Вывыезжаетеизамериканскогосектора
You are leaving the American sector
Yous sortez du secteur americain
(Знаменитый плакат в Берлине после Второй мировой войны)

RUSSIAN 300: Third Year Russian

Course Syllabus

Class: Monday and Wednesday - 15:10-16:30 – Vollum 302
Instructors: visiting assistant professor of Russian, Anna Yatsenko
Office: 125 Vollum College Center/Vollum;  (503) 517-7494, Ext. 7494
Anna.A.Yatsenko@reed.edu
Office hours: by appointment

Language Scholar:
Oksana Levadnaya
The Russian House, Woodstock 1; (503)777-7565, Ext. 7565
levadnao@reed.edu

Course description: This is a practical advanced Russian course. The course is based on the communicative-functional approach to language – the usage (situations, contexts) of the structures is in the focus of the course. The syntax level of Russian language – word combinations, simple and complex sentences, and the possible synonymic relations between them will be analyzed in this course. The structures typical for colloquial speech will receive special attention. This course contains reading and listening supplements (audio tapes for textbook, online audio exercises, and Russian music). The reading supplement implies the samples of contemporary Russian prose, poems, and mass media productions, which will be discussed in class.

The students will receive handouts and regular assignments; there will be a test in the end of each topic. During the course, the students will be asked to make the class presentations, which are based on their own research work. An exam concludes this course. The course is conducted in Russian.

* * *

Requirements:
Attendance in class, in language lab (work on the audio-, video materials) is mandatory. In case of unavoidable absences you must try to notify the instructor ahead of time.
All homework is to be turned in on the assigned day, written out in neat handwriting. You can write either with a pencil, or with a pen (though pen is preferable). Keep all your returned, corrected homework in a three-ring binder, in chronological order so that you will be able to access it easily for review.

Attention! For an essay in Russian:

• put your name above a text;
• keep double space interval between the text lines (in order the instructor can write corrections, and you will be able to understand them);
• make at least one big margin on a paper sheet (either on the right side, or on the left);
• you can type your essay in Russian (Cyrillic Word Document);
• collect all your returned and corrected essays in order you can use them for oral presentations, exams;
• *recommended, but not obligated: provide your Russian text with English version of it that the instructor can clearly see what you wanted/implied to say in Russian; and then you can understand better what kind problems you met.

All vocabularies at the end of each chapter and in the workbook is to be MEMORIZED religiously. You will rely on them when you are in Russia, so give yourself a break now. You should expect pop quizzes on vocabulary.

Weekly we will have quizzes in class (lexicon, grammar issues). There will be one mid-term, and one final. The final will include a 15-minute oral component.

Each student will memorize one lyrical poem in Russian for recitation at the “Russian Evening of Poetry” Banquet in late November, and in late April.

Your grade will be based on daily recitations, quizzes, exams, poem recitation, homework, and attendance in class.

Reinforcement:
The Russian House holds weekly teas and dinners where speaking in Russian is strongly encouraged. In addition, there are weekly screenings of Russian films, Russian scrabble nights, group excursions to the International Film Festival, Russian concerts, lectures, and restaurants. Make the Russian House your habit.

The Russian Language Scholar is available for consultation, problem solving, and remedial work. Contact with the Russian Language Scholar in the Russian House (Woodstock, 1).

Russian language tutors are available free of charge through the Office of Student Services. If you think you need help, don't wait. Get a tutor immediately!

Benefits:

• Studying a new language helps you learn more about yourself.
• “Diving” into Russian culture will give you a new view point to the world.
• Knowing Russian will give you access to new experiences: visiting Russia, making Russian friends, finding productive internships and work.
• The team-work involved in studying Russian will help you consolidate friendships with colleagues, classmates, and professors in allied subjects.
• Learning a foreign language will teach you how to use and improve your command of you your native language.

…, because: as the Latin proverb says: “With each new language, you live a new life”.

