| M.
A. Degree Requirements
Students may elect one of two tracks for
the MA Degree program: Slavic Languages and Literatures or Contemporary
Russian Studies.
The Slavic Languages and Literatures track is designed
for students who are interested in Russian language, Russian literature,
Slavic folklore, and/or Slavic linguistics. It is intended to allow
students to do work in their particular
field of interest while preparing them for an employment market that
increasingly requires cross-discipline competence.
Required for the MA degree are 30 semester hours of course work at
the 500 level or above (in addition to 505, which does not count),
the passing of a proficiency examination in the Russian language, and
the passing of a comprehensive examination. Students choosing the Contemporary
Russian Studies track write a thesis on which their comprehensive examination
will be based. Students choosing the Slavic Languages and Literatures
option must submit a major research paper or research portfolio if
they hope to pursue the PhD in the department. (Thesis and dissertation
courses are normally offered during the academic year only. Under exceptional
circumstances a student may petition the Graduate Committee for enrollment
in RUSS 897, 898, 997, 999 or SLAV 897, 898, 997, 999 as appropriate
during the summer. The deadline for such petitions is April 1.)
Slavic Languages and Literatures Track |
At least 6 hours in 19th-century literature and at least 6 hours
in 20th-century literature, plus:
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RUSS 501 Readings in Social Sciences (3 credits)
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RUSS 503 Advanced Russian (3 credits)
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RUSS 504 Advanced Russian II (3 credits)
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RUSS 505 Advanced Conversation (1 credit; must be taken until
the Russian proficiency exam is passed)
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RUSS 701 Proseminar (multidisciplinary course) (3 credits)
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Contemporary Russian Studies Track |
RUSS 501 Readings in the Social Sciences (3 credits)
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RUSS 503 Advanced Russian (3 credits)
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RUSS 505 Advanced Conversation (must be taken
until the Russian proficiency exam is passed)
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3 hours of graduate-level folklore and traditional
culture
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6 hours of graduate-level 19th- and 20th-century Russian literature
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9 hours of graduate-level Russian history and Russian government
(both subjects must be represented)
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3 hours of approved graduate-level anthropology, sociology, economics,
law, art, music, or folklore dealing with contemporary Russia
RUSS 895--MA Thesis (3 credits)
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NB: Language courses (except RUSS 501, RUSS
503, and RUSS 504) do not count toward the 30 hours.
Students who can demonstrate equivalent preparation in any course(s) listed above
in any option will not be required to repeat the course(s). They may substitute
other course(s) with departmental approval for credit toward the MA degree. Conversely
if a student's preparation in any area is found inadequate, he/she will be required
to take appropriate course(s) in addition to those above, possibly without graduate
credit and/or without credit toward the MA degree.
Incompletes
(request form available at http://www.virginia.edu/slavic/forms/incomplete_request_form.pdf)
Students are expected to complete their course work
on time. Students who wish to receive an incomplete in a course must obtain
the permission of the instructor and approval from the Graduate Advisor.
All incomplete work must be finished by the end of the next semester (this
includes the Summer Session) in which the student is in residence. Otherwise,
the report of "incomplete" will automatically be changed to a failing
grade by the University Registrar.
Sequence
Guidelines
- Students should plan on taking two years (four
semesters) to complete the requirements for the MA degree, and these
sequence guidelines are based on that assumption. However, any student
who wishes to proceed at a faster pace will be encouraged to do so.
The Russian Proficiency Examination should normally
be taken by the end of the third semester of graduate study.
The Comprehensive Examination should be taken
by the end of the fourth semester of graduate study.
The thesis, long research paper, or research portfolio
should also be completed by the end of the fourth semester of graduate
study.
Candidates wishing to receive their degree either
in May or August must follow the regulations of the Graduate School
of Arts and Sciences with regard to deadlines. It is the responsibility
of the candidate to learn what the deadlines are in any given year
and to follow them.
