See the course descriptions below. This beginning class is designed to help students acquire a basic practical knowledge of Russian.
Initial lessons cover the alphabet, pronunciation, and forms of introduction and greeting.
Elements of Russian culture are introduced through short readings and dialogues featuring high-frequency vocabulary and idioms. Students learn how to narrate both momentary and continuous events in the past, answer the telephone, and describe daily routines. Readings and dialogues include poems, recipes, and descriptions of Russian foods and wines. In this upper intermediate level class, students acquire the language skills necessary for renting a car, dealing with road mishaps, visiting a doctor's office, and finding a pharmacy. Vocabulary and the use of idiom continue to be reinforced and expanded through readings, dialogues, and oral and written exercises.