Institute of Asian and African Studies

President: prof. Mikhail S. Meyer
Acting Director: prof. Igor I. Abylgaziyev

Oriental studies at Moscow University having started as early as the 1750s, IAAS followed the 200-year tradition when it was established in 1956 when a few departments branched off the Faculty of History and the Faculty of Philology. The Institute of Asian and African Studies is the leading Russian center for training specialists in Oriental Studies in general and in particular countries and regions of Asia and Africa.

Receiving fundamental MSU education, our students are introduced to the languages and culture of the country or region they choose, acquiring thorough knowledge of local realities in African or Asian countries, of the latest trends and tendencies in their economic, social, political and cultural life. For our students the Orient or Africa is not a mysterious and exotic place, as it is usually seen by non-specialists; these parts of the world are our students? specialist area. The current rise of major Asian countries, quick changes in Asia and Africa determine a growing demand for our graduates, IAAS being considered one of the leading centers for training specialists in this area.

Our students choose among the divisions of Philology, History, and Economics and Social Studies. We offer full-time 4-year Bachelor?s Degree programs, 5-year Specialist?s Degree programs, and 2-year Master?s Degree programs in Oriental and African Studies.

Depending on the division they choose, students study one or two Oriental languages and a European language. At the moment over 40 Asian and African languages are taught at IAAS.

The Institute comprises 18 Departments: Arabic Philology; Indian Philology; Iranian Philology; Chinese Philology; Turkish Philology; Philology of South-East Asia, Korea and Mongolia; Japanese Philology; History and culture of Japan, Economy and Economic geography of Asian and African countries; History of Near and Middle East, International Economic Relations; History of Far East and South-East Asia; History of China; History of South Asia; African Studies; Politology of Oriental countries; European Languages; Hebrew Studies.

We have speech laboratories, computer laboratories, the Laboratory for Oriental ecological culture.

Among our 250-member academic staff we count 40 full professors and 70 associate professors. A number of courses are taught by leading specialists from other academic and research institutions.

Answering the challenge of globalization, we are developing cooperation in the field of scholarly research and academic exchange with leading universities and scientific centers abroad, having implemented a number of our joint projects: the International Center for Korean Studies, the Center for Arabic and Islamic Studies, the Center of Hebrew Studies and Jewish Civilization, the Center for Indological and Buddological Studies, the Center for Comparative, Social and Economic Studies, the Center for Religion Studies, the Center for Vietnam Studies, the Interuniversity Faculty of Chinese, the Center ?Nusantara? for (Indonesian, Malaysian, and Philippine Studies, the Center for secondary school Japanese language teaching, the Good Hope Center for African Studies.

The curriculum of the Division of History includes the courses in General History, History of Russia, History of Asian and African Countries, History of Religion, Archaeology, Ethnology. Students are taught fundamental courses in history, area studies, economy, political system, culture, source studies and historiography of the country they choose as their specialist area.

The curriculum of the Division of Philology includes courses in Linguistics, Literature and Literary Criticism, History of Literature as well as special courses in Theoretical Phonetics, Grammar, Lexicology, Dialectology and History of an oriental language and in Literature, History, Culture, Geography and Political System of the respective country or region.

The curriculum of the Division of Social and Economic Studies covers courses in Higher Mathematics, Economic Statistics, General Economic Theory, Financial and Credit systems, Economy and Economic Geography of Asian and African Countries, Economy of Russia, International Economic Relations; there are special courses in the economy of regions and countries students choose as their specialist areas.

The compulsory core courses are complemented with a wide range of electives: History of Sociology, History of Arts, Demography, Theory and Practice of IT, Basics of Sociology, Basics of Conflictology, Mathematical Methods in Historical Research, History of Russian Orientalism, Economy of Central Asian Countries, World Economy in the Internet, Transnational Corporations and Developing Countries, History of Political Studies, History of Oriental Culture, etc.

The curriculum includes internships in the country whose language students learn, at the same time our students actively cooperate with Russian organizations having ties with the Oriental and African countries.

Our students use our speech laboratories and audio and visual teaching aids to master the languages and improve their speaking skills and to acquire interpreting skills. Computer classes with Internet access are at their disposal as well.

Our graduates work for governmental and public organizations, the mass media, publishing houses, the Russian Academy of Sciences, in institutions of higher education, Russian and international companies.