In Slavic studies, teaching and learning occur in three closely related areas - Russian, Ukrainian and Slavic. The first two involve language and the study of literature and society, while the third, Slavic, is concerned with linguistics and comparative literature. All rely on an integrated approach to the culture(s) they represent.
Language learning
Since it is possible for students to take Russian or Ukrainian without any previous knowledge of the language, an important objective is to narrow the gap between these students and those who are post-VCE (or equivalent), many of whom are native speakers. Therefore students beginning Russian or Ukrainian follow a graded course that pays attention to the basic skills of speaking, listening, reading and writing. The aim is to reach a stage of development by the end of third year where they are able to converse on a wide range of topics, comprehend both written texts and the spoken language and express themselves in writing. In the case of advanced students a central objective is to progress towards bilingual competence (with English as the second language), so that they are able to translate complex texts and move freely from one language to the other. A second aim is to acquire a theoretical understanding of the structure of the language.
Literature and society
Language study is not divorced from the study of literature and society. This is true both for beginners and also for advanced students so that an important objective is to acquire an understanding of the cultural background of the language being studied. In addition, students should gain a balanced appreciation of the contribution of the relevant culture to civilisation and an understanding of that culture's debt to other cultural traditions. Of particular importance is the development of an informed approach to the momentous political and historical events that have shaped the history of Eastern Europe in the present century.
Linguistics
The study of linguistics covers both the linguistic characteristics of the language being studied and also its relations with other Slavic languages. Students are expected to gain an insight into the syntactic and lexical structures of the language by examining the patterns of sentence formation and the way in which the vocabulary is organised.
Another important objective is the acquisition of an understanding of the uniqueness of the language as well as its place in the wider Slavic family.
Courses
Within Slavic studies students may take courses which develop competence in Russian and Ukrainian, as well as a range of subjects in literary and cultural studies and in Slavic linguistics. Majors in Slavic are available in Russian and Ukrainian both to beginners and to students with VCE/HSC in the corresponding languages. Students may also take a minor in Russian studies independently of, or in combination with, language-based studies (see the separate Russian studies entry in this handbook).
Sequences
Minor and major sequences are described under the following headings: Russian, Russian studies (see special entry), and Ukrainian. A minor sequence consists of a first-year sequence (RUS1010 and RUS1020; or RUS1070 and RUS1080; or RSS1010 and RSS1020; or UKR1010 and UKR1020; or UKR1070 and UKR1080) followed by second-year subjects to the total value of sixteen points. A major sequence consists of the minor sequence followed by third-year subjects to the value of sixteen points plus an additional eight points of work at either second or third-year level.
Honours
The honours sequence consists of any Slavic major sequence and the fourth-year course as described under the Slavic studies subheading below. Supervision is provided in Slavic linguistics as well as in Russian and Ukrainian literature, and in comparative literature and literary theory with reference to Slavic literatures. For details students should consult the head of the section.
Students intending to take honours are advised to take more than the minimum number of subjects required for entry into the program. Students with an interest in language and linguistics should consider taking subjects in another Slavic language.
Students planning to take honours with a specialisation in literature or culture are encouraged to consider taking subjects in critical theory and in comparative literature and cultural studies.
European studies
The study of both Russian and Ukrainian for a Slavic major may be incorporated into the Bachelor of Arts (European Studies) specialised degree. A minor in Russian or Ukrainian may be used to fulfil the requirement that a major in European studies must be accompanied by at least a minor in a European language.
Graduate work
Within Slavic studies students may undertake graduate work by thesis for the MA and PhD degrees. Research areas include Russian and Ukrainian literature, comparative literature and literary and cultural theory in relation to Slavic literatures and cultures, and Slavic linguistics, especially contrastive linguistics and the morphology of contemporary Slavic languages.