THE
GRADUATE PROGRAM
Overview
Requirements
for Admission
Financial
Aid
Duration
of Financial Support
Satisfactory Progress Toward
the Degree
Degree
Requirements
MA
PhD
Graduate
Advising
Information
for Graduate Teaching Assistants
UVA
Graduate Guide
Graduate
School of Arts and Sciences
The
Graduate Record
OVERVIEW
The
University of Virginia Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures
offers the M.A. in Slavic Languages and Literatures and Contemporary
Russian Studies. Both tracks combine surveys of the areas of specialization
with advanced training in Russian language. The M.A. in Slavic Languages
and Literatures is typically completed in progress toward the Ph.D.
In
preparation for doctoral candidacy, students complete a series of
advanced seminars which draw on the preparation they have received
at the Master's level. Graduates of the doctoral program are currently
on the faculties of such institutions as the University of Arizona,
Yale University, Bucknell University, Bates College, and the University
of Kentucky.
Founded
in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the University of Virginia is distinctive
among institutions of higher education; it is both public and selective.
The College of Arts and Sciences, in which the Department of Slavic
Languages and Literatures is administratively situated, is the largest
of the schools of the University. The faculty of the College is committed
to maintaining high standards of excellence in both research and
teaching. The University is located in Charlottesville, a vital community
with rich traditions, located about 120 miles southwest of Washington,
D.C.
The
graduate studies program in the Department of Slavic Languages and
Literatures offers excellent opportunities for close contact with
faculty members. Students are encouraged to take full advantage of
the many opportunities available for study in various countries of
Eastern Europe. The Department is a member of the International Research
and Exchanges Board (IREX), the Association of Departments of Foreign
Languages (ADFL), and the Cooperative Russian Language Program of
the Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE). Applicants
are considered on the basis of qualifications regardless of age,
citizenship, color, handicap, national origin, political affiliation,
race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or status as a disabled
veteran or veteran of the Vietnam era.
FINANCIAL
AID
Under
normal circumstances, financial support for individual graduate students
will be limited to a maximum of five post-BA years; within this overall
limit, the maximum possible for MA support will usually be two years
and maximum possible for post-MA support will usually be three years.
In the renewal of financial aid, satisfactory progress in the schedule
of examinations and the sequence guidelines is prioritized.
SATISFACTORY
PROGRESS TOWARD THE DEGREE
The Slavic Department faculty
will convene at the end of the academic year to assess academic progress
on the part of the graduate students in terms of: grades, progress
in current courses, course loads, timely adherence to sequence guidelines,
record of incompletes, and [if a TA] teaching effectiveness. One
of the purposes of this meeting will be to rank applicants for financial
aid. Applicants should bear in mind that the Department's resources
vary from year to year, and that this may affect the amount and type
of any aid offered, even when progress is deemed satisfactory.
All course work for the
PhD should usually be completed by the end of the first post-MA year.
Comprehensive examinations should normally be taken in the first
semester of the second post-MA year, and no later than the second
semester of the second post-MA year. Except in cases where fieldwork
is required, the dissertation should be completed by the end of the
third post-MA year (i.e. five years after entry into the MA program).
GRADUATE
ADVISING
The Graduate Advisor oversees
the process of graduate admissions and recruitment, keeps track of
financial aid offers and awards, advises students on departmental
policies and program requirements, and notifies faculty of upcoming
examination responsibilities. The Graduate Advisor holds an informational
meeting with the graduate students early in the fall semester, and
then maintains special advising hours during pre-registration periods
in the fall and the spring. Students are encouraged to see the Advisor
whenever they have questions about the program. The Graduate Advisor,
together with other faculty in the Department, makes every effort
to help graduate students who are seeking employment to identify
potential job opportunities and to prepare the candidate for a competitive
employment profile.
INFORMATION
FOR GRADUATE TEACHING ASSISTANTS
I. Selection of Teaching
Assistants and Graders
Selection of Teaching
Assistants is based on the staffing needs of the Department and
the credentials of the students being considered for the position
of TA. Since teaching experience is considered important for post-graduate
employment, the Department tries to ensure that capable students
have an opportunity to develop pedagogical skills in the classroom.
The primary fields in which Teaching Assistants are needed are:
Russian language, folklore and culture, linguistics, and Russian
literature. Occasionally, Teaching Assistants are chosen to teach
Slavic languages other than Russian.
The primary duties of
a Teaching Assistant vary according to the type of course in which
the teaching is conducted. In literature and culture courses, the
TA may be a discussion leader. In some language courses, the TA
may be primarily engaged in conducting drills, developing exercises,
etc. Upon occasion, a TA may be in charge of an independent course.
In addition to Teaching
Assistants, some qualified students may be selected to serve as
Graders. The primary responsibility of a grader is to evaluate
written work such as examinations, problem sets, and papers.
II. Training of Teaching
Assistants
Training of Teaching Assistants
is a continual process. At the beginning of the academic year,
teaching workshops may be conducted by the Department or by the
Teaching Resource Center (see below). International TAs receive
special attention through the Teaching Resource Center, and new
international Teaching Assistants are required to attend a workshop
conducted by the TRC before the fall semester begins. Teaching
Assistants subsequently receive supervision and guidance by departmental
faculty during the academic year.
III. Teaching Resource Center
The Teaching Resource
Center offers a variety of services and resource materials designed
to enhance the teaching skills of faculty and teaching assistants
at the University of Virginia. In addition to sponsoring workshops
on all aspects of instruction, the TRC maintains a library of books,
articles, and videos that are of use to instructional personnel.
It is located at Hotel D, 24 East Range.
LIBRARY
RESOURCES
The
library has collections of over two million items. Slavic holdings
are already substantial (100,000 items) and expanding rapidly. The
Library of Congress is easily accessible (two hours by car, bus or
train) for research that requires rare items not found in Charlottesville.
CONTACT
INFORMATION
Mr.
Dariusz Tolczyk, Director of Graduate Studies
Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures
PO Box 400783
109 Cabell Hall
Charlottesville, VA 22904-4783
Telephone: (434) 924-3548
E-Mail: dt8n@virginia.edu
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