Advanced Russian Conversation and Composition

Catalog description

This advanced practicum in conversation and composition includes situational topics and complex academic discourse and is designed to enhance students' oral, listening comprehension, and writing skills in Russian. It is taught entirely in Russian to ensure complete immersion. Students will work with authentic Russian texts and audio-video materials of moderate complexity in various genres and will actively engage in conversations and discussions on a number of topics of personal, community, national, or international interest: current events, culture, history, the arts, and politics. They will gain sufficient control of basic structures and generic vocabulary to be understood by native speakers of the language, including those unaccustomed to nonnative speech. Upon successful completion of the course, students will acquire basic competence in representing points of view other than their own, defending an argument, and hypothesizing on a more abstract level. The course also aims to increase the students' understanding of Russian culture and the Russian way of life.