The Buryat Philology Department at Irkutsk State University (ISU)
Information about the Buryat Philology Department
(All of the information on this page up until the section entitled "Information From a Former Student in the Department" is based on an interview of two professors from the Buryat Philology Department (Batlayev, S., & Khantayev, A., 2018) unless otherwise indicated by in-text citations.)
The Buryat program was founded in 1926 by Professor Kozmin, Provost Bushmakin, the folklorist Azadosky, Professor Tsibikov, and Professor Zhamtsarano ("O kafedre buryatskoy filologii", n.d.). Students in the program were able to take courses focusing on literature and linguistics, оr they could focus on area studies ("O kafedre buryatskoy filologii", n.d.). Eleven or twelve students made up the first graduating class in 1930, and that same year the program was moved to Ulan-Ude ("O kafedre buryatskoy filologii", n.d.). The program re-opened in Irkutsk in 1944 as part of the Department of History and Philology ("O kafedre buryatskoy filologii", n.d.).
Under the Department of History and Philology, the program trained Buryat language specialists and teachers alongside historians and philologists. However, in 1967 the Department of History and Philology split, and the Philology Department started training students to teach Russian language and literature along with Buryat language and literature. Students learned how to teach both languages, as there was and still is a demand for people who can teach both. Over 1000 students were trained in the program before it was turned into the Buryat Philology Department in 1989 ("O kafedre buryatskoy filologii", n.d.).
In the past year, fourteen students were able to study in the department for free, and an additional six studied for free as part of a special program opened in 1996 ("O kafedre buryatskoy filologii", n.d.). In this program, students study independently and only come to school to find out what they need to study, to review, and to take exams ("O kafedre buryatskoy filologii", n.d.). Right now, the graduation rate in the department in 80%, although only six students have gone on to receive a Ph.D from it ("O kafedre buryatskoy filologii", n.d.).
Information about the professors
There are currently 4 professors in the department:Elena Sharakshinova Konstantinova is the head of the department. She is from Buryatia, but moved to Irkutsk in 1970 to begin her studies at Irkutsk State University. Since 1970, she has remained at the university. She received her doctorate here in 1984, and in 1993 she became a senior lecturer ("Sharakshinova Elena Konstantinova", n.d.). Her interests include Buryat folklore and poetry, and she teaches courses on Buryat literature and folklore at the university ("Sharakshinova Elena Konstantinova", n.d.).Tatiana Tagarova Boroyevna is from Zaibaikail Krai, and more specifically is from an area formerly known as the Chita oblast’. She graduated from Irkutsk State University in 1978, and has worked at the university since 1987. In 1999 she received her Ph.D from the Institute of Mongolian, Buddhist, and Tibetan Studies in Ulan-Ude, and in 2002 she became a senior lecturer at Irkutsk State University ("Tagarova Tatiana Boroyevna", n.d.). She is interested in the phraseology of Mongolian languages, which is reflected in some of her course offerings, such as a course on the problems of Buryat phraseology ("Tagarova Tatiana Boroyevna", n.d.).Victoria Semonova Ilyinichina finished Irkutsk State University in 1989 and taught in a school in the Irkutsk oblast’ for a year before teaching at the university ("Semenova Victoria Ilyinichina", n.d.). She received her Ph.D in 2002 and is currently a senior lecturer ("Semenova Victoria Ilyinichina", n.d.). Her course offerings include a course on the modern Buryat language and a course on how to teach Buryat language ("Semenova Victoria Ilyinichina", n.d.). Tuyana Balapyeva Batuevna graduated from Irkutsk State University in 1994 and received her Ph.D in 2004 ("Balaryeva Tuyana Batuyevna", n.d.). She also has the title of senior lecturer, and teaches courses such as Buryat children’s literature, Russian folklore, and modern Buryat poetry ("Balaryeva Tuyana Batuyevna", n.d.).
Who studies in the department?
Usually students come from villages outside of the city to study, and most of them already know how to speak Buryat and/or studied it in school. They usually know conversational Buryat because it was spoken at home, but they often do not know academic terminology since there are not any schools where Buryat is the language of education from first to eleventh grade. If Buryat language is taught, it is taught as a separate subject. Furthermore, all official business is done in Russian, so there are not many opportunities to use the language academically.
Overall, there are not a lot of students because university courses can be expensive for those who come from rural areas. However, this year there were eight freshmen students, eight sophomores, and four juniors. There were originally five students who were in the senior class, but only two received their Bachelor’s degrees after defending their dissertations this year. One of the dissertations focused more on language, while the other was more about literature. The student who wrote her dissertation on literature even graduated with honors.
What difficulties do students face?
Like students who study in other departments, the students in the Buryat department are all different, and the problems they face are similar to the problems faced by all students. For example, students can get lazy and skip classes. Students also occasionally struggle to pay for their education. There is more funding for the Bachelor’s and Master’s programs, but since there are fewer stipends for the Ph.D program, there are currently no students studying in it.What do students do after they graduate?
The majority of graduates work in schools as teachers of Buryat and/or Russian language and literature. Those who teach in the city often teach Russian, while those who work in villages often teach Buryat. In general, there are not many Buryat teachers in Irkutsk area, but most of those who do teach the language graduated from this department. Graduates also work as writers, poets, journalists, or enter into politics.Do students from other backgrounds take classes about Buryat language or culture?
The professors never refuse to teach other students. They have had Russian students who are interested in learning the language along with American students who have studied the language and folklore. There was even a French student who studied Buryat folklore with Elena Sharakshinova for a year.What are the courses like?
Because there are only four professors, each professor offers a wide variety of courses from various disciplines. Language courses, such as old and modern Mongolian, modern Buryat, history of the Buryat language, and cross-linguistic courses (Buryat-Russian and Buryat-Mongolian) are offered. There are also literature courses such as Buryat folklore, Buryat children’s literature, Mongolian literature, and the history of Buryat literature. Finally, there are more specialized courses. For example, it is possible to take courses on the phraseology and lexicology of Buryat, and there is a course on methods used to teach Buryat literature.What goals do they have for the future?
The professors plan to continue their work preparing Buryat language specialists and studying problems related to knowledge of the language. They also plan to continue studying literature, especially since more Buryat literature is starting to appear. Even authors who write in Russian have recently written about topics related to Buryat culture.Information from a former student in the department:
(All of the information in this section is based on an interview of a student (Semyonova, 2018) who recently graduated from the Buryat Philology Department.)Her background.
The girl we interviewed is from Irkutsk oblast’ and spoke Buryat before coming to the university, although she noted that due to the fact that there are many different dialects it can be difficult to understand Buryat people from other areas. She originally planned on studying Russian philology, but she was lacking courses in history so she ended up enrolling in the Department of Buryat Philology. Interestingly enough, her mom graduated from this department around thirty years ago.
