Institute of Central/East European and Russian-Area Studies

Paterson Hall 457
Telephone: 788-2888
Fax: 786-7501

The Institute

Director: Joan DeBardeleben

An interdepartmental committee was formed in 1963 to foster teaching, research, conferences, and publications in Soviet and East European studies at Carleton. In 1970, a separate department - the Institute of Soviet and East European Studies -was established to administer the interdisciplinary programs developed by the committee. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union at the end of l99l, the Institute of Soviet and East European Studies was renamed the Institute of Central/East European and Russian-Area Studies to reflect the changing political reality in the region. Faculty members from ten disciplines (art history, business, economics, geography, history, international affairs, law, political science, Russian, and sociology) participate regularly in the institute's activities. They are joined on an occasional basis by visiting scholars from outside the University, including invited specialists from Eastern and Central Europe and the successor states to the USSR.

In recent years the Central and East European countries and the former Soviet republics have been in the midst of a transition from one type of socio-economic, and political system to another, although they are still linked with each other by earlier historical experience, the common legacy of Soviet-style communism, and by a set of similar problems resulting from that legacy. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the field of study remains unified by a concern with understanding the nature of the transitional processes affecting the region, in their multiple social, cultural, economic and political dimensions. Institute courses and research programs focus on several broad themes. These themes are treated in historical context, with attention to historical roots and parallels of contemporary developments. Major themes include:

At the undergraduate level, the Institute offers an interdisciplinary B.A. honours program in the field. The Institute also administers a program of studies leading to a Master of Arts degree in Central/East European and Russian-Area Studies, the first of its kind in Canada. The curricula for both programs are offered largely through participating departments. The M.A. program is designed for students wishing to acquire specialized knowledge of the region, including proficiency in the use of Russian as a research tool; the approach is interdisciplinary with emphasis on the social sciences and history. Students may take advantage of the university's regular academic exchanges with post-secondary institutions in Hungary, Poland, and Russia.

Qualifying-Year Program

Applicants who have a general (pass) bachelor's degree in one of the disciplines represented in the program, or who lack sufficient area studies or language training, may be admitted to a qualifying- year program designed to raise their status to that of honours graduates in East European Studies. Students are expected to achieve high honours standing in qualifying-year courses in order to qualify for admission to the master's year.

To be eligible for admission to the qualifying-year program, an applicant must already have taken some courses in the area of East European Studies, so that by the end of the program he or she will have satisfied the basic requirements for admission to the master's program. All students are normally required to have completed the equivalent of an introductory course in Russian upon entry into the qualifying-year program.

Master of Arts

Admission Requirements

The normal requirement for admission to the master's program is an honours degree (or the equivalent), with at least high honours standing, dealing with East European Studies.

Honours graduates in other disciplines are eligible for admission provided they meet the following requirements:

Program Requirements

The specific requirements in the master's programs are the following:

East European Studies 55.598, a research essay incorporating the approaches of at least two of the disciplines represented in the program; the research essay must be combined with an additional full course, or the equivalent, chosen from those listed below (not including Russian) and must be defended orally
or
East European Studies 55.599, an M.A. thesis which must combine the interdisciplinary approach with a greater degree of originality than that required of the research essay, and which must be defended orally

In both cases (55.598, 55.599) the paper should demonstrate that its author is capable of undertaking research in Russian, or in another language used in the region. The 55.599 option cannot be taken without the specific permission of the graduate supervisor.

Proficiency in Russian may be demonstrated in one of two ways:

(a) successful completion of a written translation examination to be administered by the Institute, or

(b) completion of 36.307 (Russian Syntax) and 36.308 (Russian Translation) with a minimum grade of B+, either within two years prior to admission, or as extra to degree while enrolled in the master's program

Language courses taken to enable a student to fulfil the language requirement cannot be used to fulfil the minimum course requirements for the master's program, described above.

Students are advised to consult with the relevant departments for final course listings for 1995-96, as changes in curricula may be made too late for inclusion in the calendar; not all of the courses are offered every year. Undergraduate courses below the 400 level may be taken by qualifying-year students, and by students in the M.A. program as supplementary to the minimum M.A. requirements. (See the program description for the Institute in the Undergraduate Calendar.)

Art History

Economics

History

International Affairs

Law

Political Science

Russian

Sociology

East European Studies

Other 400 and 500 level courses may be approved by graduate advisers as Institute of Central/East European and Russian-Area Studies credits if they are deemed appropriate to a particular student's objectives.

Academic Standing

Master's candidates must obtain a grade of minimum B- on all work credited towards the degree.

Guidelines for Completion of Master's Degree

Students are normally expected to complete all requirements for the master's degree in four to six terms, although students entering the program with sufficient proficiency in Russian may complete the degree within one calendar year. Students participating in international exchanges will normally require longer to complete degree requirements.

Graduate Courses*

Other courses may be available at the University of Ottawa.