Study Abroad Library

Russian Language in St. Petersburg

The Summer Language and Culture program in St. Petersburg, Russia, is designed to give intermediate-level students of Russian a short term, highly intensive introduction to current Russian life and culture. Through focused language study and organized excursions to important cultural sights, students will maximize their chances to use their language skills, improve their fluency, and gain insight into the rhythm of Russian life. Saint Petersburg, Russias most westernized city, rightly deserves its reputation as the countrys window to Europe. Its neoclassical architecture, broad avenues, many canals, and geometrically arranged parks give the city the feel of a European capital. Located just below the Arctic circle in latitude, the city boasts its famous White Nights in early summer. The length of the day on June 21 is 18 hours and 45 minutes, and even after the sun sets, it never grows dark. Academic Program Participants will take classes at St. Petersburg State University in the Center for Russian Language and Culture with highly qualified, native-speaker instructors. Classes are scheduled between 9:30am and 2:30pm, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, leaving students with plenty of time for extracurricular activities on Wednesday and weekends. Students will be placed in groups by their level of language proficiency. The following courses will appear on all students transcripts at the conclusion of the program: Russian 550: Advanced Conversation, Composition and Grammar in Russia: Summer Study in St. Petersburg (6 credit hours) and SLAV 679: Topics in: Russian Culture (2 credit hours) for a total of 8 credit hours In certain circumstances credit may be given for other courses, as arranged with the program director prior to the program. All groups will follow the same basic academic program at St. Petersburg University, which includes: * Development of Oral Proficiency Students have the opportunity to work on communication and conversation skills about all areas of daily life, and to develop skills necessary to sustain longer conversation, narration, and description. * Advanced Topics in Russian Grammar and Written Expression Students review and study in detail some of the more complex aspects of Russian grammar: prefixed and non-prefixed verbs of motion, indirect discourse, and verbal aspect. There are regular written assignments. * Practical Phonetics and Intonation The course concentrates on understanding the rules of Russian phonetics and intonation and their practical application in the spoken language. This is an excellent opportunity for students to acquire more native sounding Russian. * Russian Literature and Culture Through lectures and reading of select texts students learn about Russias great literature of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. * Understanding Contemporary Media: Newspaper, Film and TV By reading newspapers and watching films and television programs with instructors, students have the opportunity to improve their listening and reading comprehension.