Deadline: April 30, 2021
Students seeking to improve their qualifications for Ph.D. programs or work in the professions might be interested in the University of Chicago’s Master of Arts Program in the Humanities. MAPH offers a concentration in Russian and East European Studies and also a Two-Year Language Option, which allows students in good standing to take a second year of courses devoted to language study with a 95% tuition remission (for the second year). The one-year program focuses on development of theoretical/analytical skills.
The deadline to apply for next year is April 30. A more detailed description is found below.
The concentration in Russian and East European Studies (REES) allows MAPH [and MAPSS] students to focus on the culture and politics of Central and Eastern Europe, Russian and Eurasian in depth and breadth. The student choosing this option may take courses entirely in REES, but may also choose to support their REES component with courses in areas like Art History, Cinema and Media Studies, Comparative Literature, Theatre and Performance Studies, or courses from departments in the Social Sciences, such as History, Anthropology, Political Science, or International Relations.
For students entering MAPH [or MAPSS] with background of study or heritage mastery of a REES language (Bosnian-Serbian-Croatian, Czech, Polish, Russian, etc.) or REES affiliated language (Yiddish, Hebrew, Kazakh, etc.), the REES option may be completed in the MAPH/MAPSS one year course of study. For the two-year degree, REES directed study offers courses in languages of the region, including languages offered outside the Slavic Department, such as Yiddish, Kazakh, Armenian, etc.) For either the one- or the two-year MAPH program, language courses at or beyond the 200-level may be considered as fulfilling requirements for the REES MA option. For the two-year option, it is also possible to count one year of beginning level study of a second language of the region.
Students who complete the following requirements will receive a notation on their MAPH [MAPSS] transcript of record of their concentration in Russian and East European Studies:
- The MAPH Core Course
- A designated MA REES concentration winter quarter course*
- Three additional REES courses or approved elective courses
- Proficiency in a language of the region as determined by short interview or placement examination or, for the two-year language MAPH option (TLO), successful completion of nine language courses according to the TLO guidelines **
- An MA thesis or project in Russian and European Studies under the supervision of a REES-affiliated faculty member, with approval from the Director of Graduate Studies in REES
*Designated MAPH REES concentration courses in winter 2021-2022: Bożena Shallcross, “The Holocaust Object” or Anne Eakin Moss, “Dostoevsky and Critical Theory”
** Language proficiency may also be fulfilled by summer study. Please see MAPH’s Two-Year Language Option (TLO) copied below for further information
The Two-Year language Option
The Two-year Language Option (TLO) was designed for students who require extensive language skills that exceed the Master of Arts Program in the Humanities’ (MAPH) traditional one-year curriculum. This language component is ideal for students who are interested in translation studies, need advanced proficiency for admission to a PhD program, or would like to pursue language study to enhance their academic work. TLO students must begin language study at the intermediate level or higher in at least one language.
TLO students take 9 language courses at the intermediate and advanced levels—in addition to the regular MAPH curriculum of 1 Core course, 7 electives, and 1 thesis—over two academic years. Students also have the opportunity to use the three summers of the program for language study on campus or abroad.