A passion for eastern European language and culture led lecturer Katia McClain to her position in the Department of Germanic, Slavic, and Semitic Studies. She teaches courses in Russian language, Russian literature, and Slavic linguistics, language, and culture.

Her interest began in high school, she says, partly because some of her ancestors hailed from that area of the world.

McClain perceives learning as a collective effort, with her students as important a part of the educational process as she is.

"I’m not conveying knowledge as much as we’re constructing knowledge together," she says.

In the grand scheme, McClain wants her students to examine their own ideas and perceptions as they explore topics that may be new to them. She approaches the study of language and literature in a holistic way, looking at all aspects of the culture surrounding it.

"We’re not just memorizing facts," she says. "Because I work in an area that’s a little less well known, I hope my students gain some knowledge they didn’t have access to before."

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