Department of Slavic Languages & Literatures

Originally from Moscow, Russia, Diana Stanislavovna Avdeeva is pursuing an MA in Russian, Ukrainian, and Belarusian Studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She holds a B.A. in Linguistics and Teaching English and Italian Languages and Cultures from the Moscow State Linguistic University, a Master's degree in Russian as a Foreign Language from the Higher School of Economics in Moscow, and another Master’s degree in Russian and East European Studies from the University of Arizona. Her research interests include nineteenth-century Russian literature, national identity, ethnic diversity in Russia and the global Russophone community, and modern Russian history and politics.

Diana is a seasoned instructor of Russian language and culture, both in-person and online. She favors the communicative teaching method and has taught first-year and second-year Russian language courses and a course on Russian and East European cinema; Diana has also assisted in teaching a course on Russian folklore.