RUSS 202
Intermediate Russian II
1. Catalog Entry
RUSS 202
Intermediate Russian II
Credit hours (4)
Prerequisites: RUSS 201 or placement by examination
Review of fundamentals and continued practice in listening, speaking, reading, and
culture with expanded use of literary and cultural materials. This course has been
approved for Core Curriculum credit in College Core B in Foreign Languages.
Note(s): Students who have taken RUSS 210 are not eligible to take RUSS 202.
2. Detailed Description of Course
RUSS 202 is conducted in Russian and represents the final semester of a four-semester sequence. The course is designed to develop the speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills in addition to instruction on Russian culture at the intermediate level.
Communicative functions focus on: talking about activities in the present, past, future and conditional tenses; talking about travel and traits needed for particular professions; commenting about hypothetical situations. Grammatical functions include: using the past tense verb forms to indicate tense aspect; using the synthetic and true future; using the subjunctive mood in the present and past tenses; using constructions to indicate polite requests and criticism. Task functions focus on: writing brief compositions; making oral presentations; reading authentic materials (i.e. produced for native speakers) for information and pleasure; listening to and following directions.
Cultural sections include information on countries that were once constituent republics of the Soviet Union, their current political and economic situation as well as information music, literature and art.
3. Detailed Description of Conduct of Course
Class instruction focuses on communication practice utilizing the situations, communication tasks, vocabulary, culture, and grammar introduced in a given chapter. Other activities include: simulation of culturally relevant activities, grammar and vocabulary explanations, pronunciation practice, listening comprehension exercises, and grammatical drills. Class is conducted substantially in the target language.
4. Goals and Objectives of the Course
As regards morphology and syntax, students will be able to analyze basic grammar in most Russian sentences. Intermediate II students will be able to analyze similarities and differences between their own and the target cultures and to explain contemporary international issues from the perspectives of their own and the target cultures. Students will demonstrate language skills in listening, speaking, reading, and writing that are appropriate to the level of study and that are necessary for everyday life in a Russian speaking country.
Speaking and listening goals (standardized ACTFL proficiency criteria): Students will be able to handle successfully a limited but increasing number of interactive, task oriented and social situations. They can ask and answer questions, initiate and respond to simple statements, and maintain face-to-face conversation, although in a restricted manner. The students will be able to be understood by sympathetic interlocutors. They will be able to produce most Russian sounds and sound sequences correctly with good stress and intonation patterns. Listening goals: students will be able to understand sentence length utterances which consist of re-combinations of learned elements in a limited number of content areas, particularly if strongly supported by the situational context.
Reading and writing goals (standardized ACTFL proficiency criteria): Students will have sufficient control of the writing system to interpret written language in areas of practical need. Students will be able to derive meaning from material at a higher level where context, vocabulary aids, and/or extra-linguistic background knowledge are supportive. As regards writing, students will be able to write simple fixed expressions, limited memorized material and re-combinations thereof. They can write about personal interests and familiar cultural topics in letters or in a diary format.
Students will be able to analyze similarities and differences between their own and the target cultures.
Students will be able to explain contemporary international issues from the perspectives of their own and the target cultures.
5. Assessment Measures
Speaking progress will be evaluated in oral interviews. Written homework assignments and test exercises provide a basis for the evaluation of writing progress. Listening and reading comprehension, grammatical accuracy, and familiarity with the new culture are tested in quizzes, chapter tests, and on the final exam.
6. Other Course Information
Russian 202 targets intermediate language learners with the equivalent of three semester of college Russian, but can accommodate learners with three or four years in high school. Students who have taken RUSS 200 have fulfilled the prerequisite for RUSS 202, but are not eligible for RUSS 201.
This course is designed for upper level intermediate students minoring in the Russian
language and can help students fulfill the B.A. foreign language requirement.
To supplement linguistic and cultural encounters in class, students are expected to
participate in some extracurricular activities such as conversations with native speakers,
watching Russian movies, and inquiring about Russian-speaking cultures by means of
the multitude of media available as informational resources. Additional taped materials,
representing Russian-native speakers from different areas and authentic video materials
accompanying the subject matter of the text’s lessons are available in the language
laboratory. The Foreign Language Department’s Homepage contains links to newspapers
from several Russian-speaking countries and to the most important newspapers published
in Moscow and Kiev.
Review and Approval