Masters Degrees in Russian & East European Languages

This programme is an advanced study of historical and contemporary developments in the economy, politics, culture and society of Russia and the countries of Eastern Europe and Eurasia.

Why this programme

◾This programme is for those planning careers in major public, commercial and voluntary institutional settings who wish to acquire a specialised knowledge of Central and Eastern Europe and proficiency in one of the region's languages.
◾Language and other study trips to the region are available. You will be offered the opportunity to spend a month in Russia. Some financial support is available to help you fund these trips.
◾Choose between three specialist pathways: Central and East European Studies, Russian Studies, and Eurasian Studies.
◾You will examine the history of communism and why it collapsed. You will learn about the impact of international organisations (e.g. the European Union, NATO) and of major world powers on the region as well as retaining an appreciation of the region’s internal diversity in a variety of spheres (cultural, economic, ethnic, political and social).
◾You can participate in our extensive range of conferences, workshops, business days, seminars and networking activities involving representatives of the business, policy-making and third sector communities.
◾The University Library holds one of the best Russian, Central and East European collections in the world.

Please refer to the website to see the progamme structure http://www.gla.ac.uk/postgraduate/taught/russiancentraleasteuropeanstudiesmsc/#/programmestructure

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The programme offers ESRC accredited training in language-based area studies, as well as advanced training in qualitative and quantitative methods; specialised area studies research training; and language training in one of the region’s languages.

Why this programme

◾The programme is intended for those who wish to pursue a research-based career in the region, with or without the completion of a PhD.
◾Language and other study trips to the region are available. You will be offered the opportunity to spend a month in Russia. Some financial support is available to help you fund these trips.
◾Annual scholarships are available for the language-based area studies pathways on a 2+3 (MRes + intensive language training to advanced level + PhD), 1+3 (MRes or intensive language training to advanced level + PhD) and +3 (PhD only) models, depending on your prior qualifications.
◾The University Library holds one of the best Russian, Central and East European collections in the world.
◾We have active postgraduate training links with thirteen overseas partner institutions in eleven countries. They visit to provide research master classes and participate in seminars.

Programme structure

You will take five core courses and submit a 12,000-15,000 word dissertation.

Core courses

◾Language (Czech, Hungarian, Polish, Russian)
◾Qualitative methods
◾Research methods for studying Russia and Central and Eastern Europe
◾Social science statistics 1
◾Social science statistics 2 OR Advanced qualitative methods.

Note: Some languages and courses might not be available every year. You may also be able to choose from courses in the other subjects in the School of Social & Political Sciences. Language training is offered over a range of levels from beginners to advanced. If you are a native speaker or have a degree in one of the region’s languages, you will take an additional course instead.

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This MA is one of the most wide-ranging programmes of its kind, offering a rich variety of modules on the region, ranging from the premodern period to the 21st century, from Russia and Poland to the Czech Republic and Croatia, and from film and philosophy to literature and cultural studies.

Degree information

Students develop an advanced knowledge and understanding of aspects of Russian and/or East European literature and culture, including art, film, philosophy, and linguistics. They gain key research skills, enabling them to solve problems of conflicting sources or interpretations, locate primary and secondary materials, and use research aids and resources effectively.

Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits.

The programme consists of one core module (30 credits), optional modules (90 credits) and a research dissertation (60 credits).

