Russian I

This course is the first in a series of first-year courses in the traditional track, intended for students with no previous background in Russian. The course develops competence in speaking, reading, writing, and understanding contemporary Russian. It will also introduce you to Russian culture and Russian-speaking cultures around the world through exciting authentic materials, including internet sites and cultural artifacts, songs, videos, short stories, as well as conversations with native speakers. Class work emphasizes development of communicative competence in real-life situations, spontaneous interactions, pair and group work and is conducted almost entirely in Russian. By the end of the course, you will be able to engage in simple conversations in Russian on topics concerning your daily life. You will know greetings and everyday expressions, talk about people and objects in your life, your hobbies, likes and dislikes, past activities and your residence. You will also be able to write short personalized messages in Russian.