RUSSIAN 100A
Dr. Daria Shembel
Fall 2015
Schedule Number: 22943
COURSE INFORMATION
Class Days: M, T, W, Th
Class Times: M, W: 10.00 – 10.50; T, Th: 9.30- 10.45
Class Location: LSS 244
Email: dshembel@yahoo.com
Office Hours Location: SH 228A
Office Hours Times: Th 12.30 – 2.00 (and by appointment)
Course Overview
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Description from the Official Course Catalog
RUSSN 100A. Beginning Russian 1 (5) [GE] Pronunciation, oral practice, reading, essentials of grammar.
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Description of the Purpose and Course Content
Beginning Russian I is the first step towards mastering the basic vocabulary and grammar of the Russian language and
understanding the culture and values of contemporary Russian life and institutions. The course is designed to enable
students to communicate in Russian about topics of general interest dealing with every-day situations, e.g. family and
friends, education, leisure time, daily activities, housing and work. The culture, history and traditions of the Russianspeaking world will be presented through a number of cultural sources and new media, including Russian web, film,
animation, literature, and music.
Every class day, the students will learn new vocabulary, practice speaking Russian with the teacher and the other
students in small groups, read aloud, and write sentences. Written homework will be assigned every day. Learning a
foreign language is always a matter of discipline, regular practice and exposure. This is a fast-paced language course,
which requires some additional preparation outside of class. Remember, the more you expose yourself to the
language through reading, internet browsing, using vocabulary flash cards, watching films or talking to native
speakers of Russian, the more proficient you’ll become.
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Student Learning Outcomes
Students will have basic skills that will help them learn how to speak, read, understand, and write elementary Russian.
Students will be able to use Russian to introduce themselves and talk about their university life, daily schedule,
wardrobe, and families
Students will be able to describe common objects, their likes and dislikes, as well as their leisure activities, such as
sports.
Demonstrate intercultural competence.
Enrollment Information
Please include information about enrollment for the course including, but not limited to:
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Prerequisites: none
Course Materials
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Required Materials:
Robin, Richard; Evans-Romaine, Karen; Shatalina, Galina; Golosa: A Basic Course in Russian Book 1 Plus MyRussianLab
with Pearson eText – Access Card Package. Fifth edition. The packet consists of textbook and electronic workbook.
Recommended Materials:
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Any commercially available package with audio or video component (e.g. Rosetta Stone)
A good-size Russian-English, English Russian dictionary
Course Structure and Conduct
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Blackboard Consult the Blackboard website for this course before every class. You are responsible for accessing
materials available there, as well as for checking your homework assignments.
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Attendance Class attendance is mandatory. Written excuses include medical reasons and religious holidays. More
than four unexcused absences will result in a lowering of your final grade.
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Homework will be assigned on regular basis and is designed as preparation for the next class. You may be given
reading, written, internet, research or grammar activities for homework. All homework assignments must be
completed in full prior to class and will contribute to your overall grade. It is your responsibility to keep up with all
homework assignments.
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Working with Multimedia Materials/ Language Lab: The Language Resource Center (LARC) is located in SH 204-205.
Some of our classes will be held there. I will always let you know in advance if we hold a class meeting in the lab.
Course Assessment and Grading
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Grading
Class attendance and oral performance: 20%
Homework and multimedia assignments: 25%
Quizzes (testing the core vocabulary of the chapter): 20%
Tests (there will be a test after each chapter) and midterm examination: 25%
Final examination: 10%
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Grades as defined at SDSU as:
A: Outstanding achievement, available for the highest accomplishment.
B: Praiseworthy performance, definitely above average.
C: Average awarded for satisfactory performance; the most common undergraduate grade.
D: Minimally passing, less than typical undergraduate achievement
F: Failing
C/NC: Some students may, subject to their major requirement and the conditions set out in the General Catalog, choose to take
the course credit/no credit. Work equivalent to C or above will result in a grade of Credit; work equivalent to C- or below will
result in NO Credit.
WU: Indicates that an enrolled student did not withdraw from the course but did not fulfill the course requirements. For
purposes of grade point average computation, this grade is equivalent to an F. Students who are failing when they stop
attending class will receive an F, not a U.