Core module
-Literary and Cultural Theory

Optional modules - up to 90 credits of optional modules. Subject to approval, optional courses up to the value of 30 credits may be taken from other SSEES MA Programmes or from other UCL MA Programmes.
-All Quiet on the Eastern Front: Culture, Politics and Everyday Life in Central and Eastern Europe
-Beyond Stereotypes: The Jews in Polish Culture
-Introduction to Hermeneutics: How to Read and Interpret Texts
-Contemporary Cultural Studies: Between Post-Communism & Post-Modernism
-Freedom Death and Love: Polish Fiction 1918–2005 (language prerequisite)
-How to Read/Interpret Texts: Introduction to Hermeneutics
-Literatures of Rupture: Modernism in Russia and Eastern Europe
-The 19th-Century Russian Novel
-The Reflecting Screen: Russian and Soviet Cinema in its Cultural Context, 1896 to the Present
-The Self and the World: Theoretical Approaches to Travel Writing
-Language Modules
-Russian Monarchy: Court Ritual and Political Ideas, 1498-1917
-Comparative Literary Studies
-Translation Studies
-Comparative Literature Modules

Dissertation/report
All MA students undertake an independent research project, which culminates in a dissertation of 10,000–12,000 words.

Teaching and learning
The programme is delivered through a combination of lectures, seminars, tutorials, presentations, film viewings and private study. Students are assessed by a variety of methods, including unseen examinations, long essays, course work and the research dissertation.

Careers

With their specialist knowledge and language skills, SSEES Master's graduates can be found in business, finance, the media, international agencies, charities, diplomacy, international security organisations, the law, and academe. Some of our graduates advise the Russian, Polish, American, and other governments, and the European Commission.

Top career destinations for this degree:
-PhD Russian Literature, University College London (UCL)
-Publishing Assistant, Sheldrake Press
-Language Producer, Unspecified Language Production Company
-Freelance Translator, Self-Employed Translator
-Business Consultant, Grit 3 Group and studying MA Russian and East European Literature and Culture, University College London (UCL)

Employability
Students who have successfully completed the programme have progressed to further academic research on the region, or have obtained employment in such organisations as the European Parliament and the Ministry of Defence, as well as roles in business, think tanks, NGOs, or similar, both in Britain and abroad. Networking is facilitated by two major collaborations led by SSEES: CEELBAS and the International Master's (IMESS). Scholarships, internship opportunities and excellent links with other universities in the region provide further benefits.

Why study this degree at UCL?

The UCL School of Slavonic & East European Studies (SSEES) is a world-leading specialist institutions, and the largest national centre in the UK, for the study of central, Eastern and south-east Europe and Russia.

Located on the edge of Bloomsbury, SSEES offers an ideal location for scholars. The British Library, British Museum, University of London Library and other similar research centres are all close by.

The SSEES Library is unequalled in Britain for the depth and breadth of its collections, the majority of which are on open access in the SSEES building.

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Research profile

Russian can offer you a friendly, stimulating and supportive community of postgraduate students.

Our research has been internationally acknowledged for its quality. Research staff in Russian are actively involved in many UK and international research partnerships and projects, including the ARHC-sponsored project on the Russian 20th-century poetry canon in the post-Soviet period.

Supervision is offered in the broad field of Russian Studies including research areas related to the study of social, political and cultural perspectives on Russian language; the study of Russian literature; media; culture; film studies; theatre studies and comparative literature.

Your research can be linked with various taught MSc programmes (Comparative Literature, Theatre and Performance Studies, and Film Studies), allowing you to extend your research range. Research can also benefit from links with the Translation Studies research group.

Training and support

The flagship of our research is the unique Princess Dashkova Russian Centre, an internationally recognised hub with a focus on the Russian language in its social and cultural contexts. The Centre hosts an array of research activity including conferences, workshops, lectures and postgraduate seminars.

Facilities

The University has an excellent library and computing facilities in both English and Russian. Postgraduate students can also use the National Library of Scotland.

You will also have access to Russian TV channels, a rich collection of Russian books, journals and electronic resources, and of course the Princess Dashkova Russian Centre.

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This is an intensive programme in Russian language for graduates in other subjects who would find a thorough knowledge of Russian an asset in their chosen field.

Why this programme

◾The programme caters for those who have no prior knowledge of the language. You will undertake a period of study abroad at a partner institution where Russian is spoken.

