Russian Summer Language Program

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Academic Program

Beginner to Intermediate: Transitional Russian Language Course (4 Credits)
This course aims to improve communication, reading, and writing skills of students who have completed two semesters of Russian studies at their home institutions in preparation for an Intermediate-level Russian language course in the fall. The goal of the course is to bring students’ vocabulary and grammar to a more sophisticated level, expanding their beginner lexicon of approximately 800-1,000 words to twice as much through six weeks of dialogues, hands-on reading and comprehension exercises, writing drills, and other activities connected to the group’s complementary study of the rich history, natural beauty, and the unique cultural character of Central Asia.

On the Road to Proficiency: Russian from Intermediate to Advanced (4 credits)
Geared towards second-year students of Russian who are planning to expand their oral and written literacy and gain vernacular competence, this course serves as a bridge between Intermediate and Advanced levels of language study. It consists of several units, each aiming to develop skills in reading, listening comprehension, conversation, and writing. Students are challenged to explore the Russian language from a variety of perspectives: cultural, linguistic, artistic, sociological, and political. One of the goals of the course is to help redirect the students from merely acquiring the Russian vocabulary towards learning idiomatic expressions, idiosyncratic patterns of speech, and syntactical models unique to the Russian language. Special activities in creative self-expression and cross-cultural dialogue (with an emphasis on Kyrgyz and Russian cultures) will also be offered.

Post-Soviet Central Asia: Sovereignty, Community, and Cultural Self-Expression (4 Credits)
This course addresses a variety of topics such as the incorporation of Central Asia into the Russian Empire, reforms of the Bolsheviks, the creation of Soviet nationalities, Perestroika and the collapse of the Soviet Union. The course explores changes experienced by Kyrgyz and other Central Asian traditional cultures during the Soviet period, the development of Soviet professional culture, the process of ethnic and religious awakening, and the revival of Islam and Islamic values in the socio-political life of the region. The curriculum further reflects on nation and state-building in the newly independent states of Central Asia, their recent political and economic developments, and their relationships with Russia and other political actors in Eurasia.