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Examinations
Midterm examination – Th, October 29.
Final examination - tba
Accommodations
The learning environment should be accessible to all. SDSU provides reasonable accommodations in the following situations:
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Disability: If you are a student with a disability and believe you will need accommodations for this class, it is your
responsibility to contact Student Disability Services at (619) 594-6473. To avoid any delay in the receipt of your
accommodations, you should contact Student Disability Services as soon as possible. Please note that
accommodations are not retroactive, and that accommodations based upon disability cannot be provided until you
have presented your instructor with an accommodation letter from Student Disability Services. Your cooperation is
appreciated.
Religion: By the end of the second week of classes, students should notify the instructors of affected courses of
planned absences for religious observances.
Official university activities (e.g., Athletics): Within the first two weeks of classes, a student who expects to be part of
an official university event or activity shall notify the instructors of affected courses. At that time, the student shall
request accommodation for any missed examinations or other assignments. If scheduling changes occur, the student
shall immediately notify the instructors.
Academic Honesty
The University adheres to a strict policy regarding cheating and plagiarism. These activities will not be tolerated in this class.
Become familiar with the policy (http://www.sa.sdsu.edu/srr/conduct1.html). Any cheating or plagiarism will result in failing
this class and a disciplinary review by Student Affairs.
Examples of Plagiarism include but are not limited to:
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Using sources verbatim or paraphrasing without giving proper attribution (this can include phrases, sentences,
paragraphs and/or pages of work)
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Copying and pasting work from an online or offline source directly and calling it your own
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Using information you find from an online or offline source without giving the author credit
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Replacing words or phrases from another source and inserting your own words or phrases
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Submitting a piece of work you did for one class to another class
If you have questions on what is plagiarism, please consult the policy (http://www.sa.sdsu.edu/srr/conduct1.html).
Cheating and Plagiarism
Cheating and plagiarism are serious offenses. You are plagiarizing or cheating if you:
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for written work, copy down or cut anything from a book, article or website and add or paste it into your paper
without using quotation marks and providing the full reference for the quotation, including page number
for written work, summarize / paraphrase in your own words ideas you got from a book, article, or the web without
providing the full reference for the source, including page number
for an oral presentation, copy down or cut anything from a book, article, or website and present it orally as if it were
your own words. You must summarize and paraphrase in your own words, and bring a list of references in case the
professor asks to see it
use visuals or graphs you got from a book, article, or website without providing the full reference for the picture or
table
recycle a paper you wrote for another class
turn in the same (or a very similar paper) for two classes
purchase or otherwise obtain a paper and turn it in as your own work
copy off of a classmate
use technology or smuggle in documents to obtain or check information in an exam situation
In a research paper, it is always better to include too many references than not enough. When in doubt, always err on the side
of caution. If you have too many references it might make your professor smile; if you don’t have enough you might be
suspected of plagiarism.
In foreign language study, cheating also includes the following:
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Doing your written homework and then having a third party correct it, or having someone else write your homework
for you and turning that in for credit
Doing assignments with another student and turning in the same or almost the same work. (Unless you are
specifically directed to work in pairs on in groups, college-level work is always expected to be solely your own.)
Using an automated translation engine to translate your homework
Using an available translation of a text on which to base your own translation and turning that in for credit.
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What IS acceptable includes the following:
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Asking your professor for help.
Brainstorming answers and/or ideas with another student; then, each student writes up the homework separately
and turns in his or her own work.
Doing your written homework and/or translation and then having a third party circle your mistakes; you then do the
corrections on your own and turn in your own work.
If you have any question or uncertainty about what is or is not cheating, it is your responsibility to ask your instructor.
TAKE THE TUTORIALS:
Test your knowledge of what constitutes plagiarism through a tutorial offered by the SDSU Library. To access the tutorial go to:
http://library.sdsu.edu/guides/tutorial.php?id=28
See also the library tutorial on the difference between acceptable paraphrase and plagiarism at:
http://library.sdsu.edu/guides/tutorial.php?id=16
Consequences of cheating and plagiarism
SDSU instructors are mandated to report all instances of cheating and plagiarism to the Center for Student Rights and
Responsibility. Consequences are at the instructor’s and the Center for Student Rights and Responsibility’s discretion. They may
include any of the following:
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failing the assignment
failing the class
warning
probation
suspension
expulsion
For more detailed information, read the chapter on plagiarism in the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (6th edition,
2003), visit the following website http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/pamphlets/plagiarism.shtml and talk to your professors before
turning in your paper or doing your oral presentation.
