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College of Humanities
German and Russian
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Core Objectives for Each Course

Russian 101-102

Russian 101-102 is focused on developing learners’ proficiency in speaking, reading, listening, and writing. These courses also focus on developing learners’ cultural sensitivity. By the end of each course, students will:

  1. speak, read, listen, and write at a level equivalent to Novice High or higher on the American Council of Teachers of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) proficiency scale.
  2. demonstrate control over basic aspects of Russian grammar, such as case usage and verb conjugation in controlled settings.
  3. demonstrate an emerging awareness of Russian cultural norms in a limited number of contexts within the scope of learning experiences.

(learning outcomes 1 and 5)

See RUSS 101, Fall 2013 Syllabus

See RUSS 102, Winter 2013 Syllabus

Russian 201-202

Russian 201-202 is focused on developing learners’ proficiency in speaking, reading, listening, and writing. These courses also focus on developing learners’ cultural sensitivity. By the end of each course, students will:

  1. speak, read, listen, and write at a level equivalent to Intermediate Low or higher on the American Council of Teachers of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) proficiency scale.
  2. demonstrate increasing control over basic aspects of Russian grammar, such as case usage, verbal conjugation, tense, and aspect in controlled settings. This growing accuracy will allow them to begin narrating personal experiences.
  3. demonstrate a developing awareness of Russian cultural norms in a growing number of contexts within the scope of the learning experience.

(learning outcomes 1 and 5)

See RUSS 201, Fall 2013 Syllabus

See RUSS 202, Winter 2013 Syllabus

Russian 321-322

This two-course series focuses primarily on the formal elements of the Russian language and aims to improve students’ command of it in the following three ways:

  1. grammar, considerable focus on the structure of Russian and fundamentals of grammar
  2. writing, descriptive, and narrative writing compositions aimed at improving command of one’s language
  3. reading, short texts designed to supply content for writing composition and class discussion

(learning outcomes 1, 3, and 4)

See RUSS 321, Fall 2010 Syllabus, Brown

See RUSS 321, Fall 2010 Syllabus, Solovyova

See RUSS 322, Winter 2013 Syllabus, Brown

See RUSS 322, Winter 2011 Syllabus, Bown

Russian 323

  1. Learn the basics of the Russian sound system (phonetics and phonology).
  2. Learn the basics of Russian inflectional and derivational morphology and historical phonology in order to better understand the way the Russian language functions as a system.
  3. Use new knowledge of the way the sounds of the Russian language are produced and the way they interact to improve pronunciation and listening comprehension.
  4. Use knowledge of the structures of Russian to help students master the details of conjugation, declension, and derivation. (Improve language use)

(learning outcomes 1 and 5)

See RUSS 323, Winter 2013 Syllabus

Russian 301

This course is offered only on study abroad. It focuses primarily on the formal elements of the Russian language and aims to help homegrown students bridge the gap between themselves and Russian RMs.

  1. Study the fundamentals of grammar
  2. Write descriptive and narrative compositions aimed at improving command of Russian
  3. Read short texts designed to supply content for writing composition and class discussion

(learning outcomes 1, 3, and 4)

Russian 330

  1. Identify the main periods, figures, and achievements of Russian cultural history.
  2. Demonstrate sensitivity to cultural difference generally and, more specifically, to differences between their own culture and that of Russian
  3. Write essays characterized by good organization, coherent development.

(learning outcomes 2, 3)

See RUSS 330, Winter 2013 Syllabus

Russian 340

The design of this course is to introduce students to some of the most important works of Russian literature. Our aim is for the student to be able to explain the trends and characteristics of the Classic Russian Novel and illustrate them with examples from the assigned readings. To help the student realize this objective, we focus our attention on three areas:

  1. Reading: Those responsible for course instruction choose the assigned readings (mutually agreed upon by members of the section). Students that complete the assigned readings will demonstrate a critical understanding of and appreciation for literature.
  2. Writing: Writing both in and outside of the classroom will enable the student to develop a reasonable interpretation of a literary text and to support that interpretation with evidence.
  3. Significant Student Interaction: Class discussions are led by both the instructor and the student. Active participation in class discussions will increase the student’s ability to identify and articulate the concerns raised in the assigned readings.

