Master 2025/2026

Research Seminar "Critical Theory and Research Methods"

Type: Compulsory course (Russian and Comparative Literature)

Delivered by: School of Philological Studies

When: 1 year, 3 module

Open to: students of one campus

Language: English

Course Syllabus

Abstract

The course aims to introduce students to the main directions and trends in contemporary literary theory, literary anthropology, and the humanities, with a focus on current international scholarship and the research interests of graduate students. In the sessions, we will discuss the primary vectors of development in literary studies as a discipline within the interdisciplinary framework of the humanities. The course will help identify paradigms and concepts suitable for addressing the research problems that students place at the center of their academic work. The main format of the course is a seminar that revolves around: • Discussion of the research question in the student's academic project. • Examination of the theoretical and conceptual framework used to address the research problem. • Debate on the assumptions, advantages, and limitations of the chosen methodological approach. • Final presentation of the student’s research work in the context of the discussed ideas and concepts. By the end of the course, students should be able to navigate contemporary theory and apply methods of critical text analysis in their work. Assessment will include the submission of the methodological section of the student’s research as an essay, active participation in seminars (both as a participant and as a discussion moderator) in English, and the presentation of the student’s research as an academic report.