with the baccalaureate who are enrolled in advanced studies in any discipline and who wish at the same time to gain a knowledge of the Russian language and area.

Student Learning Objectives

1. General Goals: the Masters program in Russian and East European Studies and the Certificate of Graduate Specialization in Russian Language and Area Studies both seek to develop:

1. reasoning and research skills to identify, design, and successfully conduct research on significant problems relevant to the area;
2. professional competence in the field, necessary for further graduate study, or combined with other competencies, for work in government or the private sector;
3. language competence in the area.

2. Learning Objectives:

1. Declarative Knowledge (facts, definitions, and vocabulary). The student should command:

1. detailed knowledge of the history and culture of Russia and East Europe;
2. professional competence in applying the central concepts and language of the humanities and social sciences as it applies to the Russian and East European area;
3. third year competence in reading, writing and conversational skills in Russian or another language of Eastern Europe or the former Soviet Union.

2. Intellectual Skills (knowledge of concepts, rules, and procedures needed for problem solving):

1. professional ability to reason about and interpret social, economic, and cultural behavior in comparative terms;
2. evidence of having developed critical thinking skills;
3. graduate level ability to formulate and solve research problems;
4. command effective written and verbal communication skills both in English and Russian or another language of Eastern Europe or the former Soviet Union.

3. Attitudes: The student should:

1. promote interdisciplinary awareness and regional understanding in self, community, and future work;
2. subscribe to general university ethical and behavioral standards

Measures and Methods

1. Declarative Knowledge Measures:

Master of Arts in Russian and East European Studies

1. Students will be expected to achieve third-year competency in Russian or another East European language, normally by the end of the first year of study;
2. At least 9.5 units of graduate credit are required as follows: 1 unit in the Seminar in Russian and East European Studies (REES 450); and 0.5 unit in Slavic Bibliography (LIS 433C), both normally taken during the first semester of residence. Of the remaining units, at least 6 must be in Russian and East European Studies core courses, 2 of which must be at the 400 level. REES core courses must be taken from at least three different units. Language courses do not count toward the 6 units in core courses, but may count toward the total of 9.5 if taken at the 300-level or above.
3. Minimum GPA of 3.25 for graduation.
4. A major research paper using primary sources, including sources in the language used for requirement 1. Normally, this paper would be written in a research seminar in a disciplinary department. In a few cases, however, a student may need or wish to complete this requirement under the Center's own rubric (REES 495). A committee will be formed to review such independent research papers.
5. Exit survey of graduating M.A. candidates in Russian and East European Studies. The interview and questionnaire will address student satisfaction with academic requirements of the program.

Certificate of Graduate Specialization in Russian Language and Area Studies

1. A good command of written and spoken Russian, or another language of the area, equivalent to at least three years of college-level study;
2. At least six graduate units relating to Russia, the former USSR, or Eastern Europe, of which ½ unit must be Library and Information Science 433C (Slavic Bibliography). The remaining units must be distributed among at least three of the departments represented in the program (anthropology, economics, geography, history, law, library science, political science, Slavic languages and literatures, and sociology) other than the student’s own major department. If the student’s major department is one of the aforementioned nine, up to one unit may be counted from within that department.
3. Minimum GPA of 2.75 for graduation.
4. A major research paper using primary sources in Russian or another language of the region is required. The paper must meet, at the minimum, the standard normally required in a master’s thesis. A copy of the student’s master’s thesis or doctoral dissertation may be submitted in fulfillment of this requirement.
5. Exit survey of graduating M.A. candidates in Russian and East European Studies. The interview and questionnaire will address student satisfaction with academic requirements of the program.

2. Intellectual Skills Measures:

1. Alumni Surveys. Department-sponsored mail surveys of graduates undertaken at 5 year intervals. These surveys assess the extent to which UIUC training prepares students for government, academic, and corporate service.
2. Progress evaluation. The academic performance and the degree completion progress of each student is reviewed twice per year by the Director of the Russian and East European Center. The results of these reviews are reported to the student and are used by the advisor and the faculty to ensure that lapses in academic performance or degree completion are rectified.

3. Attitude Measures: Items will be added to the core list of ICES questionnaires administered in each class directly controlled by the Russian and East European Center. The additional items will assess the extent to which the course materials promote increased awareness of the value of interdisciplinarity and knowledge of the region.



4. Integration of Declarative Knowledge, Skills, and Attitudes in the Workplace:

1. Alumni Survey. Center-sponsored mail surveys of graduates undertaken at 5 year intervals. This will assess the extent to which UIUC training has met their career needs.
2. Employer Survey. This survey will assess the extent to which our graduates’ capabilities and training should meet or exceed employer expectations. It will be conducted every 5 years. It will be a survey of the kinds of agencies, companies, and institutions that may hire our graduates, not a survey of employed graduates.

The Director of the Russian and East European Center will gather outcomes measures twice a year, examining the undergraduate program in the fall semester and the graduate program in the spring semester. The summarized results of this assessment will be presented for discussion by the Russian and East European Center Executive Committee. Based on these discussions, the Executive Committee will submit recommendations to the Head for changes to the undergraduate and/or graduate programs. The Director, or any other member of the Executive Committee, may also make recommendations for changes to the program at any time.

1. Financial support for the alumni and employer surveys. (Range of $300-500)