Comparative Literature and Russian

Comparative Literature and Russian is a degree that places two distinctive literary and intellectual traditions in dialogue, opening up one of the most rewarding conversations available to a humanities student. Comparative literature is the study of literary texts across languages, cultures, periods and genres, examining the relationships between different traditions and asking fundamental questions about what literature is for and how it makes meaning across time and culture. Russian literature, studied in the original language, offers access to one of the world's great literary traditions: the novels, stories and poetry of Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Chekhov, Akhmatova and Pasternak represent a sustained meditation on the human condition that has had an enormous influence on world literature and thought.

At the University of St Andrews, this four-year full-time programme includes a year abroad, which is central to developing the genuine linguistic proficiency in Russian that reading literature in the original demands. You will have the opportunity to read texts across genres, periods and languages, in English translation as well as in Russian and any other languages you bring to the programme, examining the relationships that exist between literatures around the world and pushing at the boundaries of textual analysis. The combination of rigorous linguistic training with the breadth of comparative literary study produces graduates with exceptional analytical, interpretive and cross-cultural capabilities.

Comparative Literature and Russian graduates go on to careers in publishing, translation, academia, journalism, broadcasting, the cultural sector, diplomacy, international organisations and the intelligence services. The combination of Russian language competence and a broad comparative literary education is valued across many fields where linguistic precision and cross-cultural analytical depth are required. Many graduates go on to postgraduate study in comparative literature, Russian studies, translation studies or related fields, and the degree provides excellent preparation for doctoral research in the humanities.