Department Strengths

Both in terms of breadth and quality of the areas it covers, the KU Department of Slavic, German, and Eurasian Studies is among the finest in the United States. The Department focuses mainly on German and Russian literature and culture, language pedagogy, and Slavic linguistics.

Within the Russian literature and culture, faculty specializations include Tolstoy and Nineteenth-century Realism (Kokobobo), postmodernism, postcolonialism, and contemporary literature (Chernetsky), cinema (Chernetsky), gender studies (Chernetsky and Wallo), and Slavic folklore (Perelmutter). Literature and film offerings also extend to Central/East European traditions (Polish and Czech – Vassileva-Karagyozova; South Slavic – Dickey and Kokobobo; Ukrainian – Chernetsky and Wallo). Within German Culture, faculty specializations include German film and new media (Blikic), refugees and migration (Bilkic, Janzen, and Vanchena), art history and representation (Meyertholen), and modernism (Linden).

Within the Slavic linguistics area there is a unique concentration of expertise on Western South Slavic languages (i.e., Bosnian/Croatian/Montenegrin/Serbian and Slovene – Dickey and Greenberg), as well as cognitive linguistics and Slavic verbal aspect (Dickey), morphosyntax and pragmatics (Perelmutter), and Slavic historical linguistics (Greenberg).

Language courses are taught by faculty and lecturers with decades of experience: 

These faculty are assisted by outstanding graduate teaching assistants, who are often native speakers and always burgeoning experts in the field.

The department by itself and in conjunction with the Center for Russian, Eurasian, and East European Studies (CREES) and Max Kade Center for German American Studies offers an array of events throughout the year, including visiting distinguished lecturers, exhibits, and musical and theatrical performances.