Studying Russian and History helps you understand the contemporary world, as well as shedding light on the past. Today, around 150 million people in the world speak Russian, and it is widely used in global cultural and political contexts.Russian is the official language of four countries and is understood throughout Eastern Europe. The last thirty years have 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.On this joint honours programme, you will have the opportunity to develop advanced speaking, writing, reading, listening and translating skills in Russian.Our Year 1 Russian courses are streamed according to how much of the language you already know, so it does not matter if you are a complete beginner.Over the course of your four years, you will explore Russian literature and culture, past and present. You will also develop an awareness of Russia's international political and historical contexts.In History, you will study the human past more broadly, interacting with evidence in primary form, and through critical reading of a wide body of historical writing.The Edinburgh experience is distinctive for its range of historical themes, chronological periods and geographical areas. You can choose from courses covering:the early Middle Ages to the most recent pastBritain and Europe, Asia, Africa, and the AmericasFurther, our courses offer a rich variety of approaches to the past, including:political historycultural historysocial historyeconomic historyintellectual historygender historyglobal and transnational history