Russian and East European StudiesWelcome to the Department of Russian and East European Studies Language Program!
Penn’s philosophy is that competence in foreign languages and cultures is essential to the success of any educated person in today’s global world, no matter what major you choose. Language is inseparable from the other subjects you study and will give you a unique insight into the mindset of the people who speak it. This philosophy is reflected in REES major and minor programs, our language course offerings, and rich co-curricular programming.
We strongly encourage our students to begin studying language as early as possible in their college career because it will allow them to achieve higher levels of language competency by the time they graduate and will give them adequate preparation for the job market, which increasingly requires candidates to function in multiple languages on a professional level. We also hope that you will study more than one language while at Penn and explore languages other than what you have studied before college. Students are also encouraged to use opportunities for study abroad and language and cultural immersion whenever possible, as it will provide them with unique opportunities to truly immerse themselves in foreign language and cultures.
Our program offers courses in a wide range of languages spoken in our area of expertise, some offered through REES, others administered by Penn Language Center. Consult the Language Program Director at https://rees.sas.upenn.edu/people/mila-nazyrova or the Undergraduate Studies Chair to discuss which language courses might a good fit for your major or minor program and explore our language offerings below. If courses or languages you are looking for are not available, consult Language Program Coordinator at https://rees.sas.upenn.edu/people/mila-nazyrova.
Our languages:
