BA with a Major in Central and Eastern European Studies—CEES Concentration

Degree Requirements

To earn a Bachelor of Liberal Arts and Sciences degree from UIC, students must complete university, college, and departmental degree requirements. The Department of Polish, Russian, and Lithuanian Studies degree requirements are outlined below. Students should consult the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences section for additional degree requirements and college academic policies.

Summary of Requirements
Major Requirements27
General Education and Electives to reach Minimum Total Hours93
Total Hours120

General Education

See General Education and Writing-in-the-Discipline in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences section for information on meeting these requirements.

Major Requirements

Required Courses
Select one of the following:4
Intermediate Polish II a
Intermediate Russian II b
Intermediate Lithuanian II
Note: Students pursuing the Concentration in Central and Eastern European Studies may take POL 104, RUSS 104, or LITH 104.
Select one of the following: c,d3
Introduction to Literary Analysis of Central Eastern European Texts
Introduction to Central and Eastern European Cultures
In addition, students must complete 20 semester hours from the Central and Eastern European Studies Concentration.20
Total Hours27
a

Native and heritage speakers who place out of POL 104 should register for POL 201. Placing out of  POL 104 may qualify a student for up to 8 hours of retroactive credit. Please consult an LAS advisor for eligibility for retroactive credit after completion of POL 201.

b

Native and heritage speakers who place out of RUSS 104 should register for RUSS 201. Placing out of  RUSS 104 may qualify a student for up to 8 hours of retroactive credit. Please consult an LAS advisor for eligibility for retroactive credit after completion of RUSS 201.

c

CEES 224 and CEES 225 fulfill the LAS Writing-in-the-Discipline requirement. If a student takes both CEES 224 and CEES 225, one of these courses may count toward the 20 semester hours required for the concentration.

d

When LCSL 250 is taught by a faculty member from the Department of Polish, Russian, and Lithuanian Studies, it may be used to satisfy this requirement instead of CEES 224 or CEES 225. Students should consult with their major advisor with questions about eligible sections of LCSL 250.

Concentration in Central and Eastern European Studies Requirements

Required Courses a
20 hours of coursework selected from the following:20
Any CEES course at the 200, 300, and 400 level d
Any Polish course b
Any Russian course c
Understanding the Holocaust
Russia in War and Revolution, 1904-1922
East Central Europe and the Balkans: From Empires to Nation-States
The Making of Modern Poland
The Rise and Fall of Communism in Eastern Europe
Russia Between Europe and Asia: Eurasian Spaces and Peoples in the Premodern Era
The Russian Empire in the Modern Period: History, Culture and the Challenges of Diversity
Russia from Vladimir Lenin to Vladimir Putin
Twentieth-Century Russia in Film
Lithuanian Culture
Lithuanian Prose Fiction in International Context
Lithuanian Literature I
Lithuanian Literature II
Lithuanian Literature Abroad
Introduction to Yiddish Culture and Literature
Topics in Jewish Studies
Topics in Jewish Studies
Advanced Studies in Jewish Literature, Art and Culture
Internship in Global Studies
Internship in Global Engagement and Public Humanities
a

A maximum of three semester hours in History (including crosslisted courses) may count toward required coursework.

b

No more than 6 semester hours may be completed at the 100 level, and excluding POL 101, POL 102, POL 103, and POL 104. Polish courses cross-listed with the Department of History and CEES topics courses that focus on Polish Studies may be used to fulfill this requirement with approval of the departmental advisor.

c

No more than 6 semester hours may be completed at the 100 level, and excluding RUSS 101, RUSS 102, RUSS 103, and RUSS 104. Russian courses cross-listed with the Department of History and CEES topics courses that focus on Russian Studies may be used to fulfill this requirement with approval of the departmental advisor.

d

A minimum of 9 semester hours must be completed in CEES courses for the concentration in Central and Eastern European Studies.

Recommended Plan of Study

Plan of Study Grid
First Year
Fall SemesterHours
ENGL 160 Academic Writing I: Writing in Academic and Public Contexts 3
POL 101
Elementary Polish I a
or Elementary Russian I
or Elementary Lithuanian I
4
General Education Requirement course 3-5
Quantitative Reasoning course 3-5
 Hours13-17
Spring Semester
ENGL 161 Academic Writing II: Writing for Inquiry and Research 3
POL 102
Elementary Polish II a
or Elementary Russian II
or Elementary Lithuanian II
4
General Education Requirement course 4-5
General Education Requirement course 3
 Hours14-15
Second Year
Fall Semester
POL 103
Intermediate Polish I a
or Intermediate Russian I
or Intermediate Lithuanian I
4
Concentration course 3
General Education Requirement course 3-5
General Education Requirement course 3
Elective 3
 Hours16-18
Spring Semester
POL 104
Intermediate Polish II
or Intermediate Russian II
or Intermediate Lithuanian II
4
Concentration course b 3
General Education Requirement course 3
General Education Requirement course 3
Elective 3
 Hours16
Third Year
Fall Semester
CEES 224
Introduction to Literary Analysis of Central Eastern European Texts
or Introduction to Central and Eastern European Cultures
3
Concentration course 3
General Education Requirement course 3
General Education Requirement course/Elective 3
Elective 3
 Hours15
Spring Semester
Concentration course 3
General Education Requirement course/Elective 3
Electives 9
 Hours15
Fourth Year
Fall Semester
Concentration course(s) b 3-6
Electives 13
 Hours16-19
Spring Semester
Concentration course 3
Concentration course 3
Electives 9
 Hours15
 Total Hours120
a

101, 102, and 103 basic language courses do not count toward the major requirements.

b

CEES 224 and CEES 225 satisfy the Writing-in-the-Discipline requirement.