Center for Russia, East Europe, and Central Asia

Established in 1997, the Center for Russia, East Europe, and Central Asia (CREECA) at UW–Madison is a prestigious Title VI National Resource Center. Located within the Institute for Regional and International Studies – a unit of the International Division – CREECA’s mission is to support research, teaching, and outreach on Russia, Eastern and Central Europe, and Central Asia. They also provide important community collaboration, K-12 outreach, fellowship opportunities, and more. 

Academic opportunities

CREECA is home to four academic programs in Russian, East European, and Central Asian Studies (REECAS). These interdisciplinary programs provide students with broad exposure to the region through a variety of academic tracks. 

• Undergraduate certificate: The undergraduate certificate in REECAS allows students to understand the societies and cultures of the region. It requires seven courses available in many disciplines, including art history, geography, history, Jewish studies, literature, political science, and sociology.
• Master of Arts: The two-year MA degree program in REECAS provides interdisciplinary area studies training for emerging professionals and future leaders. CREECA welcomes and encourages applications from Eurasia Foreign Area Officers (FAOs).

• Doctoral minor: This minor is offered to candidates obtaining a PhD in other departments by taking a minimum of nine credits of graduate courses in REECAS.
• Graduate certificate: The graduate certificate in REECAS requires 12 credits and provides students in graduate and professional schools with area knowledge of the societies and cultures of the people of Eastern and Central Europe and Eurasia, drawing on the disciplines of education, folklore, geography, history, journalism, literature, law, political science, and sociology.

Some recent courses that meet the requirements of CREECA’s undergraduate and graduate academic programs include:

• History 418: Imperial Russia, 1801-1917
• Lit Trans 207: Slavic Science Fiction through Literature and Film
• History 850: Seminar on the History of the Soviet Union and East-Central Europe
• Poli Sci 344: The Russian War on Ukraine: Causes and Consequences
• Slavic 254: The Culture of Dissent in Eastern and Central Europe

Signature events and activities

CREECA fuels intellectual curiosity through an active calendar of events and activities such as:

Outreach activities

Through a diverse range of outreach programs, CREECA supports K-12 learning, cultivates international collaboration with universities worldwide, and empowers educators to globalize their curriculum. Below are just a few of the ways CREECA provides vital outreach:

• Local: CREECA fosters a community hub through their local lending library and a diverse calendar of public events, including the weekly CREECA lecture series and sponsored film screenings, concerts, and performances.
• Statewide: CREECA’s statewide outreach activities include sponsoring films in the Wisconsin Film Festival and hosting workshops for Wisconsin K-12 educators. CREECA also offers the Pushkin Summer Institute, a 5-week residential pre-college program for outstanding high school students from under-represented communities, and co-sponsors the ACTR Olympiada of Spoken Russian, a competition for middle and high school students to demonstrate their proficiency speaking in Russian.
• National: CREECA collaborates with other universities to offer the Engaging Eurasia Teacher Fellowship, which serves high school and community college educators throughout the United States. In 2024-25, CREECA is partnering with peer centers at other universities to present “Bodies in Focus,” a series of six virtual panels exploring issues of ability/disability, autonomy, and “body studies” in the region.
• International: With funding from Carnegie Corporation of NY, the U.S. Russia Foundation, and the International Division, CREECA welcomed three scholars at risk from the Russian Federation for two-year appointments as professors of practice at UW-Madison. 

Fellowships and grants

CREECA also provides a wide range of reputable fellowships, scholarships, and grants:

• Title VIII Fellowships: Funded by the U.S. Department of State, these awards cover tuition and provide a stipend for students of the Central Eurasian Studies Summer Institute.
• Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS): FLAS fellowships are funded by the U.S. Department of Education and administered by the UW’s National Resource Centers to assist students in acquiring foreign language and area studies competencies.
• CREECA Graduate Student Short-Term Research Awards: Current UW-Madison graduate and professional school students of any discipline may apply for short-term travel awards to conduct research in Russia, Eastern/Central Europe, and/or Eurasia/Central Asia. Funding for short-term research awards varies year by year.

Research

CREECA supports the work of faculty and academic staff through travel grants. These grants allow them to attend conferences to present their work related to Russian, Eastern and Central European, and/or Central Eurasian studies.

Interested in learning more? Contact CREECA below and follow them on their social media to stay up to date on the latest news and events!

Center for Russia, East Europe, and Central Asia
210 Ingraham Hall

Email: info@creeca.wisc.edu 
Phone: 608-262-3379
Address: 1155 Observatory Drive, Madison, WI 53706
Web: creeca.wisc.edu

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