The Department of literature was one of the leading ones since the founding of the Kirov State Pedagogical Institute named after Lenin and developed together with the University. Professor K.V. Dryagin was among the founders of the Department’s scientific research. That was K.V.Dryagin who outlined two research directions of the Department: study of the history of Russian classical and modern literature and local literary studies.
The Department carries out a lot of scientific research by organizing and conducting international and regional conferences, Green’s, Likhanov’s, St. Trifon’s Readings, by publishing monographs and collections of scientific papers, text books, study programs, test books for literature teachers and students. The Department is the center for classical education of Vyatka region, the center for integration of philological science and practice, modern educational technologies implementation at the city Universities and schools. The Department runs postgraduate and doctoral studies by a specialty "The Russian Literature". The Dissertation Council on a specialty 10.01.01 operates there with the Dean of the Faculty of Philology Associate Professor K.S.Litsareva as a Scientific Secretary.
The Methodical school of the Department was founded by professors V.I. Sorokin and A.G.Balyberdin. Now their traditions of pedagogical culture are kept and continued by E.O.Galitskikh and E.A.Kobeleva.
The basic scientific directions of the Department are study of genre and artistic creativity of Russian and foreign poets and writers of the XVIII-XX centuries (e.g. Derzhavin, Pushkin, Grin, Andreev, Levitansky), study of literature and folklore of Vyatka region, as well as the development of modern humanitarian technologies for philological sciences teaching.
