BA Russian and Yiddish
About this course
Russian is one of the great literary and intellectual languages of Europe and Asia, the language of Tolstoy, Dostoevsky and Chekhov, of Pushkin's poetry, of Soviet-era dissident writing and of the extraordinary transformations that followed the Cold War. Yiddish is a Germanic language written in Hebrew script, the everyday tongue of Ashkenazi Jewish communities across Central and Eastern Europe for centuries before the catastrophe of the twentieth century, and a language whose literature, theatre and humour remain vivid and deeply studied. Together these two languages open doors into two of the most significant cultural and historical traditions of the modern world, traditions that intersect in complex and important ways. At University College London this four-year programme will take you to an advanced level in both languages. You will study grammar, translation, writing and oral expression in Russian and Yiddish alongside substantial engagement with the literatures, cultures and histories of the communities that speak them. Russian studies will bring you into contact with the political and cultural history of Russia and the Soviet Union, with contemporary Russian-language culture, and with the geopolitical questions that make Russian one of the most significant languages a Western student can study today. Yiddish studies will introduce you to a rich body of literature, to the history of European Jewry, and to questions about language, memory and cultural survival that matter well beyond any particular community. UCL's Yiddish programme is one of the most distinguished in the world, giving you access to exceptional expertise. Graduates go on to careers in diplomacy, journalism, translation and interpreting, academia, cultural organisations, international business, government and the arts. The combination of Russian and Yiddish marks you out as someone with unusual depth and curiosity, and that distinctiveness is itself an asset.
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