For centuries, alongside English-speaking cultures, the Russophone world has had a profound international influence on literature.This joint honours programme aims to develop your critical, analytic, linguistic and creative skills by engaging with a broad range of texts in both English and Russian, and a variety of approaches to reading.Through intensive language study, you will have the opportunity to develop advanced speaking, writing, reading, listening and translating skills in Russian. Our Year 1 courses are streamed according to how much Russian you already know, so it does not matter if you are a complete beginner.Around 150 million people in the world speak Russian. It is the official language of four countries, is commonly understood throughout Eastern Europe, and in the last thirty years has seen transnational mobility on an unprecedented scale. For example, there are large communities of Russian-speakers in China, Central Asia, the United States, and Western Europe.In addition to language learning on this four-year programme, you will explore Russian literature and culture in international political and historical contexts. You can opt to focus on 19th or 20th century Russian literature, take a comparative approach, or balance your literary studies with courses on other aspects of culture and language in its societal context.