Course summary

Around 150 million people in the world speak Russian. It is the official language of four countries, is widely understood throughout Eastern Europe, and in the last thirty years has seen transnational mobility on an unprecedented scale. As the world's largest country, Russia plays an important role in global cultural and political contexts. This makes Russian Studies and Politics an ideal joint honours combination. Russian On this joint honours programme, you will have the opportunity to develop advanced speaking, writing, reading, listening and translating skills in Russian. Our Year 1 Russian courses are streamed according to how much of the language you already know, so it does not matter if you are a complete beginner. Over the course of your four years, you will explore Russian literature and culture, past and present. You will also develop an awareness of Russia's international political and historical contexts. Politics Politics studies the theory and practice of how societies are governed. How do our political institutions create collective rules, who has the power to make them, and what are the consequences of political decisions? What is the nature of a just society, and how do we get there? Drawing on the expertise of leading academics and researchers in the field, you will explore the origins and present-day contexts of societal conflicts about power, participation, and resources. You will not only study the processes of governance at the local, national, and international levels, but also the morality of political action, and the limits of freedom and justice. Why Edinburgh Edinburgh is a world-leading festival city filled with cinemas, theatres, galleries, libraries and collections. A cultural powerhouse, it is also a political city - seat of the Scottish Parliament, and home to a range of embassies and consulates. Our four-year programme is flexible. In Years 1 and 2, you will choose option courses from a range of disciplines in addition to your core subjects of Russian Studies and Politics. You will then specialise as you progress through your honours years. When you graduate, you will have the combination of language and humanities skills, and the international perspective, valued by employers worldwide.