Welcome to Russian and Czech at Bristol
News and Events
Wednesday 18 November 2009, 6pm
Andrei Khrzhanovsky at Seventy
Watershed – Encounters Festival
The Russian animator Andrei Khrzhanovsky celebrates his 70th birthday on 30 November. In honour of his contribution to the art of animation, and coinciding with the world tour of his first feature A Room and a Half, which screens at the London International Film Festival, Bristol’s Encounters presents a unique retrospective of Khrzhanovsky’s early animated films from the Soviet period, including the once-banned Glass Harmonica (1968). Further information
Russian Irrationalism in the Global Context: Sources and Influences
International Conference: 30-31 March 2010
Call for papers
The Department of Russian at Bristol has long enjoyed a reputation among academics and students as one of the UK’s top Russian departments, confirmed most recently in another strong performance in the 2008 national Research Assessment Exercise. In that exercise, Bristol’s commitment to Czech Studies was also specifically praised. In the most recent external review of the department’s work, it was described as a ‘model for other Russian Departments to follow’.
The diverse research interests of staff are reflected in course options throughout the department’s undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, ensuring that you receive enthusiastic, high-quality specialist teaching in whatever course units you choose. At undergraduate level we offer comprehensive coverage of Russian and Czech culture from the eighteenth century through to the present day, including course units in literature, history, cinema, the history of ideas, cultural politics, religious and folk culture and gender studies. At postgraduate level we not only offer a variety of Russian MA pathways, but also contribute Russian and Czech content to the range of School of Modern Languages MA programmes, and provide specialist supervision of postgraduate research projects in most of the areas mentioned above, in close cooperation with the Faculty of Arts Graduate School.
Russian and Czech language study is at the core of all undergraduate programmes, and is also available to postgraduates at all levels from beginner to advanced. We believe our highly experienced and versatile language-teaching team, comprising both native- and non-native speakers, is second to none. Our language programme gives students a wide range of ‘ways-in’ to the languages, allowing practice and development of all the key skills in the context of the contemporary language and society. The Department has also developed for its students an exclusive set of year-abroad placements in a Russian-speaking environment.
When asked about their experience of studying Russian or Czech at Bristol, students often comment first on the friendly, informal atmosphere and the close, supportive relationships they form with their fellow-students and teachers. Students quickly get to know staff and one another, particularly because most teaching is carried out in smaller-group tutorials and seminars.
The spirit of the department is well reflected in the activities that take place outside the ordinary academic programme. Students and staff work through the year preparing an evening of Russian culture, a wonderful showcase of the department’s hidden talents, usually including drama, music, singing and dancing, attended in large number by local Russians. The student-run SlavSoc also organises regular social events. We have recently hosted a variety of speakers, including a Russian journalist from RIA-Novosti, the Czech ambassador, senior staff from the Russian Embassy, leading Russian and Czech scholars and writers. Bristol staff are regularly involved in events taking place at arts centres, museums or festivals in Bristol, London or elsewhere.
Please follow the links for more information on studying Russian and Czech at Bristol. If you have any specific questions, please contact the department’s admissions tutor, Dr Rajendra Chitnis