126-151 Beginners Russian B

Students must be concurrently enrolled in 126-150.

This is a beginners subject covering all areas of the language, ie. reading, writing, aural comprehension and oral skills, and including use of computer-aided language learning. This subject covers the basic grammatical system of Russian; teaches students to translate simple texts from Russian into English and vice versa; and should provide students with an active knowledge of around 500 words and a passive knowledge of a further 200 words (all from the textbook). The subject should enable students to conduct elementary conversation on a limited number of basic topics (eg. family, weather, travel, studies); and introduces students to Russian society and culture.

• be able to study independently;

• be able to apply theoretical knowledge for practical purposes;

• be able to commit to memory large amounts of information;

• be able to understand and use more effectively the structure of their own language;

• be able to work and communicate in a group environment;

• be able to express ideas clearly in both written and oral form.

A 1-hour test 25% (mid-semester), written work totalling 2500 words 62.5% (due throughout the semester) and a 10-minute oral exam 12.5% (at the end of semester).

• E Stepanova et al, Russky yazyk dlya vsekh (Russian for Everybody). (6th ed) or later.