Undergraduate courses Foreign and Regional Languages, Literature and Civilisations Track Russian
This programme is taught in French.
field(s) of training :
Arts, Literature, Languages
diploma level :
Bachelor's degree (three-year degree)
duration of the program :
3 years
Course overview
Russian is the official language of the largest country in the world. Russian is also a historically and culturally important language, used in many countries and cultural productions from Eastern Europe to Central Asia.
You want to learn more about this language and discover new linguistic and civilisational perspectives? The bachelor’s degree in Foreign and Regional Languages, Literature and Civilisations specialised in Russian will teach you the practical and cultural uses of Russian!
This three-year full-time programme is multidisciplinary and trains you in various aspects of the Russian language. To do so, the curriculum offers comprehensive courses on linguistics, literature and culture. Moreover, thanks to the practical and vocational courses, you will acquire know-how and transferrable skills useful to determine your future career.
Highlights
The bachelor’s programme works hand in hand with local organisations which contribute to spread Russian culture in France:
- Franco-Russian association Davai
- Honfleur Russian cinema festival
- Caen music conservatory
Thanks to these partnerships, you will be able to take part in cultural activities related to Russian.
Welcoming international students
Since 2019, the University of Caen Normandy has been awarded the "Bienvenue en France" label by Campus France, highlighting the quality of the university's welcome for international students.
Application requirements
Entry requirements
To enter this master’s, you do not need to speak Russian. However, you should
- Be interested in studying, reading, and various fields of culture
- Have completed secondary education, and obtained a high school diploma equivalent to the French baccalaureate
Language proficiency requirements
Minimum French proficiency level required: B2
Minimum Russian proficiency level required (for Year 2, none for Year 1): A2
Specific conditions
Within the Faculty of Foreign Languages, the Applied Foreign Languages and the Foreign and Regional Languages, Literature and Civilisations bachelor’s degrees belong to the same department. As such, if you are registered in one of these programmes, you can change programme any time during the year to attend another bachelor’s of the same department.
Apply and register
The registration process takes place in 3 steps:
Application process
Admission and registration requirements may vary depending on your nationality, country of residence, foreign secondary school leaving certificate, and the nature of your programme of study. Discover how to apply to the University of Caen Normandy.
Course structure
Courses
- Take place on site in Campus 1 (Caen), within the Faculty of Foreign Languages of the university of Caen Normandy
- Are completed by online contents on the eCampus learning platform
- Amount to 500 hours a year, around 20 hours a week
Course units
Russian proficiency is essential to the bachelor’s degree in Foreign and Regional Languages, Literature and Civilisations specialised in Russian. Main courses focus on:
- Grammar
- Linguistics
- Translation
As well as courses related to Russian-speaking culture:
- Literature
- Civilisation
In Year 1, in addition to linguistic and cultural courses, you will learn university methodology. You will also be able to choose an optional course, either to broaden your knowledge in linguistics or to support your language learning.
In Year 2, you will have to choose between various options:
- One language: to deepen your knowledge and skills in Russian
- Two languages: to attend complementary courses in another language
- As a second language: English, Icelandic, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish
- As a third language: Arabic, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian
The options will allow you to specialise in Year 3. Depending on your choice, you will be able to pursue a master’s degree in the corresponding specialities:
- Cultural Studies
- Specialised Translation
- Linguistics
- French as a Foreign Language
Besides, from Year 1 to Year 3, you will attend a French course to ensure you master the fundamentals in this language.
Internships and placements
If you choose the Introduction to Teaching optional course in Year 3, the programme will include a compulsory internship. This internship will not be graded, however, it can be acknowledged as student commitment.
Coursework and assessment
The course lasts 3 years and is divided in 6 semesters. Courses are gathered in skills to be acquired, which make up course units. Course units are gathered in 2 skills units, a disciplinary skills unit and a transferrable skills unit.
