In Slavic studies, teaching and learning occur in four closely related areas - Russian, Ukrainian, Polish and Slavic. The first three involve language and the study of literature and society, while the fourth, Slavic, is concerned with linguistics and comparative literature. All rely on an integrated approach to the culture(s) they represent.
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.
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.
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.
Within Slavic studies students may take courses which develop competence in Russian, Ukrainian and Polish, 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.
Minor and major sequences are described under the following headings: Russian, Russian studies, Ukrainian and Polish. 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 or SLA1040 and SLA1050) 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 twenty-four points.
Where literature and culture subjects are offered at both second and third-year level, students enrolled at third-year level will be obliged to write essays that presuppose more reading, and address questions requiring a more analytical approach, than essays available to students at second-year level.
In the case of linguistics subjects offered at both second-year (four points) and third-year (six points) level, the subjects at third-year level are distinguished by an extra exercise that involves primary sources.
The section also offers literature and culture, as well as linguistics subjects, at both third and fourth-year levels. Students enrolled in literature and culture subjects at fourth-year level will be obliged to write essays that require more theoretical reflection and presuppose more reading than essays available to students at third-year level. Students enrolled in linguistics subjects at fourth-year level will be obliged to undertake some research exercises whose successful completion requires independent work with primary sources.
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, Ukrainian and Polish 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.
Combined honours may be taken in Slavic studies and another discipline provided that all honours requirements have been met in both disciplines and subject to the approval of the heads of both departments.
Mid-year entry into honours is offered by the Slavic Section.
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, Ukrainian or Polish 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.
Within Slavic studies students may undertake graduate work by thesis for the MA and PhD degrees. Research areas include Russian, Ukrainian and Polish 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.
Coordinator: L Zarnowski
Students must have VCE/HSC in Polish, or must demonstrate an equivalent level of competence, to enrol in SLA1040.
A minor sequence comprises SLA1040 and SLA1050, normally followed by SLA2040 and SLA2050. However, a minor in Slavic may also be completed by taking any two of RSS2010, RSS2020, RSS2090, SLA2530 or SLA2910.
Coordinator: J E M Clarke
* See also Russian studies.
Students with little or no knowledge of Russian enrol in RUS1010.
A minor sequence comprises RUS1010 and RUS1020, normally followed by RUS2110 and RUS2120.
A major sequence normally comprises a minor sequence followed by RUS3210 and RUS3220 and other units to the value of at least four points offered by the section at third-year level, plus a further eight points at second or third-year level.
Students who have VCE/HSC in Russian or can demonstrate an equivalent level of competence enrol in RUS1070.
A minor sequence normally comprises RUS1070 and RUS1080 followed by RUS2250 and RUS2260.
A major sequence normally comprises a minor sequence followed by subjects selected from RUS3210, RUS3220 and other third-year level units offered by the section to the value of sixteen points, plus a further eight points at second or third-year level.
Coordinator: S M Vladiv-Glover
In addition to its majors in Russian and Ukrainian, the department offers a minor sequence in Russian studies comprising subjects on Russian, Soviet and post-Soviet literature, culture and society which have no language prerequisite or corequisite. The minor can be taken in one of two ways, (a) or (b).
Students take RSS1010 (Soviet literature and culture) and RSS1020 (Post-Soviet literature and culture), and then two of the following subjects: RSS2090 (Russian nineteenth-century literature and society), RUS2410 (Literature and phenomenology: De Sade, Dostoevsky, Nietzsche, Tolstoy), SLA2530 (Modernism in European literature), SLA2810 Comparative drama of the twentieth century and SLA2910 (The novel in Eastern Europe).
Students take RSS2010 (Soviet literature and culture) and RSS2020 (Post-Soviet literature and culture) followed by at least twelve points at third-year level selected from RSS3090 (Russian nineteenth-century literature and society), SLA3170 (Belief and perception), RUS3410 (Literature and phenomenology: De Sade, Dostoevsky, Nietzsche, Tolstoy), SLA3530 (Modernism in European literature), SLA3810 (Comparative drama of the twentieth century), SLA3830 (Bakhtin and ethics: beyond structuralism) and SLA3910 (The novel in Eastern Europe). Not all of these subjects will be available in any given year.
As well as first-year subjects described under Russian, Russian studies, and Ukrainian, students may take the following:
As well as second-year subjects described under Russian, Russian studies, Polish and Ukrainian, students may take the following:
As well as third-year subjects described under Russian, Russian studies and Ukrainian, students may take the following:
The fourth-year course consists of SLA4600 (Honours thesis) (10,000- 12,000 words, normally in the language of the student's specialisation, twenty-four points) and three other fourth-year level subjects. With the approval of the head of the section one fourth-year subject from the comparative literature and cultural studies curriculum may be taken instead of a corresponding Slavic literature subject. An extensionof time for submission of the honours thesis or for final coursework may be granted up to the last day of the examination period of the semester in which the work is due. Applications for extensions beyond this date must be made to the Committee for Undergraduate Studies.
The following fourth-year subjects, each valued at eight points, are offered with the same syllabus as their third-year counterparts. Fourth-year level standards will apply in assessment.
Coordinator: M Pavlyshyn
Students with little or no knowledge of Ukrainian enrol in UKR1010.
A minor sequence comprises UKR1010 and UKR1020, normally followed by UKR2070 and UKR2080.
A major sequence normally comprises a minor sequence followed by UKR3270 and UKR3280 and other units to the value of at least four points offered by the section at third-year level, plus a further eight points at second or third-year level.
Students who have VCE/HSC in Ukrainian or can demonstrate an equivalent level of competence enrol in UKR1070.
A minor sequence normally comprises UKR1070 and UKR1080 followed by UKR2170, UKR2180, UKR2270 and UKR2280.
A major sequence normally comprises a minor sequence followed by UKR3010 and UKR3020 and other units offered by the Slavic section at third-year level to the value of at least four points, plus a further eight points at second or third-year level.
Students intending to enrol in the fourth-year course should consult the department about their choice of third-year subjects.