Special Strengths of the KU Slavic Department

Both in terms of breadth and quality of the areas it covers, the KU Slavic Department is among the finest in the United States. The Department focuses mainly on Russian literature and culture, intellectual history, language pedagogy (Wallo), and Slavic linguistics.

Within the Russian literature, culture, and intellectual history areas, 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 the Slavic linguistics area there is a unique concentration of expertise on Western South Slavic languages (i.e., Bosnian/Croatian/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 (Pirnat-Greenberg – Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian and Slovene; Six – Russian; Wallo – Ukrainian; Predolac – Turkish), and graduate teaching assistants.

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

The area studies program provides a wide range of Slavic courses offered by more than 50 faculty members in 16 departments.