Programme structure

This programme is designed as preparation for employment related to Russia or the Russian-speaking countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS); or research activities in history, sociology, politics and economy that deal with Russia and CIS-related themes. Students who intend to work in Russia or need Russian in relation to their work will receive appropriate provision of language in connection with their specific area-based knowledge.

The programme combines classroom and distance tuition in intermediate-level Russian language over two semesters. Students are also ordinarily expected to undertake a designated period of study abroad at a partner institution in the Russian Federation or another country where Russian is spoken.

The programme comprises four discrete elements or blocks, imparting grammar, reading, translation and oral skills
◾Classroom teaching at Glasgow
◾Interactive activities, exercises and tests placed on the programme Moodle site
◾Intensive teaching block at the partner institution abroad in Semester 2

Career prospects

Students who have completed the course have gone into teaching, commerce, financial services, translating, postgraduate study and other occupations.

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This is an intensive programme in Russian Language for graduates in other subjects who would find an extensive knowledge of Russian an asset in their chosen field.

Why this programme

◾The programme caters for those who have no prior knowledge of the language and uses online and distance resources as well as classroom teaching and includes a period of study at a language school in Russia.

Programme structure

The programme is designed as preparation for employment related to Russia or the Russian-speaking countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS); or research activities in history, sociology, politics, economy that deal with Russia and CIS-related themes. Those students who intend to work in Russia or need Russian in relation to their work will receive appropriate provision of language in connection with their specific area-based knowledge.

This programme is designed in a blended (classroom and distance learning) format. It comprises classroom teaching; tuition via internet media as well as intensive use of Moodle based interactive exercises and tests. It makes full use of dedicated text books, printed and internet media. Students will also benefit from a dedicated period of study abroad at a partner institution which is a part of the course in Russian Language.

The content of this programme combines three layers – linguistic, cultural and socio-political which gives the student multifaceted language skills and knowledge about the country and the people.

These skills are to be developed through a variety of different learning activities and assessment tasks: classroom sessions, elements of distance learning, interactive Moodle exercises and self-study.

Core courses
◾Russian for Social Scientists (Beginners)
◾Certificate course in Russian Language
◾Writing project on Russia.

Career prospects

Those who have completed the course have gone into teaching, commerce, financial services, translating, postgraduate study and other occupations.

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The MA Policy and Practice in Basic Skills Education (Literacy) is for teachers, trainers, team leaders and heads of department/section who work in the field of basic skills education.

The course will support your professional development and enhance your career prospects by extending your existing knowledge in the field. It includes the study of issues that impact on adult literacy provision, an examination of literacy practices, a study of the history of adult literacy provision, and considers literacy in under-represented groups within the post-compulsory sector.

You will have the opportunity to carry out research into an area of literacy provision that is relevant to your practice and examine how theoretical principles inform and enhance this practice. All aspects of your research and study will be underpinned by ethical principles.

What you will learn

The course will enhance your existing knowledge of the field of literacy education and examine ways in which practice can be developed and improved in the light of literacy education theories.

You will have the opportunity to share your experiences and observations as basic skills practitioners and will research, critique and analyse UK and international practices and principles.

You will also increase your knowledge of the historical development of literacy teaching and the impact of policies on standards and achievement. The course will give you the opportunity to debate and analyse theories and their potential impact on practice.

For more information please visit http://www.bolton.ac.uk/postgrad

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This innovative international programme offers you the unique opportunity to undertake study (in English) and research in at least three different countries at our renowned partner institutions, culminating in the award of a multiple degree according to your chosen pathway.

Why this programme

◾If you are interested in the challenges faced by the states and societies of Central and Eastern Europe, Russia and Eurasia and their place within the new global order, this two-year programme is for you.
◾Guaranteed placements at external organisations are included under each pathway.
◾The programme is delivered by leading experts in their specialist areas of research.
◾Language tuition is available throughout the progamme.
◾The programme builds upon the foundations of the successful IntM in Russian, Central and East European Studies double degree which was recognised by the European Commission as an Erasmus Mundus Master Course of ‘outstanding academic quality’.

