Slavic Languages

专业详情

Columbia University’s Department of Slavic Languages, one of the oldest in the US, aims to educate new generations of scholars dedicated to advancing the field of Slavic studies. It strongly emphasizes the rigorous study of literary texts, discourses, and cultural history. It also encourages its students to pursue original and innovative projects that further the development of the field.

In recent years, the area of Slavic studies has undergone major changes, challenging scholars in the field to reach out and build many interdisciplinary ties. We encourage our students to link literary study with innovations in other disciplines—intellectual and social history, film and performance studies, musicology, art history, sociology, anthropology, religious studies, and others—which already share some of literature’s investment in narrativity, structure, communication, and interpretation. The department welcomes theoretical, reflective work that draws on contemporary theories and approaches, but simultaneously stresses the historicity of such discourses and of the cultural phenomena they set out to investigate.

The Department of Slavic Languages offers degrees in Russian, Czech, Polish, South Slavic, and Ukrainian literature. For the MA degree, students work in their primary literature. Qualified applicants who do not intend to continue beyond the MA degree may apply for admission as candidates for the free-standing MA degree in Slavic Languages.

In addition to the free-standing MA degree in Slavic Languages, the department offers free-standing MA degrees in Russian Translation and in Slavic Cultures. Note that, along with the free-standing MA in Slavic Languages, these programs of study do not lead to a doctorate.