Each course is graded through coursework only, from 0 to 20, 20 being the best grade: assessments can take place either in class, during the 12 weeks of training, or at the end of these weeks, during the 2 weeks dedicated to exams, or both. There are no final exams at the end of the semester or of the year, and you cannot retake an exam.
Grade compensation is organised without eliminatory marks and on the basis of the general average obtained in every course unit:
- For the courses of a same course unit and a same skill unit
- Over each semester
- Over the 2 semesters of a same year
Years do not compensate each other.
To successfully complete a semester, you must have an average mark of at least 10 points out of 20. If you have not completed your semester, you can retake the courses units you failed; you do not have to retake the courses in which you have obtained at least 10 points out of 20.
Language
French
Russian
Study abroad
“In a text, there is always a part up for interpretation, a proposition of a world one could inhabit and, as such, envision as a very personal possibility.” The question is: how can one grasp “the work’s world” if one has never experienced a change of scenery themselves? And how can one grasp the fundamentals of a society without exposing themselves daily to the society’s contemporary politics, society and culture?
Until travel possibilities to Russian-speaking countries resume, you can still benefit from university exchanges through networks and programmes such as the the Quebec student exchange programme (BCI), the ISEP and Asia Exchange, allowing you to travel to various destinations: Africa, South America, Asia, Australia, Canada, United States of America, Europe, United Kingdom (including Warwick and Birmingham). You can’t speak Thai, Korean or Norwegian? Don’t worry: many universities offer courses in English.
Is going abroad expensive? It may be, depending on the destinations. You can go abroad for less than 500 euros, and you can benefit from cumulative financial supports (including scholarships).
When can I go abroad? Most students go abroad in Year 3, for a year or for the second semester. To do so, you need to apply for an exchange during the previous year.
You want to learn more about financial supports or discover other ways to go abroad? Read more (all in resources are in French) on the dedicated page of the Faculty of Foreign Languages and or that of the Service for the international mobility programmes, which co-organises study exchanges and international internships. You will also discover the experiences of other students who took these opportunities!
Learning outcome
By the end of this course, you will acquire knowledge and skills related to Russian culture and language, notably in:
- Linguistics
- Translation
- Literature
- Civilisation
As such, you will be able to:
- Analyse and present any type of documents
- Use informatics, digital, audio-visual supports
- Master research and documentation tools
- Master written and oral skills
- Listen, understand and interact with Russian speakers and content
- Work in autonomy and in group
- Plan and manage a personal project
- Develop critical thinking
Further study
Once you’ve obtained your bachelor’s degree, you can pursue studies in literature, civilisation, linguistics, translation and multicultural exchanges. The University of Caen Normandy offers the following master’s degrees:
- Foreign and Regional Languages, Literature and Civilisations
- Cultural Studies: Literature and Civilisation
- Multilingual Linguistics
- Teaching, Educating and Training
- Secondary Education: Russian as a Foreign Language
- Primary Education
- Training Practices & Engineering: Educational Mobility and Tourism
- Linguistics
- French as a Foreign Language
- Linguistics and Data Processing
- Translation and Interpretation
- Book and Publishing
- Publishing
- Library science
- Applied Foreign Languages
- European Projects Manager
- Sustainable development: Consultation and Communication Strategies
- Starting a Business Abroad
Careers
The bachelor’s degree is the first step to pursue careers related to Russian language. According to our last surveys, 8 out of 10 students went further with their studies after graduating from their bachelor’s degree. Hence your career will depend on your specialisation and the diploma you pursue after your bachelor’s.
Once you have specialised in Russian language and culture, you can work in the following fields:
- Culture
- Teaching
- Communication
- Administration
- Cultural mediation
- Translation
- Publishing, documentation, library
- International public services
- Research, after completing a PhD
You will find work in both private and public sectors, and will be able to take the public service examinations.
Address
Université de Caen Normandie
UFR LVE · Langues vivantes étrangères
MLI · Maison des langues et de l’international
Esplanade de la Paix · CS 14032 · 14032 CAEN cedex 5
France
Course leader
formation : Caroline Berenger · caroline.berenger@unicaen.fr