BA Bulgarian and Russian
Entry requirements
A level: ABB (Previous study of a foreign language is preferred (not necessarily one of the named languages) but not required. Applicants may study two languages at beginner level and may seek advice from the departments concerned if needed.) IB: 34 points (A total of 16 points in three higher level subjects, with no higher level score below 5. Foreign language preferred.)
About this course
BA in Bulgarian and Russian, a Russian Studies degree centred on acquiring language proficiency and cultural understanding. Core topics include Research Methods. Students spend a mandatory year abroad during the third academic year to gain firsthand regional experience. The first year introduces foundational linguistic skills and cultural topics through compulsory modules such as Bulgarian Language Level 1, Literature and Memory, and Introduction to Russian Studies I. During the second year, students build further competence through Bulgarian Language Level 2a-Comprehension, Bulgarian Language Level 2b-Production, and Writing from the Other Europe. The third academic year consists of a structured year abroad split across two terms. The final year involves advanced language acquisition and independent research, featuring compulsory modules like Bulgarian Language Level 3a - Comprehension, Comprehension of Russian (Year 4), and a Free-standing Dissertation. Optional modules throughout the degree allow students to study subjects such as Russian and Soviet Cinema: Innovation and Experiment, Translation: Theory and Practice, and Minority Languages of Russia: Cultural, Linguistic Diversity and Endangerment.
Modules
- Bulgarian Language Level 1
- Literature and Memory
- Introduction to Russian Studies I
- Introduction to Russian Studies II
- War, Trauma and Memory in East European Cinema
- Tales of the Unexpected: the Supernatural and Fantastic in Literature, 1800 - 1930
- Languages in Contact along the Danube: Intercultural Frictions and Flows
- Minority Languages of Russia: Cultural, Linguistic Diversity and Endangerment
- Old Church Slavonic and Comparative Slavonic Grammar as a Language Learning Strategy
- Comprehension of Russian (Year 1A)
- Use of Russian (Year 1A)
- Comprehension of Russian (Year 1)
- Use of Russian (Year 1)
- Russian Short Fiction from Romanticism to Postmodernism
- Bulgarian Language Level 2a-Comprehension
- Bulgarian Language Level 2b-Production
- Writing from the Other Europe
- Introduction to Bulgarian Culture and Literature
- How Words Work: Sounds and Sense
- Tales of the Unexpected: the Supernatural and Fantastic in Literature, 1800 - 1930
- Languages in Contact along the Danube: Intercultural Frictions and Flows
- Minority Languages of Russia: Cultural, Linguistic Diversity and Endangerment
- Staging Europe: Modern European Drama and Theatre
- Between the Alps and the Adriatic: Modern Slovene Culture and Literature
- Old Church Slavonic and Comparative Slavonic Grammar as a Language Learning Strategy
- Contemporary Performance and Activism in Europe
- Language and social justice: ideologies, politics, and participation
- Comprehension of Russian (Year 2A)
- Year Abroad Term 1
- Year Abroad Term 2
- Bulgarian Language Level 3a - Comprehension
- Bulgarian Language Level 3b - Production
- Comprehension of Russian (Year 4)
- Use of Russian (Year 4)
- Free-standing Dissertation
- Narratives of Exile
- Crossroads of Culture: Language and Identity in the Literatures of Ukraine from Crimea to the Shtetl
- Contemporary Art and Politics in Eastern Europe and Russia
- Translation: Theory and Practice
- Perspectives on Nonbinary, Gender-inclusive and Genderqueer Language
- SSEES Research Project (Half)
- Chekhov: The Quest for Freedom
- The Person, Love and Utopia in Russian Thought
- Soviet Literature in Revolution: Experiments with Fictional Forms, 1917-1953
- Russian and Soviet Cinema: Innovation and Experiment