The Russian program at Notre Dame is small and personable yet large enough to offer a wide variety of courses.Knowing Russian opens up one of the richest cultural traditions in the Western world. The novels of Tolstoy and Dostoevsky, Chekov's plays, the operas of Tchaikovsky, and Chagall's paintings are just a few of the treasures Russia has bequeathed to the world. Courses devoted to the classics of Russian literature and the culture that engendered them provide an opportunity to discuss the most important political, social, philosophical, theological, and artistic questions of our time.