The University of Sheffield
Russian and Slavonic Studies

Modules – what topics can I study?

Our modules give you the chance to develop your skills across five fields of study: history, literature, linguistics, film and the visual arts. All modules are taught by specialists in their field and give you guided encouragement to explore your own areas of interest as they develop.

Directory of all modules taught at Russian and Slavonic Studies

RussiaHistory and Culture

Russian history is nothing if not tumultuous, and the culture it spawned is multi-faceted and fascinating. In your degree you will explore the key features of Russian history and culture.

Options at Level 2 and 3 explore the history of Russian thought from the 19th century to the present. You can study the relationship between politics and culture following the 1917 Revolution, or examine the social upheavals and cultural changes which came about during the Stalinist terror and Cold War era.

Sample modules

Literature

The Russian language has a rich and varied body of literature which is loved the world over.

Our Russian Novel in the Nineteenth Century module explores the classics of Pushkin, Dostoevsky and Tolstoy. Reforms and Revolutions examines Russia’s literary and intellectual traditions as the country entered the modern age.

In your final year, you can study Short Stories in Russian or Contemporary Russian Literature, with the option of writing a literature dissertation.

Sample modules

Film

East European film is a fascinating field which has produced some of the most significant works in world cinema.

Our film modules teach you critical analysis skills and set the cinema of Eastern Europe against the social, political and ideological upheaval that shaped the region's history.

In Russian History and Society Through Film you'll examine how Russia's past is represented in film, and how modern ideals affect the way we view that past.

Sample modules

Russia 4Linguistics

Studying linguistics helps you to master the Russian language and introduces you to the enormous influence language has on our lives. Our department is unique in the UK in that we have two research-active staff members – Professor Neil Bermel and Dr Dagmar Divjak – who teach and research Russian linguistics. With them you will explore issues such as:

  • Where did the Cyrillic alphabet come from and how has it developed?
  • Do Russian children acquire language differently from English ones?
  • Russian is different from most other Western European languages. Does that mean that Russians think differently?
  • The Russian Federation stretches over nine time zones. Do all 'Russians' speak exactly the same way?

Sample modules

Street of Ideal ProportionsArt, Design and Visual Culture

Taking in the avant-garde painting of Kandinsky, constructivist architecture and the response to Western modernism (to name just three), Russian visual culture offers huge possibilities for engaging and rewarding study.

Our department leads the field in research-led teaching of Russian visual arts. Modules examine fine art, design, material culture, architecture, city planning, posters and cartoons. These give a fascinating insight into how Russian visual arts have responded to the momentous events of the last century and a half.

Modern Russian Art explores the evolution of visual arts from 1861 to 1917, and examines Russia's unique place within modernist art movements. Cold War Visual Culture explores how the conflict between socialism and capitalism has shaped artistic output.

Sample modules

Directory of all modules taught at Russian and Slavonic Studies