Study Abroad & Immersion Language Study
American students, studying at St. Petersburg's Smolny College, including Madeline Kinkel'14, Chang Woo Seo'14, Amanda Strenz'14, Bernadette Clark'14, Olivia Capozzalo'14, and Keegan Covey'14 with Alexei Kudrin, Russia's former finance minister (2000-11) and the Smolny College Dean, and Darya Pushkina'95, Smolny's Associate Dean. Fall 2012.
Study Abroad Opportunities
Reed College offers several opportunities to study the Russian language abroad, in the cities where it is widely spoken.
Semester-Long Programs
AUCA-Bard in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
This semester-long program is run through Bard College and is located at the American University of Central Asia in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. The Russian Language Track of the program is open to students with at least two years of college level Russian. The program opens with a week-long intensive in the Russian language, offers the option of homestays in Russian-speaking families, and has Russian language courses as well as courses in other subjects. More information can be found on the program page. Read an interview in Russian here from a Reed student who participated in this program.
About Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
Bishkek is the largest and capital city of the Kyrgyz Republic. With a population of almost 1 million people, it is a vibrant city. Just outside the city, there are a number of natural wonders like Issyk Kul Lake and Ala Archa National Park.
Advanced Russian Language and Area Studies at Al-Farabi Kazakh National University (KazNU) in Almaty, Kazakhstan
This semester-long program takes place in Almaty, Kazakhstan, at Kazakh National University (KazNU), one of the main universities in Kazakhstan. Students live in host families, take courses in Russian language as well as local history and culture. Additionally, there are a number of opportunities for excursions and volunteer opportunities. Learn more about the program here.
About Almaty, Kazakhstan
Almaty, Kazakhstan is the Soviet-era capital and largest city in Kazakhstan. It is still the cultural center of the nation. Simultaneously post-Soviet and very modern, the city of 2.2 million people offers a fascinating international experience.
Summer Study Abroad Programs
Summer study abroad programs are not covered by financial aid, and they should be approved by the faculty so that academic credit can be transferred. Additional need-based funding for summer study may be available through study abroad programs and through the competitive Jane Burbank Fellowship.
Below are some locations where Reed students have recently studied the Russian language during the summer:
- Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
- Batumi, Georgia
- Riga, Latvia
- Tallinn, Estonia
- Yerevan, Armenia
More information
For more information, check out the following Reed pages:
Other Programs
- Beloit College Center for Language Studies. Summer Intensive Language Studies at Beloit.
- Harvard Summer School: Russian in Tbilisi
- Indiana University. Summer Workshop in Slavic, East European and Central Asian Languages
- Middlebury College. Language Schools: Kathryn Wasserman Davis School of Russian
- Monterey Institute for International Studies. Summer Intensive Russian Language Program
- The School of Russian and Asian Studies
- University of California, Los Angeles. Intensive Russian (Elementary and Intermediate)
- University of Pittsburgh. Russian and East European Summer Language Institute
- University of Virginia. Summer Russian Language Institute
- University of Washington. Intensive Summer Russian