School of Languages, Linguistics and Cultures

Russian Studies

School of Languages, Linguistics and Cultures

Faculty of Humanities

UNDERGRADUATES’ GUIDE TO DEGREE PROGRAMMES

2007 - 2008

This book is the property of ______

General Information

Contact Details

Staff

Teaching Staff

Semester Dates

Russian Studies at Manchester

Transferable skills

An Important Note on Core Language Courses

Outline of Course Structures

Single Honours (Beginners in Russian)

Single Honours (A-level Russian Entrants)

Joint Honours (Beginners in Russian)

Joint Honours (A-level Russian Entrants)

First Year

RUSS10210

RUSS10240

RUSS10250

RUSS10270

RUSS10290

RUSS10311

RUSS10540

LALC10001

LALC10002

Second Year

RUSS20010

RUSS20250

RUSS20260

RUSS20270

RUSS20300

RUSS20311

RUSS20410

RUSS20422

RUSS20430

RUSS20450

ULPL10070

Final Year

RUSS30001

RUSS30010

RUSS30170

RUSS30320

RUSS30340

RUSS30400

RUSS30500

ULPL20070

Assessed Coursework: Policies and Procedures

Online Dictionaries

General Information

Contact Details

Address: / Russian Studies
SamuelAlexanderBuilding
The University of Manchester
Oxford Road
Manchester
M13 9PL
Telephone number: / 0161-30 61727
Fax number: / 0161-275 3031
E-mail address: /

Staff

Head of Russian Studies: / Prof Vera Tolz, Room W4.09,
Email:

The Head of Russian Studies is responsible for maintaining the academic standards of the programmes in Russian Studies. Professor Tolz is pleased to meet any students who wish to discuss academic or personal matters during her office hours. Appointments can be made via the Undergraduate Support Officer for Russian Studies, Room S 3.6.

Programme Director: / Dr. Lynne Attwood, Room W4.08,
Email:

The Programme Director’s role is to ensure smooth running of the degree programmes. This involves overseeing the student course evaluation process, considering changes and improvements to the courses offered and ensuring adherence to the guidelines set out in the University’s Academic Standards Code of Practice. Your Programme Director will be pleased to meet any student to discuss relevant issues during her office hours. Appointments can be made via the Undergraduate Support Officer for Russian Studies, Room S 3.6.

Teaching Staff

Sir William Mather Professor of Russian Studies
Professor Vera Tolz, M.A.(St. Petersburg), Ph.D. (Birmingham)
Main areas of teaching and research: Russian cultural and intellectual history; post-communist Russia; nationalism in Russia and Eastern Europe
Senior Lecturer in Russian Studies
Dr Lynne Attwood, B.A. (Sussex), Ph.D. (Birmingham)
Main areas of teaching and research: Russian and Soviet society;Soviet cinema; gender issues
Lecturer in Russian Studies
Dr. Rachel Platonov, BA (Yale), Ph.D. (Harvard)
Room W4.10; email:
Main areas of teaching and research: nineteenth- and twentieth-century Russian literature; Russian popular culture
Leverhulme Trust Early Career Fellow
Dr. Ewa Ochman, MA (Krakow), Ph.D. (Salford)
Room W4.06; email:
Main areas of teaching and research: contemporary Polish history; Polish language
Professor of Russian Studies
Professor Stephen Hutchings, BA (Durham), Ph.D. (Durham)
Room W4.0?; email:
Main areas of teaching and research: nineteenth- and twentieth-century Russian literature; visual culture; the mass media; Russian critical and cultural theory; Russian language
Lecturer of Russian Studies
Dr Adelina Adgusheva-Tihanov
Room?; email: ?
Main areas of teaching and research:
Senior Language Tutor in Russian Studies
Lisa Alentaeva
Room?;email:
Main areas of teaching and research: Russian language
Administrative Support Staff
Oliver Pinch, Undergraduate Support Officer
Room S 3.6, Tel.: 0161-30 61727
e-mail:

Semester Dates

Semester 117 September 2007 – 14 December 2007

Registration Week17 September 2007 – 21 September 2007

Christmas Break15 December 2007 – 13 January 2008

Semester 1 Exams14 January 2008 – 27January 2008

Semester 228 January 2008 – 6 June 2008

Easter Break15 March 2008 – 6 April 2008

Oral Exams5th May 2008 – 11th May 2008

Semester 2 Exams12th May 2008 – 6 June 2008

The information given in this Handbook is as known at the time of going to press. It is subject to final confirmation at a later date.

