Russian 4

This subject is not offered in 2013.

4 contact hours/ week, 4 additional hours/ week. Total of 8 hours per week.

Russian 3 or Russian Language and Culture 2A or equivalent.

Subject Code(s): RUSS020004 or 126-230 or 126-155

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RUSS1XXXX Russian 4, RUSS20005 Russian Language and Culture 2B; 126-231 Russian Language and Culture 2B; 126-157 Intermediate Russian D

For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Students Experiencing Academic Disadvantage Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Description, Subject Objectives, Generic Skills and Assessment Requirements of this entry.The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the disability support scheme can be found at the Disability Liaison Unit website: http://www.services.unimelb.edu.au/disability/

The aim of this subject is to familiarise students with contemporary life in the Russian-speaking world. Each chapter of the textbook (6-10) is studied for 2-3 weeks and consists of topically related visual and printed texts that allow students to encounter multiple perspectives and genres in both written and oral forms. Instead of the traditional approach to language instruction that is structured around a sequence of grammatical topics, this subject relies on the texts themselves to provide the textual, informational, and lexico-grammatical features that serve as the basis for developing students’ language abilities. The primary text types used at this stage are dialogue, cultural information, biography and literature (both prose and poetry). Students typically encounter each text first in class and then engage with it further out of class in preparation for subsequent in-depth thematic discussions in class. Its emphasis on improving students’ ability to narrate, compare and contrast, express opinions, and establish causal relationships in speaking and writing lays the groundwork for the historical texts used in third-year Russian (Russian 5 & 6).

By the end of this subject students will:

• have a good understanding of contemporary life in the Russian-speaking world with some in-depth knowledge of major social, political, and cultural issues;
• be able to comprehend authentic materials (film, radio, video, native speaker conversation);
• be able to produce spoken and written discourse from description to narration, to formulation of argument and/or hypothesis, incorporating an increasing variety of style and complexity;
• have improved their writing abilities through extensive writing in a variety of formats (descriptions, dialogues, essays, creative writing), progressing from descriptive and narrative to evaluative and analytical, increasing in length and complexity;
• have produced both oral and written presentations of various lengths and formats.

• Regular written, listening and oral assignments will assess the students' knowledge in specified areas of thematic and cultural as well as linguistics knowledge (totalling 2000 words) throughout the semester [40%]
• A reflective language learning journal throughout the semester [10%]
• A 10-minute oral exam during the examination period [10%]
• 2-hour written exam during the examination period [40%]

This subject has the following hurdle requirements:

• Regular participation in tutorials is required with a minimum of 75% attendance.
• All pieces of written work must be submitted to pass this subject.

Assessment submitted late without an approved extension will be penalised at 10% per day and in-class tasks missed without approval will not be marked.

• O.Kagan et al. 'V Puti', Prentice Hall, 2006.

This subject potentially can be taken as a breadth subject component for the following courses:

• Bachelor of Biomedicine
• Bachelor of Commerce
• Bachelor of Environments
• Bachelor of Music
• Bachelor of Science
• Bachelor of Engineering

You should visit learn more about breadth subjects and read the breadth requirements for your degree, and should discuss your choice with your student adviser, before deciding on your subjects.

• acquire more advanced skills necessary for future research (library, internet, cross-references etc.)
• gain sophisticated analytical tools for understanding the system of language;
• acquire foundation in intercultural communication practices;
• acquire written communication skills through writing and seminar discussion;
• show attention to detail through preparation and writing;
• acquire time management and planning skills through managing and organising workloads for regular (weekly) assignment completion;
• acquire public speaking skills through tutorial and seminar discussion and class presentations.
• to develop the ability to reflect on their language learning process and on linguistic and cultural differences of the target language and cultures.