The Philological Faculty was established in Brest Pedagogical Institute on 1st November 1950, its first name was the Faculty of Language and Literature. There are 2 doctors of sciences and 19 candidates of sciences working at the faculty. There are 19 teachers with the title of associate professor and two teachers with the title of professor. The staffing level of higher scientific qualification is 91.3 %.
At present the structure of the Faculty includes the following subdivisions: the Chair of Belarusian and Russian Linguistics, the Chair of Belarusian and Russian Literary Studies and Journalism, the inter-faculty study office of the study building No.2, the V.A. Kolesnik Educational Centre, the A.S. Pushkin Russian Cultural and Educational Centre, the computer laboratory, the study office of Russian as a foreign language, the folklore and regional study laboratory.
All conditions have been created at the Faculty to ensure an effective educational process. New opportunities in teaching and modern tools for education are provided by audiovisual equipment, which is equipped with most of the classrooms. This allows to expand and enrich the educational content significantly, to hold training seminars, workshops, master classes, videoconferences, round tables and other events with teachers and specialists, students from different countries.
One of the strategic goals is to develop the scientific and innovative potential of the Faculty, to expand the relationship between science and education in the new socio-economic conditions. The teachers of the Faculty are actively and successfully engaged in research activities. The scientific and pedagogical school «Belarusian Historical and Functional Literary Studies: Theory and Practice of Interpretation of Artistic Work» under the guidance of Doctor of Philological Sciences, Professor Z.P. Melnikova works at the Faculty. The teaching staff focused on the implementation of the tasks of the State programmes of scientific research. In 2020, seven of such research topics were carried out at three departments, from 2021 – 6 topics under the state programmes. In addition, the faculty members of the departments are working on the fulfilment of one initiative research project.
International scientific-practical conferences have become traditional at the faculty («The Art of Word in the Dialogue of Cultures», «Slavic Languages: System Descriptive and Socio-Cultural Aspects»), as well as republican (‘»Kalesnikau Studies», «National and Cultural Campaign in Literary and Dialect Languages», etc.)
The students of the faculty are also reaching scientific heights. For the last four years 17 works were submitted to the Republican competition of scientific works of students, all works (100,0 %) were assigned a category, including 15 (88,2 %) – first, 1 – laureate, 1 – II category. Student research groups work at the faculty departments. Under the guidance of candidate of philological sciences, associate professor I.A. Voron there is a student research laboratory «Folkloristics and Regional Studies».
An important place in the activity of the Faculty is the establishment of long-term partnerships with educational institutions and organisations of foreign countries. The Faculty realises 6 cooperation agreements with the State Educational Institution of Higher Professional Education «Smolensk State University», Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher Professional Education «Volgograd State Social and Pedagogical University», «North-Eastern State University» (Russian Federation), Changchun University (China), Baku Slavic University (Azerbaijan), «Russian World» Foundation. Since January 2024 the Faculty has been cooperating with the Association «Commonwealth of educational organisations named after A.S. Pushkin and teachers».
Within the framework of bilateral agreements, there are programmes of students’ and teachers’ academic exchanges (from September 2024 to September 2025, student A. Korobeiko is studying at Anhui University (PRC)), invitations for lectures by professors of leading foreign universities, joint scientific research with educational and scientific organisations of foreign countries, implementation of joint projects, participation in scientific, practical and educational events, etc.
Since 2018, Anhui University has been hosting the Centre for the Study of Belarus established by BrSU, which has been headed by I.A. Shved, Doctor of Philological Sciences, Professor of the Department of Belarusian and Russian Literary Studies and Journalism, since 2023.
The improvement of the content and technologies of education, the systematic development of students' social and professional qualities that allow them to successfully perform professional tasks, promotes the productive work of teachers of the faculty to create monographs, educational and methodological complexes, manuals, other scientific and educational and methodological publications.
The teachers of the faculty are the authors of textbooks for secondary schools of the Republic of Belarus. In 2021, 2 editions prepared by the teachers of the departments of Belarusian Philology, Russian Literature and Journalism were certified by the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Belarus: Author's team (Z.P. Melnikova, G.N. Ishchenko, E.S. Kovalyuk, V.A. Senkovets, S.N. Shcherba, L.M. Sadko, I.A. Shved, V.N. Smal): «Belarusian Literature»: a training manual for the 11th class of educational institutions of higher education with Belarusian and Russian languages of instruction (with electronic files for higher education) / edited by Z.P. Melnikova, G.M. Ishchenko /. Minsk: National Institute of Education, 2021; T.V. Senkevich (co-author) Textbook «Russian Literature» for the 11th grade of general secondary education institutions with Belarusian and Russian languages of instruction (with an electronic supplement for advanced level). – Minsk: National Institute of Education, 2021.
The Faculty has accumulated a great experience in the direction of ideological and educational work. The intensity and effectiveness of this work is facilitated by the content of philological education: the study of language and literature is a traditional form of education for citizenship, patriotism, and moral qualities that has been tested for centuries. Literary evenings, meetings with writers, presentations of new books, quests, seminars-presentations – this is not a complete list of events held at the Faculty.
Such significant events as open university contests have become traditional and branded: artistic word contest «Tayamnitsy slova i dumki» and oratory contest «Master of Word»; Festival of Regional Cultures «Berestye Cultural Code», International Pushkin Festival «Friends, Our Union is Beautiful...», which includes an open reading contest, stage contest, essay contest, posters, master classes.
A number of other events go beyond the limits of the Faculty of Philology: Interfaculty Festival «Nerush rodnaga slova», Native Language Week, Days of Youth Creativity «Our Pushkin», Interfaculty Days of Slavonic Script, Week of the Faculty of Philology, «Pushkin Meetings at the Faculty of Philology», open Photo contest «Pershatsvet», etc. Since 2019, the Faculty of Philology has been organising the contest «Philologist», a contest of stage performances of works by Belarusian writers.
The information space of the faculty is being improved. Wall newspapers based on the results of summer internships, on the anniversaries of writers and scientists, the educational newspaper «Slovo», the information and literary almanac «The Russian Centre of BrSU: People, Facts, Events» allow students to realise their creative abilities, acquire and consolidate journalistic skills.
There is a theatre studio «Epizod Ў-neskladovik», a literary circle «Pad vetrazem rodnaga slova» (head – Associate Professor S.N. Shcherba), a literary club «Definition of Poetry» (head – Associate Professor T.V. Senkevich), a discussion club «Debates» (head – Associate Professor L.M. Sadko). The creative team «Your Radio» broadcasts news and entertainment and cognitive programmes.
A special role in the system of educational work of the faculty is played by student co-management bodies: students' trade-union bureau, SNO, BRSM committee, council.
At the faculty there is a volunteer group «Next», whose activities are aimed at working with disabled children, orphans, children at risk, promotion of healthy lifestyles, prevention of bad habits, helping homeless animals.
News, events and their announcements are posted on the Faculty page on the University website, in the official group of the Faculty in the social network «V Kontakte» (group «Faculty of Philology of BrSU»), in Instagram, on the boards of the Faculty.
