Faculty of Arts Russian

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Faculty of Arts

Table of Contents

1. Time commitment to study
2. Language study streams
3. Diploma in Modern Languages (Russian)
4. Structuring the Diploma in Modern Languages (Russian)
    4.1. Beginners stream
    4.2. Post-VCE stream
5. Requirements for a major
6. Structuring a major
    6.1. Beginners stream
    6.2. Post-VCE stream
7. Optional subjects
8. Combined honours entry
9. Studying overseas
10. Career opportunities
11. For more information
Subject Lists
    Language subjects
    Optional subjects
        Second/third-year subjects
        Third/fourth-year subjects
        Fourth-year subjects

The study of Russian involves the study of the language, literature and culture of the Russian-speaking people. Russian is the official language of the Russian Federation, with some 150 million speakers, and is still a lingua franca amongst the countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States. It is a language with a significant modern literature. The 19th century boasts such writers as Pushkin, Tolstoy, Dostoevsky and Chekhov, and there have been five winners of the Nobel Prize for Literature in the 20th century who wrote in Russian: Brodsky, Bunin, Pasternak, Sholokhov and Solzhenitsyn.

The Russian program, housed in the School of Languages and Linguistics, provides a comprehensive range of subjects within the general area of Russian language, literature and culture. Students are also able and encouraged to take subjects in Russian and East/Central European history and political science as part of their major. It is also possible to undertake a linguistic study of another Slavic language (currently Czech) at a higher level.

The School of Languages, Cultures and Linguistics at Monash University also offers a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate subjects in Slavic languages, literatures and cultures which can be taken on a complementary course basis by Melbourne University students as part of their degree. The language offered at Monash University is Ukrainian.

1. Time commitment to study

As well as scheduled contact hours for lectures, tutorial and seminars a considerable additional time commitment is needed to complete the academic requirements of each subject.

A subject-specific time commitment to study will be provided by your lecturer or tutor at the beginning of semester to help you schedule your workload and successfully manage your time during the semester. In addition, general estimates of the total time commitment required to study a 12.5-point single semester subject in the Faculty of Arts can be found on Time commitment to study.

2. Language study streams

The program offers two streams of Russian:

• Beginners

  • The beginners stream is for students who have little or no knowledge of Russian. It is available to students at both first and second year, although students intending to complete a major in Russian will need to commence their language study in the first year.

• Post-VCE

  • The post-VCE stream is only available to students who have obtained a pass in VCE Russian, or an approved equivalent.

3. Diploma in Modern Languages (Russian)

The Diploma in Modern Languages (DML) enables students to gain a diploma in language study while completing an undergraduate degree at the University of Melbourne.

The DML involves a three-year sequence of language study, totalling a minimum of 100 points. It adds one year to the duration of an ordinary degree course.

The DML (Russian) is offered in beginners and post-VCE streams. Russian subjects are taken alongside the degree subjects in an integrated sequence of study. This must be approved by a faculty course adviser and the Head of the Russian Program. See Diploma in Modern Languages.

4. Structuring the Diploma in Modern Languages (Russian)

The DML (Russian) takes one of the following forms:

4.1. Beginners stream

4.2. Post-VCE stream

5. Requirements for a major

A major in Russian can be completed through either the beginners or post-VCE stream. It consists of 112.5 points comprising:

• first-year subjects in Russian (37.5 points); and

• second-year subjects in Russian (37.5 points); and

• third-year subjects in Russian (37.5 points).

A major must include the following subjects:

• 126-158 Advanced Russian A

• 126-159 Advanced Russian B

6. Structuring a major

A major takes one of the following forms:

6.1. Beginners stream

6.2. Post-VCE stream

7. Optional subjects

Students may include Slavic studies subjects offered by Monash University as optional subjects in this major. Students wishing to take these subjects should seek advice from the Department of Slavic Studies at Monash University, and a course advisor in the Faculty of Arts. For more information about complementary enrolment, see Can I enrol in subjects at other universities?

8. Combined honours entry

Currently, there is no pure honours program in Russian. This means that students must combine fourth-year honours in Russian with another program in the Faculty of Arts at the University of Melbourne.

For information on how to apply see Applying for Honours.

The prerequisites for entry to fourth-year combined honours in Russian are:

• completion of all the requirements for the BA; and

• completion of a major in Russian; and

• completion of a major in the combining program, and eligibility to enrol in honours in this area; and

• an average grade of H2B or higher over the second/third-year subjects within the Russian major.

Students undertaking combined honours in Russian and another area of study must complete:

• 126-516 Russian Thesis (37.5 points)

  and

• two honours subjects in Russian (25 points); and

• three honours subjects in the combining discipline (37.5 points); and

  or

• honours thesis in the combining discipline (37.5 points); and

• two honours subjects in the combining discipline (265 points); and

• three honours subjects in Russian.

9. Studying overseas

Students are encouraged to take in-country studies in Russian. Credit may be granted for subjects approved prior to the studies being undertaken. Melbourne Abroad Scholarships are available on a competitive basis through the School of Languages and Linguistics for such study trips.

10. Career opportunities

Graduates of the Bachelor of Arts who have majored in Russian have found employment in teaching, the media, the theatre, the public service, diplomacy and tourism. In addition, when combined with another or a higher degree, Russian equips graduates for careers in academia, international law, and international business. Commercial dealings between the West, including Australia and Russia are also increasing.

11. For more information

German, Russian and Swedish
School of Languages and Linguistics
6th Floor, Arts Centre
The University of Melbourne
Victoria 3010
Tel: +61 3 8344 5187
Email: robertjl@unimelb.edu.au
Web: http://www.grs.unimelb.edu.au/

Language subjects

126-150 Beginners Russian A
126-151 Beginners Russian B
126-152 Beginners Russian C
126-153 Beginners Russian D
126-154 Intermediate Russian A
126-155 Intermediate Russian B
126-156 Intermediate Russian C
126-157 Intermediate Russian D
126-158 Advanced Russian A
126-159 Advanced Russian B
126-214 Introduction to Old Church Slavonic
126-219 Russian Linguistics A
126-220 Russian Linguistics B
126-226 Reading Russian for Social Scientists A
126-227 Reading Russian for Social Scientists B

Optional subjects

Second/third-year subjects

Third/fourth-year subjects

Fourth-year subjects

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