Why Study Russian?
- Many world politicians and business leaders have stated, Russia does matter.
- Russia is the largest country in the world, almost twice the size of the U.S.A., and covers eleven time zones.
- Russia is the world's largest supplier of natural gas and second largest supplier of oil.
- Russia holds the world's second-largest nuclear stockpile.
- Russia has enormous reserves of strategic minerals and an extremely well-educated populace-in other words, it has great potential for economic growth.
- Russian offers a key to the parts of Europe which will be most changed by economic development during this century.
- Russia is a land of fascinating art, literature, music, and architecture.
- Russian and English are the official languages on the International Space Station; American astronauts study Russian.
- Russia is a permanent member of the U. N. Security Council, and Russian is one of the official languages of the United Nations.
- With the globalization of business, employers are interested in hiring graduates who show that they are familiar with a culture well beyond their own.
- "Multinational companies need leaders who are internationally adept" (Sally Adamson Taylor, Culture Shock!)
- There are, and will be for a long time to come, jobs for those individuals who know Russian and understand Russian culture and who can effectively translate them to the world markets.