Russian Studies at Manchester

We offer both aSingle Honours programme in Russian Studies, which gives students maximum opportunities to take advantage of our staff members’ broad range of teaching and research interests; and a Joint Honours programme, in which students complement their study of Russian with a second field chosen from a wide range of disciplines across the University.

Beginning in their first year, students on both Single Honours and Joint Honours programmes combine intensive study of the Russian language with core content courses that provide a thorough grounding in concepts and debates crucial to an understanding of Russian society and culture. In subsequent years, students can choose from a wide range of optional courses—on topics as diverse as Soviet cinema, gender studies, culture and thought in Imperial Russia, and film adaptations of nineteenth-century literature—that offer in-depth study in staff members’ particular areas of expertise.

The centrepiece of these degree programmes is a unique two-course series, comprising ‘Beyond the “Iron Curtain”: Critical Perspectives on Russia, Past and Present’ (Level 1, offered from 2005-6) and ‘Petersburg: History, Myth, Text’ (Level 2, offered from 2006-7). These courses, which do not have equivalents at any UK university, are interdisciplinary in nature and multimedia in form. Both courses are team-taught, in order to provide exposure to the different sub-disciplines (such as sociology, history, literature and culture studies) and approaches to teaching and learning represented in Russian Studies at Manchester; and they draw upon a wide variety of resources (including websites, film and music, as well as texts), in order to provide exposure to ways in which various media can be used to further our understanding of Russia’s rich historical, socio-political and cultural heritage.

These courses not only underpin students’ study of Russia at the University of Manchester itself, however. ‘Petersburg: History, Myth, Text’ is also specially designed to prepare students for the compulsory year abroad, for which they are strongly encouraged to take advantage of our longstanding collaboration with the Benedict School in St. Petersburg. During their time abroad, students undertake further language study or employment (post A-level entrants only), while immersing themselves in Russian culture and everyday life. Spending the year in St. Petersburg provides students an ideal chance to explore firsthand numerous monuments and locales—from the Bronze Horseman to the world-famous HermitageMuseum—that will be examined in the Petersburg course through text, image and sound. In addition, the year abroad provides students who will write final-year dissertation (compulsory for Single Honours students, optional for Joint Honours students) ample opportunities to undertake necessary research, accessing Russian-language materials and conducting fieldwork as appropriate.

Transferable skills

The following transferable skills are developed in our course units:

The ability to manage time and work to deadlines

Good analytical skills and the ability to use these to solve problems and assess the relevance and importance of ideas

The ability to make effective use of relevant primary and secondary source material, including literary sources, audio and video material

The ability to draw upon a wide range of resources, including the library, the internet and the Language Centre

The ability to work independently

The ability to work effectively with other students in pairs or as a team

The ability to communicate information, ideas and arguments in writing, in a coherent, well-structured and well-articulated form

The ability to present information, ideas and arguments orally, with due regard for the target audience

Good literacy skills in English and, for language students, Russian

Awareness of intercultural diversity

The use of communication and information technology

An Important Note on Core Language Courses

According to Paragraph 28 of the University's Regulations for Undergraduate Awards, following re-sit examinations, students may be allowed by the Board of Examiners to progress to the next year of study taking additional course units of the same credit value and at the same level (or a higher level if the programme specification allows) as the failed credits, in addition to the full set of course units for that year, up to a maximum of 20 credits. It is possible for certain course units to be excluded from this provision, and the School of Languages, Linguistics and Cultures has decided that failure in the core (compulsory) language courses will not be permitted. This has two consequences. Firstly, automatic compensation cannot be applied, so students who have received a mark below 40% in a core (compulsory) language course unit will have to re-sit it, even if the mark is 30% or above. Secondly, a student who fails a core language unit in the re-sit examination will not be able to carry the credits into a subsequent year of study.

This ruling means that students taking RUSS10540, RUSS10210, RUSS20450 and RUSS20010 must pass the course unit with a minimum mark of 40% in order to proceed to the next year of study.

Outline of Course Structures

Single Honours (Beginners in Russian)

In each year of study single honours students normally take course units with a total credit rating of 120.

First Year

Compulsory Course Units

RUSS 10240Russia from the Revolution to the Present Day20 credits

RUSS 10250Russian History to 191720 credits

RUSS 10290Beyond the ‘Iron Curtain’: Critical Perspectives on Russia,

Past and Present20 credits

RUSS 10540Beginners’ Russian40 credits

The remaining 20 credits are made up from Faculty of Humanities approved course units in subjects other than Russian.

