FAS - Slavic Languages and Literatures

The Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures offers graduate training leading to the MA and PhD degrees in Slavic Languages and Literatures with an Area of Concentration in Russian Literature and Culture. For detailed information on special features of the Slavic program, write for the departmental brochure.

Contact Information

Department Chair: David J. Birnbaum

Main Office: 1417 Cathedral of Learning

Phone: (412) 624-5906

Fax: (412) 624-9714

Web site: http://www.pitt.edu/~slavic/

Admissions

The completion of an undergraduate major in Russian is usually required for admission to the department. Students with majors in European history, literature, or philosophy and the equivalent of four years of undergraduate Russian are also encouraged to apply. Applicants should be able to read, write, and speak Russian well enough to take courses offered in Russian. Students are expected to maintain a minimum grade average of B in course work.

Financial Assistance

Financial aid is available for new and continuing graduate students on a competitive basis. Andrew Mellon Predoctoral Fellowships, Lillian B. Lawler Scholarships/Fellowships, Provost's Humanities Fellowships, Owens Fellowships, Provost's Development Fund Fellowships, and Graduate Tuition Scholarships are open to all students, as are the FLAS Fellowships offered through the University of Pittsburgh's Russian and East European Studies Program. University teaching assistantships and fellowships are available to qualified applicants and are renewable for a period from one to three years.

Financial support opportunities other than fellowships and assistantships are available to incoming and continuing graduate students in the form of part-time employment in the residence halls, library, and so on. Outstanding students are encouraged to apply to the international exchange programs sponsored by the Nationality Rooms Scholarship Committee, IREX, CIEE, the Kosciuszko Foundation, AFS Teacher Exchange, and other organizations. Each year grants are available for study in Central and East Europe, including Russia, Ukraine, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Serbia, and Croatia.

Degree Requirements

The minimal requirements established by the Graduate Faculty of the University, as described under General Academic Regulations, and any additional requirements of FAS Graduate Studies described under FAS Degree Requirements, should be read in conjunction with program-specific degree requirements described in the following sections.

Requirements for the Master's Degree

Master of Arts in Slavic Languages and Literatures (PhD track)

The MA requires 36 graduate credits, including Proseminar, Old Church Slavic, Structure of Russian, and one other linguistics course. A reading knowledge of French or German is required. The study of a second Slavic language and literature is recommended. A written comprehensive examination will include the history of Russian literature-a thorough knowledge of the major authors, genres, and periods; and a knowledge of the fundamentals of literary criticism and theory.

All MA students are required to take SLAV 2210. Those planning to terminate their study with the MA must also take RUSS 2220 and RUSS 2230.

Teaching Certification

The above-mentioned master's program may be combined with teaching certification. Teaching certification is recommended for students interested in pursuing a career in the teaching of foreign languages in the Pennsylvania public school systems (or elsewhere). This is a combined program sponsored in conjunction with the School of Education. Students in this program will also have to meet the requirements and be admitted to the School of Education. Upon successful completion of this program, the student will receive the Pennsylvania Instructional 1 (Provisional) Certificate of teaching Russian in the public school system. For credit and course requirements, students should consult the foreign language education supervisor in the School of Education.

Certificate Program

The MA program in the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures may also be combined with a certificate program in Russian Studies or with one in Eastern European Studies. The certificate program is recommended for all students primarily interested in pursuing careers in government or business, not excluding students interested in teaching, or for students whose primary language interest is Slovak, Polish, Ukrainian, or Serbian. The Center for Russian and East European Studies (REES) is the coordinating hub for studies dealing with the people, history, politics, economics, and culture of Central and South East Europe and the territory of the former U.S.S.R.

Requirements include meeting all departmental MA requirements, plus 18 credits designated as REES courses. Students do not need to apply for the REES certificate program in advance, but may do so upon arrival in Pittsburgh.

Requirements for the PhD Program

Admission to the PhD program requires successful completion of the MA requirements and the recommendation of the departmental committee on graduate studies. If the MA has been obtained elsewhere, the candidate may be required to pass a preliminary examination, similar in scope to the departmental master's comprehensive exam. Credit requirements for the doctorate include 60 credits of 2000- and 3000-level courses (36-42 credits beyond the master's) and 12 credits of dissertation research or independent study, for a total of 72 credits. For an MA from another institution, a maximum of 24 credits may be transferred.

The PhD is offered only with an Area of Concentration in Russian Literature and Culture. At least 60 of the 72 required credits must be taken by the end of the term in which examinations are to be taken. Requirements include three courses (Historical Russian Grammar, History of the Russian Literary Language, and Theories of Literature); 9-15 credits outside the department in an approved second area (Cultural Studies, European Literature, Area Studies); and a reading knowledge of French and German.

