Dear Friends of the Slavic Department,
Gordana Crnković
Greetings to everyone at the end of another school year! And what a year it was! Severe budget cuts caused massive administrative reorganization that affected all we do. Our Slavic faculty, however, valiantly dealt with the new and ever-changing work environments and kept their high-quality teaching, research, public outreach, and service to others. Our courses were well-attended, and our…
This past June, the Slavic Department celebrated the 12 graduates and seven award winners at the Departmental Convocation and Awards Ceremony. For most students, their degrees of study within the Slavic Department had been a goal since adolescence, and four students shared this experience. “It was one thing I was certain I wanted to do at UW,” Anika Fung, a graduate of the Russian Language, Literature, and Culture B.A., said. While Fung had been interested in Russian language and…
During the Slavic Department Convocation and Awards Ceremony, the five recipients of the 2026 Best Language Student Awards were recognized for their outstanding efforts in the department. Four students who recently completed their first and second years of Russian were awarded the 2026 Best Russian Language Student Awards, and one student received the Best Polish Language Student Award. These awards are given to students who have excelled in their language courses and have shown resilience…
This is the inaugural year of the Roma Boniecka-Anna Cienciała Award, an honor named after the principal donors who helped the Slavic Department establish UW's Slovene studies endowment back in 2016. The recipient of this year's award, Maddox Unočič, was given the title to recognize his outstanding work in Slovene studies.In addition to the title, the student of this award is provided a cash stipend from UW's Slovene studies endowment for their tuition-free attendance and free lodging at the…
Our faculty continue to inspire through their teaching, scholarship, service, and community engagement. We are pleased to highlight accomplishments and updates shared by colleagues across a wide range of professional activities, including courses taught, publications, presentations, community engagement efforts, works in progress, and other noteworthy achievements. Please join us in celebrating the many ways our faculty contribute to their disciplines, students, and our Slavic…
Sasha Orlova continues to build an impressive record of teaching, research, and academic achievement. In Winter 2026, she taught RUSS 200, “The Art of Protest,” in the Department of World Languages & Cultures at Central Washington University and was invited to teach the course again during the next academic year, along with first-year Russian. This summer, she is teaching RUSS 150: Summer Intensive Russian, which has attracted strong student…
During the 2025–2026 academic year, Yana Koza served as a Fulbright FLTA. She taught the Intermediate Ukrainian language course and led the weekly Ukrainian Language Club. Yana actively contributed to academic discussions on Ukraine through presentations at several conferences. At the Spring Research Symposium hosted by the Jordan Center for the Advanced Study of Russia at New York University, she participated in a panel reflecting on her…
A Message from UW PSEC Chair, Krystyna Untersteiner:Polish language and culture continued to thrive on our campus throughout the 2025–26 academic year!In October, Prof. Agnieszka Jeżyk (editor) Prof. José Alaniz (author of Chapter 2: "Post-Soviet Gothic and the Eastern European Zombie"), and scholar and writer Stevi Costa engaged in a lively discussion during the launch of Contemporary Slavic Horror Across Media: Cursed Zones (Manchester University Press, 2025).…
In April, Global Literary Studies collaborated with Textual Studies for the third time to bring students a creative and unique opportunity. During the Printmaking Social Hour, participants designed and printed their own bookplates and bookmarks using linocut techniques, enjoyed snacks, and connected with fellow students.
In October, the Slavic Department celebrated the book release Slavic Horror Across Media: Cursed Zones, edited by Professor Agnieszka Jezyk and Chapter 2: “Post-Soviet Gothic and the Eastern European Zombie” written by Professor José Alaniz.Book Description:“In the Western cultural production that puts individual or collective fear at its center, East/Central Europe has been portrayed as an othered space of horror - lawless, frightening zones where anything can happen. Incorporating…
The Oleg Fomin Scholarship supports students in exploring the languages, cultures, and histories of the post-Soviet world through travel. Scholarship recipient Lynn Mai spent Spring Break exploring Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. The travel reflection below chronicles her journey through the Baltic States and the lasting impressions it left on her. Happy summer! My name is Lynn Mai. I’m an incoming junior majoring in Linguistics & Public Health – Global Health. I’ve…
Zoya Mihailovna Polack
After more than five decades of teaching and service at the University of Washington, Associate Teaching Professor Zoya Mihailovna Polack is retiring from the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures. Since joining UW in 1973, Professor Polack has taught generations of students, sharing her passion for Russian and Ukrainian language, literature, and culture. In doing so, she has left a lasting impression on countless…
Caprielle Lang has served as the first Student Assistant to the UW Slavic Department of Languages and Literatures for almost two years. This past June marked her graduation, earning degrees of a B.A. in English with a concentration in Creative Writing, a B.A. in Global Literary Studies (GLITS), and a minor in Textual Studies. Following her conclusion of the position, Caprielle reflected on her time in the department as both a student and an assistant.“After wrapping up my freshman year, it grew…
John Johnson earned a Bachelor of Arts in Russian Language and Literature from the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures in 1995. Since retiring, he has remained active in academia, occasionally delivering guest lectures at the University of Washington and Western Washington University.
Slavic Languages & Literatures Department Chair and Professor Gordana P. Crnković published the article "View from the Eiffel Tower, a Film Adaptation of a zagreb woman: Art and the Power to Push Back" in the journal Balkanistica (vol. 39, 2026).
The benefits of learning more languages go far beyond the positive classroom experience; there are substantial advantages in your career and personal life. Previous scholarship has demonstrated that bilingual job candidates have up to a 35% increase in job opportunities.
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