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Information for MA programmes in Russian Studies; Central and South-East European Studies and Russian and East European Literature and Culture
- Welcome
As part of SSEES and UCL, you now have unrivalled access to various resources, for example the excellent UCL and SSEES libraries.
We also pride ourselves for what goes on outside the classroom – be it the rich programme of high-profile international speakers, conferences, and seminars or various extracurricular opportunities for UCL students. This document provides you with some of the most important information about your time at SSEES.
Please take your time also to read the SSEES Student Handbook for more details and do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.
Our Masters programmes can be taken either as 1-year full-time study or 2-year part-time study.
In these degrees you will get a unique opportunity to develop expertise in the disciplines of the languages, cultures, history, and politics of Russia and Eastern Europe and to apply this expertise to understanding the social, cultural, and political world around us, developing skills essential for a whole range of future careers, with particular attention focused on the study of the areas with which the School of Slavonic and East European Studies is primarily concerned: the countries of Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe, and Russia.
- Key Dates
Term Dates
Please see the Student Handbook for current dates of term and college closures.
- Russian Studies MA Structure
Students undertake and pass, or be condoned in, modules to the value of 180 credits. The pass mark is 50.
Full-time students must register for 180 credits including the 60-credit MA Dissertation.
Part-time students must register for 180 credits over the two years, in a balance agreed by the Programme Coordinator. The 60-credit Dissertation is taken in the second year.
The non-condonable module for this programme is the SEES0123 MA Dissertation.
This is a multi-disciplinary programme. Nevertheless, students are required to gain a thorough methodological and theoretical grounding in disciplinary study and hence must choose between one of the following three tracks. Students are advised to choose a methodology module that will prepare them for the field in which they plan to write their dissertation.- Literature Track
- History Track
- Politics Track
Please note that the MA Russian Studies Programme does not have a track in Economics and Business and students may not write their dissertation on an Economics and Business topic. No more than 30 credits of Economics modules may be taken as part of one of the three tracks above.Compulsory Module - Dissertation (60 credits)
SEES0123 - Dissertation (60 credits) - the Dissertation must be written on a topic related to literature, history or politics. The Dissertation is non-condonable.
SEES0092 - Dissertation Preparation Programme (0 credits)
Compulsory Module - Methodology (30 credits)
This is a multi-disciplinary programme. Nevertheless, students are required to gain a thorough methodological and theoretical grounding in disciplinary study and hence must choose between one of the following three tracks. Students are advised to choose a methodology module that will prepare them for the field in which they plan to write their dissertation.Literature Track - SEES0047 Literary and Cultural Theory (30 credits)
History Track - SEES0052 Historical Methods and Approaches (30 credits)
Politics Track - Core module (15 credits) SEES0117 Political Sociology
Plus ONE module from the following (15 credits):
SSEES0128 Qualitative Methods (15 credits)
SEES0103 Comparative Analysis in Social and Political Research (15 credits)
SEES0096 Interdisciplinary Area Studies (15 credits)Optional Courses - total of 90 credits from any SSEES MA module (Level 7). Please refer to https://www.ucl.ac.uk/ssees/graduate-module-listings to see the full range of modules and which are not running this year. The list below is indicative.
SEES0041 Literatures of Rupture: Modernism in Russia and Eastern Europe (30 credits)
SEES0081 Causes, Consequences and Control: Corruption and Governance (30 credits)
SEES0091 Informal Practices in Post-Communist Societies (15 credits)
SEES0064 Discourses of Empire and Identity: The Nineteenth-Century Novel in Russian (30 credits)
SEES0084 Russian Foreign Policy (30 credits)
SEES0085 Russian Politics (30 credits)
SEES0060 Russian Monarchy: Court Ritual and Political Ideas, 1498-1917 (15 credits)
Theory and Methodology
SEES0161 Introduction to Hermeneutics: How to Read and Interpret Texts (15 credits)
If not already taken as a compulsory course:
SEES0052 Historical Methods and Approaches (30 credits)
SEES0047 Literary and Cultural Theory (30 credits)
SEES0106 Introduction to Discourse Analysis (15 credits)
SEES0107 Understanding and Analysing Data (15 credits)
SEES0128 Qualitative Methods (15 credits)
MA 30 credit Language Courses - only one of these may be taken
SEES0066 New Language: Russian (30 credits)
SEES0153 Low Intermediate: Russian (30 credits)
SEES0067 Intermediate Russian (30 credits)
SEES0068 Intermediate Plus: Russian (30 credits)
SEES0075 Advanced Russian (30 credits)
SEES0076 Advanced Superior : Russian (30 credits)
Subject to approval, optional courses up to the value of 30 credits may be taken from another SSEES MA programme or from another MA programme within UCL (Anthropology, History, European Studies, Comparative Literature, etc).