- Graduate
School of Arts and Sciences deadlines
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- Examinations
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- Russian Proficiency Examination
The MA Russian Language Examination has both a written (3 hour)
and an oral (10-20 minute) component. CRS students must do
an additional translation exam (1 hour).
The CRS translation exam consists of an unseen passage for translation
from Russian into English. Use of a dictionary is permitted
on the translation exam.
The oral component is scheduled and administered only after the
written component has been passed, or in the case of CRS, after the
written and the translation exam have both been passed, and consists
of a conversation between the student and several members of the
faculty.
Students must pass the MA Russian Language Examination before they
may take the Comprehensive Examination. The MA Russian Language Examination
may be taken in the same semester as the Comprehensive Exam, or it
may be taken in a previous semester. The Language Examination may
be taken multiple times and most students will find it to their advantage
to take it early (typically the first or second semester of the MA
program). The Language Examination is offered only once per semester,
usually within the first month of classes. On the MA Russian Language
Examination, the level of performance expected for students continuing
on to the doctoral program is higher than the minimum required to
pass.
- Comprehensive Examination
The written comprehensive examination, for students
electing the Slavic Languages and Literatures track, lasts for three
hours and consists of identifications, essay questions, and an analysis
of a text. The oral examination lasts one hour. The examination
will be graded as a whole, but students will not be permitted to
take the oral examination if the written examination is clearly
a failure. The comprehensive examination for the Contemporary Russian
Studies option consists of an oral defense of the thesis.
Retaking Examinations
The Department faculty places no restriction on the number of times
a student may attempt any examination in the MA program. However, permission
to attempt an examination for a third time must be obtained in writing
from the Department Chair. Each student's case will be judged individually.
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- Time of Examinations
- Examinations are given at regular intervals
during the academic year, and it is each student's responsibility
to learn the exact times that examinations are given and to plan
his or her schedule accordingly.
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- The Russian Proficiency Examination is ordinarily
given once each semester, approximately a month after the start
of classes.
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- The Comprehensive Examination is given once
each semester, approximately a month before the end of classes.
All MA non-course examinations (MA Comprehensive, Russian and other
Slavic Proficiency, Contemporary Russian Studies oral defense) must
be taken between the first and last day of classes during the fall
or spring semester excluding vacation periods.
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- M A Thesis or Research Project
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- The thesis required in Contemporary Russian
Studies track should be an original piece of work. It should be
larger in scope and length than the average term paper. Theses accepted
over the last few years have ranged in length from 50 to 100 pages.
The thesis can be an extended version of a
term paper in a course or derived from work done elsewhere in
the student's program.
The candidate should submit a detailed thesis
proposal to his or her prospective supervisor (with a copy to
the Graduate Advisor). The required format for the thesis proposal
is described in a brochure available from the departmental secretary.
The thesis proposal must be approved by the prospective advisor
and the Graduate Advisor before the student proceeds with further
research and writing. Once the proposal has been accepted, the
student may register for RUSS 895 while preparing and writing
the thesis.
Each student arranges with a faculty member
to be his or her thesis supervisor. The Department Chair, in consultation
with the Graduate Advisor, assigns a second reader.
All quotations from primary Russian sources
should be given in the text in English translation with the Russian
original supplied in parentheses or footnotes as appropriate.
In the case of poetry, the original may be given in the text with
a prose English translation in the footnotes. In all matters of
form follow the MLA Style Sheet (for theses in literature) or
LSA Style Sheet (for theses in linguistics). Be sure to seek advice
in these matters from your thesis supervisor.
A copy of the thesis must be submitted to
the Slavic Department.
- The long research paper or research portfolio for the Slavic
Languages and Literatures track may be either a research paper
submitted in a course taken during the program or it may be a portfolio. A
portfolio consists of major problem-solving assignments (in linguistics)
or detailed reports on field work and collections projects (in
folklore). Students should consult the Director of Graduate Studies
for further information.
Pertinent Materials
Transliteration
of Russian chart
Thesis/dissertation proposal form
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Revised 06/14/05
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