This course is designed to introduce students to Russian language and culture through a variety of reading, listening, writing and speaking activities, all aimed at the development of intermediate communicative competence. It provides students with a basic, but solid knowledge of grammar and syntax, a functional vocabulary, familiarity with basic intonational patterns and pronunciation, and practice in speaking, reading, writing, listening, as well as an elementary knowledge of Russian culture.

Upon completion of this course, students should be able to: understand simple written texts or short spoken passages without the aid of a dictionary; satisfy most immediate writing needs in the form of notes and brief personal correspondence; and carry on a short, elementary conversation, dealing with survival situations, asking and answering questions, speaking in complete sentences, and creating with the language (Intermediate Low proficiency on the ACTFL scale). The socio-cultural knowledge acquired should enable students to function successfully in Russian printed and spoken language.

Course Requirements:

Three hours of co-curricular conversational activities (Russian tables and teas), weekly vocabulary quizzes, biweekly tests, and a final written and oral exam.

Intended Audience:

Recommended for students wishing to make rapid but solid progress in Russian and for students planning to major in Russian or REEES. No previous knowledge of Russian is required or assumed.

Class Format:

Lectures are devoted to grammar practice, while in the discussion section the students work on all four of their language skills and develop vocabulary.