Slavic Languages and Literature
Director of Graduate Studies: Michael Finke
3092 Foreign Languages Building
707 South Mathews Avenue
Urbana, IL 61801
(217) 333-0680
E-mail: slavic@illinois.edu
Major: Slavic Languages and Literatures
Degrees Offered: M.A., Ph.D.
Graduate Degree Programs
The Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures offers graduate work leading to the degrees of Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy in Slavic Languages and Literatures. Scope of the department includes Bulgarian, Czech, Old Church Slavonic, Polish, Russian, Bosnian/Serbian/ Croatian, Yiddish and Ukrainian.
Admission
Prospective graduate students of Slavic languages and literatures should have had the equivalent of at least three years of college study in the language of their proposed specialization and advanced coursework in that literature. Applicants should apply online (www.grad.illinois.edu/admissions/apply/) and submit a statement of purpose, three letters of recommendation and a writing sample. Original transcripts (with English translations if applicable) showing all undergraduate and graduate work completed should be sent to SLCL Graduate Student Services, 3070 Foreign Languages Bldg., 707 S. Mathews Ave., Urbana, IL 61801. Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores are required for all students. The applicant should ask the ETS to submit scores to institution 1836. Applicants whose native language is not English are required to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and must score at least 79 on the internet-based test (iBT); they must also pass the speaking sub-section of the iBT with a minimum score of 24 (see www.grad.illinois.edu/Admissions/instructions/04c).
Degree Requirements
*For additional details and requirements refer to the department's Graduate Programs Web pages and the Graduate College Handbook.
Master of Arts
| Required Courses: | Required Hours |
|---|---|
| RUSS 501 and 502 | 8 |
| SLAV 576 | 4 |
| HIST 560 or 551A or REES 550 or LIS 530 | 2 or 4 |
| Two 400- or 500- level literature or culture courses offered by the Slavic Department | 8 |
| Total Hours | 32 |
Minimum Hours Required Within the Unit: |
20 |
Minimum Number of 500-level Hours Required Overall in Program: |
12 |
| Other Requirements:* | |
| Minimum GPA: | 2.75 |
In addition to fulfilling the requirements of the Graduate College, candidates must pass a written examination. All students must complete 32 graduate hours of advanced courses including at least 20 in Slavic Languages and Literatures. No master's thesis is required.
Doctor of Philosophy
| Required Courses: | Required Hours |
|---|---|
| Graduate-level courses in a minor field (three courses in a single area, or two courses each in two distinct areas) and may be completed outside the department. | 12-16 |
| SLAV 576 (if not taken during MA program) | 0 or 4 |
| Language Requirement: Demonstration of knowledge of a second Slavic-area language and a research language; can be satisfied through four semesters of language study or the successful completion of a translation examination. The research language requirement can be satisfied by completion of FR 500 and 501 or GER 500 and 501, the equivalent courses in another language, or a translation exam. | |
| Thesis Hours Required – SLAV 599 (min/max applied toward degree): | 24 |
| Total Hours | 64 |
Minimum Hours Required Within the Unit: |
20 |
Minimum Hours Required in Major Field: |
20 |
| Other Requirements:* | |
| Minimum GPA: | 2.75 |
| Masters Degree Required Before Admission to PhD? | Yes |
| Qualifying Exam Required | No |
| Preliminary Exam Required | Yes |
| Final Exam/Dissertation Defense Required | Yes |
| Dissertation Deposit Required | Yes |
All candidates for the Ph.D. degree must fulfill the general requirements of the Graduate College and must have a reading knowledge of at least one non-Slavic, research related language, most often French or German. A student entering the program with a Master of Arts degree from another department or university must complete SLAV 576 - Methods in Slavic Graduate Study. In consultation with the graduate advisor, the Ph.D. student designs an individualized program of study that includes a major field in one Slavic-area literature (any national literature currently offered by the department), study in a second Slavic-area language, and a minor field. A Ph.D. preliminary examination, consisting of written and oral portions on both major and minor fields, is required. A thesis is required for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy.
Graduate Teaching Experience
Experience in teaching is considered a vital part of the graduate program and is expected as part of the academic work of all Ph.D. candidates in this program. Non-native English speakers must first pass a test of their oral English ability (see www.grad.illinois.edu/admissions/taengprof.htm).
Faculty Research Interests
Graduate courses are offered in Bulgarian, Czech, Old Church Slavonic, Polish, Russian, Bosnian/Serbian/ Croatian, Yiddish and Ukrainian languages and literatures. The faculty represent a broad range of interests and methodological approaches, including the intersections of literature and law, medicine, and psychoanalysis; Russian-Jewish Studies; intellectual history; gender, sexuality, and the body; Stalinist culture; film history and theory; Czech revival culture; nationalism and literature; Polish modernism, postmodernism, and visual culture; exilic and emigre literature; and East European pop culture.
Facilities and Resources
The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has one of the country's three outstanding Slavic library collections. The Illinois Summer Research Laboratory on Russia and Eastern Europe brings to the campus more than one hundred postdoctoral researchers from all over the country every year to take advantage of the Slavic library resources.
Centers, Programs and Institutes
The federally-funded Russian, East European, and Eurasian Center (established in 1959) is an important funding source for our graduate students and hosts a variety of conferences and speakers every year.
Financial Aid
Students may receive various forms of financial assistance, including University fellowships, Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowships, teaching assistantships, and research assistantships. There are also opportunities for part-time related work in the Slavic and East European Division of the University Library and elsewhere on the campus. Most students are awarded multiple-year support packages that include a mixture of teaching and fellowship, conditional on satisfactory progress through the program (see www.grad.illinois.edu/admissions/taengprof.htm).