Russian, Slavonic and East European studies

By Zoe Flood

Published: 15 August 2004

What do you come out with? BA

Why do it? Because you're attracted by the exotic, and by the challenge. Or because you did it at school or are driven by interest in a particular author or by current affairs -- particularly in Eastern Europe. Or you want a good chance of getting an unusual job.

What's it about? Language, of course, but also culture, history, politics and society. Literature -- drama, poetry, prose -- is strong at Oxford, and at the School of Slavonic and East European Studies (SSEES, part of UCL), where cinema, theatre, and folk lore also feature. Their language programme is fully integrated with a large range of options. It is popular to study Russian alongside another subject, particularly other languages such as French, German or Italian, or East European languages such as Serbian or Croatian. Joint honours Russian and Czech has experienced a surge of popularity at Oxford, whilst at SSEES an especially popular combination is Russian with Management, attracting mostly native speakers. As part of the joint honours East European Studies degree at SSEES, you can study languages as wide-ranging as Bulgarian, Czech, Finnish, Hungarian, Polish and Ukrainian. Whether the emphasis is on language or literature depends upon the degree - at SSEES, about a quarter of students' time is spent studying language, with the other time being filled with subjects such as literature, culture, history and politics. The greater emphasis on literature and culture within literature is true for Oxford where, unlike at SSEES and Nottingham, students must have some prior knowledge of the language. At Nottingham, for example, Russian beginners have ten hours of language lessons a week, including 4 hours of oral work, and by the time they graduate, many have achieved the same standard as those who started with Russian A level.

How long is a degree? Four years, including a year abroad.

What are the students like? Those who start Russian or another East European language from scratch are excited by the adventure it offers, or are fascinated by Russian culture and history. Others are mature students who have worked in Russia and are so affected by their experiences that they wish to study the country formally. Native speakers, either those who moved from Russia when they were young or those who come to study courses such as Russian with Management, are a burgeoning group.

How is it packaged? A mixture of exams and coursework. A high proportion of oral work can be expected in the language papers. Nottingham examines at the end of every semester, that is, twice a year, whereas Oxford relies on end-of-degree exams. Almost all students will spend their third year abroad - Nottingham sends all Russian students to Russia for intensive language course at the end of their first year.

How cool is it? It has a certain glamour - different, exciting, and perhaps a touch dangerous. Political volatility often increases interest, as does the growing business importance of Russia in particular.

What A-levels do you need? Anything goes, although some universities like to see evidence of linguistic ability. Literature and history are often considered useful. If you are applying to a joint honours programme, you may need the other subject at A level.

What grades? A typical Oxford offer will be AAA or AAB. SSEES (UCL) asks for BBB. Nottingham wants BCC for joint honours courses of Russian (beginners and post-A level) and Modern Languages or History, and CCD for single honours Russian and joint honours Russian and Serbian/Croatian.

Will it keep you off the dole? Russia is desperate to employ UK graduates but salaries can be low. To earn decent money, go for a Western firm and get posted to Russia. There is variety: banking, media, all forms of business and commerce -- especially if you understand the negotiating tactics. Or there's teaching, translating, voluntary work, or advertising. Graduates will often go and work in Russia.

Will you be interviewed? Yes at Oxford and SSEES, no at most other places. Many will run Open Days to candidates who have been made an offer so that they have a chance to visit the department.

What do students say? Antonina Savchenko, 21, going into her third year at St Edmund Hall, Oxford. "I do joint honours in Russian and History, which work together well. For literature study, you can choose your author and your period and thus match it to what history you are studying. You will often be tutored by one of the world experts on that author. The language side does sometimes suffer at Oxford as the language tutors who are native speakers don't always explain why certain linguistic forms don't work."

Where's best for teaching? Sheffield scored 24 out of 24; Birmingham, QMW and SSEES (UCL) scored 23. Cambridge and Wolverhampton scored 22.

Where's best for research? Bristol, Birmingham, Oxford and Sheffield each rate the top 5*, with a straight 5 score for Cambridge, Exeter, Nottingham, Portsmouth, Queen Mary and Surrey, and a 4 for Keele, Leeds, Manchester, Sussex, Edinburgh, Glasgow and St Andrew's.

Where's the cutting edge? Interdisciplinary work which breaks subject boundaries. Using the more freely available from the countries that were once behind the Iron Curtain - the material from the KGB archives makes for fascinating analysis.

Who are the stars? At SSEES, Dr Robin Aizlewood is a specialist in Russian thought and in Russian poetry and verse theory, whilst Professor Robert Service at St Anthony's College, Oxford, is a leading authority on 20th century Russian history. At Nottingham, Professors Evgeny Dobrenko and Lesley Milne are both world experts in their fields - that is, Soviet and post-Soviet culture, and dramatist Mikhail Bulgakov, respectively. Professor Milne is currently working on Russian comic prose of the Soviet era. Emeritus Professor Peter Herrity at Nottingham researches the histories of the South Slavonic literary languages.

Added value: It is possible to study Slovene, one of the new official languages of the European Union, at Nottingham, where it has been taught since1974.