edu: что нужно знать среднему американцу о слонах?

ну, не среднему и не о слонах, а кремлинолуху/советолоху:

During the heyday of the Cold War – and even in the two decades following the collapse of the Berlin Wall – Russian Studies programs in the United States typically required a mix of Russian language proficiency, knowledge of Russia’s historical role in international affairs, a study of Russian culture (mostly 19th century literature, maybe some Alexander Solzhenitsyn or Boris Pasternak thrown in for good measure), and enough knowledge of how the Soviet political system worked to make a few expert observations as a Kremlinologist.

а теперь:

Russian Studies graduates in the United States need less 19th century literature, more 21st century finance.

имхо: езыг.ру -- всётки пререквизит

The long-term benefits would be extraordinary – you’d be preparing the next generation of Russia experts not just for a career in academia and Think Tank Land (opportunities that really don’t exist any more the way they did during the Cold War), but also to become consultants, traders, entrepreneurs and financiers.

другими словами кремлинолухи в прошлом, а МБА спасёт русский мир
цели.ком см:

America's Russian Studies programs: From Dostoevsky to derivatives