Russian

Wilbert Roget, Department Chair

537 Anderson Hall

215-204-8266

wilbert.roget@temple.edu

Benjamin Rifkin, Faculty Advisor

550 Anderson Hall

215-204-1816

brifkin@temple.edu

www.temple.edu/fgis/Slavic/

Russian is a major world language spoken by more than 150 million people in the Russian Federation, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, the Baltic States, the Caucasus, and right here in Philadelphia, as well as in every other large American city.  Russian is the national (official) language of Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and is used as a lingua franca throughout Central Asia.  It is also one of the official working languages of the United Nations. Russian is the language of the booming Russian economy, one of the largest producers of oil, gas, coal, diamonds, gold, copper, steel, and timber.  A tremendous market for U.S. goods and services, Russia is also beginning to increase its exports to the United States, especially in the energy sector.  Students who study Russian can go on to enjoy exciting and fulfilling careers in international business. 

Russia is also the birthplace of one of the world's most fascinating cultures.  Whether you are interested in literature (think Dostoevsky and Tolstoy, Pasternak and Akhmatova), music (think Tchaikovsky and Stravinsky), theater (think Stanislavsky and Chekhov), film (think Eisenstein, Tarkovsky and Sokurov) or art (think Kandinsky, Malevich, and Chagall), Russian culture is a rich and exciting tradition that has been of critical importance for the development of world culture. 

Temple’s Russian program helps students achieve their learning goals, whether they want to go on to use Russian to communicate with Russian friends, to engage in business with Russian partners, to work in government or in the media, or to study Russian culture.  Our courses are designed in accordance with the National Standards for Foreign Language Learning (see www.actfl.org and click on "Publications").  Students of Russian at Temple:

• Learn to communicate in Russian with native speakers of Russian and participate in Russian-speaking communities, whether in Philadelphia, Russia, or, through study abroad and/or use of technology, anywhere else in the world;
• Develop an appreciation of Russian culture and cultural practices and perspectives including not only the landmark works of literature, art, architecture, and music, but also Russian cultural behaviors, traditions, and expectations;
• Apply their knowledge of Russian to make connections to other disciplines, such as History, Political Science, Geography, and Economics, using Russian and English-language sources to compare Russian, American, and other cultures to understand Russia and the USA in a global context;
• Enhance their understanding of the English language and their written and spoken communication skills in both Russian and English; and
• Develop language learning skills and strategies they can apply to the continued study of Russian language and culture (after completion of their program at Temple) or to the study of other languages and cultures.

Students who study Russian at Temple find that the Russian program prepares them to do well in whatever they choose upon graduation; our program teaches students to think, read, and write critically.  The word Russian stands out on students' résumés and transcripts. Students of Russian go on to careers in business, media, government service, and work in non-profit agencies; some choose to go to graduate or professional school before embarking on careers in law, medicine or government service.  Russian is considered a language of national strategic significance and numerous federal agencies give preference to job candidates with Russian language expertise.  Many students who major in Russian do so in combination with another major.

The Temple Russian program strongly encourages students to participate in study abroad through accredited programs and is ready to help students apply for scholarships to help make that possible.  Students participating in recognized programs in Russia, such as those sponsored by the American Council of Teachers of Russian (www.actr.org), the Council on International Educational Exchange (www.ciee.org), or the School of Russian and Asian Studies (www.sras.org), as well as in other study abroad programs as approved by the faculty advisor, receive credit towards the Russian major for courses taken in Russia on study abroad.  See the faculty advisor for more details, and visit the Temple University International Academic Programs office in Tuttleman Hall (www.temple.edu/studyabroad/) for more information.

Requirements for the Major in Russian

(Students who completed Russian 3001 or higher in fall 2006 or spring 2007 may complete the old Russian major program and should see Professor Maria Swiecicka-Ziemianek for details.)

All Temple students must take a minimum of two writing-intensive courses. The specific writing-intensive courses required for this major are listed below and are identified by "WI" in the RCI column.

Prerequisites:  Russian 2002 or the equivalent.  This means that students with no Russian language background take Russian 1001 (First-Year Russian I) and continue through Russian 2002 (Second-Year Russian II).  Heritage students of Russian, i.e., students who speak Russian in their homes, are required to take Russian 3003 and should see the faculty advisor for Russian for this placement. 

Distinction in Major

To be considered for Distinction in Major, students must:

• Complete the requirements for the concentration in Russian with a GPA of at least 3.50 in Russian courses;
• Be recommended to the Chair of the department by the Russian faculty advisor;
• Have an overall GPA of at least 3.25.

Requirements for Minor in Russian

(Students who completed Russian 3001/3002 in academic year 2007-2008 or earlier may elect to complete the old Russian minor and should see Professor Maria Swiecicka-Ziemianek for details.)

Prerequisites:  Russian 2002 or equivalent.  This means that students with no Russian language background take Russian 1001 (First-Year Russian I) and continue through Russian 2002 (Second-Year Russian II).  Successful completion of Russian 2002 or the equivalent is the prerequisite for entrance into Russian 3001, a course required for the Russian minor. Heritage students of Russian, i.e., students who speak Russian in their homes, are required to take Russian 3003 and should see the faculty advisor for Russian for this placement. 

Requirements for the Special Foreign Language Certificate in Russian

(Students who completed Russian 3001/3002 in academic year 2007-2008 or earlier may elect to complete the old Russian certificate and should see Professor Maria Swiecicka-Ziemianek for details.)

Prerequisites:  Russian 2002 or equivalent. This means that students with no Russian language background take Russian 1001 (First-Year Russian I) and continue through Russian 2002 (Second-Year Russian II). Heritage students of Russian, i.e., students who speak Russian in their homes, are required to take Russian 3003 and should see the faculty advisor for Russian for this placement.