Russian

525 Anderson Hall
215-204-1760
www.temple.edu/fgis/

Louis Mangione, Acting Chair
347 Anderson Hall
215-204-8247
mangione@temple.edu

Olia Prokopenko, Advisor

551 Anderson Hall

215-204-1768

oprokop@temple.edu

Colleen Knapp, Administrator
811 Anderson Hall
215-204-6752
colleen.knapp@temple.edu

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 Temple University's Education Abroad and Overseas Campuses office in the Tuttleman Learning Center (www.temple.edu/studyabroad/) for more information.

Note: The Russian Curricula will be phased out beginning in the 2012-13 academic year. 

If you intend to declare a major, minor, or Certificate program in Russian, you must do so during the Fall 2012 semester.

Summary of Degree Requirements

1. University Requirements

• Math 0701 (4sh) and/or English 0701 (4sh), if required by placement testing.
• All Temple students must take a minimum of two writing-intensive courses as part of the major. See below for a list of the specific courses required for your major.
• Students must complete requirements of the General Education (GenEd) Program. See the General Education section of the Undergraduate Bulletin for more details.

2. College of Liberal Arts Requirements

• Completion of a minimum of 123 credits, including: 90 credits in CLA/CST courses, 45 credits of which must be at the upper level (numbered 2000-4999).
• For Humanities majors, 6 upper level credits must be earned in the Social Sciences: African American Studies, American Studies, Anthropology, Asian Studies, Criminal Justice, Economics, Environmental Studies, Geography and Urban Studies, History, Jewish Studies, Latin American Studies, Mathematical Economics, Neuroscience: Systems, Behavior and Plasticity, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology, Women's Studies , or any department in the College of Science and Technology.

• Only courses in which a student receives a grade of at least C- can satisfy GenEd, major, minor, or CLA Foreign Language and Global Studies requirements.

3. Foreign Language/Global Studies Requirements

1) All students must complete the second level of a foreign language;

2) All students must complete at least one course from the GenEd World Society category; and

3) All students must complete one of the following options:

• Third level of a foreign language;
• Demonstrated proficiency in a foreign language;
• A second General Education World Society course;
• Study Abroad at an approved program; or
• Take one Global Studies course from the list on the CLA College Graduation Requirements page.

4. Major Requirements (39 s.h.)

Specifically Required courses

• Russian 1201, 3001, 3002, 4097, 4002, 3201, 4198

Electives in Major

• One course numbered 2100-2999
• One course numbered 4100-4999

5. General electives vary according to a student's individual program of study. Consult your academic advisor for more information.

Requirements for the Major in Russian

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 Attribute 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

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

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.

Suggested Semester-by-Semester Plan