The department prepares teachers of Russian language at primary and secondary schools in its 3-year long undergraduate and 2-year long following-up graduate programmes. The courses currently include philological combination with English and Czech language. In the undergraduate programme, the emphasis is put on practical use of the written and spoken form, based on language theory knowledge including linguistic, Slavic and historic aspects. Within the undergraduate programme, attention is put on Russian literature, Russian history and facts which make sociocultural frame of language communication. The content of the graduate programme continuously broadens knowledge of Russian language and literature obtained in the previous undergraduate programme, however, focus of the course is on professional didactic preparation of the students and is accented in all compulsory and many compulsory optional subjects. Lectures and seminars of professional didactics are closely linked with continual pedagogical practice.
Furthermore, the department provides the possibility to pass the postgraduate final state examination. Within the scope of the continual education the department offers a three-year long programme of teaching qualification of Russian language for the higher grade of primary schools and for secondary schools as well as subsidiary Russian language didactics course. Also, the department organizes various short-time seminars for teachers with the Further Education of Pedagogical Employees (DVPP). For professional public, especially for teachers of didactics at philological departments, there is the Theoretical Basics of Foreign Language Didactics seminar. Annually the department holds Prague Russian Studies Conference primarily for talented students of graduate and postgraduate programmes.
Specific didactic focus of the department is reflected in its research activity. Department employees under the supervision of prof. PhDr. S. Jelínek, CSc. developed the Conception of Initial Russian Language Teaching at Secondary Schools in consideration of Professional Teacher Preparation. Subsequently, under the supervision of PhDr. H. Žofková, CSc. the Conception of Advanced Russian Language Teaching at Secondary Schools in relation with Teachers’Preparation was developed. Furthermore, grant tasks of Teaching Russian as a Foreign Language at Czech Schools within Multicultural Europe and Multidisciplinary Aspects of Communication Strategies Creation while Teaching a Foreign Language have been solved by the department. Current research concurs with these projects in terms of Science Development Program at Charles University in Prague (PRVOUK, PROGRES since January 1st 2017). Between 2016 and 2018 project of Teaching Innovation in Russian & Language Teaching Methodology Department is solved and its aim is to update the Russian language didactics teaching to match current conditions and needs of students with regard to their future professional career. Focus is put on the use of ICT technology in the classroom. Members of the department concentrate on the issue of textbooks as a tool for developing communication competences on both theoretical and practical levels. Particular members have created numerous teaching files for Russian language teaching at primary, secondary and language schools, e.g. Raduga, Raduga po-novomu, Pojechali! and others. Next research interests of department members are in accordance with their specialization in particular field of Russian philology or didactics.
The Faculty of Russian Philology at the Moscow State University is the traditional international partner of the department. For the past 40 years, regular 10-day stays of 1st year students have been organized. Students may also experience long-term stays in Russian speaking environment. The department also cooperates with other European universities and organizations, e.g. Methodical Centre in Bratislava, Philosophical Faculty in Bratislava, University in Nitra, Moscow State University, State University in St. Petersburg, University in Leipzig, University in Poznan, International Association of Teachers of Russian Language and Literature (MAPRYAL)
