MPhil Polish Studies: The University of Manchester

Course description

Staff in Russian and East European Studies conduct research of an interdisciplinary nature across a broad range of subjects, including nineteenth- and twentieth-century literature and intellectual history; Soviet and post-Soviet cinema and the media; gender studies; nationalism and ethnic politics in Russia historically and in the post-communist period; and post-communist transition in East Central Europe. The discipline of Russian and East European Studies constitutes a core group of the Centre for Russian and Eurasian Studies, which facilitates collaboration in research and postgraduate teaching and supervision among relevant members of staff across the Faculty of Humanities.

Russian and East European Studies has been officially assessed in the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise as the best in the nation for research in its field. 35% of its research was deemed to be 'world-leading' and a total of 70% was rated as 'world-leading' or 'internationally excellent'.

Research projects of staff in the discipline of Russian and East European Studies include `Television representations of Islam as a security threat in  Russia, France and the UK' (AHRC-funded); housing as a gendered issue in twentieth-century Russia (AHRC-funded); 'Oriental Studies and Russian national identity' (AHRC-funded); 'Centering the Margins: Interdisciplinary Approaches to Marginality in Russia and Eurasia' (funded by the British Academy); and `The Memory of the Second World War in East Central Europe post-1989' (funded by the Leverhulme Trust). Conferences and workshops organised by staff in Russian include 'Imagining the West - Perceptions of the Western Other in Modern and Contemporary Eastern Europe' and `The Mass Media, Freedom of Speech and "the War on Terror" in Russia and the UK'.  A focal point for the discipline's research activity is a regular Research Seminar, which features a mix of internal and external speakers and promotes debate between staff and postgraduates across the full spectrum of their research interests.

Entry requirements

Academic entry qualification overview: Successful completion of a taught Masters course, or its overseas equivalent, with an element of research training, is a prerequisite for entry to a MPhil. A research proposal must be included with the formal application materials.

English language: Students whose first language is not English require an overall IELTS score of 7.0 with 7.0 in the writing component or a TOEFL score of 600 (paper-based test), 250 (computer-based test) or 100 (internet-based test).