2025/2026

Introduction to Memory Studies

Type: Optional course (faculty)

Delivered by: School of Philological Studies

Where: Faculty of Humanities

When: 3 module

Open to: students of one campus

Instructors: Anna Vichkitova

Language: English

ECTS credits: 3

Contact hours: 36

Course Syllabus

Abstract

This course is designed for undergraduate students interested in Memory Studies. Memory Studies is a relatively new interdisciplinary field that emerged at the beginning of the 20th century and took shape near the end of it. As an academic discipline, it is still actively developing, and courses dedicated to it are gradually appearing in university curricula across the globe. The course is multidisciplinary, incorporating works from the social sciences and the humanities. Students will critically read and discuss a set of texts related to the core concepts of memory studies, including classical theorists who established the discipline’s key terms as well as later developments by contemporary scholars. We will explore several central questions: How is “memory” defined within the field of Memory Studies? What distinguishes individual memory from collective memory, and how do social, cultural, and political memories differ from one another? Finally, we will investigate how the frameworks of Memory Studies can be applied to analyze different types of memory across various academic disciplines. Through close readings of the foundational texts, interactive lectures, guided discussions, and individual research projects, this course will familiarize students with the key terms and theoretical frameworks of Memory Studies while strengthening their critical thinking and interpretive skills. To fulfill the course requirements, students must have a good command of written and spoken English (a CEFR language proficiency level of B2 or C1 is required).