RUSSIAN ONLINE
RUS 331
Fall 2006
Instructor:
Anna Geisherik
Office hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays by appointment (HUM 1056)
Email: anna.geisherik@stonybrook.edu
Texts
- Lidiya Chukovskaya’s Sofia Petrovna Kagan O., Kashper M. Focus Publishing 2000. here: [SP]
- Cinema for Russian Conversation Kashper M., Kagan O., Morozova Y. Focus Publishing 2005 here: [CRC]
Online Resourses:
http://blackboard.sunysb.edu/ - Stony Brook Blackboard site
www.livejournal.com - blog
www.lib.ru - (free online library)
www.lenta.ru , www.gazeta.ru - (news)
www.kommersant.ru - (news commentary)
www.lingvo.ru, www.multitran.ru - (dictionaries)
www.yandex.ru - (search engine)
Pre-requisites:
RUS 212/213 or equivalent.
Particularly suggested for students of Russian-speaking background
NOTE: The students must submit a working email address to the department of European Languages prior to the first
day of class!
Course Description:
The study of the Russian language and culture past the intermediate level through the use of Internet
resources. The primary goals will be enrichment of vocabulary and development of advanced reading and writing
proficiency. Getting acquainted with the current Russian news, literature and film will be an essential part of the
course.
There will be class meetings twice a month. Your presence at the meetings is required. If you are a nonmatriculated students and can not be on campus at these times please speak with the instructor on or before the first
day of class.
Weekly assignments will consist of keeping a journal (in the form of an online blog, details will be provided
by the instructor); reading current news and writing news summaries; reading a literary text and doing exercises based
on it. The students will also watch several movies in the course of the semester and do assignments based on the
movies. At the end of the course each student will submit a cultural project. The topic of the project has to be
discussed with the instructor individually at least 3 weeks prior to the due date. The project will consist of 5-7
handwritten pages and will be graded both on the language and on contents.
Grading:
Meeting attendance
Blog (weekly journal)
News summary
Readings and exercises
In-Person Tests
Final Project
- 5%
- 15%
- 10%
- 20%
- 30%
- 20%
Please note that if you have a physical, psychiatric/emotional, medical or learning disability that may impact your ability to carry
out assigned course work, it is advised that you contact the staff in the Disabled Student Services office (DSS), Room 133
Humanities, 632-6748. DSS will review your concerns and determine what accommodations are necessary and appropriate. All
information and documentation is confidential. (USB Regulations).
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Week 1
Introduction to textbooks and online resources. Installing Cyrillic fonts and a Russian keyboard on your computer.
Reading: chapters 1, 2 of “Sofia Petrovna”.
Homework: Install Cyrillic on your computer. Create a blog account on Live Journal. Find and test all the links
necessary for class.
Week 2
Class meeting # 1
Introduction to RUS 331. Placement test. Guide to creating a blog.
Learning to use the Russian search engines and getting acquainted with the Russian news resources.
Reading: chapters 3, 4 of “Sofia Petrovna”.
Homework: Read current news about Russia and write a brief news summary in Russian about two events that you
found most interesting. Write a blog entry describing the events of you life in the past week (journal style)
Week 3
Class meeting # 2
Discussion of “Sofia Petrovna”. Questions and answers about finding information online.
Review of basic grammar: spelling rules, gender of nouns and adjectives.
Homework: Write a brief news summary (submit it by email). Write a blog entry (journal style). Find information
about different writing styles and their features (summary, review, journal entry).
Week 4
How to write a movie review. Examples of movie reviews online.
Online lecture: Review of the use of cases (Nominative, Accusative, Prepositional).
Homework: Ex. 6.4, 6.5 on p. 109 [CRC] (find information about the actors and musicians online, and answer the
questions about the movie. Submit by email). Write a brief news summary (submit by email). Write a blog entry
(journal style).
Week 5
Class meeting # 3 (Movie – “Moscow Doesn’t Believe in Tears”)
Reading: chapters 5, 6, 7 of “Sofia Petrovna”.
Homework:
Ex. 6-21, 6-22 p. 127 [CRC] (read the review and write your own movie review as a blog entry)
Week 6
Online lecture: Review of the use of cases (Genitive). Reading: chapters 8, 9 of “Sofia Petrovna”
Homework:
Lexical exercises for [SF]: 1.9, 2.9, 3.9, 4.9. Find information online about one the people or events in
exercises. 1-16, 2-16, 3-17, 5-17. Write a blog entry (journal style).
Week 7
Review of the use of cases (Dative, Instrumental).
Reading: chapters 10, 11 of “Sofia Petrovna”
“Midterm”: Submit a handwritten summary of the first 10 chapters of “Sofia Petrovna”. Each chapter should be
summarized in one short paragraph.
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Week 8
Class meeting # 4 (Movie -- “East/West”)
Homework:
Ex. 7.4, 7.5 on p. 117 [CRC] (find information about the actors and musicians online, and answer the
questions about the movie. Submit by email).
Week 9
Online lecture: Review of verb conjugations. Reading: chapters 12, 13 of “Sofia Petrovna”
Homework:
Ex. 4-21, 4-22 p.74 [CRC] (read the review and write your own movie review as a blog entry).
Write a brief news summary (submit by email)
Week 10
Online lecture: reflexive verbs. Reading: chapters 13, 14 of “Sofia Petrovna”
Homework:
Lexical exercises for [SF]: 5.9, 6.9, 7.9, 8.9. Write a brief news summary (submit by email). Write a
blog entry (journal style). Online discussion: Why you like or don’t like “Sofia Petrovna”. Write your opinions in the
community blog and comment on each other’s thoughts.
Week 11
Online lecture: The use of participles in written Russian. Reading: chapters 15, 16 of “Sofia Petrovna”.
Homework:
Write a brief news summary (submit by email). Write a blog entry (journal style).
Lexical exercises for [SF]: 9.10, 10.9, 11.9,.
Week 12
Class meeting # 6
(Movie – “The Thief”)
Homework:
Ex. 4.4 p. 62 [CRC] (find information about the actors online) Ex. 4-18 p. 73 [CRC] (written
translation). Write a brief news summary (submit by email). Lexical exercises for [SF]: 13.8, 14.9, 15.9, 16.9
Week 13
Online lecture: The use of verbal adverbs in written Russian. Reading: chapters 17, 18 of “Sofia Petrovna”
Homework:
Ex. 7.21 p. 130 [CRC] (read the review and write your own movie review as a blog entry). Write a
brief news summary (submit by email).
Week 14
Class meeting # 7
Discussion of the Final Project
Homework:
Submit a handwritten summary of chapters 11-18 of “Sofia Petrovna”. Each chapter should be
summarized in one short paragraph. Write a brief news summary (submit by email). Write a blog entry (journal style).
Final Exam Week: The Final Project due
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