Duke University Slavic and Eurasian Studies

SLAVIC & EURASIAN LANGUAGES

RUSSIAN

I. 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 Languages and Literatures 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)

A new experimental, accelerated introductory course will also be offered.

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 Duke Slavic Department regularly offers 5 fill 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 Duke Slavic Department offers oral and written proficiency testing in Russian language at the beginning and end of each semester.

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

II. 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):

First Course

Second Course

Third Course

1st half Elementary (Russian 1)

2nd half Elementary (Russian 2)

Intermediate (Russian 63)

Intensive Elementary (Russian 14)
Counts as 2 courses

1st half Intermediate (Russian 63)

Continuation optional

 

First Course

Second Course

Third Course

Intensive Elementary (Russian 14)
Counts as 2 courses

DUKE IN RUSSIA [Summer] (Russian 63)

Continuation optional

1st half Elementary (Russian 1)

DUKE IN RUSSIA (Russian 2, Russian 63)

Continuation optional

DUKE IN RUSSIA (Russian 2)

1st half Intermediate (Russian 63)

Continuation optional

 

B. Some previous study of Russian:

First Course

Second Course

Third Course

2nd half Elementary (Russian 2)

1st half Intermediate (Russian 63)

2nd half Intermediate (Russian 64)

1st half Intermediate (Russian 63)

2nd half Intermediate (Russian 64)

Continuation optional

Advanced Intermediate or Advanced (Russian 101S or 102S, Russian 195 or 196, Russian 198 or 199)

Continuation optional

 

III. For students wishing to study POLISH, TURKISH, ROMANIAN:

 

POLISH and TURKISH: 

SES regularly offers a three-year sequence of coursework in Polish and Turkish language and culture (from 1 to the 100-level).  In some cases, multiple years are offered in the same semester.

 

ROMANIAN:

Intensive Romanian is offered every other year so that students may complete the language requirement in one academic year (Fall – Romanian 14 (2 credits); Spring – Romanian 63 or 70 (1 credit)).

PLACEMENT: 

In order to determine placement, SES offers oral and written placement and proficiency-based testing in Polish, Turkish and Romanian.

IV. 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 with some regularity at UNC-Chapel Hill. See the Slavic Department for more information.

V. Study Abroad?

http://studyabroad.duke.edu

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.

VI. Questions?

For more information about Russian Language, please consult the Slavic Department Web site: http://www.duke.edu/web/slavic. Consult the Official Schedule of Courses (ACES) http://www.aas.duke.edu/reg/synopsis for more detailed information on courses being offered each semester.  Also, feel free to contact the DUS, Professor Edna Andrews (). 

Department of Slavic and Eurasian Studies
http://www.duke.edu/web/Slavic
Russian Language Program
316 Languages Building Box 90259
Durham, NC 27708-0259
(919) 660-3140
e-mail:

 

 

 

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Foreign Language Requirement (FL)

The foreign language requirement may be met in different ways, depending upon the level at which students begin the study of the language in question, but every graduate of Trinity College is expected to attain proficiency at least equivalent to that of the first intermediate course in that language.

If you begin your language study at Duke at the intermediate level or above, you can fulfill the language requirement by completing a 100-level course coded FL.

  • if you place into the first semester of the intermediate level, you will take three courses in the same language;
  • if you place into the second semester of the intermediate level, you will take two courses in the same language;
  • if you place into the 100-level, you will take one course.
  • If you begin your language study at Duke at the elementary level, you can fulfill the foreign language requirement in that language by completing three (3) courses coded FL.

Note: Courses completed in order to fulfill the foreign language requirement must all be taken in the same language.

For more information: Academic Requirements and Languages at Duke.