- Russian and East European Literature and Culture MA Structure
Students undertake and pass, or be condoned in, modules to the value of 180 credits. The pass mark is 50.
Full-time students must register for 180 credits including the 60-credit Dissertation.
Part-time students must register for 180 credits over the two years, in a balance agreed by the Programme Coordinator. The 60-credit Dissertation is taken in the second year.
The non-condonable modules for this programme are the SEES0123 MA Dissertation and SEES0047 Literary and Cultural Theory.
Compulsory Modules (90 credits)
SEES0123 - Dissertation (60 credits) - non-condonable
SEES0092 - Dissertation Preparation Programme (0 credits)
SEES0047 - Literary and Cultural Theory (30 credits) - non-condonable
Optional Courses - total of 90 credits from any SSEES MA module (Level 7). Please refer to https://www.ucl.ac.uk/ssees/graduate-module-listings to see the full range of modules and which are not running this year. The list below is indicative.
SEES0064 Discourses of Empire and Identity: The Nineteenth-Century Novel in Russian (30 credits)
SEES0072 Nabokov and Russian Émigré Literature (30 credits)
SEES0041 Literatures of Rupture: Modernism in Russia and Eastern Europe (30 credits)
SEES0161 Introduction to Hermeneutics: How to Read and Interpret Texts (15 credits)
Language course (30 credits)- only one of the below may be taken:
SEES0066 Russian as a New Language (30 credits)
SEES0153 Low Intermediate: Russian (30 credits)
SEES0067 Intermediate Russian (30 credits)
SEES0068 Intermediate Plus: Russian (30 credits)
SEES0075 Advanced Russian (30 credits)
SEES0076 Advanced Superior: Russian (30 credits)
SEES0028 New Language Bulgarian (30 credits)
SEES0029 New Language Czech (30 credits)
SEES0038 New Language Estonian (30 credits)
SEES0030 New Language Finnish (30 credits)
SEES0031 New Language Hungarian (30 credits)
SEES0032 New Language Polish (30 credits)
SEES0033 New Language Romanian (30 credits)
SEES0034 New Language Serbian/Croatian (30 credits)
SEES0036 New Language Slovene (30 credits)
SEES0037 New Language Ukrainian (30 credits)
SEES0019 Intermediate Czech (30 credits)
SEES0021 Intermediate Hungarian (30 credits)
SEES0023 Intermediate Romanian (30 credits)
SEES0022 Intermediate Polish (30 credits)
SEES0024 Intermediate Serbian/Croatian (30 credits)
SEES0026 Intermediate Slovene (30 credits)SEES0027 Intermediate Ukrainian (30 credits)
Subject to approval, optional courses up to the value of 30 credits may be taken from other SSEES MA Programmes or from other UCL MA Programmes. Relevant choiuces might include:
SEES0089 Nations, Identity and Power in Central and Eastern Europe (15 credits)
SEES0060 Russian Monarchy: Court Ritual and Political Ideas, 1498-1917 (15 credits)
Modules in other UCL Departments
Please check in the UCL Module Catalogue if these modules are running.
LITCG003 Comparative Literary Studies (30 credits)
LITCG006 Apocalypse Literature (30 credits)
TRTPG001 Translation Studies (30 credits)
FRENGF01 Theories and Practices of Film (30 credits)
FILMGG01 Moving Images, Technologies, Forms, Receptions (30 credits)
- Central and South-East European Studies MA Structure
Students undertake and pass, or be condoned in, modules to the value of 180 credits. The pass mark is 50.
Full-time students must register for 180 credits including the 60-credit Dissertation.
Part-time students must register for 180 credits over the two years, in a balance agreed by the Programme Coordinator. The 60-credit Dissertation is taken in the second year.
The non-condonable module for this programme is the SEES0123 MA Dissertation.
Compulsory Modules (90 credits)
SEES0123 - Dissertation (60 credits) - the Dissertation must be written on a topic related to literature, history or politics. The Dissertation is non-condonable.
SEES0092 - Dissertation Preparation Programme (0 credits)
This is a multi-disciplinary programme. Nevertheless, students are required to gain a thorough methodological and theoretical grounding in disciplinary study and hence must choose between ONE of the following three tracks. Students are advised to choose a methodology module that will prepare them for the field in which they plan to write their dissertation.
Literature Track - SEES0047 Literary and Cultural Theory (30 credits)
History Track - SEES0052 Historical Methods and Approaches (30 credits)
Politics Track - Core module (15 credits) SEES0117 Political Sociology
Plus ONE module from the following (15 credits):
SSEES0128 Qualitative Methods (15 credits)
SEES0103 Comparative Analysis in Social and Political Research (15 credits)
SEES0096 Interdisciplinary Area Studies (15 credits)The degree programme in Central and South-East European Studies does not have a track in Economics and Business.Students may not write a dissertation on an Economics and Business topic. No more than 30 credits of Economics modules may be taken as part of this programme.
