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Contemporary Russian Written and Oral

Module description

This is a module which is designed to cover all aspects of language learning: producing Russian, both orally and in writing; you will improve your comprehension of Russian through translation of Russian texts into English; you will also gain a sound understanding of key aspects of Russian grammar. The writing and translation classes are structured around the literary text ‘Dom s mezoninom’, by Anton Chekhov. Every week you will read a section of the story, and classes will be based on this material. Alongside these classes you will have Russian grammar and oral classes. In this way, you will engage each week in activities designed to promote independent learning, while making sure that there is plenty of opportunity for classroom discussion and practice of essential skills.

This module is designed for students who have an A-level in Russian language, or equivalent, and who wish to acquire the foundation for studying Russian at level two and beyond.

Module aims - intentions of the module

The aim of this module is to:

• Build upon language skills previously acquired at A-level (or GSCE) and to ensure a sound grammatical and structural understanding of the principles of the contemporary Russian language
• Increase vocabulary
• Develop strategies in comprehension and vocabulary acquisition
• Build confidence in the use of written and spoken Russian

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 1. Demonstrate a secure knowledge of the core grammatical features of the Russian language, and be able to tackle structured grammatical exercises
• 2. Demonstrate skills in understanding Russian, both by translating and summarising short Russian texts, and by carrying out exercises in aural and reading comprehension
• 3. Converse in Russian and make short oral presentations, and to produce short pieces of written Russian as part of exercises in guided writing

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 4. Recognise and understand a core linguistic terminology
• 5. Engage, under guidance, with the Russian-language media

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 6. Work in groups at solving a variety of basic linguistic tasks
• 7. Communicate at a basic level in Russian
• 8. Express and discuss views as part of a group

Syllabus plan

Whilst the content may vary from year to year, it is envisioned that it will cover some or all of the following topics:

• Grammar
• Oral practice
• Translation from Russian / guided writing in Russian
• Reading/listening comprehension

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Formative assessment

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Details of summative assessment

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Re-assessment notes

Deferral – if you miss an assessment for certificated reasons judged acceptable by the Mitigation Committee, you will normally be either deferred in the assessment or an extension may be granted. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.

Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 40%) you will be required to submit a further assessment as necessary. If you are successful on referral, your overall module mark will be capped at 40%.

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

• Nicholas Brown, New Penguin Russian Course (London: Penguin, 1996)
• Terence Wade, A Comprehensive Russian Grammar (Blackwell, 2000)
• Derek Offord, Using Russian: A Guide to Contemporary Usage. 2nd edition (Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2005)
• Nicholas Brown, Russian Learner's Dictionary: 10,000 Russian Words in Frequency Order (London: Routledge, 1996)
• Paul Falla et al., The Oxford Russian-English/English-Russian Dictionary (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1993)
• Anton Chekhov, ‘Dom s mezoninom’

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

• ELE – https://vle.exeter.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=1411

Key words search

Russian, written, oral