The Department of World Literature has a long and complex history. In the 1940s it was a part of the Department of Language and Literature, from the late 1950s it formed a part of the Department of Russian and World Literature. Only in 2003, after a half-century break, the Department of World Literature was reformed. At different times, well-known professors of world literature as E. Slobodskaya, N. Gulyaev, L. Savelyeva, E. Aleeva, M. Kozyreva, R. Galeeva, G. Frolov, E. Shevchenko worked and engaged in scientific studies.

The Department of World Literature of Kazan University trains graduates in Philology majoring in both, language (Russian, English, and Spanish) and literature. The Department of World Literature offers the following study programs:

Bachelor degree

Full-time

45.03.01 Philology. Foreign Philology. English language and Literature, Translation Studies

45.03.01 Philology. Foreign Philology. Spanish language and Literature, Translation Studies

Master's degree

Part-time

45.04.01 Philology. Romance and Germanic Philology

Professors of the Department teach a number of special philological subjects mostly concerning world literature, its history and methods of teaching at school and university as well as the history of world art, translation studies, etc. Training takes place in two languages: Russian and English.

Professors of the Department also teach literary and art criticism disciplines in the whole Institute of Philology and Intercultural Communication and other institutes of KFU, including the Institute of International Relations, the Institute of Social and Philosophical Sciences and Mass Communications, etc. Members of the department have developed an English language training program for the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Tatarstan.

The Department provides programs of Bachelor and Master Degrees as well as PhD and Post-Doctoral studies in World Literature.

There are 11 members of the Department, including 9 professors with different academic degrees.

Today the Department of World Literature consists of highly qualified specialists in American Studies professors V. Shamina, O. Nesmelova, assistant professor A. Melikhov, senior lecturer I. Shchepacheva; specialists in British Studies professor L. Khabibullina, associated professors Z. Zinnatullina, A. Vafina , E. Zueva, senior lecturer A. Shevchenko. Many of them are the members of different professional associations and societies, such as European Association for American Studies, Russian Association of Teachers of English Literature and others.

The major research field of the Department's scholars is the Phenomenon of Cultural Borders in Literature and Art.

The Department of World Literature holds several long-lasting projects:

• Biennial International Conference The Synthesis of Fictional and Non-Fictional in Literature and Arts (organized on odd years);
• Biennial International Conference National Myth in Literature and Culture (organized on even years in collaboration with the Department of Russian Literature and Methods of its Teaching);
• Annual National Conference Literature and Aesthetics in the 21^st Century (Tatiana's Day) (in collaboration with the Department of Russian Literature and Methods of its Teaching);
• Annual National Conference for young scientists Science Fiction and Non-Scientific Fiction, held once every two years.

The Department holds meetings of the scientific student society Literature in the Context of Other Forms of Arts (in collaboration with the Department of Russian Literature and Methods of its Teaching).

Keywords: Department of World Literature, World literature, English literature, American literature.