This course is offered in the Fall Term only. It meets four days a week for two hours each day for a total 8 hours of credit.
The goal of this course is to provide the student with a basic but solid knowledge of grammatical structures and syntax, a functional vocabulary, familiarity with intonation patterns and native pronunciation, and practice in speaking and writing. Both vocabulary and grammatical structures are presented in a situational context. Abundant cultural material is introduced throughout the course. Upon the completion of this course, the student can understand simple written texts or short spoken passages without the aid of a dictionary, and can carry on a short, elementary conversation.
193 Final exam: There are two parts in the final exam for
193:
| Writing | Grammar
Vocabulary Composition |
| Speaking | Short oral interview |
Reading and listening are not formally tested at this point, but the student’s performance in class weighs heavily in the final decision on whether or not the student may go into 293.
This course is offered in the Winter Term only. It meets four days a week for two hours each day for a total 8 hours of credit.
The goal of this course is to expand vocabulary and to master grammatical structures and syntax to the level of competency required to pass a proficiency examination. This entails developing the ability to communicate with some ease with a native speaker in spoken and written language. Students must be able to understand the content of texts and lectures of a non technical nature, and of general (non-literary) interest.
In class students review grammar, receive intensive training in speaking, listen to dialogues and lectures about various aspects of contemporary Russia, and discuss the assigned texts.
The Proficiency exam evaluates the student’s level of performance in communicative skills at the end of the term (see Proficiency Exam).
The Russian Readings course is open to all students who pass the Russian Proficiency Exam. Students may elect Russian Readings more than once as long as the content of the course is different each time. The goal of this course is to use and improve different language skills by reading, writing about, and discussing topics dealing with Russia, Russians and Russian culture. The focus is on stylistics, but there is a review of basic grammar, if necessary. Class sessions are on an informal lecture-discussion basis; students are responsible for leading most of the discussions. Class attendance and weekly conferences with instructor are mandatory. Students will write 20-25 pages during the term.
Typically, there is a final project consisting of an oral presentation and a 6-8 page report. Students in 323 must attend two hours of either the Russian Table or the Russian Tea a week.
REMINDER: Plan to take a Readings course as soon after passing theProficiency Exam as possible. After passing the Proficiency Exam at the end of the Winter Term students you will have a four-month gap before takingReadings. It is necessary to read Russian during the summer to keep in shape (we can help with suggestions).
Below is the description of the Russian Readings course for the Fall 1998 semester.
Russian
Foodways: History, Culture, and Practice of the Russian Table We are what we eat" – food is fundamental and instrumental in our lives. For the traveler the table is one of the principal arenas for encounters with other cultures (after all, when we travel, we are always curious about menus, local dishes, the domestic table, and so on). But we also are how we eat, and the rituals, habits, economies, folklore, and cultural images of the table, the practices of food selection and preparation, the depiction of the table in high (and popular) culture are all significant elements in the creation of personal, regional, and national identity.
This course will examine the foodways of Russia, from the development of the Russian table to the practices and rituals of food preparation and consumption in Russia today. It will explore the semiotics of the table in Russian literature, folklore, film, and journalism, and will look at contemporary attitudes to food and eating. Students will learn what to expect when they eat and drink in Russia (and why), and will have the opportunity to emulate the habits of the Russian table, to participate in the preparation and enjoyment of an authentic Russian zastol’e, and to see the foodways of Russian Detroit.
Students will be
expected to participate actively in class, write six one-to-two-page response
papers, and to complete a final project combining oral presentation and
a six-to-eight-page paper. Readings include historical texts, belles
lettres , journalism, culinary writing, tourist materials and travelers’
tales, folklore. There will be a small lab fee.
We are very
excited about the forthcoming production of the newly established Russian
Theater "TIP" ("Teatr Istoricheskogo Portreta") under the direction of
Dr. Leonora Mikhailovna Ivanitskaya. Students, interested in participating
in this exciting two-credit minicourse (IDiv 351 "Russian Theater Project),
should contact Alina Makin.
Stay in touch, we will have all the details for you very soon!
If you have questions, write to Alina Makin, Program Head (resco@umich.edu)