(learning outcomes 2, 3, and 4)

See RUSS 340, Fall 2013 Syllabus, Purves

See RUSS 340, Winter 2013 Syllabus, Kelly

Russian 341

The design of this course is to introduce students to the important works of Fyodor Dostoevsky. Our aim is for the student to be able to explain the key issues Dostoevsky explores in his work and illustrate them with examples from the author’s novels and short stories. To help the student realize this objective, we focus our attention on three areas:

  1. Reading: Those responsible for course instruction choose the assigned readings (mutually agreed upon by members of the section). Students that complete the assigned readings will demonstrate a critical understanding of and appreciation for Dostoevsky’s work.
  2. Writing: Writing both in and outside of the classroom will enable the student to develop a reasonable interpretation of a literary text and to support that interpretation with evidence. Students will be able to write a research paper in the appropriate citation style.
  3. Significant Student Interaction: Class discussions are led by both the instructor and the student. Active participation in class discussions will increase the student’s ability to identify and articulate the questions Dostoevsky raises in his work.

(learning outcomes 2, 3, and 4)

See RUSS 341, Fall 2013 Syllabus

Russian 342

The design of this course is to introduce students to the important works of Lev Tolstoy. Our aim is for the student to be able to explain the key issues Tolstoy explores in his work and illustrate them with examples from the author’s novels and short stories. To help the student realize this objective, we focus our attention on three areas:

  1. Reading: Those responsible for course instruction choose the assigned readings (mutually agreed upon by members of the section). Students that complete the assigned readings will demonstrate a critical understanding of and appreciation for Tolstoy’s work.
  2. Writing: Writing both in and outside of the classroom will enable the student to develop a reasonable interpretation of a literary text and to support that interpretation with evidence. Students will be able to write a research paper in the appropriate citation style.
  3. Significant Student Interaction: Class discussions are led by both the instructor and the student. Active participation in class discussions will increase the student’s ability to identify and articulate the questions Tolstoy raises in his work.

(learning outcomes 2, 3, and 4)

See RUSS 342, Winter 2013 Syllabus

Russian 343

  1. Watch Soviet/Russian films. Due to the rich heritage of Soviet/Russian cinema, this course does not claim to be an exhaustive treatment of all the great Soviet/Russian films but rather aims to concentrate on the most nationally acclaimed Soviet/Russian films, American Academy Award-nominated films, and internationally acclaimed Soviet/Russian films.
  2. Critically analyze cultural and aesthetic aspects of Russian films orally and in writing.

(learning outcomes 2, 3)

See RUSS 343, Winter 2013 Syllabus

Russian 421

  1. Increase vocabulary and use of synonyms.
  2. Improve ability to state and support opinions and organize arguments.
  3. Foster ability to hypothesize in Russian.
  4. Use daily reading as a method for learning vocabulary and improving the language.

(learning outcomes 1, 3, and 4)

See RUSS 421, Fall 2013 Syllabus

Russian 422

  1. Learn the basics of Russian inflectional and derivational morphology and historical phonology in order to better understand the way the Russian language functions as a system.
  2. Use knowledge of the structures of Russian to help students master the details of conjugation, declension, and derivation. (Improve language use)

(learning outcomes 1 and 5)

See RUSS 422, Winter 2013 Syllabus

Russian 441

  1. To read in Russian mutually agreed upon poems, short stories, and plays of nineteenth-century Russian literature and understand their literary, social, historical, and religious contexts.
  2. To write essays in Russian in which students are able to formulate insightful arguments and support their ideas with detailed textual references. This written work should be characterized by good organization and a logical development of ideas.
  3. To analyze and discuss the literary works and the authors in Russian as the course will be taught predominantly in Russian.

(learning outcomes 1, 2, 3, 4)

See RUSS 441, Fall 2013 Syllabus, Kelly

See RUSS 441, Fall 2013 Syllabus, Solovyova

Russian 442

  1. To read in Russian mutually agreed upon poems, short stories, and plays of nineteenth-century Russian literature and understand their literary, social, historical, and religious contexts.
  2. To write essays in Russian in which students are able to formulate insightful arguments and support their ideas with detailed textual references. This written work should be characterized by good organization and a logical development of ideas.
  3. To analyze and discuss the literary works and the authors in Russian as the course will be taught predominantly in Russian.

(learning outcomes 1, 2, 3, 4)

See RUSS 442, Winter 2013 Syllabus

Russian 492R

This course provides a culminating undergraduate experience for students in the following three ways:

  1. critical thinking, course content affords significant intellectual development and growth
  2. target language, the Russian language plays an integral role in the course curriculum
  3. writing, compositions that demonstrate students’ critical thinking and Russian language skills

(learning outcomes 1, 2, 3, and 4)

See RUSS 492R, Fall 2013 Syllabus, Kelly

See RUSS 492R, Winter 2013 Syllabus, Brown