MPhil in Russian and East European Studies

This course explores several overlapping forces which shaped late Tsarist Russia, the USSR, and Eastern Europe during the twentieth century. Among other themes, it examines the political ideologies of Bolshevism and Nazism, great power ambitions which transformed the region during the two world wars and the Cold War, as well as cultural and intellectual trends behind imperialism and anti-colonialism in Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, and Central Asia. While the course traces major shifts in the USSR’s Russian heartlands, it places particular emphasis on identifying ways to frame the history of the region in ways that do not put Soviet politics and ideology at the centre. This course is taught through a combination of lectures and classes. Students are required to submit 2 essays for formative assessment.

This social sciences course evaluates major analytical perspectives on developments in the FSU and Eastern Europe since the end of Communism. The course covers political science and international relations disciplinary approaches and their applications. The course provides students with a solid grounding in theories on the domestic political and international dimensions of transition of the region, and sufficient empirical knowledge to test the arguments associated with different approaches. This course is taught through a combination of lectures and classes. Students are required to submit 2 formative essays for this course. 

This core course takes an inter-disciplinary approach to the study of the economies and society of contemporary Russia and Eastern Europe using methodological and theoretical approaches from Economics, Social Policy, Sociology, and Social Anthropology). It is designed to complement and augment the themes and issues introduced in the core course CREES Part 1 by examining the effects of socio­economic and political change on the economies and societies of Central-and Eastern Europe, as well their influence on the dynamics of cultural change in institutions and social groups across the region.

The course covers economic theories and concepts and their application in Central and Eastern Europe (e.g. stabilization, privatization, financial sector reform), social policy concepts and their application (e.g. health, income inequality, institutions), sociological and anthropological concepts and their application (e.g. class formation and disintegration, migration, gender relations). Students are required to submit 2 formative essays for this course. 

The ARDC core course will develop your appreciation of the interrelation between the micro level of multimodal (textual, acoustic, visual units) and language content and the macro level of actors in a society and culture, including the historical perspectives. You will gain knowledge of the theory and methods of discourse analysis, particularly as applied to Russian-language (multimodal) discourses and communication. This knowledge will further advance the regional knowledge that you will acquire in other components of the REES MPhil.

To accommodate the different Russian language proficiencies of students, the department offers four ARDC papers, each with specific language requirements. The learning goals for all papers are the same. The assessments (essays) will evaluate students' knowledge of the theories and methods of discourse analysis as applied to Russian discourse and communication. They will not assess overall language proficiency, except for students’ comprehension of Russian appropriate to the level required by each ARDC paper, as outlined in the marking criteria.

The certificates specified below which confirm applicants’ Russian language proficiency must be no more than 24 months old.

This course requires proficiency in the Russian language at A1 level completed in TRKI / TORFL (ТРКИ – Тест по русскому языку как иностранному; in English TORFL – Test of Russian as a Foreign Language). А1 is the elementary level: equivalent to GCSE lower grades in the UK academic setting. +/- 110 hours are needed to achieve A1. 

The paper that each student will take on the Analysing Russian Discourse and Communication (ARDC) core course is dependent on their Russian language proficiency. The requirement for each paper is outlined below:

ARDC Paper 1: A1 completed in TRKI / TORFL (ТРКИ – Тест по русскому языку как иностранному; in English TORFL – Test of Russian as a Foreign Language). Elementary Level (TEL / A1) - Successful performance at the Test at Elementary Level represents a standard of initial competence in Russian which demonstrates a candidate can satisfy their elementary communicative needs in a limited number of everyday situations.

ARDC Paper 2: A2 completed in TRKI / TORFL. А2 is the basic level: equivalent to GCSE higher grades in the UK academic setting. +/- 250 hours are needed to achieve A2; equivalent to FCO ‘survival’ level. Basic Level (TBL / A2) - Successful performance at the Test at Basic Level represents a standard competence in Russian which demonstrates a candidate can satisfy their basic communicative needs in a limited number of situations in everyday and cultural spheres.

ARDC Paper 3: B1 completed in TRKI / TORFL. B1 is the 1st certification level: equivalent to A-level in the UK academic setting. +/- 600 hours are needed to achieve B1. The First Certification Level (TORFL-I / B1) - Successful performance at the 1st level certificate indicates an intermediate level of language competence, which demonstrates a candidate can satisfy their main communicative needs in everyday, cultural, educational, and professional spheres.

ARDC Paper 4: A minimum of B2 completed in TRKI / TORFL. 2nd certification level: equivalent to bachelors university degree in Russian in the UK academic setting. +/- 1100 hours are needed to achieve B2. The 2nd level certificate (TORFL-II / B2) - Successful performance at the 2nd level certificate indicates a high level of competence in Russian which demonstrates a candidate can satisfy their communicative needs in a wide range of situations in cultural, educational and professional spheres.

Qualitative Methods

The first methods module covers the principles of research design and approaches to collecting, managing and analysing qualitative data. Students are invited to explore the relationships between the social science disciplines and the empirical study of Russia/Eastern Europe and to reflect on strategies for integrating social science theory with the production of area-specific knowledge.  Different approaches to obtaining and analysing qualitative data are considered which include finding and analysing digital and archived sources, the collection and analysis of talk and texts, and case studies, comparative research design and ethnography. 

This course is taught through OSGA-wide lectures, supplemented by REES specific classes. Qualitative methods will be assessed by a take home exam due for submission in week 9 of Michaelmas Term.

Quantitative Methods

Students will develop the skills to understand and evaluate the quantitative statistics and statistical tests commonly used by authors in academic papers and official reports. Students will also develop the skills to carry out basic statistical tests of research hypothesis, including t-tests and simple regression analysis using the statistical software package R-Studio.

Through class exercises and assessed written work students will be required to obtain and demonstrate a general understanding of quantitative approaches to Area Studies research.

The course is taught through a combination of lectures, Quantitative Methods labs and classes. Students will be required to submit a take home assignment in statistical methods in Hilary Term as part of the assessment of this course.

Central Asia and the South Caucasus: International Relations and Foreign Policies (Prof Allison) 

Ideology and Popular Culture in Socialist and Post-socialist Russia and Eastern Europe (Dr Makovicky)  

Islam in the USSR (Dr Wojnowski)

Russian International Relations and Foreign Policy (Prof Allison)

South East Europe: Politics, Economics and European Integration (Dr Anastasakis)

The Political Economy of Transition in Russia and China (Dr Rochlitz)

The thesis must be at least 25,000 words in length but must not exceed 30,000 words, excluding the bibliography and approved technical/methodological appendices which must be approved before submission by the REES Management Committee. Preparation and planning of the thesis must commence at the beginning of the programme in October and progress steadily through to submission of the thesis in Week 4 of Trinity Term in the second year.

Please see our scholarship page for details.