Skip to main content.
  • Faculty + Staff
  • Alumni/ae
  • Families
  • Students
Bard
  • Bard
  • Academics sub-menuAcademics
    • Academics
      • Programs and Divisions
      • Structure of the Curriculum
      • Courses
      • Requirements
      • Academic Calendar
      • Faculty
      • College Catalogue
      • Bard Abroad
      • Libraries
      • Dual-Degree Programs
      • Bard Conservatory of Music
      • Other Study Opportunities
      • Graduate Programs
      • Early Colleges
  • Admission sub-menuAdmission
    • Applying
      • Apply Now
      • Financial Aid
      • Tuition + Payment
      • Campus Tours
      • Meet Our Students + Alumni/ae
      • For Families / Para Familias
      • Join Our Mailing List
      • Contact Us
  • Campus Life sub-menuCampus Life
    • Living on Campus
      • Housing + Dining
      • Campus Resources
      • Get Involved on Campus
      • Visiting + Transportation
      • Athletics + Recreation
      • Montgomery Place Campus
      • Current Students
      • New Students
  • Civic Engagement sub-menuCivic Engagement
    • Bard CCE The Center for Civic Engagement (CCE) at Bard College embodies the fundamental belief that education and civil society are inextricably linked.

      Take action.
      Make an impact.

      • Campus + Community
      • In the Classroom
      • U.S. Network
      • International Network
      • About CCE
      • Support
      • Get Involved
  • Newsroom sub-menuNews + Events
    • News + Events
      • Newsroom
      • Events Calendar
      • Press Releases
      • Office of Communications
    • Special Events
      • Family and Alumni/ae Weekend
      • Commencement + Reunion
      • Fisher Center + SummerScape
      • Athletic Events
    • Join the Conversation
      •         

  • About Bard sub-menuAbout Bard
    • About Bard College
      • Bard History
      • Campus Tours
      • Employment
      • Visiting Bard
      • Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
      • Sustainability
      • Title IX and Nondiscrimination
      • Board of Trustees
      • Bard Abroad
      • Open Society University Network
      • The Bard Network
  • Give
  • Search
Bard Abroad
Main Image for Russian Summer Language Program

Russian Summer Language Program

Bishkek Menu
  • Bishkek Home
  • Academics
  • Summer
  • Student Life
  • Health + Safety
  • Alumni/ae Opportunities
  • Apply
  • Bard Abroad Home
Study Russian and learn about Central Asia’s historical, cultural and contemporary ties to Russia and the former Soviet Union. The program is hosted by the American University of Central Asia in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, a Bard College dual-degree partner. Applicants must have one year of college level Russian completed by the start of the program.
Apply now!

Academic Program

Academic Program

This eight-week program consists of two four-credit courses: one Russian Language course (Beginner to Intermediate: Transitional Russian Language Course or On the Road to Proficiency: Russian from Intermediate to Advanced) and Post-Soviet Central Asia: Sovereignty, Community, and Cultural Self-Expression. Additional academic programming includes Russian Table lunches and guided homework sessions.

Sample Daily Schedule:
9:00 - 10:15 Russian Language
10:30 - 11:45 Russian Language
12:00 - 1:15 Post-Soviet Central Asia
1:30 - 2:15 Russian Table Lunch
2:15 - 3:15 Homework Session
3:15 - 5:30 Excursion

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. 

Cultural Program

Cultural Program

Participants experience the culture, history, society, and natural beauty of Kyrgyzstan through weekly excursions in Bishkek, and trips to sights of interest in Kyrgyzstan including the stunning Lake Issyk-Kul and Ala-Archa Nature Park.

Homestays

Participants live with local Russian-speaking families in Bishkek, experiencing daily life in Kyrgyzstan while immersing themselves in a Russian language environment. Homestays include two meals a day during the week and three meals on weekends. 

Connect with Bard Abroad

  • Submit an Inquiry Form
  • Bard Abroad on Facebook
  • Bard Abroad on Instagram
Bard College
30 Campus Road
PO Box 5000
Annandale-on-Hudson, New York 12504-5000
Phone: 845-758-6822
Admission E-mail: [email protected]
©2023 Bard College
Follow Us on Twitter
Like us on Facebook
Follow Us on Instagram
You Tube
Information For:
Prospective Students
Current Employees
Alumni/ae 
Families
Quick Links
Employment
Travel to Bard
Site Search
Support Bard
COVID-19 Info