A Few Hints for Success:

• Force yourself to talk with your classmates ONLY IN RUSSIAN. Remember: CLASS is A NO ENGLISH SPOKEN ZONE.
• Spend one hour / one hour and half on homework, but make every minute of that hour count.
• Listen to one of the most popular modern Russian radio stations – НАШЕ РАДИО. ОН-ЛАЙН - http://www.nashe.ru/.
• Create a habit for yourself – to watch every week one Russian film (start with the English subtitles, and after 2-3 weeks turn off the English subtitles).
• Study vocabulary before going to bed at night, review it first thing in the morning.

Teaching materials:

• Tall, Emily and Vlasikova, Valentina. Let's Talk About Life!: an Intergrated Approach to Russian Conversation. – John Wiley&Sons, Inc., 1996
• Zhukova, Natal'ia. Desiat' rasskazov. Kniga dlia chteniia. – moskva, Russkij iazyk. Kursy, 2005
• Kashper, Mara; Kagan, Olga; Morozova Yuliya. Cinema for Russian Conversation. Volum I. – Focus Publishing/R.Pulling Co., 2005
• The Audio Supplement for Rifkin, Benjamin. Грамматикавконтексте - Russian Grammar in Literary Contexts (McGraw-Hill, 1996) – ON LINE http://academic.reed.edu/russian/courses/studentmaterials/120220300.html
• Handout

On the Reserve in IMC:

• Film "Moskva slezam ne verity" (Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears), 1979.
• Film "Ironiia sud'by, ili s legkim parom!" (Irony of Fate), 1976.
• Smekhov, Veniamin – CDs with Russian literature texts (chitaet Veniamin Smekhov).
• CDs with music: DDT, Kino, Mashina Vremeni, Nautilus Pompilius, Akvarium, Zemfira.

Recommended for reference:

• Katzner, Kenneth. English-Russian, Russian-English Dictionary (Rev. and expanded ed., New York, 1994)
• Wade, Terence. A Comprehensive Russian Grammar (Oxford: Blackwell, 1994)
• Wade, Terence. Oxford Russian Grammar & Verbs: Clear and simple explanations (Oxford New York, Oxford University Press, 2002)
• Gerhart. The Russian's World, 2nd ed.  (New York: Holt, Rinehart, Winston, 1995)

Please pay your attention to the following:

1. Topics for Discussions (Темы для обсуждения):

1. Личная жизнь. Выбор человека
2. Учёба: проблемы студентов
3. Рок-/поп-музыка
4. Алкоголь и наркотики: удовольствие или ...
5. Всё, что вы хотели узнать о сексе
6. Мужина и женщина

2. On Mondays we watch in class video-episode (aprx. 30 min). To be ready for it every Monday you will get a script for a next episode (next Monday)

3. For every week you will get an additional task – record yourself in Russian – рассказ В.В. Набокова "Красавица" (first half of Fall semester)

The days when you give me your recording work are the following:

• Monday, September 18
• Monday, September 25
• Monday, October 2
• Monday, October 9

4. We use for the audio exercises the following resources:

1. the tapes (cassettes) for the textbook Let's talk about Life! (LL).The tapes you suppose to  have.
2. audio exercises for the textbook Gramatika v kontekste (GK). The exercises are on-line. The address is
   http://academic.reed.edu/russian/courses/studentmaterials/120220300.html

5. Any useful (as well funny, silly, scary, and serious) information you can find in the Russian-Net-Web-System:

http://www.yandex.ru
http://www.google.com/ru/

Russian Cinema
http://www.kinoexpert.ru/index.asp
http://www.megakm.ru/cinema/srch.asp

Dictionaries:
http://www.gramota.ru/
http://www.multitran.ru/
http://days.peoples.ru/

Bilingual Anthology of Russian poetry
http://max.mmlc.northwestern.edu/~mdenner/Demo/

E-Store: Russian CDs/DVDs
http://www.russiandvd.com/store/