Second Year

Compulsory Course Units

RUSS 20410Petersburg: History, Myth, Text 20 credits

RUSS 20450Post-beginners’ Russian20 credits

Optional Course Units

Students are also required to take at least 60 credits from the following:

RUSS 20260Citizenship and Social Contract in 20th-Century Russia20 credits

RUSS 20422 Sacred Topics and Accursed Questions: Culture and

Thought in Imperial Russia20 credits

RUSS 20430Banned Books: Literature and Censorship in the Soviet Union20 credits

RUSS 20311Novel and Story in Nineteenth-Century Russia20 credits

ULPL 10070Beginners’ Polish20 credits

The remaining 20 credits are made up from either course units in Russian (if available) or Faculty of Humanities approved course units in subjects other than Russian (Please note if you take Beginners’ Polish, you cannot take any other Level One courses).

Third Year

COMPULSORY YEAR ABROAD

Final Year

Compulsory Course Units

RUSS 30170Dissertation20 credits

RUSS 30400Advanced Russian Language Skills20 credits

Optional Course Units

Students are also required to take 60 or 80 credits from the following:

RUSS 30001Remembering the Second World War after the Collapse of

Communism in Eastern Europe20 credits

RUSS 30010 Post Soviet Russian Cinema20 credits

RUSS 30320Soviet Cinema and Society20 credits

RUSS 30340Business Russian20 credits

ULPL 20070 Intermediate Polish20 credits

If afurther 20 credits are required, they are made up fromFaculty of Humanities approved course units in subjects other than Russian(Please note if you take Intermediate Polish, you cannot take any other Level Two courses).

Single Honours (A-level Russian Entrants)

In each year of study single honours students normally take course units with a total credit rating of 120.

First Year

Compulsory Course Units

RUSS 10210Russian Language Skills I20 credits

OR RUSS 10270 Russian for Native Speakers 120 credits

AND

RUSS 10290Beyond the ‘Iron Curtain’: Critical Perspectives on Russia,

Past and Present20 credits

RUSS 10311Novel and Story in Nineteenth-Century Russia20 credits

RUSS 10250Russian History to 191720 credits

RUSS 10240Russia from the Revolution to the Present Day20 credits

The remaining 20 credits may be taken from Faculty of Humanities approved course units in subjects other than Russian.

Second Year

Compulsory Course Units

RUSS 20010Russian Language Skills II20 credits

OR RUSS20170 Russian for Native Speakers II20 credits

AND

RUSS 20410Petersburg: History, Myth, Text20 credits

Optional Course Units

Students are also required to take 60 credits from the following:

RUSS 20260Citizenship and Social Contract in 20th Century Russia20 credits

RUSS 20422Sacred Topics and Accursed Questions: Culture and

Thought in Imperial Russia20 credits

RUSS 20430Banned Books: Literature and Censorship in the Soviet Union20 credits

ULPL 10070Beginners’ Polish20 credits

The remaining 20 credits are made up from either course units in Russian (if available) or Faculty of Humanities approved course units in subjects other than Russian. (Please note if you take Beginners’ Polish, you cannot take any other Level One courses).

Third Year

COMPULSORY YEAR ABROAD

Final Year

Compulsory Course Units

RUSS 30170Dissertation20 credits

RUSS 30400Advanced Russian Language Skills20 credits

Optional Course Units

Students are also required to take 60 or 80 credits from the following:

RUSS 30001Remembering the Second World War after the Collapse of

Communism in Eastern Europe20 credits

RUSS 30010 Post Soviet Russian Cinema20 credits

RUSS 30320Soviet Cinema and Society20 credits

RUSS 30340Business Russian20 credits

ULPL 20070 Intermediate Polish20 credits

If a further 20 credits are required, they may be taken from Faculty of Humanities approved course units in subjects other than Russian(Please note if you take Intermediate Polish cannot take any other Level Two courses).

Joint Honours (Beginners in Russian)

In each year of study joint honours students normally take course units with a total credit rating of 120 (N.B.:See important note about optional course units at end).

First year

Compulsory Course Units

RUSS 10290Beyond the ‘Iron Curtain’: Critical Perspectives on Russia,

Past and Present20 credits

RUSS 10540Beginners’ Russian40 credits

Second Year

Compulsory Course Units

RUSS 20410Petersburg: History, Myth, Text 20 credits

RUSS 20450Post-beginners’ Russian20 credits

Optional Course Units

Students can also take up to 40 credits from the following:

RUSS 20250Russian History to 191720 credits

RUSS 20260Citizenship and Social Contract in 20th Century Russia20 credits

RUSS 20300Russia from the Revolution to the Present Day20 credits

RUSS 20422Sacred Topics and Accursed Questions: Culture and

Thought in Imperial Russia20 credits

RUSS 20311Novel and Story in Nineteenth-Century Russia20 credits

RUSS 20430Banned Books: Literature and Censorship in the Soviet Union20 credits

ULPL 10070Beginners’ Polish20 credits

(Please note if you take Beginners’ Polish, you cannot take any other Level One courses).