Secondary Fields

Doctoral candidates may take 9-15 graduate credits in one of the following approved areas:

A Second Slavic Language and Literature

In exceptional cases, students who express a primary interest in, and knowledge of, another Slavic language and literature may be encouraged to pursue dual competency in both languages and literatures.

Literary Studies

This field requires courses in other literatures (as approved by the department) and in the Literature Studies Program, of which at least six credits must be taken in the literature of a single language other than English, Russian, or other Slavic language; and a reading knowledge of two non-Slavic languages.

Slavic Linguistics

In this field, nine courses in linguistics must be taken in addition to the usual Slavic linguistics requirements for literature specialists (see below).

Intellectual History

This field requires nine courses in history, philosophy, political science, or other relevant courses at the 1000-level or above.

Cultural Studies

Students working toward an MA or PhD degree may concurrently earn a certificate in Cultural Studies.

Other possible options may also be discussed with the graduate advisor and the departmental committee on graduate studies.

Additional Language Requirement

A reading knowledge of French and German (or of another approved non-Slavic language) is required as a research tool. Proficiency in one of these is to be demonstrated by the end of the student's first full year of candidacy and, in the other, before the student takes the PhD examinations. Elementary language courses do not count toward degree credit requirements.

Linguistics Courses

All students are required to take 2210 for the MA and PhD degrees (see the list of courses in the next section). Those planning to terminate their studies with the MA must also take 2220 and 2230. Those wishing to continue for the PhD may take 2220 and 2230 at any stage of their graduate studies.

Comprehensive Examinations

Candidates will be required to demonstrate competence in (a) the history of Russian literature, (b) the secondary field, and (c) literary criticism. The written examinations are of nine to twelve hours duration spread over a week; the oral examination is of two hours duration.

The Dissertation

To be completed in accordance with general University regulations. All topics must meet with the approval of the departmental committee on graduate studies. After selecting a suitable dissertation topic and a dissertation committee in consultation with his/her advisor, the student must present a written prospectus to the doctoral committee describing the purpose, scope, and method of the proposed study and the sources upon which it will be based. This prospectus must receive the approval of all members of the doctoral committee at an overview examination. The acceptance of the prospectus completes requirements for admission to candidacy for the PhD degree. The dissertation must demonstrate the student's capacity to carry out independent, original research and analysis. The department will recommend conferral of a doctoral degree only after the dissertation is judged to demonstrate such competence during a formal defense in a final oral examination. Detailed guidelines covering examination procedures and dissertation requirements are available from the department.

Course Listings

Courses covering core areas will be offered on a rotating basis at least once every six terms so that usually one course in a major period, author, genre, and topic will be offered each term. Other courses will be offered as often as circumstances permit. Students are advised to check the Schedule of Classes each term for the current course offerings. Course descriptions of 1000-level courses may be found in the Course Descriptions issued each term.

Undergraduate Courses That May Carry Graduate Credit

Russian in English Translation

RUSS 1200 Russian Women Writers

RUSS 1202 Dostoevsky: The Major Novels

RUSS 1203 Tolstoy: The Major Novels

RUSS 1204 Short Stories: Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Turgenev

RUSS 1901 Independent Study

Polish

POLISH 1260 Survey of Polish Literature and Culture

POLISH 1270 Polish Drama

POLISH 1280 Modern Polish Literature

POLISH 1901 Independent Study

Serbian in English Translation

SERCRO 1260 Survey of Serbian Literature and Culture

SERCRO 1270 Serbia Today

SERCRO 1901 Independent Study

Slovak in English Translation

SLOVAK 1260 Survey of Slovak Literature and Culture

SLOVAK 1270 Slovakia Today

SLOVAK 1901 Independent Study

Russian Language and Literature in Russian

RUSS 1302 Gogol

RUSS 1303 Turgenev

RUSS 1305 Tolstoy

RUSS 1306 Dostoevsky

RUSS 1307 Chekhov

RUSS 1317 Solzhenitsyn

RUSS 1400 Morphology

RUSS 1410 Advanced Russian Syntax

RUSS 1440 Russian Prose Translation

RUSS 1500 History of Russian Literature 1

RUSS 1501 History of Russian Literature 2

Basic Language

All basic language course offerings in Russian, Polish, Serbian, Slovak, and Ukrainian may be found in the CAS Bulletin under the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures.

Graduate Level Courses in Russian Language And Literature