Why Study with the KU Slavic, German, and Eurasian?

With 14 tenured and tenure-track faculty members, the KU Slavic, German, and Eurasian department has a cozy, friendly atmosphere, yet represents an outstanding concentration of expertise. Our department is internationally recognized for strengths in diverse areas of Slavic literary and cultural studies (including questions of empire, colonialism and postcoloniality, as well as gender and sexuality, as reflected in literature, film, and folklore) and linguistics (historical phonology, verbal categories, sociolinguistics, language contact and pragmatics). On the German side, our program is leading in second language accuisition and open access educational resources, which is paired with expertise in a variety of subjects from  German modernity, art history, and migration.  

Our graduate students and faculty actively cooperate with other departments and units across campus, such as Jewish Studies, Film and Media Studies, Art History, Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, and numerous others. Our department allows and strongly encourages research across national boundaries and on interdisciplinary projects. The department is also a leader in teaching less-commonly taught Slavic and Eurasian languages.

Our faculty are published widely in the U.S. and abroad and serve as editors for several international scholarly publications. Four Slavic faculty members have been awarded Fellowships from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

KU Library is home to one of the most extensive and largest Slavic and Eurasian collections in the United States. This collection is housed in the International Area Studies department in Watson Library, the University's main research library, and provides assistance, instruction and workshops to students and faculty.

The Ermal Garinger Academic Resource Center, in Wescoe Hall, is recognized as one of the best-equipped language resource centers in the U.S., promoting the learning and teaching of languages and cultures through the use of technology and other instructional media. Through EGARC, the department also interacts with the Language Teaching Center and Project Go, offering classes to the military in a variety of languages.

The KU Slavic department forms a core component of the Center for Russian and East European and Eurasian Studies (CREES). CREES offers degree-granting programs and serves as a resource for K-12 teachers, post-secondary educators, business, media, government, and military. CREES also offers a variety of activities and events throughout the year that enhance students' learning experience.

The Max Kade Center for German-American Studies, located in the Sudler House, holds approximately 15,000 volumes, including the John Spalek Exile Collection, the Albert Bloch Archives, and the book collections of the Milwaukee and Lawrence Turnvereine. In October 2009, the Max Kade Center obtained the complete New York Turner Archives, which date from 1850 to 2005.

The Department of Slavic and Eurasian Languages and Literatures offers study abroad programs in Ukraine and Germany that are open to students from KU and other North American universities who seek college credit. Faculty have also arranged for programs in Bosnia, Czech Republic, Kazakhstan, and Poland. For study abroad options in other countries, students work with KU's Office of Study Abroad to find appropriate programs. Student Initiated Programs are also handled through KU Study Abroad.

The success of graduates from KU's Department of Slavic, German, and Eurasian Studies is evidenced by the positions they have held following completion of their studies. Many have gone into academia and now hold tenure and tenure-track positions at Baylor, Binghamton, Bowling Green, Brigham Young, Bucknell, Georgetown, Grinnell, Kentucky, Kansas State, Louisiana, Middlebury, Nebraska, Oregon, Washington, West Point, and Wisconsin. Others have gone into Slavic-related careers with the U.S. government, NGOs, and the corporate sector.