BA Russian Studies / Course details

Our BA Russian Studies course will give you a grounding in writing, speaking and understanding the Russian language.

Language study offers much more than just language fluency. You'll explore diverse aspects of the culture, society, history, politics and literature of Russia, 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, a compulsory third year abroad gives our undergraduate students unforgettable and invaluable personal and professional experience.

• Develop your abilities as a Russian speaker.
• Deepen your understanding of Russian culture, politics, society and the arts.

Residence abroad

You can study and/or work for up to a year in a country or countries relevant to your chosen language(s), improving your communicative language skills in a native-speaker environment.

Palaver Festival

Palaver Festival , a collaboration with the neighbouring Contact Theatre, offers you the opportunity to explore links between language and performance across a range of genres including literature, theatre, dance and more.

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

Join The University of Manchester Russian Society and enjoy a variety of social events, such as Russian evenings, cookery, pub crawls, quizzes, film nights and more.

The University is home to over 30 international and language-related student societies offering a breadth of cultural activities and experiences.

Study an additional subject

Flexible Honours may allow you to study an additional arts, languages or cultures subject.

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.

Language learning

During the first year of study, 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.

During the second year, you continue with your intensive study of Russian language. In your final year, your compulsory studies include an advanced Russian language course, which focuses on oral proficiency, translation from and into Russian and composition in Russian.

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 in the 'Course details' tab for more information.

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.