Centre for Languages and Cultures of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)

Head of Centre:  Vladimir Nikolaevich KONEV

The present Centre for Languages and Cultures of the CIS and SCO States (Department of Languages and Cultures of the CIS and SCO States). Was founded in 1998 as the Research and Study Centre for Languages and Cultures of Northern Eurasia (meaning the Commonwealth of Independent States [CIS] plus the Baltic states), and reorganised in 2003 as the Centre for Languages and Cultures of  the CIS and SCO States.

The Centre has been the focal point of efforts to turn MSLU into a hub organisation for the study of  the languages and cultures of  the CIS states.  The language situation and language policies in the CIS states are one of the areas of interest to which Centre staff devote a lot of attention. The Centre also works together with MSLU partner universities to organise and promote international conferences and research projects, to arrange study placements for undergraduate and graduate students, sign cooperation agreements with CIS universities, to negotiate lecture and workshop tours for MSLU faculty members at CIS partner universities, and more. 

MSLU has set up seven centres for the languages and cultures of the CIS states:

• The Azerbaijani Language and Culture Centre;
• The  Armenian   Language and Culture Centre;
• The Kazakh Language and Culture Centre;
• The  Kyrgyz Language and Culture Centre;
• The Tajik Language and Culture Centre;
• The Republic of Moldova  Language and Culture Centre;
• The Centre of Ukrainian Studies

The Centres are decorated in their respective ethnic styles and provided with audio and video equipment to help students  study their  respective languages and cultures. There is also a supply of relevant literature: fiction, non-fiction and educational.

The Centres perform the following functions:

• Instruction in the languages of the CIS countries;
• Exchanging experience regarding modern language-teaching methodology;
• Arrange meetings with prominent educators, artists and scholars from the CIS countries;
• Host shows of feature and documentary films made in the CIS countries;
• Organise contests, themed events, and other cultural fixtures devoted to the languages, cultures and history of  the CIS nations. 

Over the years, MSLU has produced graduates  specialising in the Ukranian, Lithuanian and Belarusian languages, followed by the first graduates in Armenian (2005), Kazakh (2007), Kyrgyz (2008), and so on. Today many more students are studying these languages.