BA Film Studies and Russian / Course details

This course unit aims to develop students’ knowledge of Russian grammar, syntax and vocabulary and to develop students’ active command of spoken Russian. Oral/aural skills will be further developed through a parallel series of practical classes and work assignments to be undertaken by students in their own time in the Language Centre.

RUSS A-level Pre-Requisite. Students must have an A-level (or equivalent) in Russian in order to take RUSS10210. Otherwsie they must take RUSS10540.

Pre-requisite units

A- Level or equivalent in Russian.

 

• To broaden students’ knowledge of and mastery of the principles of the Russian language
• To help students develop competence in spoken and written Russian beyond A-Level standard
• To extend students’ knowledge of Russian culture and society by acquainting them with different Russian cultural customs and traditions

Grammar topics:

• Verbal aspect (in past, present and future; in the imperative; verbal aspect with negation; verbal aspect in the infinitive).
• Verbs of motion with and without prefixes; verbs of motion with spatial and non-spatial meaning.
• Conditional mood.
• Direct and Indirect Speech.
• Particles.

Three hours per week (consisting of two hours of grammar and one hour of oral practice), supplemented by independent study in the Language Centre and a range of exercises delivered via Blackboard.

There is a wide range of eLearning resources available for this course unit on Blackboard: prepared and systemized information about most essential Russian grammar topics, a large collection of on-line tests and self-check tasks, YouTube-hosted Russian cartoons as well as vocabulary lists.

For each topic covered in class there are also useful internet resources available for independent e-learning (on-line programs, helping to develop oral/aural skills, grammar tests, reference grammar books, quizzes and games)

• Handle grammatical structures appropriate to level of study
• Communicate in written form and orally on complex topics (e.g. to take part in discussion covering a range of issues such as leisure and travel, relationships and family, life in the city, transport and environmental issues)
• Possess comprehension skills as an integral part of effective communication (e.g. to understand brief news items on TV and short literary texts)

• Critical thinking
• Problem solving
• Synthesis and analysis of data and information
• Critical reflection and evaluation
• Translation

• Using the library, the Language Centre and electronic and online resources
• Improving communication skills
• Speaking, reading and writing in Russian

• Computer literacy
• Teamwork
• Time management
• Reflecting upon and improving own learning
• Applying subject knowledge

 

 

Assessment task	Length	Weighting within unit
Two   in-class  grammar tests (one  in each Semester) Two   in-class   writing/vocabulary tests (one  in each Semester) Oral exam, held at the end of Semester 2 Written exam, held at the end of Semester	50 min each    50  min  each  15 min  2 hours	20%    10%  20%  50%

 

In-class tests:

• general comments after in-class grammar tests (including analysis, explanation and correction of most typical errors), following the relevant test;
• individual written feedback based on the results of the in-class tests (plus face-to-face discussion, if desired), during  lesion following the relevant test.
   

Additionally:

• oral comments on students’ responses, during the relevant class;
• comments during class discussion regarding the accuracy and coherence of student responses;
• global comments on oral performance, given during the last week of class in Semester 2.

Up to date grammar material will be available at the beginning of each semester

Set textbook:

• Stanislav Chernyshov, Alla Chernyshova, Poekhali 2.1!: russkii iazyk dlia vzroslykh: bazovyj kurs (St Petersburg: Zlatoust, 2007)

 

Recommended reference grammars:

• William Mahota, Russian Verbs of Motion for Intermediate Students (New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 1996)
• L. Muraviova, Verbs of Motion in Russian (Moscow: Russkii Iazyk Publishers, 1995)
• E. Vasilenko, A. Yegorova, E. Lamm, Russian Verb Aspects (Moscow: Russkii Iazyk Publishers, 1988)
• Terence Wade, A Comprehensive Russian Grammar (Oxford: Blackwell Publishers, 2000)