Russian and Beginners' Modern Greek

Russian is among the most significant languages in the world, carrying the weight of a vast literary tradition, a complex political history, and a cultural output that has shaped European thought in music, fiction, drama, and philosophy. Modern Greek connects you to a living language and contemporary culture that also carries the inheritance of antiquity, offering a different perspective on Mediterranean and Balkan identity and history. Studying them together at Oxford means developing two quite distinct linguistic and cultural competencies, sharpening your sensitivity to how language reflects and shapes the worlds its speakers inhabit.

This four-year programme treats Modern Greek as a beginners' language, meaning you arrive without prior knowledge of Greek and are taken from first principles through to genuine proficiency. Your Russian studies begin at a higher starting point, with the expectation that you will advance to a sophisticated level of reading, writing, and speaking. At Oxford, both strands are pursued through the tutorial system, which provides intensive, personalised intellectual engagement with tutors working closely with you on your reading and analytical writing.

You will read literature, film, press, and cultural texts in both languages, and develop the historical and cultural knowledge to interpret them with depth.

Graduates with expertise in Russian and Modern Greek go on to careers in diplomacy, international trade, journalism, translation and interpreting, intelligence and security analysis, EU institutions, cultural organisations, academic research, and publishing. The rarity of the combination is itself a professional asset in a competitive graduate market, and postgraduate study in Slavonic studies, Hellenic studies, linguistics, or area studies is a well-trodden next step.