Fundamentals of Russian conversation, pronunciation, reading, grammar and writing, with an emphasis of oral proficiency through collaborative role-playing of real life scenarios.
Athena Title
Elementary Russian I
Equivalent Courses
Not open to students with credit in RUSS 1011
Semester Course Offered
Offered fall
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Student Learning Outcomes
Students will converse in Russian on a variety of everyday topic using a vocabulary of approximately 1000 words.
Students will collaborate with classmates to role play in Russian an increasingly complex series of real life scenarios.
Students will write in Russian on a variety of everyday topics and complete compositions structured by the instructor.
Students will recall a series of common Russian behaviors and cultural traits and to contrast them with their own, native traditions.
Topical Outline
Grammar and vocabulary are introduced progressively in connection with specific
communicative goals. The same topics may occur more than once within the two-course
sequence for Elementary Russian: this allows students to master structures and
vocabulary in manageable segments. Each reoccurrence of a topic introduces new
details, while also reinforcing material previously covered.
1. Alphabet and pronunciation
Greetings and introductions
Asking and answering yes-no questions
Gender of nouns and possessive modifiers
Plurals of masc. and fem. nouns
2. Grammar:
Plurals of neuter nouns
Common irregular plurals
Gender and number for adjectives
Question words
Word order
Intonation and pronunciation (cont.)
Thematic areas for the development of speaking skills:
Asking where someone lives
Finding out someone's identity
Making strong contrasts
Making introductions/getting acquainted
3. Grammar:
Verbs: present tense forms, 1st conjugation
Prepositional case of nouns
Accusative case of nouns
Formation of adverbs
Verbs of motion and expressing destinations
Subordinate clauses
Thematic areas for the development of speaking skills:
Asking what someone is doing
Asking about someone's occupation
Describing a new apartment
Discussing a homework assignment
Giving and soliciting opinions
Asking for directions
4. Grammar:
"To have": u + GEN constructions
Genitive case of nouns and pronouns
Verbs: present tense forms, 2nd conjugation
Verbs: Past tense
Permission and prohibition
Thematic areas for the development of speaking skills:
Describing an apartment, discussing problems
Making an inquiry over the phone
Making plans
Discussing knowledge of foreign languages
Discussing musical abilities
5. Grammar
Prepositional case of modifiers
More on irregular plurals
Accusative case of modifiers and pronouns
Genitive case of modifiers
Verbs of motion (cont.)
Demonstrative pronouns
Relative clauses
Thematic areas for the development of speaking skills:
Asking where someone studies
Clarifying directions
Discussing writers
Asking where to buy something
Ordering food
Discussing travel
