- UCAS course code
- RT71
- UCAS institution code
- M20
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Course description
Our BA Russian and Chinese joint honours degree will give you a grounding in writing, speaking and understanding the Russian and Spanish languages.
Language study offers much more than just language fluency. You'll explore diverse aspects of the culture, society, history, politics and literature of the countries in which Russian and Chinese are spoken, helping you to develop intercultural awareness and communication skills - both highly valued by employers.
You'll benefit from excellent teaching, student support and cutting-edge study facilities, as well as from the vibrancy and cultural diversity of Manchester itself, Western Europe's most multilingual city.
With placement options available at partner universities and in professional environments in Russia and Chinese-speaking countries, a compulsory third year abroad gives our undergraduate students unforgettable and invaluable personal and professional experience.
Special features
Residence abroad
You can study and/or work for up to a year in a country or countries relevant to your chosen language(s) to improve your communicative language skills in a native-speaker environment.
Collaborations and partnerships
The University has links with language and cultural institutions across the city, including:
- Instituto Cervantes - a centre for Spanish culture
- HOME - international and contemporary art, theatre and film
- Alliance Francaise - home of French language and culture.
Societies
The University is home to over 30 international and language-related student societies offering a breadth of cultural activities and experiences.
Teaching and learning
You'll learn through a mixture of formal lectures, seminars and tutorials, spending approximately 12 hours a week in formal study sessions.
For every hour of university study, you will be expected to complete a further 2-3 hours of independent study. You will also need to study during the holiday periods.
The individual study component could be spent reading, producing written work, revising for examinations or working in the University's Language Centre.
Coursework and assessment
You will be assessed in various ways, including:
- written and oral examinations;
- presentations;
- coursework (which may include library research, linguistic fieldwork and data collection, or web-based research);
- in your final year, a dissertation based on a research topic of your choice.
Assessment methods vary from course unit to course unit - see individual course unit listings for more information.
Course content for year 1
You will study 60 credits from each discipline.
Russian
- In Year 1 you develop crucial Russian language skills through dedicated grammar classes, oral practice with native-speaker lectors, language laboratory work, and a range of independent learning activities. Separate language pathways are offered for beginners and post A-level students.
- Year 1 courses provide a solid base for your further studies, helping you to acquire and improve on important study skills and also giving you a thorough grounding in concepts and debates crucial to an understanding of Russian society and culture.
- Topics and themes introduced in first-year content courses are explored in depth in optional content courses in the second and final years. As a result, these courses also help you to make informed choices for subsequent years of study based on your own particular interests.
Chinese
- All Year 1 students take the core unit Introduction to Chinese Studies, plus language. Students on a single honours degree also take units in Chinese culture, literature and history, and then choose from a range of optional units.
Course units for year 1
The course unit details given below are subject to change, and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.
| Title | Code | Credit rating | Mandatory/optional |
|---|---|---|---|
| Introduction to Chinese Studies | CHIN10050 | 20 | Mandatory |
| Chinese Language 1 | CHIN51011 | 20 | Mandatory |
| Chinese Language 2 | CHIN51022 | 20 | Mandatory |
| 100 Years of Revolution: Russia from Lenin to Putin | RUSS10242 | 20 | Mandatory |
| The Making of Modern Russia | RUSS10251 | 20 | Mandatory |
| Russian Language 1 | RUSS51011 | 20 | Mandatory |
| Russian Language 2 | RUSS51022 | 20 | Mandatory |
| Russian Language 3 | RUSS51030 | 20 | Mandatory |
| Modern Chinese Literature and Cinema | CHIN12122 | 20 | Optional |
| Chinese Language 3 | CHIN51031 | 20 | Optional |
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Course content for year 2
You may choose to study up to two-thirds from either discipline or maintain equal weighting.
Russian
- In Year 2, you continue with your intensive study of Russian language.
- You also choose from optional courses in a range of areas (such as Russian culture and thought, literature, translation studies, Central European and Balkan history and culture, and Polish language).
- In addition, you begin to prepare for the compulsory year abroad, through meetings and consultations with our Residence Abroad Tutor and with final-year students who have recently returned from the year abroad.
Chinese
- In addition to continuing your study in Chinese language, you improve your knowledge of China via a choice of courses in its literature, film, history, religion. You will also begin to prepare for residence abroad.
Course units for year 2
The course unit details given below are subject to change, and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.
| Title | Code | Credit rating | Mandatory/optional |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chinese Language 3 | CHIN51031 | 20 | Mandatory |
| Chinese Language 4 | CHIN51042 | 20 | Mandatory |
| Chinese Language 5 | CHIN51050 | 20 | Mandatory |
| Chinese Language 6 | CHIN51060 | 20 | Mandatory |
| Russian Literature and Society from Pushkin to Putin | RUSS20700 | 20 | Mandatory |
| Russian Language 3 | RUSS51030 | 20 | Mandatory |
| Russian Language 4 | RUSS51040 | 20 | Mandatory |
| China's Borderlands: Culture, Ethnicity and History | CHIN20061 | 20 | Optional |
| Visual Cultures in China and East Asia | CHIN22521 | 20 | Optional |
| Introduction to Classical Chinese | CHIN28572 | 20 | Optional |
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Course content for year 3
Your third year of study is spent abroad under approved conditions.
Course content for year 4
You may choose to divide your studies equally between both languages or study up to two thirds from either language.
Russian
- The compulsory element of your studies consists of an advanced Russian language course, which focuses on oral proficiency, translation from and into Russian and composition in Russian.
- Optional courses in subjects including Business Russian, Soviet and post-Soviet cinema, Russian popular culture, Russian and Soviet politics and history and memory in post-socialist Eastern Europe round out your studies.
- You may also choose to complete a dissertation, which is supervised by an appropriate member of staff within Russian and East European Studies. In researching and writing your dissertation, you explore in depth a subject of particular interest to you. The topic of your dissertation may be related to one of the final-year optional courses, but this is not obligatory.
Chinese
- In Chinese, the language-teaching programme continues, with practical interpreting and translation skills. Options include the study of Chinese pop culture and new media, contemporary politics, and a dissertation.
Course units for year 4
The course unit details given below are subject to change, and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.
| Title | Code | Credit rating | Mandatory/optional |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chinese Language 6 | CHIN51060 | 20 | Mandatory |
| Languages-Based Project 1 | CHIN51071 | 10 | Mandatory |
| Language-Based Project 2 | CHIN51072 | 10 | Mandatory |
| Russian Language 5 | RUSS51050 | 20 | Mandatory |
| Dissertation in Chinese Studies | CHIN30000 | 40 | Optional |
| Religious and Political Ideologies of Modern China | CHIN30311 | 20 | Optional |
| Socialism and Post-Socialism in China | CHIN32012 | 20 | Optional |
| Chinese Translation and Interpreting | CHIN32112 | 20 | Optional |
| Business Chinese | CHIN38682 | 20 | Optional |
| Chinese Language 5 | CHIN51050 | 20 | Optional |
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Facilities
The University Language Centre is home to language resources, including a new interpreting suite, purpose-built recording rooms and resources for over 70 languages.
The Centre also offers multilingual word processing, language learning software, off-air recording and AV duplication, multilingual terrestrial and satellite TV, and extensive support and advice for learners.
Learn more on the Facilities page.