Programs

Russian Language and Area Studies

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Academics

Academic Program

American Councils semester, academic year, and summer programs maximize linguistic and cultural immersion into Russian society. All programs feature approximately twenty hours per week of in-class instruction; roughly sixteen hours of which are dedicated to Russian-language study. Students are placed according to proficiency level in groups of three-to-five for language classes. Core Russian language classes include Russian Conversation, Phonetics, Russian Grammar, and Lexical Studies. Area studies offerings include (but are not limited to) Studies in Mass Media, Russian Literature, Russian History and Politics, and Contemporary Russian Society; all area studies and literature courses are taught in Russian.

Host University Faculty

All courses are conducted by host university faculty with extensive experience in teaching Russian as a foreign language to American students. Faculty at our partner universities also attend regular development seminars sponsored by American Councils and led by U.S. experts in Russian-language pedagogy. Recent seminars have addressed American academic culture, the American idea of a liberal arts education, student-centered learning, and communicative teaching strategies.

Peer Tutoring

In 2000, American Councils established a peer-tutoring program for all RLASP participants. Students now have the chance to meet for two hours per week with tutors recruited from the Department of Russian as a Foreign Language at their host universities (in Vladimir, peer tutors come from the Vladimir State University). In addition to valuable academic support, the peer-tutoring program provides an important opportunity for American students to meet their contemporaries in the increasingly fast-paced, cosmopolitan culture of post-Soviet Russia.

“I don’t think I would have improved as much without my tutor. I am very glad that through her I have made some Russian friends and have learned to converse on a social level.” Matthew Parelman, St. Petersburg, Fall 2007

Honors Program and Auditing Classes

Academic year and semester students with GPAs of 3.3 or higher, advanced language skills, and outstanding recommendations may be nominated by the selection committee to be honors students. As honors students, program participants may substitute regular courses at their Russian host university for the American Councils area studies offerings. The selection committee must nominate all honors students. This feature depends significantly upon university schedules and the readiness of individual faculty to accommodate American students whose schedules require early completion of the class. With guidance from the resident director, it is the responsibility of each individual honors student to locate a viable class and obtain permission from the instructor to attend. All academic year and semester RLASP participants are encouraged to audit regular university classes. In recent years, RLASP participants completed courses at their host universities in Art History, Mathematics, Sociology, Theater Studies, Russian History, Psychology and Literature.

Courses

Academic Year Program -

Fall Semester:

  • Russian 375/575 | Speech Practicum I | (1.5/1 Units)
  • Russian 385/585 | Research and Analysis of Modern Russian I | (1.5/1 Units)
  • Russian 390/590 | Development of Classroom Models I | (0.5 Units)
  • Russian 391/591 | Survey of 19th and 20th Century Russian Literature | (0.5 Units)

Spring Semester:

  • Russian 376/576 | Speech Practicum II | (1.5/1 Units)
  • Russian 386/586 | Research and Analysis of Modern Russian II | (1.5/1 Units)
  • Russian 392/592 | Development of Classroom Models II | (0.5 Units)
  • Russian 393/593 | Research and Analysis of Russian Literature II | (0.5 Units)
  • Russian 339/539 | Major Field Elective: Independent Research Project | (1.0 Unit)
Semester Program -
  • Russian 350/550 | Advanced Conversation, Phonetics and Intonation | (1.5/1 Units)
  • Russian 360/560 | Advanced Grammar and Lexical Study | (1.5/1 Units)
  • Russian 338 | Contemporary Russian Society | (0.5 Units)
  • Russian 538 | Elective Course in Field of Specialization | (0.5 Units)
  • Russian 348/548 | Survey of 19th and 20th Century Russian Literature | (0.5 Units)
Summer Program -
  • Russian 320/515 | Intensive Conversation | (1.0 Unit)
  • Russian 330/525 | Intensive Grammar (1.0 Unit)

Please Note: One Bryn Mawr undergraduate academic unit is equivalent to four undergraduate semester credit hours. One Bryn Mawr graduate academic credit is equivalent to five graduate semester credit hours.

Due to differences in the Russian and American academic systems, Bryn Mawr course titles often encompass several specialized Russian classes. For instance, the Bryn Mawr course Russian 350, Advanced Conversation, Phonetics and Intonation is actually comprised of three separate classes at our Russian partner universities: one in phonetics, one in speech, and one in phraseology. Students’ grades in each of these individual courses are weighted and averaged together in order to calculate one final grade for the Bryn Mawr course.

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