Department of World Literature and Culture

Department of World Literature and Culture was established in 1989 and in the past years has become an integral part of the School of International Journalism, as well as an important participant in the curricula of other Schools at MGIMO.

The philosophy of the Department combines innovative theoretical approaches in the field of cultural studies with a solid grounding in the traditional methods of philology, critical analysis and literary interpretation. The courses offered by the Department explore human history through major works of literature and art, through the history of ideas. They cover Russian, Western and Oriental literatures, give a general introduction into cultural studies. The courses reach across linguistic, historic and disciplinary boundaries; they foster historic and intercultural awareness and prepare students for their future professional involvement in international communication. In its work the Department aims at developing the creative abilities of the students, their command of the Russian language at a level necessary for creative writing and editorial work; among the faculty there are distinguished writers and journalists to help students on their way in this respect.

Courses:

• Introduction to Literary Theory. History of the Russian Literature of the 19th Century
• History of the Russian Literature of the 20th Century
• History of Foreign Literature (I)
• History of Foreign Literature (II: Western Literature of the 18th – 19th Centuries)
• History of Foreign Literature (III: Western Literature and Culture of the 20th Century)
• History of Foreign Literature (IV: Oriental Literature)
• Introduction into Cultural Studies
• Introduction into Cultural Studies (The Cultural and Religious Basis of Civilization)
• The Cultural and Religious Basis of Economic Life
• Publicists and the Cultural Consciousness of Modernity
• Modern Russian Language (the Culture of Speech)
• Stylistics and Literary Editing
• Introduction into Creative Writing
• The Culture of Leadership and Teambuilding

The Head of the Department

Yuri P. Simonov, Professor, Ph. D. in History
Since 1994 the Chair of the Department has been Professor Yuri Pavlovich Simonov (Viazemsky). He graduated from the School of International Journalism at MGIMO, and received his Ph.D. from MGIMO. Professor Simonov (Viazemsky) is well known to the general public as a writer of fiction, as well as the author and presenter of the famous intellectual TV program for teen-agers “Bright Boys, Bright Girls” (Channel 1; www.umniki.ru).
Courses: “History of Foreign Literature (I)”; “Introduction into Cultural Studies (The Cultural and Religious Basis of Civilization)”; “The Cultural and Religious Basis of Economic Life”.

Department Staff:

Alla R. Blagova, Associate Professor, Ph. D. in Philology
She graduated from Moscow State Pedagogical Institute and received her Ph.D. in modern Russian. Her scholarly interests lie in developing the methodology of teaching Russian and the study of stylistics.
Courses: “Modern Russian Language (the Culture of Speech)”.

Marina P. Kizima, Professor, Dr. habil in Philology
She graduated and received her Ph.D. and Dr. habil in Philology degrees from Moscow State University (School of Philology). The focus of her research is the history of Western literature, particularly American literature and culture.
Courses: “History of Foreign Literature (II: Western Literature of the 18th – 19th Centuries)”; “History of Foreign Literature (III: Western Literature and Culture of the 20th Century)”; “Introduction into Cultural Studies”; “Publicists and the Cultural Consciousness of Modernity”.

Natalya V. Kutukova, Associate Professor
She graduated from Moscow State University (School of Philology). Her sphere of specialization is Russian language and literature, methodology of teaching Russian to native and non-native speakers. Courses: “Introduction to Literary Theory. History of the Russian Literature of the 19th Century”; “History of the Russian Literature of the 20th Century”; “Stylistics and Literary Editing”.

Alla S. Mitrofanova, Assistant professor
She graduated from the School of International Journalism at MGIMO in 2003, works as a journalist and conducts seminars for the students of the Department (courses: “Introduction to Literary Theory. History of the Russian Literature of the 19th Century”; “History of the Russian Literature of the 20th Century”; “Introduction into Cultural Studies (The Cultural and Religious Basis of Civilization)”).