Russian programs can encompass a wide variety of historical, cultural and linguistic topics. Common classes include Cold War history, modern Russian politics, classical literature, Russian art, Russian authors, women in the Soviet Union, regional analysis, Christianity in Russian and Russian culture.

Russia or, also officially known as the Russian Federation, is a country in northern Eurasia. Education in Russia is provided predominantly by the state and is regulated by the Ministry of Education and Science. In Russia, it takes about 70 % of training time for the contact lessons with a teacher, the rest 30 % of the workload are devoted to the independent study of the material.

A course is the study of a particular topic within a wider subject area and is the foundation of a qualification. A typical course includes lectures, assessments and tutorials.