Programme structure

The programme is structured around three predefined mobility periods at three different universities across Europe, Russia, and Eurasia. Also included is a fourth flexible mobility period during which you will undertake independent study. The mobility periods are designed to enable you to engage with a variety of perspectives on the programme’s core themes.
A research proposal submitted at the end of semester 1 in year 1 will determine future mobility patterns and study pathway diversification in semester 2. In year 2 you will continue under the same study pathway. The research proposal will have a strong influence on the allocation of the year 2 pathway partner, where you will undertake coursework plus a placement at an external organisation.

Year 1– semester 1

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University of Tartu

[[Core courses

 Introduction to Central and East European, Russian and Eurasian Studies
 Language – Polish, Hungarian, Czech, Estonian OR Russian
 Social sciences methodology.

Optional courses (1 chosen)

 Baltic history and politics
 Comparative ethnopolitics
 Conflict management and resolution
 Elections and political behaviour
 Foreign policy analysis
 International relations
 Political and social change
 Post-communism
 The politics of history & memory.

Year 1 – semester 2

University of Glasgow
You will select a specialist pathway.

Core courses

Central and East European Studies
 Geopolitics of Central and Eastern Europe OR Statehood and nationality in Central and Eastern Europe
 Language: Czech, Hungarian OR Polish
Russian Studies
 Russian foreign policy OR Post-Soviet Russia: Renegotiating global and local identities
 Language: Russian
Eurasian Studies
 Contested states: The South Caucasus after 1991 OR Rethinking Central Asian security
 Language: Russian
Optional courses (1 chosen)
 Contested States: The South Caucasus after 1991
 De-facto states in the post-Soviet space
 Developments in Czech society since 1989
 Gender and identity in Soviet and Post-Soviet Russia
 Media and democratisation in CEE and the former Soviet Union
 Rethinking Central Asian security
 Russian foreign policy
 Statehood and nationality in Central & Eastern Europe
 The geopolitics of Central & Eastern Europe.
Note: Courses may not be available every year

Summer school

Focusing on research methods (not credit-bearing)
Year 2 – semester 1
Central and East European Studies
Russian Studies
Eurasian Studies
Year 2 – semester 2
You will continue on the mobility pattern started in semester 1. One-year study mobilities in the region are aimed at strengthening the language skills acquired during Year 1 in Tartu & Glasgow. You will complete your dissertation under the principle supervision of the pathway partner institution, with Glasgow and Tartu as co-supervisors.

Career prospects

You will be prepared for careers in policy-making in government, foreign ministries, the EU, Intergovernmental organisations and non-governmental organisations. Other career opportunities include higher education and business.

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The Master of Arts program in European and Russian Affairs (MA ERA) is designed to provide a well-rounded education in European, Russian, and Eurasian affairs for students who wish to pursue professional, non-academic careers in areas such as government and diplomacy, journalism, business, and teaching. The programs also enrich and broaden the base of knowledge of beginning graduate students considering any PhD-level study with a specialization in the European and Russian areas.

The Combined Degree Program in Law, Juris Doctor / European and Russian Affairs, Master of Arts provides specialized professional training for those seeking a career in law in the changing environment of the post-communist world and the European Union. There is a need for the services of well-informed specialists who can navigate the legal pitfalls of emergent legal systems and deal with lawyers and government officials in the area. Best equipped to meet this demand are people with dual expertise in law and European and Russian studies.

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The master's programme trains students to be cultural mediators (translators, administrators, editors, etc.) by providing knowledge and skills in a modern or classical language and culture. Students choose one of the following specialities: 1) Classical philology 2) English language and literature 3) French language and literature 4) German language and literature 5) Russian and Slavic philology 6) Scandinavian languages and literature 7) Spanish language and literature

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