Department of Slavonic Studies

Modern & Medieval Languages

Department of Slavonic Studies

Part IA Option A

Beginners' course in the first year

The first year of the ab initio Russian course is intended to introduce students to the basics of the Russian language in papers RuA1 and RuA2, as well as to the interdisciplinary study of Russian culture in paper RuA3.

By the end of the year students should be able to use elementary grammar and syntax with a reasonable degree of confidence and accuracy, and should have sufficient vocabulary to be able to engage in simple conversation, tell a story, and translate simple texts. Students will also have read a range of short 19th and 20th-century texts in Russian and will have studied key events and issues in Russian cultural history from the 11th through the 20th centuries. They are thus prepared to continue with language study and to select from a range of scheduled papers on Russian literature, history, and culture in Part IB

Ab initio students, on completion of their first year of studies, are advised to attend a summer language course which is held in the first three weeks of September in the Benedict School in St Petersburg.

Allocations to language classes

Allocations to ab-initio language classes take place on Wednesday before the Michaelmas teaching terms starts, at 12 noon. An introductory meeting for paper RuA3 will take place on the same Wednesday at 2:45 pm. Students may receive details of the location from their Directors of Studies or can contact the Departmental Secretary.

Before you start: Summer Preparation for the ab initio course

You are strongly advised to study as much basic Russian grammar as possible before you arrive in Cambridge. This can be done by independent study and/or by attending language courses either in Great Britain or abroad.

In order to be ready for the rapid pace of the course, you should complete the following minimal preparatory work by the start of the Michaelmas term:

  • Work through the first six lessons of the ab initio textbook, Svetlana Le Fleming's Colloquial Russian (Routledge).

  • Read through the following:

    • 1. Gregory Freeze, ed., Russia: A History, 3rd ed. (Oxford), OR
      • a. Catherine Evtuhov et al., A History of Russia: Peoples, Legends, Events, Forces (Houghton Mifflin), OR
      • b. Nicholas Riasanovsky and Mark Steinberg, A History of Russia (Oxford, 7th or 8th edition only).
    • 2. Robin Milner-Gulland, The Russians (Oxford, 1998).
    • 3. English translations of the principal literary texts assigned for RuA3:
      • Mikhail Lermontov, A Hero of Our Time
      • Ivan Turgenev, A Huntsman's Sketches
      • Nikolai Gogol, "The Overcoat"
      • Anna Akhmatova, "Requiem"

Language Work

You will be attending five weekly classes organized by the Department:

In addition in the Michaelmas Term you will have a weekly grammar supervision organized by the Department on behalf of your College.

  • Textbook:
  • Svetlana le Fleming, Susan E. Kay, Colloquial Russian (Routledge), textbook and cassette or CD
  • Recommended reference works:
  • The Oxford Russian Dictionary (Russian-English, English-Russian)OUP)
  • Terence Wade, A Comprehensive Russian Grammar (Blackwell)
  • A.I. Smirnitskii, Russian-English online dictionary www.rambler.ru/dict/ruen/

Introduction to Russian Culture

Teaching provision for paper RuA3 consists of 8 weekly lectures and 2 supervisions in Michaelmas; 16 weekly lectures and 8 weekly supervisions in Lent; and 4 revision supervisions in Easter. Supervisions for paper RuA3 in Lent and Easter will integrate language work with literary and cultural analysis of short Russian texts. Supervisions for paper RuA3 are organized centrally through the Department on behalf of your college. For details of this paper, see Introduction to Russian Culture (RU A3) .

Examination Papers

At the end of the year you will take one oral exam and three written exams:

  • RU A1: Use of Russian
  • RU A2: Translation from Russian and Oral A
  • RU A3: Introduction to Russian Culture

Previous years' examination papers are available from the MML Library and from the CamTools sites for ab initio Russian. Please note that previous exam papers for Ru A3 are NOT relevant for Tripos 2011, as Ru A3 has a new format and readling list as of Michaelmas 2010. Students will receive access to the password-protected CamTools sites at the beginning of the Michaelmas term.

Additional Resources

In addition to working through the first 6 chapters of Colloquial Russian before starting your course, you may find it helpful to explore the aspects of the Russian language on some of the available websites:

In addition to the grammar work and reading recommended above, try to develop a good basic knowledge of the main features of Russian literature, history and culture. You may do additional reading from the bibliography posted on line for Ru A3, or simply look for the following:

  • Auty, R. & Obolensky, D., eds. Companion to Russian Studies, vols. 1-3 , (Cambridge).
  • Simon Franklin and Emma Widdis (eds.), National Identity in Russian Culture: an Introduction (Cambridge)
  • Daniel H. Kaiser and Gary Marker (ed.), Reinterpreting Russian History, Readings 860 - 1860s (Oxford)

Read newspapers, watch films and documentaries! The following English-language online newspapers offer good coverage of events in Russia:

Russian books can be difficult to locate. The fullest stocks are: Grant & Cutler Ltd., 55-57 Great Marlborough Street, London W1V 2AY (tel: 0207-734 2012).They will provide information and catalogues on request. Heffers Bookshop in Cambridge will have copies of some set texts by the beginning of the Michaelmas Term. Many Russian books are available for downloading free on the web. The Colloquial Russian course book can be purchased from the Waterstone's or Blackwell's online shops or from amazon.co.uk.

 

 

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