Application Instructions

Dear Prospective Student: Thank you for requesting information about graduate study in Slavic languages and literatures at the University of Kansas. Detailed information about our programs and an application form are enclosed. A graduate catalog will be mailed to you under separate cover by the Graduate School. Let me begin with a few words about our program. We have eleven full-time faculty, including Maria Carlson (Russian literature and culture, Russian intellectual history, the Silver Age, Bely), Edith W. Clowes (Russian literature and culture, Russian intellectual history, the Silver century Russian philosophy), Joseph L. Conrad (the Russian short story, Chekhov, Turgenev, Slavic folklore, William J. Comer (Russian language, pedagogy and culture), Marc L. Greenberg (historical linguistics, Russian, and Slovene), Maia Kipp (Russian language, literature and theatre). William J. March (Croatian and Serbian), Jadwiga Maurer (Polish language and literature, comparative Slavic literatures and linguistics), Gerald E. Mikkelson (Pushkin, Russian poetry, Soviet Russian literature, Stephen J. Parker (Nabokov, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy and Russian prose), and Yaroslava Tsiovkh (Ukrainian language and literature). Our program is particularly strong in Russian, Polish and Croatian/Serbian; occasionally other Slavic languages are taught as will. The Department also offers Beginning and Intermediate Ukrainian (as well as Albanian, Czech, Macedonian, Slovak, and Slovene through independent study) and conducts study abroad programs in Poland, Russia, Croatia. In addition, the Department plays a leading role in the KU Russian and East European Studies Center, which has forty-five faculty members in various disciplines concerning Russia and Eastern Europe. KU's Center is one of ten such federally funded centers in the United States. The Slavic collections in our libraries are substantial, ranked among the top ten in American public universities. Our Departmental website (http://www.ukans.edu/~slavic) contains further information on the Department and the University of Kansas in general. Several hundred students are enrolled in Slavic Department courses, including forty-five undergraduate majors and thirty graduate students seeking M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in Slavic programs. Teaching assistantships and fellowships supports many of the graduate students. We are particularly proud of our record of job placement of our Ph.D.'s. In the very tight market in Slavic studies, nearly all of our Ph.D.'s hold tenured or tenure-track positions in colleges and universities in the U.S. and abroad. Many of these are leading scholars in their areas of specialization. Nevertheless, you should be aware that the current market in academic employment is not especially favorable, and you would therefore be will-advised to explore a wide range of employment opportunities that would incorporate the skill and knowledge gained in a Slavic Languages and Literatures graduate program. We hope you will decide to apply to our program. To begin the application process, please fill out and return the enclosed application form (you may also download the graduate application form the Graduate School website: http://www.ukans.edu/~graduate/. In addition, all prospective applicants must submit: Results of their GRE scores, sent from the testing agency directly to the KU Slavic Department; Three letters of recommendation from previous instructors, particularly from those who are familiar with their work in Russian and Slavic studies; A one-page statement of purpose, explaining your goals, as far as they are developed, in pursuing a graduate degree in Slavic with some thought given to why you have chosen the KU program in particular; A short (one- to two-page) essay in Russian describing how you became interested in Russian (or Slavic) studies. Optionally, a sample of your scholarly work on a topic in Russian (or Slavic) linguistics or literature; A non-refundable application fee of $35.00 is required by the Graduate School. Candidates who wish to be considered for the University Fellowship should have their dossiers completed and on file at our Department by January 15. Generally, students who compete successfully for this fellowship are outstanding academics who have performed above and beyond expectation in their fields, show leadership in their field, and have a clear idea of their goals in graduate study. Candidates who have prior experience teaching a Slavic language to English-speaking students are invited to apply for graduate teaching assistantships. The application for this consists of a separate letter stating your desire to be consid3ered for the teaching assistantship, accompanied by any relevant materials that indicate your achievements in language teaching (e.g., syllabi, students' evaluations, letters from teaching supervisors). We look forward to receiving you application materials. If you have further questions about any aspect of your program, please do not hesitate to contact any of our faculty members or me. Sincerely, Prof. Stephen J. Parker Director of Graduate Studies Back to Application Menu