Russian Studies

The aim of the follow-up master’s programme in “Russian Studies” is to increase and deepen knowledge and skills that the student has acquired during the bachelor’s study. The listeners with active forms of learning (seminars and exercises) will then expand and strengthen language abilities and competences, will get acquainted with more advanced possibilities of discursive and stylistic analysis of non-artistic and artistic texts. The graduates will have high language competences both in Czech and Russian (C1 level according to the European frame of reference). During the study they will, next, deepen complex knowledge about Russia as geographical, geopolitical, cultural, language and literary area incluiding topical events.

The follow-up study programme is always realized with the specialization. The aim of the specialization “Russian Philological and Cultural Studies” is to prepare the philologist-Russianist who will get acquainted with broader diachronic aspects of language study and in disciplines of literary studies will get the deeper look on literary studies methodology and wider knowledge of culture and realia of this language area. The aim of the specialization “Russian with a Focus on Translating” is to prepare highly qualified experts in the field of translation who will possess the necessary knowledge and skills and who will be able to assert themselves as professional translators in the field of managing translation projects in editorial practice and in both national and European institutions. Apart from theoretical, practically-oriented seminars also play an important part in the study programme and are specialized on various certain kinds of translations. Working in smaller groups make it possible for students to have a feedback and to deal with large text blocks. Learning during seminars is to the largest possible extent oriented towards practice based on application of the acquired theoretical skills and with the knowledge of authentic current texts.

After successfully completing his/her studies the graduate is able to:

• practically use Russian language (oral and written) at C1 level;
• interpret the communication on common topics from Russian into Czech and vice versa;
• understand non-trivial artistic or non-artistic text and to make its textual and stylistic analysis;
• translate ordinary texts and after preceding preparations more difficult texts from Russian into Czech;
• perfectly orient in the Russian history in the context of the whole East Slavic area, in its culture and literature, Russian philosophy, social thinking and science and in the political system including topical events and their interpretation.;
• effectively use scientific, technical, factual and aesthetic knowledge and skills obtained during the studies to achieve the best translation possible (specialization “Russian with a Focus on Translating”);
• use available current translation tools and aids effectively while translating (specialization “Russian with a Focus on Translating”);
• independently undertake analytical and expert activities in the sphere of Russian language, Russian literature and culture (specialization “Russian Philological and Cultural Studies”).
• to follow the topical situation in connection with the Russian aggression against Ukraine and interpret its causes and consequences.

As the graduates of Russian studies you will have the deepened, comoplex philological Russianist education. You will become a highly-qualified specialists with the complex knowledge of Russia as a geographical, geopolitical, cultural, language and literary areas and will master Russian on the C1 level. The acquired knowledge will enable you to carry out qualified special managing activities in cultural institutions, in responsible positions in mass media and on the level of the medium firm management. You will be equipped with the necessary knowledge and abilities for translating. You will apply them not only as professional translators, but also in the sphere of managing translation projects or in the editorial practice. You may be also engaged in the staff of national and European institutions.

Why nowadays to choose the study of Russian?

The applicability of the university education is not just the question of today or tomorrow; the world changes quickly bringing new challenges, and the Czech Republic will always need the specialists who will master Russian and understand Russia; therefore there are several reasons why to study Russian even in this situation (Russian aggression against Ukraine and the European and world sanctions) which at first sight can be seen as unfavourable.

Especially with regard to the topical situation Russian is an important language and the communication means – the language itself is not directly connected with the policy of the state in which it is being spoken, but the significance of this country in the sense of its knowledge now and economic and cultural relations with future Russia after the end of the war and signing the just peace treaty still remain. Without the knowledge of the Russian language it is not possible to get to know the authentic face of the Russian Federation area and to choose a right and effective political and economic strategy in relation to this country.

The knowledge of Russian enables a direct and unmediated discovering not only of the reallty of contemporary Russia, but also provides a deep insight in Russian mentality and culture; without this knowledge it is not possible to understand neither the Russian past, nor the present. Russian is stil the language of communication not only in the Russian Federation, i. e. in the immense territory nowadays covering 17 100 000 square kilometres of two continents, but also several other countries, mainly in the former Soviet republlcs (the Slavonic area, the language area of the Baltics, Central Asia) and in some of the former Soviet satellite states of Central and South-Eastern Europe, partly in some countries of Asia and Africa.

The knowledge of Russian, of Russian literature, history, and culture opens up wide possibilities of professional realization. In the future the graduates in Russian studies will find their realization in the sphere of translating and and interpretership, in business, tourism, law, and diplomacy, military affairs, education, media communication or intercultural staff of security services, international institutions and non-governmental organizations, including those occupying themselves with the problems of human rights, and i other professions.

The knowledge of Russian also provides the chance for the professional realization of foreign subjects in which the language competition in Russian might be a comparable advantage. So, the study of Russian in connection with the knowledge of another language/other languages of the EU, but especially of Asia and Hispanic America, represents a favourable working investment.

>In the sphere of practice the stress is laid on the study stays abroad a the necessary experience in the contact with the Russian environment. You could attend long-term, medium-term and short-term stays at universties in the Russian Federation and Byelorusia. The stays lasted from 1 month to 1 year. But as a result of Russian aggression against Ukraine, consequent sanctions of the EU and the interruption of the relations with Russian and Byelorusian universities these stays cannot be realized; therefore the other corresponding places where Russian studies are cultivated and where - at least partly - Russian is being spoken (Baltics, Poland, the countries of post-Soviet area etc.).

Apart from this, it is possible to make use of individual stays in summer and winter schools of Russian outside Russia and Byelorusia in the framework of exchange programmes.

a href="https://czs.muni.cz/cs/student-mu/studijni-pobyty/erasmus-evropa">Erasmus+ nebo Freemover.

During the stays you will strengthen your language competences in Russian.

The required length of master’s thesis is a minimum of 140 000 signs including footnotes, title page, table of contexts, index, bibliography and abstract in foreign language. Thesis can be written both in Czech and Russian. The topic of the thesis can be broadly defined problematics of linguistics, literary theory, cultural and historical or area culture. The lecturers of the specialization approve topics of theses with the help of the corresponding application in the IS. The student himself can suggest the thesis topic to the supervisor. In master’s thesis students under the tutelage of supervisors solve set up scientific problem or several problems related theoretically and methodologically. They should be able to set up and solve the research project by analyzing their own accumulated text material or various data and to use relevant scientific and research methods and then they should demonstrate the ability to critically work with scientific texts, to creatively process concepts and theories found in these texts and to find their individual relevant solution of set-up problems, that should be made at the scientific level corresponding to current scientific cognition in this sphere and to the content and subject structure of the field of study. Further information about the state exam and working on bachelor’s thesis is modified on the web page of the Department of Slavonic Studies http://slavistika.phil.muni.cz/studium.

You can continue your study in one of the actual doctoral programmes -

Slavonic Languages, Slavonic Literatures, Area-Philological Studies, and Comparative Literary Studies.