Optional modules - total of 90 credits from any SSEES MA module (Level 7). Please refer to https://www.ucl.ac.uk/ssees/graduate-module-listings to see the full range of modules and which are not running this year. The list below is indicative.
Area-Based Courses
SEES0015 The Jews in Polish Culture: Beyond Stereotypes (30 credits)
SEES0090 Cities in Eastern Europe (15 credits)
SEES0058 The Crisis Zone: Central Europe 1900-1990 (15 credits)
SEES0091 Informal Practices in Post-Communist Societies (15 credits)
SEES0125 Little Hitlers? Right Radicalism in Central and Eastern Europe, 1900-1945 (15 credits)
SEES0080 The Making of the Modern Ukraine (30 credits)
SEES0053 Metropolis: History of Berlin 1871-1990 (15 credits)
SEES0089 Nations, Identity and Power in Central and Eastern Europe (15 credits)
SEES0099 Baltic Politics and Society (15 credits)
SEES0087 Security, Identity, Polarity: The Contemporary Debates (30 credits)
Theory and Methodology Courses
SEES0161 Introduction to Hermeneutics: How to Read and Interpret Texts (15 credits)
SEES0106 Introduction to Discourse Analysis (15 credits)
SEES0107 Understanding and Analysing Data (15 credits)
SEES0128 Qualitative Methods (15 credits)
If not already taken as a compulsory course:
SEES0047 Literary and Cultural Theory (30 credits)
SEES0052 Historical Methods and Approaches (30 credits)
Language course (30 credits)- only one of the below may be taken:
SEES0066 New Language: Russian (30 credits)
SEES0153 Low Intermediate: Russian (30 credits)
SEES0067 Intermediate Russian (30 credits)
SEES0068 Intermediate Plus: Russian (30 credits)
SEES0075 Advanced Russian (30 credits)
SEES0076 Advanced Superior: Russian (30 credits)
SEES0028 New Language Bulgarian (30 credits)
SEES0029 New Language Czech (30 credits)
SEES0038 New Language Estonian (30 credits)
SEES0030 New Language Finnish (30 credits)
SEES0031 New Language Hungarian (30 credits)
SEES0032 New Language Polish (30 credits)
SEES0033 New Language Romanian (30 credits)
SEES0034 New Language Serbian/Croatian (30 credits)
SEES0036 New Language Slovene (30 credits)
SEES0037 New Language Ukrainian (30 credits)
SEES0019 Intermediate Czech (30 credits)
SEES0021 Intermediate Hungarian (30 credits)
SEES0023 Intermediate Romanian (30 credits)
SEES0022 Intermediate Polish (30 credits)
SEES0024 Intermediate Serbian/Croatian (30 credits)
SEES0026 Intermediate Slovene (30 credits)SEES0027 Intermediate Ukrainian (30 credits)
Subject to approval, optional courses up to the value of 30 credits may be taken from another SSEES MA programme or from another MA programme within UCL (Anthropology, History, European Studies, Comparative Literature etc.).
- Award Requirement
From 2018/19 any student fully enrolled will be subject to new Progression and Award Requirements including new condonement regulations. Condonement is the system which allows a small amount of failure across the entire degree, provided certain conditions are met.
The condonable range for graduate modules (level 7) is 40.00%-49.99%
The Dissertation is non-condonable. Other modules may also be non-condonable; please see the individual programme descriptions above.In order to be awarded a Taught Masters the student should Pass all modules. A student who does not pass all modules will meet the Progression and Award Requirements if they meet all of the following condonement criteria:
Pass all non-condonable modules, AND
Attain marks in the condonable range in no more than 30 taught credits AND
Pass the remaining taught credits AND
Pass the Dissertation AND
Achieve a credit-weighted mean of at least 50.00% across all credits.- Examination Procedures
The examinations period is provisionally scheduled from the start of Term 3 until the second week of June. Students must be available to attend examinations throughout this entire period.
All module registrations must be completed on Portico by the end of the second week of teaching. From this point students must not change the registration of Term 1 modules. The registration of Term-2-only modules may be changed until the end of Reading Week of Term 1.
All students are required to reply to any request, whether from their department or from UCL Registry (via Portico) to confirm their module registration as correct.
The SSEES MA (Umbrella) Board of Examiners decides on the class of degree you receive.
Special Examination Arrangements
Special Examination Arrangements (SEAs) are adjustments to central or departmental written examinations which can be made as a Reasonable Adjustment for students with a disability or longer-term condition or as a form of mitigation for students with shorter-term medical Extenuating Circumstances. This may include, but is not limited to extra time, a separate room, rest breaks and specialist equipment. Students must make an application to use the special examination facilities.