Third Year

COMPULSORY YEAR ABROAD

Final Year

Compulsory Course Units

RUSS 30400Advanced Russian Language Skills20 credits

Optional Course Units

Students are also required to take between 20 and 60 credits from the following:

RUSS 30001Remembering the Second World War after the Collapse of

Communism in Eastern Europe20 credits

RUSS 30010 Post Soviet Russian Cinema20 credits

RUSS 30170 Dissertation20 credits

RUSS 30320Soviet Cinema and Society20 credits

RUSS 30340Business Russian20 credits

ULPL 20070 Intermediate Polish20 credits

(Please note if you take Intermediate Polish, you cannot take any other Level Two courses).

IMPORTANT NOTE

Students on the European Studies with Russian and the Russian and Business Management degree programmes should note that the number of optional course credits to be taken each year will depend on the specific requirements of these programmes. Because these degree programmes are administered outside the discipline of Russian Studies, affected students are advised to consult the appropriate administering discipline for guidance in determining how many optional course credits may be taken each year and how these credits are to be distributed.

Joint Honours (A-level Russian Entrants)

In each year of study joint honours students normally take course units with a total credit rating of 120 (N.B.: See important note about optional course units at end).

First year

Compulsory Course Units (Total of 40 credits)

RUSS 10210Russian Language Skills I20 credits

OR RUSS 10270 Russian for Native Speakers I20 credits

AND

RUSS 10290Beyond the ‘Iron Curtain’: Critical Perspectives on Russia,

Past and Present20 credits

Optional Course Units

Students are also required to take 20 credits from the following:

RUSS 10240Russia from the Revolution to the Present Day20 credits

RUSS 10250Russian History to 191720 credits

RUSS 10311Novel and Story in Nineteenth-Century Russia20 credits

Second Year

Compulsory Course Units (Total of 40 Credits)

RUSS 20010Russian Language Skills II 20 credits

OR RUSS 20170 Russian for Native Speakers II20 credits

AND

RUSS 20410Petersburg: History, Myth, Text20 credits

Optional Course Units

Students can also take up to 40 credits from the following:

RUSS 20260Citizenship and Social Contract in 20th-Century Russia20 credits

RUSS 20422Sacred Topics and Accursed Questions: Cultureand

Thought in Imperial Russia20 credits

RUSS 20430Banned Books: Literature and Censorship in the Soviet Union20 credits

ULPL 10070Beginners’ Polish20 credits

(Please note if you take Beginners’ Polish, you cannot take any other Level One courses).

Third Year

COMPULSORY YEAR ABROAD

Final Year

Compulsory Course Units

RUSS 30400Advanced Russian Language Skills20 credits

Optional Course Units

Students are also required to take between 20 and 60 credits from the following:

RUSS 30001Remembering the Second World War after the Collapse of

Communism in Eastern Europe20 credits

RUSS 30170Dissertation20 credits

RUSS 30010 Post Soviet Russian Cinema20 credits

RUSS 30320Soviet Cinema and Society20 credits

RUSS 30340Business Russian20 credits

ULPL 20070 Intermediate Polish20 credits

(Please note if you take Beginners’ Polish, you cannot take any other Level Two courses).

IMPORTANT NOTE

Course Unit Descriptions

First Year

RUSS10210Russian Language Skills I

Credits:20Levels:1

Pre-requisites:A-level in Russian. Not available as a free choice option.

Co-requisites:None

Taught during:Both semesters

Timetable:Three hours per week, consisting of two hours of grammar and one hour of oral practice. NOTE: The class will be divided into two groups for oral practice. During the first week only, students may attend either oral practice session; after the first week, students will be assigned to a particular oral practice group.

Provisional meeting times are as follows:

Grammar classes: Mondays and Thursdays at 11.00

Oral practice (Group 1): Tuesdays at 12.00

Oral practice (Group 2): Wednesdays at 10.00

Description:This course aims to develop students’ knowledge of Russian grammar, syntax and vocabulary and to develop students’ active command of spoken Russian beyond A-level standard. Oral/aural skills will be further developed through a parallel series of practical classes and work assignments to be undertaken by students in their own time in the Language Centre.