Davidson Russian Courses RUS 201	Search • Contact Us

Course Materials

• Richard Robin et al. Голоса: A Basic Course in Russian. Book 2. 4th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2008.
• Accompanying Student Activity Manual
• Accompanying website including optional web-based grammar exercises (some self-correcting)
• Good Russian-English dictionary, such as Oxford (online through Davidson library)
• Good Russian dictionary, such as Грамота
• Russian@Davidson links page:Web-based study tools, literature in Russian, newspapers, video, radio, etc.

Course Overview and Policies

Attendance: You will meet three times a week with Professor Ewington (M/W/F) and twice (Tu/Th) with your AT, Daria Sidorova, who joins us this year from Saratov. Attendance at all sessions is required. You are allowed three absences in the MWF sessions and two AT absences. Additional absences will negatively impact your final grade. If you are absent on the day of a quiz or exam there will be no make-up. Please use your absences wisely. If you have a family or medical emergency, please let me know as soon as possible.

Participation: Daily participation is required and will be evaluated on the level of preparation and participation in individual and group activities, as well as effort made to avoid English. Remember to bring your workbook and textbook to class each day.

Classroom etiquette: Do not chew gum or eat during class or AT sessions. Remember to silence and put away cell phones before class.

Russian Table (optional): Professor Ewington, Professor Erman, and Daria welcome you at Vail Commons for Russian Table/ Русский стол on Thursdays from 11:30-1:00. This is an informal and fun way to practice your Russian and meet other students involved with Russian at Davidson.

Moodle: Announcements about news related to the class and "help sheet" files will be posted to Moodle. All audio recordings will be submitted to Moodle.

Homework (Домашнее задание):
On MWF homework is due at the beginning of class and on Tuesdays and Thursdays by 3:00 p.m. in the box on my office door (Chambers 3258).

• The detailed schedule for each week can be located by selecting the links at the bottom of this page. Please read the assignments carefully, keeping in mind the following abbreviations and words:
  • РТ (рабочая тетрадь): student activity manual
  • У (учебник): textbook
  • сделайте письменно: in written form
  • сделайте устно: orally
  • для себя:vocabulary exercises at the end of each chapter are to be done "for yourself," as structured preparation for unit tests.
  • стр. (страница): page
  • Please note carefully whether the syllabus calls for you to work on your own with oral drills (устно) or to submit written answers to listening comprehension selections (письменно).
• Late work will not be accepted. Please read the syllabus carefully!
• At the start of each new unit you are assigned to make flashcards. You may make them the old-fashioned way (index cards) or use any number of iPhone/iPad/Andriod apps. The flashcards will not be submitted for a grade, but are meant to help you as we work our way through each unit.
  
• Before submitting homework check:
  • Are you looking at the right day? Note that the layout of the weekly schedule has slightly changed. We will discuss that on the first day of class.
  • Have you completed all questions on the correct exercises? Verify page numbers, exercise numbers, and У vs. РТ, письменно vs. устно.
  • All answers should be in Russian unless otherwise specified.
  • If you have written directly in the Workbook, consider whether you will need the other side of the page for the next day’s assignment. Some students find it easier to always copy the workbook pages for their homework or write out answers on a separate piece of paper.
  • When using notebook paper, please skip lines to allow room for comments.
  • Loose pages must be stapled. I recommend carrying a mini-stapler in your bag for this purpose.
  • Please complete assignments in pencil and erase, rather than scratch out, any changes.
  • Include your name on all pages and pledge all work.
  • You are responsible for oral homework.

Other Graded work:

• Class Work: Beginning in the second week, there will be brief daily "check-ups," such as vocabulary quizzes or dictation. These will not receive letter grades, but do count toward participation.
• Unit Reviews: All unit tests are comprehensive, meaning they include material not only from the most recent unit, but from preceding units as well. In addition to grammar, translation, vocabulary and other written exercises, tests include reading comprehension and an oral component. Unit tests will be scheduled for AT sessions.

Honor Code: All work must be pledged. For the workbook or any other written homework you should feel free to consult your notes, the book, dictionaries, or other grammar books that might help you. You are encouraged to discuss problems that you don’t understand with your fellow students (this might include study sessions for exams), but you should not collaborate on the answers to specific assignments.

Disabilities: If you have a documented disability on record at Davidson and would like to have a reasonable accommodation made for you in this class, please see me as soon as possible at the beginning of the semester.

Evaluation

Basic Schedule

1. 27-31 августа. Урок 1: Погода и путешествия
2. 3-7 сентября Урок 1
3. 10-14 сентября. Урок 1
4. 17-21 сентября. Урок 1 и Урок 2:Разговор по телефону
5. 24-28 сентября. Урок 2
6. 1-5 октября. Урок 2 и Урок 3: Как попасть?
7. 8-12 октября. Урок 3
8. 15-19 октября. Осенние каникулы. урок 3
9. 22-26 октября. Урок 3
10. 29 октября-2 ноября. Урок 4: Гостиница
11. 5-9 ноября. Урок 4
12. 12-16 ноября. Урок 4
13. 19-23 ноября.Урок 4
14. 26-30 ноября. Урок 5
15. 3-7 декабря. Урок 5
16. 10-12 декабря. подготовка к экзамену