Further information:
- Special Examination Arrangements – guidance and forms
- Special Examination Arrangements – regulations
- Student Disability Services
- Reasonable Adjustments regulations
UCL recognises that some students can experience serious difficulties and personal problems which affect their ability to complete an assessment such as a sudden, serious illness or the death of a close relative. Students need to make sure that they notify UCL of any circumstances which are unexpected, significantly disruptive and beyond their control, and which might have a significant impact on their performance at assessment. UCL can then put in place alternative arrangements, such as an extension or a deferral of assessment to a later date. The Extenuating Circumstances Panel will determine the nature and timing of the deferral, which may be offered with or without tuition/ attendance.
More information can be found in the UCL Academic Manual.
You can make an EC request through Portico. All claims will be reviewed by the SSEES EC Panel, no matter which department teaches the module(s) concerned, Initial enquiries regarding your EC requests should go to the Student Support Officer and sent to the email address ssees-extenuating-circumstances@ucl.ac.uk
You should attach appropriate supporting evidence. Forms of appropriate evidence are set out in the SSEES Documentary Evidence Requirements available on the Current Students website.
The same EC request procedure should be used to apply for all forms of mitigation for short-term unexpected circumstances, including short extensions to coursework deadlines of up to one week, special assessment arrangements such as extra time in examinations, or other forms of mitigation, including longer extensions, or deferral of an examination to a later date.
Further information is available in the Grounds for Extenuating Circumstances
Requests for extensions or other mitigations in examinations will only be considered where the circumstances meet the definition of an extenuating circumstance. Guidance is provided (Grounds for Extenuating Circumstances) to help you assess whether an EC claim might be considered – you are encouraged to review this guidance before submitting your claim. You will be contacted once a decision has been made about your request. Wherever possible such requests should be submitted well before the deadline. Please note that routine computer problems such as viruses, disk corruption, printer problems, and short term network problems are not acceptable grounds for an extension. You are expected to take proper precautions and make back-up copies of your work and allow enough time to produce your work in hard-copy.
If you do not present evidence your claim it is likely to be rejected.
Extensions cannot be granted retrospectively or by individual Course Tutors and must be submitted on Portico.
Reasonable Adjustments and Special Exam Arrangements.
UCL will make Reasonable Adjustments to learning, teaching and assessment to ensure that students with a disability are not put at a disadvantage. UCL also provides Reasonable Adjustments for students who might not consider themselves to have a ‘disability’ but who nevertheless would benefit from additional support due to an ongoing medical or mental health condition. It is the responsibility of the student to request Reasonable Adjustments, and students are encouraged to make a request as early as possible. please see link above for more details.
You can find further information about Reasonable Adjustments in the Academic Manual.
You should request Reasonable Adjustments via Disability Services. You can find futher information on Disability Services' website.
- Reasonable Adjustments
Special Examination Arrangements
Student Disability Services
Student Psychological Services
Student Support and WellbeingIt is your responsibility to ensure that you are correctly entered for the right exams, that your exam is timetabled, that you have completed the extenuating circumstances form if required, and that you login to your exams at the right time/day (and if you have in-person exams that you attend the right location). If you fail to follow these guidelines, then your degree result and opportunity to progress to the next year may be jeopardised.
Further information:
Extenuating Circumstances Regulations
Grounds for Extenuating Circumstances
If you wish to be considered for extenuating circumstances, then you should submit a extenuating circumstances request via Portico supported by medical certificate or other evidence if required. This information will be treated in confidence and the results will be decided by the Extenuating Circumstance panel.
- Calculation of Degree Classification
For all the above Masters Programmes the final Award is calculated using an Overall Average Mark. Individual Modules are weighted according to their credited value and the overall mark represents the mean average of the 180 credits undertaken. (Credit-weighted mean average rounded to two decimals.)
Numerical Marking Scheme Letter Grade Marking Scheme Distinction A weighted mark greater or equal to 69.5%
OR
A weighted mark greater or equal to 68.5% AND Modules of at least 70.00% in at least 50% of the credits.
Merit A weighted mark greater or equal to 59.5%
OR
A weighted mark greater or equal to 58.5% AND Modules of at least 60.00% in at least 50% of the credits.
Pass Meets Award Requirements. If a Student does not meet the above requirements they will be considered for an interim Qualification if they meet the required learning outcomes and credits. Please see the Academic Manual for more details.
Consequences of Failure of a Module
Students who obtain a mark below the condoned mark range will be required to re-enter that examination at the next normal occasion. Students with no (EC) Extenuating Circumstances will be permitted one re-assessment opportunity.
Students awarded the degree or who have passed a module will not be permitted to repeat assessment of that module.