Charlene Castellano passed away in October 2022. She was Teaching Professor Emeritus of Russian Studies, and was a member of the Modern Languages faculty from 1990 until her retirement in 2016.

Charlene Castellano was a humanist and a specialist in Russian literature, culture, language and linguistics. She came to Carnegie Mellon in 1990 in order to bring to an end a long suspension of Russian study by single-handedly deploying a full program of language and culture courses. By 1995 this program had garnered enough interest to warrant an interdepartmental specialization in Russian Studies, launched in concert with History. Her contribution to it consisted of fifteen courses in three levels of Russian language study plus literature and culture courses taught in both English and Russian. She covered topics ranging from Russian folklore and fairy tales, through nineteenth- and twentieth-century prose and poetry, to historical and contemporary film in Russia and East Europe. While providing the culture curriculum for the Russian Studies specialization, the courses she gave in English attracted students from across the College and the University. She placed a priority on such outreach not only via these courses but also by teaching in the General Education, Freshman Seminar, and Humanities Scholars Programs in the Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences.

Learn more about Charlene Castellano's contributions and achievements.

Education: Ph.D., Cornell University, 1980