The University of Indiana also has very helpful writing hints for students, including some on how to cite sources. Please visit
http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/pamphlets.shtml for more information.
Syllabus
Course Schedule
Course Schedule with Date, Activity, and Assignment
Date
Theme
Context and Content
Week 1
Alphabet, A Little about Yourself - Chapter 1
Formal and Informal Greetings
Russian Names
Stating Ownership: Possessive Pronoun “my”
Greetings: saying hello and goodbye
Introducing yourself and others
Russian alphabet: recognize Print, Italic, and Cursive
letters
Begin writing in cursive; learn to spell your name in
Russian
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Date
Theme
Context and Content
Week 2-3
A Little about Yourself - Chapter 1
Naming People and Places
Talking about where people live
Counting 0-10
Introduce yourself
Answer questions “Who is this?” and “Who are you?”
State where you live and ask where someone else
lives
Write your name in Russian cursive
Numbers 0-10
Week 4-5
What do you have? Chapter 2
Introducing gender
Students will refer to people and objects using
pronouns: he, she, it, they
Whose suitcase is this: possessive pronouns
Asking about ownership (Is this your computer);
Confirming ownership (That’s mine)
Say what something is. “This is a …”
Greeting friends at the airport
Identify items offered in a radio ad for a store
Recognize phone numbers
Describe what is in your suitcase using adjectives and
nouns
Week 6
What do you have? Chapter 2
Talking about things in plural
Describing People and Objects: Adjectives
Say where something is. “There it is.”
Ask and answer what is in your suitcase.
Identify objects you have (books, pencils, backpack…)
Describe the objects (big, small, new, old…)
Find information in ads
Count 0-20
Week 7
Which languages do you know? Chapter 3
Talking about languages and nationalities
Students will talk about language skills using verb
conjugation/present and past tenses
Say what your nationality is, that of your parents.
Say what language you speak at home, what
language you study
Answer the question “where have you lived?”
Read ads about language schools and find
information
Numerals 20-100
5
Date
Theme
Context and Content
Give a short presentation about your family: where
are you from? Where do you live? What language do
you speak at home? Where are your parents from?
What language do they speak?
Week 8-9
Which Languages do you know? – Chapter 3
Talking about languages and nationalities
Talking about locations using Prepositional case
Learning how to talk about things using Prepositional
Ask someone about their family background, what
nationality, language…
Listen to radio ad about a language school, find
information
Write a short essay on what languages you speak,
know, and read, and how well you speak, know and
read in those languages.
Week 10
University - Chapter 4
Talking about university life
Using verbs “to study”
Talking about majors and subjects that student take
using Accusative
Say what university you go to.
Say what your major is and what classes you are
taking.
Reading academic schedules and grading system in
Russian
Numerals 100-1000
Make a presentation about yourself. What classes
you take, what year of study, what your major is and
where you go to university.
Week 11-12
University - Chapter 4
Talking about university life
Ask someone about what they study
Give an opinion about the difficulty or easiness of
learning a particular language
Write down your class schedule for the week from
last fall; include days, time, and breaks for lunch,
after class activities
Know the days of the week and be able to say what
hour it is.
Write a short letter to your future Russian roommate
about your studies at your university
Week 13
Daily schedules – Chapter 5
Days of the Week
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Date
Theme
Context and Content
Times of the Day
Talking about daily routines using different
conjugations
Talk about daily activities
Asking and telling time on the hour
Making and responding to simple invitations
Describe what you do most days from morning until
night
Week 14-15
Daily Schedule – Chapter 5
Russian verbs “to go”
Difference between “where” and “where to”
Ask and answer the question “Where are you going?”
Ask and answer the question “Where is Ivan?”
Discuss and compare your typical day with that of a
Russian friend
Invite your Russian friend to the movies and respond
to an invitation
Talking on the phone
Describe what you did all day Saturday. Put in as
much detail (time, place, what you were doing) as
possible.
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