Russian Studies

Do you want to deepen and improve your knowledge of the language and culture of the biggest country in the world? This programme will further widen and strengthen - through active forms of teaching - your language abilities and competences. You will get acquainted with the advanced possibiities of the analysis of fictional and non-fictional texts and reach a high language level C1.

“Cognition leading to understanding and international cooperation.”

In this framework you will choose between the two specializations. In the specialization The Russian philological nad cultural studies you will acquire the terminology and the methods of linguistics and literary criticism. You will obtain the grasp of Russian literature, culture and art and will be able to discuss these subjects competently and write about them.. Russian and the knowledge of Russian texts will wide-open the gate leading to the big country with immense natural and cultural wealth and with the possibilities of business. The completion of the study specialization Russian focused on translating will enable you to become a qualified translator. Apart from theoretical subjects the important role in your study will also be played by practically oriented translation seminars specialized in various types of translation. You can work in smaller groups which gives youi the feeback and enables you to acquire the huge extent of the text being translated. The specialists from practice will also participate in teaching giving you the practical knowledge. There will be quite a wide choice of study stays abroad - though nowadays reduced due to the Russian aggression against Ukraine - which will strengthen your knowledge of Russian and enable you to discover Russia from first hand. Is the study programme for you? If you wish to master Russian on a high level and be able to debate in Russian fluently on various subjects and in various situations? Are you interested in cultural and historical contexts of the social developments in Russia and do you want to understand them? If you want to master the world theme of Russia which is dominant in the countries of Werstern Europe, in the U.S.A, in China and Japan? Do you want to professionaly learn to translate applying the most modern tools and aids? The programme is focused, above all, on the graduates of the bachelor programme of Russian studies, but it is also open to all who positively answered the above mentioned questions.

Practical training

>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.

Further information

Due to the topical events (Russian aggression in Ukraine) the new situation arose which is being reflected in the whole teaching programme (new information and their interpretation, new text materials, the interruption of scientific and educational contacts with the Russian Federation and the search for and finding of substitute solutions (study stays in the countries where Russian studies are being cultivated and where Russian - at least partly - is being spoken.). All this will develop due to the topical situation.

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.

Deadline for submitting applications: August 1 - November 30

Who the programme is intended for: The programme is intended for all graduates of Bachelor’s studies.

Subject matter of the entrance examination: Written test verifying practical knowledge of the Russian and Czech languages, Russian and Czech grammar and vocabulary, ability to orient to Russian and Czech texts, orientation in basic theoretical questions, concepts and terminology of linguistics and literary science and knowledge of Russian literature, history, and culture at the level required for the Bachelor’s state examination in Russian language and literature at FA MU.

Waiver of the entrance examination: The entrance examination can be waived for those graduates of the Bachelor’s studies in one of the specializations of the Russian Studies programme at the Faculty of Arts, Masaryk University, who have achieved an overall A-B grade in the Bachelor’s state examination. The entrance examination may also be waived for applicants whose overall result of the Bachelor's State Examination in programme of Russian Studies at the MU Faculty of Arts was assessed as “passed with excellent results”, or applicants whose overall result of the Bachelor's State Examination in programme of Russian Studies at the MU Faculty of Arts was assessed as “passed“ and whose overall average study grade in the Bachelor’s programme has not exceeded 1.5. Applicants can ask for a waiver for the entrance examination via the e-application form, section "Application for waiver of the entrance examination".

Successful applicants will be offered enrolment in a specific specialisation according to their preferences and according to specialisation capacity.

Website Department of Slavonic Studies.

General information on the course of the admission procedure to the follow-up Master’s degree programmes at FA MU can be found here. Documents for the current admission procedure are kept in Materials for Applicants.

Criteria for evaluation

Pass/fail line of the entrance examination: 60 points (out of 100).

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Minimum score and numbers of accepted applicants in past years

You can continue your study in one of the actual doctoral programmes - Slavonic Languages, Slavonic Literatures, Area-Philological Studies, and Comparative Literary Studies.