From Moscow to Vladivostok, from Pushkin to Sorokin, from the reforms implemented by Peter the Great to the October Revolution and the collapse of the Soviet Union – Russia is far more than cold, snowy winters and colorful matryoshka dolls. The master’s degree program Slavic/Eastern European Studies with a Focus on Russian Studies prepares you to become an expert on Russia and Eastern Europe in a variety of fields. Your assessments and analyses as a Russian Studies graduate will likely be of particular significance against the backdrop of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which has focused global attention on these countries.

In this degree program, you will critically engage with the language, literature, history, politics, and culture of Russia and with the varied historical, linguistic, and cultural ties connecting it to its neighboring countries in Central and Eastern Europe in particular. You will primarily use comparative methods, analyzing the Russian language, literature, and culture in relation to other Slavic and non-Slavic languages, literatures, and cultures.

You will focus on the development of Russian literature and linguistic phenomena throughout history as well as the application of modern literary and cultural theories and linguistic methods to current Russian topics.

Typical questions that will come up during your studies include:

• How has the Russian language changed over time and how is it changing now?
• What special features are characteristic for Russian literature from its beginnings to today and in which transnational contexts did Russian literature develop?
• What impact has the geographic and cultural position of Russia between Europe and Asia had on Russian identity and how does this in-between status express itself in Russian society, literature, and language?
• Which linguistic devices are used to differentiate between one’s own and other people’s points of view and statements?

In addition to academic training, you will develop a variety of other key competences, including academic writing, presenting and discussing research, and conducting your own research projects. You will also strengthen your intercultural and media literacy skills, which will be of great help to you in your professional life, whether it’s within or without the academic sphere.