Russian Language Program

Website: http://www.duke.edu/web/slavic/

Zdravstvujte
Hello!

Interested in learning Russian?

For students beginning Russian for the first time:

Why take Russian? Russian continues to be the 4th most important language in the world. Russian is a crucial language for students of science and math, as well as those interested in national security, foreign service, film and cultural studies, and the arts.

How long does it take to learn the cyrillic alphabet? Students easily learn the cyrillic alphabet in the first 2 class periods. It takes about one hour of memorization.

The Duke Department of Slavic and Eurasian Studies offers students 4 distinct options for completing the language proficiency requirement in Russian at the beginning level:

• 2 semesters: RUS14 (intensive, 2 credits), RUS63 (1 credit), or
• 3 semesters: RUS1, RUS2, RUS63 (1 credit each), or
• 1 summer & 1 semester: RUS1, RUS2 (Duke in Russia program), RUS63 (at Duke), or
• 1 semester & 1 summer: RUS 1 or RUS14 (at Duke), RUS2, RUS63 (Duke in Russia program)

For students wishing to continue their study of Russian:

A. Duke University has the richest course offerings in Russian language and culture in the United States. Furthermore, Duke has the oldest student-faculty exchange program with a Russian university in the U.S. The Department of Slavic and Eurasian Studies regularly offers 5 full years of language study EVERY SEMESTER as well as uniquely designed specialized language courses at the advanced levels, such as:

• 2nd year Intermediate Russian: RUS 63, 64 (or Intensive 70)
• 3rd year Advanced Intermediate Russian: RUS 101S, 102S
• 4th year Advanced Russian: RUS 195, 196
• 5th year Russian Stylistics: RUS 198, 199
• Scientific and Scholarly Russian (RUS 208)
• Theory of Translation (RUS 145)
• Legal Russian (RUS 211/LAW 653) (a course that carries credit in Trinity College & Duke Law School)
• Language and Culture through Film (I & II) (RUS 124S, 126S)
• Language and Culture through Theatre (RUS 127)
• Language and Culture through Music (RUS 128)

All Russian language courses are taught in Russian from the 100-level.

B. In order to determine placement, the Department of Slavic and Eurasian Studies requires an oral and written proficiency test in Russian language. For first-time matriculating students, the placement test must be taken before the beginning of the fall semester in order to determine appropriate registration.

C. The department has several advanced Russian courses designed to meet the needs of heritage learners.

How do I get there?

Some possible course combinations for completing the Foreign Language Requirement in Russian:

A. No prior knowledge of Russian (or no more than 3 years of high school Russian study):

B. Some previous study of Russian:

For students wishing to study another Slavic language (including Serbian/Croatian, Czech, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Ukrainian):

These languages are not offered on a regular basis, but may be offered occasionally. See the Web site of the Department of Slavic and Eurasian Studies (http://www.duke.edu/web/slavic/) for more information.

Study Abroad?

Study Abroad Website: http://www.aas.duke.edu/study_abroad

Duke offers both summer and semester programs at St. Petersburg University in St. Petersburg, Russia. Brochures are available in both the Study Abroad office and the Slavic department office.

Note: To fulfill the FL requirement, courses taken abroad must be taken in a Duke-administered or Duke-approved program.

Questions?

For more information about Russian Language, please consult the department Web site. Consult the Online Course Synopsis Handbook for more detailed information on courses being offered each semester.

Contact Information:

Department of Slavic and Eurasian Studies
Russian Language Program
http://www.duke.edu/web/slavic/

316 Languages Building
Box 90259
Durham, NC 27708-0259
(919) 660-3140
e-mail: russian@duke.edu

First-year registration, summer contact: Edna Andrews, eda@duke.edu, 919-660-3142

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