Welcome to the web pages of the English Language Department of Samara State University, in which we aim to give a guide to the Department and to the courses it offers.

The English Language Department is a constituent department of the Philological Faculty comprising also the German Language Department, the Russian and Foreign Literature Department, and the Russian Language Department. The Departments cooperate well with each other, but to some extent lead separate existences.

The aims of the English Language Department are:
1. to achieve excellence over a broad spectrum of students' language skills
2. to provide high quality teaching informed by current research
3. to foster better understanding of the English speaking culture through integrated approach to the study of English

The English Language Department was founded in 1978, and since then Professor Kharkovskaya has been the head of the Department. Nowadays the staff number has risen to 30, and the academic staff cover in their research and teaching a large variety of fields within language study - ranging for instance from the syntax of colloquial English (diachronic aspect) to communicative strategies in intercultural business space. The Department members (jointly with the German Language Department) publish their research papers in annual collections, as well as in 'Vestnik SamGU' quarterly. We have already published 26 annual collections of research papers. Members of our Department regularly make presentations at international and all-Russia professional gatherings (in Moscow, Budapest, Leeds, Glasgo, Izhevsk, etc.) Some of the members have won grants for research abroad (in Canada, in the USA, etc.) Some are TESOL members and participate in TESOL activities in Samara.

Though the Department is relatively young, students are taught by professionals in their field. Our Department members regularly 'recharge their academic batteries' in Great Britain (Oxford, Leeds, Glasgo, Guildford), in the USA (Grand Forks, N.Dak.), in Canada (Kingston, Ontario), as well as in Belgium, Hungary, etc. The Department has lately played host to native English speaking teachers. We want to thank Michael Swan (Prof.), D. Walker (Prof.), D. Hanns (Prof.), Erik Owen, Tim Lumans, Melissa Wolfgang, Angela Nissing, Kevin McCaughey, Stephen Phillips, Brian Carlysle, and Mark Schenken for their creative ideas and brilliant lectures. Students have also benefitted from attending lectures of our guests from MGU (Moscow) and Saint-Petersburg University - Professors S. Ter-Minasova, N. Gvishiani and L. Chakhoyan.

The English Language Department teaches courses in accordance with the State Educational Standard of the Russian Federation, and prepares specialists in Philology. Graduates can also get the additional qualifications "Teacher" and "Translator". Since 1998 the Department also provides courses for "Translator in the Sphere of Professional Communication" additional qualification. A wide range of courses is taught at both undergraduate and Candidate of Philology (equivalent of American PhD) levels. The list of the courses can be found on our 'Courses Taught' web page.

Our students are our special care. We take pride in exercising an individual approach to every one of them, and there is nothing that we value more than their success. There is a demand for our graduates, as many of them work in Universities all over Russia, as well as in business spheres mostly as translators and interpreters.